Damn US Police State

[Boris Godunov]

First, cop-bashing is easy. It's a lot harder to see the good things that the police do to keep everyone safe. It's pretty childish to start complaining about a cop doing his job.

Ozzy, ingorance of the law is no excuse. I, frankly, don't relish the idea of having people driving to New York and then sleeping in their cars. It would be a major problem. Should you be allowed just to plop your ass down on any city sidewalk and sleep?

I grew up in Salisbury, MD, on the Eastern Shore and went to school near Ocean City, so I'm well-acquainted with the area. If you knew the huge problems they have had in the past with seedy elements, you'd probably understand those rules a little better.

Rehoboth is a beautiful town, and the residents want to keep it that way. If they have the voting power and it's their community, tough sh*t, go somewhere else. Chances are that's exactly what they would want someone with your attitude towards authority to do.

Grow up a little and realize we live in a collective society. You're not going to like all the rules, but if you choose not to follow them, that's your responsibility.

Re Ocean City. Hehehe, I worked as a desk clerk at one of the more upscale hotels there during my summers between college semesters. I personally evicted several pot-smoking and underage people in our hotel, and was known as the "Tow King" for my uberzealousness in towing illegally parked cars from our lots.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
First, cop-bashing is easy. It's a lot harder to see the good things that the police do to keep everyone safe. It's pretty childish to start complaining about a cop doing his job.

What is "childish" about it? If unjust laws exist, and cops misuse their authority to harrass harmless travelers why is this beyond reproach? What kind of ridiculous statist are you that the police are beyond criticism? I'd like to see what you have to say if you ever get arrested for violating sodomy laws . Cops just doing their job, right?

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by Giancarlo
You people you should say this when the officer asks:

Officer: Your eyes are red, have you been drinking?

And you say: Your eyes are glazed, have you been eating donuts?

A joke I know... that would not be advisable to say unless you want to spend a night in jail.

When he takes out his ticket book you can also say: "Yes, I'll have a Big Mack and a large order of fries please."

[David Floyd]

Ozzy, you never have to show a cop your Social Security Card - it cannot legally be asked for as ID.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


What is "childish" about it? If unjust laws exist, and cops misuse their authority to harrass harmless travelers why is this beyond reproach? What kind of ridiculous statist are you that the police are beyond criticism? I'd like to see what you have to say if you ever get arrested for violating sodomy laws . Cops just doing their job, right?

I'm not talking about the cop abusing his authority, I'm talking about a cop acting within his authority. I've never expressed tolerance for abuse of authority.

How was this cop abusing his authority? You say he asked for your SS card because he didn't have a way to identify you. Why? Did you not have a license or some other I.D. on you?

You refer to yourself as a harmless traveler. How would he know you were harmless? Put yourself in a cop's shoes. Every day they get reports of stolen vehicles, escaped felons, fugitives, etc. So here he comes across a guy sleeping in his car near a resort with lots of hotels and motels. What if this guy is a fugitive, some escaped psycho murderer? Maybe he's sleeping in his car to avoid showing his face at motels, thus being I.D.'ed by townspeople. So of course the cop is going to bust you (for, we might add, doing something illegal, which is his job).

I would not blame a cop for enforcing sodomy laws if I were being stupid and doing such a thing in a public place where a cop could see me. But if he illegally enters my home and then tries to arrest me, fine, he's overstepped his authority.

I blame the laws for being unjust and I deplore cops who abuse their power. But I will sure not be stupid enough to get caught in places where such laws exist, nor blame a cop for enforcing the laws.

[Giancarlo]

Unfornately you may hate me for saying this, but I feel safer when cops abuse their authority. And sometimes here I see cops carrying assault rifles and 12 gauge shotguns and I feel a bit safer. Maybe it is just me.

Everytime a cop writes up a ticket it adds to their salary in the US I think. Go figure. If I was in a cop shoes I would be writing up tickets and busting crime.

[DanS]

"and they guy scratches his head, chews me out a bit, and lets me off the hook."



That's a great story. What were you doing in the States? Work?

[Boris Godunov]

Ok, read the part about your license and SS Card...gotcha. Yeah, he overstepped his authority. So he was wrong. Not to bust you, mind you, but for asking for the SS card.

Still, I don't like the blanket generalization that cops are like that in general. Keep in mind the ES of MD is a fairly rural place, so it's going to have more than its share of Sheriff Bufort-wannabees. And the residents kinda like it that way.

[tandeetaylor]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
So you're all going to move to a state and force the people who ive there to impliment your ideas? That's not very nice of you.

No, we're going to exercise the right of people who still live in a country where they can move to other states, and exercise our right to vote and to freedom of speech. That's why one of the criteria is a native population that already tends to espouse freedom.

We're forcing freedom on people. Oh no! Us and those damn founding fathers...

[chequita guevara]

Your version of freedom is other people's verion of getting screwed.

[David Floyd]

Your version of freedom is other people's verion of getting screwed.

And what you define as "getting screwed" is what I'd define as the way things work out when an attempt is made to mix a free system with an oppressive one.

"Duh, what's gonna happen if we decide we're gonna have some free elements in society, but lots of restrictions and laws too? Nah, no one will get screwed!"

[Grrr]

Re: Damn US Police State

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Grrr...

Godammit, why do all you guys think I'm your personal counselor

[Ming]

Originally posted by Giancarlo
Everytime a cop writes up a ticket it adds to their salary in the US I think.

So totally untrue it isn't even funny Maybe you can find some small town where it "might" work that way, but not in 99.9999% of America...

[David Floyd]

There ARE "ticket quotas" in some areas, although admittedly this isn't the norm.

Police officers also, though, tend to see themselves as a bit above the law - often times they would rather enforce law and order than protect individual rights, which I definitely see as a problem.

[Ming]

Originally posted by David Floyd
There ARE "ticket quotas" in some areas, although admittedly this isn't the norm.

Ticket quotas are entirely different than what he suggested...