SO the other day, I met a young man I had met when he was training to be a Sheriff’s deputy.
(I have a good relationships with many policemen, and they tend to use me as a training aid on how to interact with someone who is well grounded in law and constitutional issues and who is strong willed and who has no levers like probation or other issues for a cop to use to intimidate a citizen or suspect)

Now this is a very nice guy. A young 20 something kid who really wants to do well. He really believes that it is his duty to right wrongs and lock up bad guys in order to protect the other citizens. His family wasn’t very supportive of his choice of career. His family has a tradition of the male members joining the military and serving for 20+ years. He chose another path against the tradition of his family. He really is a good, decent well meaning person…or at least, he was. 

He stopped in the other day….no longer a trainee, but a fully fledged Sheriff’s deputy. We chatted and I asked for his take on this video…Since he has always felt that the citizens don’t give enough respect to police who protect them….Despite my suggestions that until and unless the police EARN their respect, both individually and collectively, there sill never be the level of respect that he would like to see.

Anyway, as we discussed the video, I came to the conclusion that he didn’t see any wrongdoing on the part of the officers…..I asked how he could justify the detention of the man with the dog, when he wasn’t in any way impeding them….and asked for justification of the shooting of the dog when he wasn’t threatening the officers until provoked?

His attitude was that the dude with the dog shouldn’t have been there at all….Was “Looking for trouble”. The dog…well, that was a tough call, but (and I cannot argue with this entirely) if the officers felt threatened, then they had the right to use force to protect themselves. He pointed out how quickly a dog can move and attack. When I pointed out that the dog wasn’t acting in an aggressive manner, he dismissed that part….Officers can’t (and shouldn’t be required to) take any chances…If there is a perceived threat, they neutralize it.

But it is sad to see the bright, shiny young man, who entered the force to Do Good….To Protect The Citizens……change as he it taught and schooled by the instructors….

More on this later…..

My Dad brought up the point that in Egypt, we have a democratically elected president who was deposed by the military.

Now, on the one hand, he did not turn out to be the type of president that the people who elected him thought he would be.Many wish that they had made another choice.

On the other hand, he was deposed by the military, in what is a blatant coup. Not sure how their country is gonna turn out right now.

So we have the military deposing a legally and democratically elected choice of the people. Even though he is now unpopular.

Yet the military is clearly doing the popular thing.

So who is in the right? The majority of the people are apparently happy that Morsi is no longer in power…..Yet the people who oppose the “regime change” are correct that this is an illegal act. Unconstitutional.

What if it had happened here in the US?? What if, after the 2012 elections, a cabal of generals had chosen to take power? That would have met approval of many (myself included…sorta), but it would be illegal. And UnConstitutional.

Where would you have taken your stand? If you read this blog often, then you likely believe in the Constitution…..and the rule of law.

Would you oppose the military? Stand behind Obama? Fight for the constitutionally (and legally) elected leader? Or join the revolution? (I wouldn’t unzip for Obama if his teeth were on fire, but…..)

If you join the revolution, what does that say about your commitment to the Constitution?

Tough choice, innit?

Same for the Egyptians.

Really, Morsi is just Obama writ large.

Who is right here? Bad president who is legally elected, or do you trash the Constitution?

No fireworks for you!!!!

Even if the fireworks are free.

The base just somehow couldn’t come up with the other costs.

I wonder.

’cause it was their employees who did the deed.

Seems that the po-po (5-0 if you are an inner city yoot) in Henderson, Nevada got pissy when a homeowner chose not to knuckle under to demands cooperate with police request to occupy his home for surveillance of a neighbor’s property.

Me, I think (if found guilty) that the officers in this incident, with ANY participation, and the supervisors up to and including the chief should be liable for damages. And barred from ever being in any position of authority over any citizens again (maybe not even dogs either).

But likely these stormtroopers police will get, at best, a reprimand and the citizens of Henderson will pay a hefty settlement.  And these bad examples will continue to patrol the community.

One way to begin, he suggests, would be to identify the towns in the
riskiest areas, the ones that the taxpayers keep bailing out again and
again.

Perhaps we say to them: You get one more shot. We will make you whole after the next big storm, and if you choose to use the money to rebuild, then you are on your own.

Read the whole thing. 

So this year has been a fairly mild summer, here in NW Indiana…

Last year, when it was 103degrees F on this fourth of July, everyone claimed it was, of course, Global Warming Climate change caused by mankind’s toxic detritus from our energy usage…

So this year, when we are unseasonably cool…..when the temperature is (literally) 25 degrees cooler. Is it Global Cooling? AFAIK; there is no change in the Co2 levels…nor a significant decrease in the usage of dead dinosaurs fossil fuels.

Or is it normal variations in the weather?

I await an answer from our esteemed climate “scientists”.

Not that I will hold my breath waiting.

Tam has a message for all of us

HERE

ETA: Seems that TJIC has pissed off the powers that be and is having issues with the Gestapo police “Just following Orders” invading his home and stealing his property again. No idea what laws they are twisting for justification this time…

It’s happening on Independence Day…..In Boston….the cradle of the Independence movement 237 years ago.

So little has changed in all those years.

The Kings men still trample on the rights of the colonists…

But today, the colonists don’t resist.

Our founding fathers would be shooting by now. 

This Fourth of July Independence Day….

Think about all those folks who used to get fireworks, but now don’t, because, despite the fact that Barry Obama and his entourage were able to find the millions of dollars to fund their trip top Africa, (in excess of $70,000,000) there is no money available for fireworks for military bases and other federal reserves.

Yeah, again, Barry fucked the military so he can party.

Here, it is Independence day.

A day to celebrate the date in 1776 when the colonists chose to declare that they would no longer be subjects of a Kin, but rather choose their own fate.

And they did.

The United States is the result.

And until about 15 years ago, it was the best country on the planet. It still is, but it is fading quickly.

If you haven’t, find a copy of the Declaration that was signed this day in 1776 and read it.

Most of that is applicable today. Perhaps we too should declare OUR Independence from this country.

I’d be willing to sign my name to a similar document today. Even knowing what happened to many of the signers of the original.

Our ancestors would be shooting now.

Then she’ll have some sort of accident, I am sure…

Likely BEFORE she can testify.

Lois Lerner (of IRS fame) has offered to testify IF SHE IS GIVEN IMMUNITY.

Not that anyone should do so, however. She should be forced to testify…..she waived her rights when she gave her rant before the congress.

But if she makes the deal, then she had better get some really really REALLY good bodyguards.

Or she will end up dead.