Flutterby™! : Illegal vs sane application of the law

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Illegal vs sane application of the law

2013-09-23 21:03:57.323075+00 by Dan Lyke 2 comments

Larry pointed out this article: Cop claims he’s issued nearly 800 tickets for texting and driving:

Myer said he sees most people typing away on their phones while waiting at red lights.

"Most people think they're safe there," Myers said.

However, he said it’s still illegal.

"At a red light, you're still driving. according to the law. You're on a roadway, behind (the wheel of) a car, in charge of it, with a vehicle in drive," Myers said.

So this isn't about safety, it's about control. Big surprise there.

And this weekend I had an epiphany about such things. I have, more than once, heard a phrase to the effect of "and the cops found their planted weed and left, while the brownies were still baking in the oven." And various other variations. The law and order folks might say "well, the perpetrators were guilty of what they were accused of", but the problem is that those involved quickly learn that what they were guilty of wasn't the act for which they were arrested or cited, it's for being who they are. Whether or not those brownies were in the oven, when the evidence is planted like that they would have been busted for something.

So why bother trying? This is the problem with policies like "stop and frisk", and with police exercising their power because they can, control over specific cultural goal. It sets up police not only as the enemy, but as the arbitrary enemy. And as we've seen with studies of the long-term impacts of "stop and frisk", what we see is that the social fabric tears and tatters.

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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2013-09-24 00:37:07.339625+00 by: meuon

It comes down to "trust". If the authorities (police, sheriff, DHS, NSA.. dog catchers) keep proving they can't be trusted, they are no better than criminals. Most of the "authority types" I have met (and worked with) are decent people, but are impacted as a part of the whole by the power abusing few and especially by the outright criminals in power.

Yeah, I'm more fearful of being "SWAT'd" or "IRS'd" (again) than I am of a criminal breaking into my house. When pulled over for a traffic violation, I'll do anything I can to defuse the situation. I feel sympathy for the decent cops in a tense situation and am afraid of the rotten apples.

The problem is, we have created a beast that can/must justify its existence with arrests it can create at will.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-09-24 01:04:16.307253+00 by: ebradway

"And the cops found their planted weed and left, while the brownies were still baking in the oven."

I remember that night at Zea's... Fortunately for me, I was avoiding someone who was hanging out at her house that night!