Police Unions, prison-industrials, and similar lobby both to receive the devices and vehicles under the guise of “fighting terrorism” and under the guise of being able to sell those devices.
It’s not about thinking. Who needs thinking?
3 Likes
You’d think that at some point, they’d trip onto the idea that “meeting a cop is one step short of sudden death” would lead to “the cop just stopped Larry. If I don’t drop the cop, Larry is toast.” Or, as the saying went around here a century or so ago, there are two kinds of people: the quick, and the dead.
1 Like
(Sarcasm tag explicitly enabled)
But that is Sooo haaaaard!!
2 Likes
Warning: Graphic violence, but sadly relevant.
3 Likes
But this corruption of sorts is decentralized. It’s a ton of petty protectionism, not centralized.
2 Likes
You start your argument with the assumption that your average cop is not mentally handicapped… Do you have any solid proof of this?
2 Likes
Excellent points, thanks. Sorry I didn’t see your reply earlier–there’s gardening to do, yo!
I was thinking about these issues as I left the train station the other day and passed by a cop sitting idle in his patrol vehicle. The thought flashed through my head to say something along the lines of, “I appreciate that you have a tough job to do, walking into chaotic situations and dealing with people who, to a large degree, have little to no trust in you or your authority. But I hope you’re one of the good cops that doesn’t toe that thin blue line and who is trying to build and sustain relationships to make our city a safer place.”
But I had to ask myself if he would’ve listened to any of that, and if he would’ve felt the need to shake me down afterwards just to be sure I’m not a threat. Given the statements generated by the police unions (and especially the one here in B’more) and their supporters, it was tough to imagine a happy “have a nice day to you as well, sir” outcome.
EDIT: @L_Mariachi, I WORE THAT TAPE OUT!!! 
Bang your Heeeaaaadddddd!
1 Like
A friend of mine was telling me just yesterday about the orientation session he was given about how not to get shot by the cops before he visited America for work…
5 Likes
Well that’s going to help our trade imbalance tremendously, isn’t it?
2 Likes
Don’t you have Crisis Assessment and Treatment Teams? the 911 dispatcher should have triaged them first, then the police…
1 Like
The previous times this man’s wife had to call the police, that’s who they sent.
All it takes is one dispatcher who sends out the wrong, trigger-happy team…
1 Like
If memory serves, rates of domestic violence offenses among LEOs suggest an understanding that their families are civilians; but possibly not the correct conclusion from this information…
4 Likes
The US is, sadly, on our ‘places to avoid’ list for similar reasons. We’re fearful that a multi-hued family travelling on passports representing 3 nations (one of them with a large muslim population) would be subject to “random security checks” and interrogation by unimaginative mirror-lens wearing gorillas in suits … 
If you could put a stop to all the spying and security theatre, we’ll cheerfully visit and spend some money? 
3 Likes
I hear you. What I can say is that the pros DO outweigh the cons for almost all visitors to the U.S. Over the years I’ve taken my kids to a number of countries which are categorically more dangerous, and been very glad we were able to go. We just had to be mindful of the dangers as part of the planning. Unfortunately, that’s how one has to approach visiting the U.S. now, as well.
3 Likes
Well, the Patriot Act is done (until Tuesday). Can you make it over today?
7 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
