'Merica - loves us some authoritah!!!! (as long as it's the other guy....)

Americans; we love authority. Sure, we say we love freedom, and liberty above all. But goddamn we love authority! We love it way more. Makes sense. Authority keeps us safe, and able to enjoy liberty here at home. It's a balance that we've accepted as a society. I like police, and soldiers. I believe most of them are committed to service. I see them and I feel safe. I'm sure most people do.

There's an interesting facet to this love of authority though. I've noticed over the past few months that some people are reflexively ALWAYS on the side of the authority figure. Whether it's the police shootings, or the CIA torture reports there's a broad segment that reflexively is in the corner of authority figures no matter what  they're accused of. There is not a circumstance that puts them in bad light. The possibility that authority figures might abuse that authority is so minuscule it doesn't even register.

We tortured people. Hundreds of people were tortured in the name of the War on Terror. And collectively, we don't care. Waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, false shootings, hoses up peoples asses (anal infusion). 'Merica! Fuck Yeah. 25 percent of the people tortured according to the Senate report were innocent. Either mistaken identity, or their name was given by another - probably being tortured, and the CIA's own records indicated they had no ties to terror groups. We tortured them. 'Merica - fuck yeah.

Police have killed people that should not have been shot, including a 12 year old kid with a toy gun within seconds of arriving on scene, AAAANNNND a guy within seconds of confrontation, in a store with a toy gun.......in Ohio.......where there's open carry and it'd be perfectly legal to be in a toy store with a REAL gun. So, you'd think police would know how to handle people with guns. Now, police have a really tough job; REALLY tough, but when unarmed people are shot and killed, something is wrong. Reflexively a lot of people default to the police side, and blame the victims. And what's worse than that is when notable people speak out, of make a show of solidarity with the victims, the police have a problem with that. Well, what about the cops that abuse their authority and make anyone with a badge look bad? What about that? Nobody, NOBODY, talks about that.

So after some lip service to "yeah, there's some bad cops, but...." It's "police don't do anything wrong, and if you had a problem with the police, it's your fault." And of you say anything critical about the lack of justice for those victims, THAT'S offensive to police, and you don't appreciate their sacrifice. 'Merica - fuck yeah.

"Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave"

Really???? More like "Land of the - 'listen to the officer,' and Home of the 'whatever you say'"

Atlantic County Prosecutor, and Atlantic City Police - what the fuck?

This is the Atlantic County Prosecutor

image http://www.acpo.org/prosecutor.html

Ray Rice cold cocked his fiancee' in an Atlantic City casino elevator. That, we all agree is pretty low. In fact one might argue there's not much lower one can do.

For all the bungling, and mishandling done by the Baltimore Ravens organization, and the NFL Offices why are they the ones catching all the shit?

Ummm - Atlantic City Police, and Atlantic City District Attorney's Office, I'm talking to you. Does the NFL have subpoena power to get the casino to hand over the elevator tape? While I don't believe for a second that the NFL, nor the Baltimore Ravens, did not see the elevator video till just the other day, it's at least plausible that they did not. If the Atlantic City Police didn't see it, it's grossly negligent. Here's how I'd expect law enforcement would handle that based on the lobby video.

"Oh wow. He's dragging an unconscious woman out of the elevator. We're gonna need the security video from the elevator."

There's not an enterprise in the world with more security video than a casino, so you know the Atlantic City PD, and DA knew that it was there. There's no way they DIDN'T know. Once they got the video, and see him cold cock his fiancee' HOW is he only charged with a misdemeanor, and a plea deal that can be expunged once he finishes his court ordered therapy?

The NFL and the Baltimore Ravens are dealing with a PR situation at worst. People are pissed at that more than they are at anything else. They're calling for the resignation of Roger Goodell. Why? They're businesses. That's what they do. Really, who cares about PR? Atlantic City DA - what the fuck? You're in charge of public safety, and prosecuting

Make no mistake about what the issue is in Feguson MO

The police are the issue in Ferguson, not Michael Brown, the young man one of them shot.


Michael Brown was not stopped by the police because he was a suspect in a crime.

The police response to the civil unrest following a SHOOTING BY THE POLICE was over the top. Full riot gear, armored vehicles, and dogs for crowd control. This was in the neighborhood where the shooting was, not in the area of Ferguson where there was rioting, and looting mind you. It's curious that when MO Governor Jay Nixon put the State Police in charge of Ferguson, temporarily taking authority from the local police, making them put away the camouflage, riot gear, assault rifles, and armored vehicles, the demonstrations became noticeably less extreme. What is the deal with the Ferguson Police Dept? They shoot a kid (no criminal record), the local community is pissed, so they don full riot gear, gas up he armored vehicles, shoulder assault weapons, and bring out the hammer.

The latest is; Michael Brown was a suspect in a cigar theft. Yes, that's correct a cigar theft - not armed robbery, not larceny, or assault - cigar theft. As if that's a mitigating factor. It's not. It also fogs over the fact that Michael Brown was shot with his hands in the air attempting to surrender. Witnesses confirmed this. If this is "smear the victim" it's pretty weak. The shooting officer confronted the young men for jay walking. It doesn't matter if they were belligerent. There's not a witness who says they were. The police didn't arrest the other young man. If there were a crime, wouldn't they have?

Here's the issue, plain and simply, he was shot by the police with his hands in the air. That's it. There's nothing else relevant. It seems the Ferguson Missouri Police Dept is just really bad at being police.