Usdk wrote:
how bad do you think crime would be if there was no law enforcement?
Go to new orleans in the weeks after katrina and tell me what you see.
Crime is a social problem. Law enforcement fights crime, but they do it because they have to. If it were up to them they'd just run around annoying people all day.
What drives people to join law enforcement is that they like to bully people weaker than them. This is why they don't:
1. actually do something about crime (like become a mentor or serve urban renewal, you don't get to wave a nightstick around and power trip, but stop way more crimes)
2. go to Iraq/Afghanistan where there's a real chance of getting killed
Consider this: cops very rarely get killed (and go to outrageous lengths to protect their own skins), but they make a MUCH bigger deal about getting killed than soldiers or even truck drivers who face a much higher mortality rate. We don't stop traffic and have a big procession whenever some grunt gets blown up by a roadside bomb, because those people actually face danger that speaks for itself.
They get more outraged when someone is accused of being a cop killer, than when a cop is caught committing a serious crime. Because what really drives them is the sense of power that comes from affiliation. It's no different than joining a gang.
Why? Because they're pussies. It's a way they can pretend they face danger when in reality - like all bullies - they are cowards.
Final proof: Cops are never more innocuous and invisible, never closer to the Dunkin' Donuts, when in tough neighborhoods. Places where they REALLY might get shot fighting someone who's too crazy or strung-out to think twice about killing them. Cops never volunteer for those beats because you can't power trip on people who have nothing to lose.
Like I said, if you really want to fight crime, or do something that takes courage, there's better professions. The only real allure of law enforcement is the ability to play tough running with a gang.
I think the fundamental difference between us is, you want projected power, while I want personal power.
Anyway I realize I'm derailing the thread so threadsplit or carry on <_<