The State Of The Union Is Rotten
It's no surprise the Christopher Dorner saga ended as it did; given the LAPD's proven tendency to shoot first and ask questions later (if at all), it was obvious from the beginning that the cops had no intention of taking him alive.
Just to clarify: Dorner was no hero. But neither were the cops who thoughtlessly endangered every person they encountered in their reckless quest to find them. "I shot multiple bullets into that pickup truck because I'm such a terrified, trigger-happy pussy that even in broad daylight, I can't discern between two tiny Hispanic grandmothers and a great big scary black guy. That said, since I shot the grandmas while wearing a badge, I won't face any legal consequences for my reckless behavior. Consequences are only for the little people."
I paid no attention to the State of the Union address last night, except to accurately predict that Obama wouldn't say a word about the steady destruction of American civil liberties. He and predecessor Bush between them have already suspended the constitution in any place of mass transit; after Dorner, it appears obvious that the constitution ALSO is suspended anytime a fugitive is in your neighborhood.
I am reduced to hoping that perhaps the innocent people who were marched out of their homes at gunpoint or imprisoned in a home-improvement warehouse will at least sue the cops, and win. But even if they do it won't matter; these payouts won't come from the pockets of the police who violated people's rights. Instead, they'll be paid for by the same taxpayers whose rights were violated.
Just to clarify: Dorner was no hero. But neither were the cops who thoughtlessly endangered every person they encountered in their reckless quest to find them. "I shot multiple bullets into that pickup truck because I'm such a terrified, trigger-happy pussy that even in broad daylight, I can't discern between two tiny Hispanic grandmothers and a great big scary black guy. That said, since I shot the grandmas while wearing a badge, I won't face any legal consequences for my reckless behavior. Consequences are only for the little people."
I paid no attention to the State of the Union address last night, except to accurately predict that Obama wouldn't say a word about the steady destruction of American civil liberties. He and predecessor Bush between them have already suspended the constitution in any place of mass transit; after Dorner, it appears obvious that the constitution ALSO is suspended anytime a fugitive is in your neighborhood.
I am reduced to hoping that perhaps the innocent people who were marched out of their homes at gunpoint or imprisoned in a home-improvement warehouse will at least sue the cops, and win. But even if they do it won't matter; these payouts won't come from the pockets of the police who violated people's rights. Instead, they'll be paid for by the same taxpayers whose rights were violated.
posted by Jennifer Abel at 10:09 AM
2 Comments:
Dorner was no hero.
Of course not: he was a homicidal maniac. Which is to say, he was a cop like many other cops. The problem isn't that Dorner had been fired from the police to protect a senior officer, the problem is that Dorner and his training officer and many others like them were ever police in the first place. Every challenge, confusion, mishap, or misunderstanding that they encounter is dealt with in the standard way: escalate the violence. Police in this country have sown the wind. It won't surprise me if cop Dorner inspires other copycat cops. We citizens will have to batten down the hatches.
On that note, it wouldn't shock me if the body in the burnt cabin is discovered to be that of the owner of the cabin, and that Dorner has escaped cleanly. This last week SoCal cops have not done their best work.
hola jennifer,
ambled over here via arthur silber. as much as i regret it, your observations, like arthur's, are spot on.
oh, and your 'about' is f***ing hilarious!
i'll stop back later to check out your latest screed.
toodles,
gregg
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