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Politics : High Tolerance Plasticity -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (3773)	4/25/2001 11:46:00 AM
From: Second_Titan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23153

So you are a repeat offender? AWOL not once but twice. You demonstrated one of my points about "victims". I was in the military and would not compare the power of military police to civilians. When you joined the military you took some oaths that deny you the same rights as civilians. There are rogue cops and they should be dealt with severely. Also towns could do a better job screening cops to limit the extreme ones that are thrill seeking power & recognition. I start an encounter with police utmost civility, respect and due deference because I do not want to provoke any potential lunatic with a badge. I will keep 10% attention on my rights against the police and 90% of my attention making sure the system catches criminals whether they are in uniform or not.

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (3773)	4/25/2001 11:57:11 AM
From: Think4Yourself	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23153

re: "I wish that I could share your apparent beliefs that the cops are almost always benevolent keepers of the law and that the complainers are almost always lying and exaggerating." I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is that cops typically deal with the worst our society has to offer, by definition. As such it is easy for them to develop psychological issues. One is that they may tend to feel everyone is "the worst", and treat them as such. Not making apologies or excuses for any police behavior. Simply suggesting that their perspective on society is much different than yours or mine. On the rare occasion I encounter the law I always try to show my respect for what they have to do. IMHO it's a crappy job, knowing you could be shot at any time.

To: cnyndwllr who wrote (3773)	4/25/2001 12:07:18 PM
From: kodiak_bull	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23153

Fast Eddy, Interesting post, as always, from your life and times. The problem, as any teacher or parent knows, is how to set firm limits for behavior in order that order is maintained. I never served in the War Corps (I was in the Peace Corps, however, few were the beatings there), but I always thought you'd get court martialed for going AWOL (and get your ass kicked, etc.) and end up serving a sentence. Be grateful for small favors; I'm sure there are countries around the world where you'd simply be shot. I once spent a lot of time next to a Korean army base near the DMZ and watched, day after day, the true meaning of "hard times." No mercy, at all. I know that every private in that group probably is going through life with nightmares of his D.I. And that was all during peace time. Beatings, brutality, nastiness, and that was for all the guys staying on base and doing everything they could to obey orders. I still remember seeing those guys in the coldest weather humping heavy equipment but thin blankets out to do 2-3 day bivouac exercises. Brrrrrrrr. In any event, I agree that if I drove an older car or had less charisma I might have an entirely different view of the police. As it is I don't think they're particularly competent at what they're supposed to do, but I do recognize the latent terror of their job. The next guy they stop for a traffic violation could be hiding drugs, have a gun under his coat or be slightly mentally ill and seem to threaten the officer. I'm glad I'm not a cop. Last time I got a ticket (and I hope it's the last time), I went out of my way to be polite and deferential. I just wanted to be on and about my business. Btw, one reason for the basic incompetence of our current police officers has to do with how we get them now, as opposed to 30 years ago (and also with what they have to face now, which is vastly more dangerous than 30 years ago). 30 years ago Johnny Jones graduated from high school and joined the service. He did 3 years, maybe a stint in military police, was disciplined, learned discipline and some leadership, and got an honorable discharge. He then, at 21 applied to the Police Academy (not the movie) and learned to be a peace officer. Voila, a 22 year old experienced, tested man who generally had the ability to walk calmly amidst boredom and danger (hey, that's the service, right?) and who had confidence in himself. Didn't necessarily have to prove anything to anyone. Fast forward to today. 18 year old Johnny Jones gets out of high school, applied to the Police Academy and at 19 is on the streets, armed and dangerous, his only knowledge of the world and his job is what the grizzled "veterans" tell him, scaring him most of the time. Everything scares the sh#t out of him, anything that moves. He's afraid to be a 20 year old corpse in a box, with good reason. But in a sense he's got more in common with Billy the Kid than with Officer O'Malley. Charlie Maxwell was just on TV praising energy and recommending APC, BR, OXY, P, RIG and BHI. Is that a top signal? Kb