Actually, Lloyd I believe we will be seeing them pretty soon. I read somewhere that ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ is referred to also as the ‘McVeigh Finishing School.’

There was of course more people than McVeigh and Nichols in on the OKC bombing, and they were far right Bircher militia types who saw black helicopters and U.N. conspiracies behind the bar codes on street signs. They probably financed the operation, and gave materiel and comfort support for the operation. I expect to see a lot of them re-organize and see those black helicopters again. You all ready have loons trying to prove that Obama’s birth certificate is a fake. Should be an interesting next four or eight years for the people who watch these sort of groups.

Fully agree on this.

Mr. Balko apparently learned his conspiracy-theory-dealing-with technique from young master David “Weigs” Weigel who teaches that you must focus on the kookiest theories and then the plausible conspiracy theories (anthrax anyone?) just go away of their own accord.

Good. That is the only reliable and lasting way to change government behavior. If you depend on the good nature of those in power, then once a less than ethical person gets into a position of power, the bad behavior of government will return.

It’s hard to believe that results like this aren’t grounds for declaring resisting arrest laws unconstitutional.

Right on, Norm. When Frank Serpico was testifying about corruption in the NYPD, he said that the atmosphere did not yet exist where the corrupt police officer fears the ethical officer. Alas, we still have a long way to go. It should be the corrupt officers, the overly agressive SWAT cops, the shady narcs, and the sadistic “street justice” enthusiasts that are ostracized, harrassed and ultimately hounded out of the department, not the whistleblowers. Change will come only when informed citizens and honorable officers pulverize the blue wall.

And regarding the deputy from Washington State. When the teenage girl called you a “fat pig,” why did you think it was a good idea to turn around and act like a “fat pig.” Several years of employment in protective services have taught me that is it the job of the officer to be the adult, and to let the other person be the bigger asshole.

Is this some kind of joke?

Either the guy was guilty of a crime or he wasn’t. The idea of finding the officer in breach but still finding the defendant guilty of ‘resisting arrest’ is as abhorrent as having a ’slut’ charge that you find victims of rape guilty of in order to shame them publically in a courtroom.

It is a joke, in a sick sort of way. On us.

But if you are genuinely surprised at hearing about this kind of nonsense, then I think you must be very new to this website.

~

In fact, Mr. Waters, on parole from a burglary conviction when he was arrested, beat the most serious charge, the felony possession of a 9 millimeter Beretta and a bagful of ammunition. He was convicted of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

~

Is this some kind of joke?

Either the guy was guilty of a crime or he wasn’t. The idea of finding the officer in breach but still finding the defendant guilty of ‘resisting arrest’ is as abhorrent as having a ‘slut’ charge that you find victims of rape guilty of in order to shame them publically in a courtroom.

#16 | Matt D | March 13th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I don’t have the numbers, but my gut feeling is that the difference in cost between life imprisonment and execution is nothing compared to the cost of investigating/arresting/trying/jailing millions of low-level drug offenders, gang members, prostitutes, etc.

But how would the cops justify all their expensive toys? And how would contractors persuade state governments to spend money to build expensive new prisons to hold all the people arrested?

/snark

FC still…not surprisingly…since it has been my perception…from the beginning of our nightmare…in reaction to us…has the same unconscionable approach…they have displayed from the start.

We are still in the process…of seeking justice…in behalf of our son…our family…and hopefully…the residents of our county.

If we leave unchallenged…those who must be held accountable… for the unjust…and unwarranted use of force…resulting in the unnecessary loss of a life…the chances of it happening again…to some other family…are not lessened.

These so called “isolated” incidents…are all too frequent…changes are needed. “Common sense” is what has been “isolated”…as proven by the tragic results…we read of so often…on this site.

I will keep the faith…praying…and continuing forward…I have a promise to keep…to my son.

http://www.justiceforsal.com

While I agree with you completely, I fear that the natural reaction of the Scalia-types will simply be: “Well, make it cheaper then! Get rid of all those useless appeals! The Constitution only grants you a right to a fair trial! It doesn’t explicitly say you have the right to appeals or anything! One trial and then a gunshot to the head!”

I have no faith in the rationality of a vast majority of the American public.

Don’t get me wrong. If even one innocent man is put to death, it is wrong. But, no more wrong than a life sentence for him, either! Thing is, if I was, wrongly, convicted to a life sentence, my life would, likely, be very short!

But, I don’t see the economics of this article.

http://www.justiceforsal.com/

Truth be told, it was that very reason that initially led me to reconsider my pro-death penalty position. Granted I was a naive junior high kid at the time, but I never really considered that the courts could screw up something as significant as taking a life. However, one of my justifications for supporting the death penalty was that we shouldn’t use taxpayer dollars to keep our worst criminals alive, so when I found out it was actually more expensive to kill them, it led me to re-think my position. Roughly ten years later, I was meeting with a prisoner on Death Row as a student intern with the Center on Wrongful Convictions. I’m fairly certain I would’ve eventually come around to my current thinking based solely on moral grounds, but nonetheless I’m proof that there’s power in pragmatic arguments.