"All you've got is a guy with an expired visa who's taking flight lessons," they said. "Where's the crime?"
Well, without hindsight, it doesn't sound like an FBI case. "Niceties of professional law enforcement" notwithstanding - or is that a euphemism for "innocent until proven guilty" and similar such liberal ideas?
Obviously, just ask the KGB or Gestapo, it's far easier if your secret police can investigate anything they want to, anywhere, anytime without any civilian protection - but hey, aren't we better than that? Or is this the ideal? Police everywhere, always, want more power. They always, everywhere want to act with less bureaucracy, less scrutiny, more ease, more speed. And of course their hunches are never wrong.
So, here's your scenario, Mr K.
A man turns up on your door, shows no ID but claims to be a special agent. He forcibly takes away your daughter, gives no reason to you and no number to call. His two buddies stand by with hands poised in coats. Do you think this is good?
Hey, you didn't know that a friend of her boyfriend has been making suspicious calls? Including one from her cellphone? Well, no doubt you will get to prove your innocence.
If you protest, obviously you're a dangerous liberal. Guess what, your turn next. If you're lucky, they merely pistol-whip you and leave it at that. Next stop... well, what colour's your skin?
Or maybe it's your neighbour who's p*ssed about your daughter staying out and making out late and phoned a number she saw on TV. (What was it, TIPS?). Prove your innocence. Prove hers.
As for that article, with its repeated Goebbels-style slur maligning the "liberal media":
Imagine if you were one of these.
news.bbc.co.uk
Their main advocate was a chap called Paul Foot - a jounalist, and an extreme socialist at that. Not someone I liked and I've no time for his political views, but guess what, he was right.
Imagine if we'd had the death penalty in the UK, and less 'liberal media' bothering the police.
Who'd be so proud and gloating then? Think it would have helped? |
