I dont always like Bill Maher, but when I do I like him a lot. Like Bill, Im scared of the cops, and Im white! Incidentally, my fear of the cops is not a product of the liberal media, but of first hand personal and observed experience in a wide range of contexts over a lifetime. Ive had good encounters, and Ive had bad. The thing that scares me (and Ive seen this occur over and over) is their unlimited, and usually unaccountable, authority and power. Abuse of police power and authority has been around since the first officer was given a gun and a badge. If you give human beings that kind of power, some of them will abuse it. In fact, I would venture to say that the vast majority of cops step over the line of impropriety more than once during their careers. Its a virtual given given the incredible work they are expected to do and the power they are given to getr done. Abuse of power, however, whether small or large, is an abuse of power. It is the antithesis of the fabric of our Constitutional scheme. This stuff has been going on forever, and it is the norm, not the exception. The only difference now is the technology that allows millions to see what would have been hidden until recently. Seeing excessive use of force and other abuses with your own eyes is transformative. It was seeing the scenes of Selma and Birmingham on TV that brought an end to the barbaric behavior of the police in the South. Maybe the scenes we have been seeing recently will lead to changes in policing policies an practices. Dash cams in every car and a camera on every officer would go a very long way in reducing the frequency of abuses.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 00:25:59 +0000
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