Necrachilles wrote:
That's one instance at a young age that probably tainted the way you look at law enforcement figures forever. I mean, it sounds like you'd much rather cops not do their job.
Really, and I get where you're coming from but, they should just allow people to opt into the legal system. You can skip checkpoints, you can jump right on airplanes. However, when you're the one who is robbed or beaten up by thugs or lose your job to illegal immigrants, you can't bitch and you get no help. You just get to sit there, groovin on it.
I mean, the way you're talking, we just shouldn't have cops at all. End of discussion.
No, I wouldn't push it that far at all - not even close. In fact, I think most in law enforcement respect the constitution and are truly trying to make a positive difference in the world. I think most of them do a wonderful job.
However, we
should protect our basic rights. Cops need warrants for search. Cops need probable cause to detain you. If you are being interrogated/detained, you should be able to remain silent until you can speak with a lawyer first.
To me, there's a big difference between wanting justice after getting robbed or beaten up, and having cops stop people on the street who they think MIGHT be doing something wrong.
I don't believe it's an "all or nothing" argument. I think you can have an honorable, effective, police force while protecting citizens against unlawful search and unjust profiling.
The sad thing is, a majority of Americans continue to allow fear to take our rights away all the time. We're afraid of immigrants taking our jobs, so we're okay with random checkpoints and having to affirm our citizenship. We're afraid of terrorists, so we're okay with getting full body scans at airports and invasive pat downs. We're afraid of terrorists attacking us while we run a marathon, so we're okay with the government monitoring our emails and phone calls at will.
My point, is it's a slippery slope. It seems bit by bit we're more accepting of losing rights at certain times for the "greater good" or for "protection." I question this. Am I really safer if a cop can stop and question me for no reason at all? Am I really safer if the government can catalog every email and call I've ever made? Even if I am, is it really worth it?
I don't think we're going to wake up tomorrow in a 1984-like Dystopia. At the same time, every time we give up a right or simply "trust" that our political leaders and law enforcement agents will do the moral thing and will NEVER abuse their power, I think we get closer to it. Maybe this administration and these cops will be honorable, but what about the next administration? What about those next cops? Once you give up a right, it's a lot harder to get it back.
Did you know it's illegal in Chicago to film a police officer?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/2 ... 91800.html Thankfully the Supreme Court has dealt a crippling blow to the
50 year old anti "eavesdropping" law. Yep, if you're getting abused by a police officer, or witness it and record it, that's illegal.
This is the kind of stuff that I think we should question. Don't you?