It's The "Rights" Thing To Do

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

   First things first. I think the men that bombed Boston are despicable, good riddance to the dead one and may his brother suffer every day of his life for their actions. It is my complete belief that any and all who engage in the murder of innocent people to bring attention to their particular cause should suffer endlessly and experience the pain in measure which they so casually inflict on others.

   I have no sympathy for these individuals, and I believe that no punishment is too harsh for them

   That being said, I also believe all American citizens should be afforded the due process that our Constitution guarantees them, regardless of the severity of their offenses.

   There is nothing in the Bill of Rights that says a person has a right to free speech unless we don't think they deserve it. It doesn't say we have the right to a free press unless they say bad things about us

   . The United States of America was founded on principles that were conceived and committed to writing by men who witnessed the tyranny and unfairness of regimes of their day on an ongoing basis.

   Our founding fathers fought and died for the ability of their children, and their childrens' children, and all who follow to have the opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These weren't convenient ideas for them, they were core beliefs that they knew were required for a free and open society.

   In the 237 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence this nation has witnessed many situations that tested these concepts. Some for the good, some not so good.

    The founding fathers gave us the flexibility to amend those laws with a two-thirds majority vote by the individual States. However, beginning in the 1970's, we have had those in power slowly nibbling away those rights. Using Presidential powers, our various rights have been curtailed in the name of national security or other powerfully worded reasons.

   The slow erosion of these rights continued throughout the 80s and 90s, regardless of what particular party was in the White House. Then came 9/11, beginning that day and continuing to the present time, the rate at which our rights are being ignored and trampled on has expanded exponentially.

   We are told that withholding Miranda rights was needed to safeguard the public, we have a government that can declare you a terrorist and incarcerate you without charges; or send a Drone to kill you.

    We have witnessed a veritable martial law declared on a major U.S. city, and the passing of Presidential orders giving law enforcement a virtual free pass to stop, interrogate and detain any citizen it feels poses a threat.

   The treatment of prisoners deemed terrorists by our government was a harbinger of things to come, unspecified detention without charges, refusal of legal representation, torture, disregard for habeas corpus.

    The declaration of a "war on terror" is more than a mere phrase; in legal terms a "state of war" gives special powers to the President that would not otherwise exist. Bush and his criminal posse took these powers to their limit and beyond anything resembling legality, and we let them get away with it.

   Now it seems the great hope we have placed in our current President may have proven to be a disappointing dream. Same shit, different day.

    Why are we allowing this to go on? It's because we have been told that we should be scared. Scared of the Islamic boogey-man -- scared of the illegal immigrant coming for your job -- scared, scared, scared, scared, scared.

   We have become a nation of apathetic frightened ostriches, sticking our heads in the ground and hoping the bad things don't see us. Well it's time to wake up and open your eyes and your mouth about what's going on. Taking your rights does not make you safer, it makes you vulnerable to those who would like nothing more than to enslave you and lord power over you.

   We live in a once great country, but history has proven over and over that even great countries can fall if not kept in check. There is a saying,"Those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither." 

    I hope we are deserving...

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What Seems To Be The Problem, Officer?

"Ay dehr, Bahb." "Ay dehr, Joe."

   My inquisitive nature takes me exploring all over the web, and I seem to have a fondness for investigating articles pertaining to theories of conspiracies of one type or another.

    Most of these postings are obviously tainted by extremists and bigots with a damaged way of thinking.  But, there are many that make a lot of sense and there are a few that contain enough evidence that make them undeniable.

   There appears to be a recurring theme in a large number of these postings: the fact that all across America we are becoming a police state. If you search the web you will find an overwhelming number of incidents involving police misconduct. Everything from illegal traffic stops to planting of evidence, false arrest, perjury, and physical brutality.

   Now, I realize this type of bad behavior has been around since there have been police, but the sheer volume you can witness on the web would indicate that a serious problem exists here in the land of the free.

    The widespread ownership of cell phones that record video has no doubt made a tremendous difference in the ability for the average citizen to prove his side of the story.

   Previous to these electronic witnesses it would be your word against the cops, and I think we all know how that would turn out.

    There should be no doubt as to why the police are distancing themselves more and more from the public they are sworn to protect. It is because they're scared; scared because when you treat people with the kind of contempt displayed by law enforcement these days, you can certainly expect that a few of those people might not have a problem putting them in their place, or in the ground.

  I have had enough interactions with law enforcement over many decades to come to the conclusion that there are three types of officers:

   1. A police officer will treat everybody equally, not form their opinion based on ones skin color or ethnic roots.  A police officer will allow you to explain your side of the story before making a decision of guilt, A police officer will treat you with proper respect according to your behavior.

   2. A cop will be dismissive of any reasons you give him that explain your actions if they don't agree with what he thinks you're up to, a cop will imagine he spots a license plate light broken, or a failure to use a signal when turning as an excuse to pull you over and interrogate you to satisfy his curiosity.

   3. A pig will base all of their opinions, judgements, and actions on one thing: the belief that they themselves are superior in society. With the exception of those that are like minded, the remainder of the population are scumbags that just haven't been caught yet. The superiority complex they harbor gives them the illusion that they are above the law. Disrespecting you is a deserved outcome. In their eyes your guilt is a foregone conclusion, and whether or not there is any evidence of misdeeds, they will not hesitate to accuse you of anything they believe. If they have to lie in a courtroom, or plant evidence at the scene, then so be it.  Because they know you've broken the law before and gotten away with it, so it's only fitting that you pay the price for it now.

   I believe that a police officer has an enormously difficult job that we should honor and appreciate. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the courage and bravery they strive to maintain while having to face danger and human suffering on a daily basis. In my eyes the men and women who can perform their duties without compromising their integrity and honor are nothing less than heroes and should be recognized as such.

   The vast amount of peace officers fall into the cops group. They seem to view wearing a badge as just a job and the methods used in performing the duties that are assigned them depends on however they feel that day, or if they had a fight with their spouse the night before, or if it's raining. The dedication that makes a police officer what they are seems to be lacking in cops.

    Finally we have the pig, Thank God they are the minority of this group. Unfortunately, for the others in law enforcement these assholes' actions are what people remember most about their encounters with law enforcement, thereby tainting the publics view on all police, and since the blue wall of silence forces all police to protect their own, the criminality of these pieces of crap goes unpunished, thereby reinforcing their bad behavior as legitimate in their screwed up way of thinking.

   Let us all pray that if we do become a police state we are policed by the police officers and not the pigs.

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