I have to agree with you there Dave. I’m still waiting to be arrested. I’m an officer of a local fraternal organization that is very family oriented. Until 9:30 PM children have the run of the club. We usually have treats for them. It’s not unusual for a kid to get cookies or ice cream as well as some small toy. I’m one of the people who hand this stuff out and most of the kids get to know me by name. The problem is that alot of these kids are brought to the club by their Grandparents, as a result it is not uncommon for me to be in a store and have a kid run up to me calling me by name and their parents have no idea who I am or how their kid knows me. Most of the time I just introduce myself and there is no problem. I’m still waiting for the day some parent goes off the deep end and I end up in hot water.

1) Any mall
2) Charleston, WV
3) Maricopa County, AZ

Oh yeah its a police state. But only countries with funny sounding names have those, right?

#25, I had a debate with a co-worker last week about this very fact. He is an intelligent person. However, he displayed a vast amount of cognitive dissonance. I tried to break it down into bite size pieces and build from one to the next. He agreed that cops have the moral responsibility to question every action they take, and that they should suffer the consequences of said actions, both here on Earth and with their Creator (he’s a Christian/God is all things good person, so I figured I could get to him this way; I agree with my statement but you don’t have to believe in a Creator to agree). He agreed that cops have the system on their side, etc. He agreed that lack of consequences and/or having the system on your side emboldens one to be more brazen about the abuses they inflict on others. He then had massive cognitive dissonance and said we have to be protected (from what?), that they are our protectors (despite said train of abuses and brazen behavior), that we must respect their authority
(why are you so willing to be a slave?), and that you should comply with all orders and rely on said rigged “justice” system to handle things.

Wow. I had to tell him straight up that he is a slave and hopefully one day will free his mind so his actions will follow. Of course he took this to mean I am pro-anarchy, we don’t need any rules, everyone will just get along, etc. I tried to correct him and ask why he made such a leap, but he wouldn’t hear it because he wants to be ruled. I believe he’s a slave in his mind because of his religious beliefs, something that I feel is quite common among religious types. I was raised in a strong religious environment, and directly saw and felt the impact of disconnects.

The debate centered around the Chris Humphreys thug/murderer Portland OR police who recently shot a girl with a bean bag round at point blank range. My co-worker said she deserved it, that cops have a right to fire on you and question you for anything, and you have no right to question them or not comply because hey, they could be investigating a murder or something and you should answer all of their questions fully and immediately. All sorts of wild leaps were made. I watched the same video of Humphreys, and I saw something entirely different: 3 cops, one of them Humphreys, 2 of them have the girl on the ground on her back, and the entire time Humphreys unslings his shotgun and is looking for the best shot. 2 grown men had the girl on her back. Yes she was resisting, but that doesn’t justify shooting someone. They had her under control, 2 grown men against a 15 year old girl, yet Humphreys almost immediately was looking for the shot. That tells you his mindset — “I want to shoot someone”. People who have training in dealing with threats understand that you don’t immediately jump to the most dangerous methods to deal with a threat … it’s called a threat/force chart that you use to judge the circumstances and then react accordingly. If you have bad judgment then you shouldn’t be a cop.

It’s amazing how many people feel you should comply with everything, you deserve what you get, and that shooting someone with anything is justified because Cop X has to react in split seconds and you don’t know what Cop X saw and felt. The typical “I felt threatened, he was 21 feet away” bullshit.

Thanks, glad somebody said this.
Although I don’t look mean or nasty or violent I get bad vibes
in public for being over 30 and alone.
Restaurants, airports, walking down the street.
Feminism gone awry?

Critical difference, Frank. Dole and Gates are not public officials. The cop is gold because:

1. He was acting in official capacity.

2. He was not acting for personal gain.

Nothing to see here, move along…. The public have spoken.

That is until that same person has to watch his teenage kid get placed on the sex offenders list for something bogus, but I doubt the connection will be made by said concerned parent.

The real sad thing about this is that it happened because the guy was alone. If his girlfriend had been standing next to him while he took pictures of Santa, no one would have looked at him twice. But in this country, all men without a woman nearby are evil.

#26 Jim Collins

Dave,
Since when is a mall security camera a part of Government?

Good point. You’re correct, of course. But, I think people are generally very tolerant of surveillance that has an official security purpose. To them, it’s that lone guy who represents the main threat.

fuck the cops for being asshats.

I can’t get too upset- this looks like the Jerry Springer show to me- lots of idiots misbehaving.

Whether a case ever goes to trial, lawyers (on both sides) know that these are the people that make up juries.