http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/04

As an aside, there’s a pretty powerful, policy group known as the LEIU — the Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit. I believe that they receive public funds, but are FOIA-exempt, as I understand it.

We have, to the best of my knowledge, sixteen different intelligence agencies. How is it that the right hand ever really knows what the left is doing? It’s no wonder that our liberties have been seriously undermined.

Let’s hope that it isn’t already too late to restore what has been degraded to an extreme degree.

A number of years ago I made some inquiries into the unsolved homicide of a friend. While initially admitting that the cold-case had been mishandled, the police later became overtly hostile when I continued to pursue the matter. It’s now clear to me who runs this country, especially in the wake of 9-11. May God help us, if we’re unable (or unwilling to try) to turn back the tide.

In many ways they resemble inner city gang members. You must treat them with ‘respect’, which to them means acceding to every stupid thing they ask you to do.

Perhaps only police with an IQ over 70 ought to be armed. That would cut down the number of killings and Taserings by a factor of 10.

@George – “All law enforcement officers should be subject to comprehensive, annual psychological testing.” If they did this, they’d have to replace the entire force annually.

Outside of NYC, none of this has gotten worse post-9/11 — it was already like this. Everywhere. From small towns on the biggest cities. It’s like the Stanford prison experiments — Give a guy a gun and a badge, and even if he wasn’t already, he’ll become a predatory dbag with anger management issues.

Those who tortured must be brought to justice.
Those who authorized torture must be brought to justice.
Those who subverted the constitution must be brought to justice.

If we fail to do these things, America will never regain its liberty. Watergate taught the authoritarians that there are no consequences for executives who subvert the constitution. Now we’re just driving the point home.

Once is a precedent, twice is a pattern and thrice is policy.

In the early aftermath, there were plenty who had freshly voted for Bush or who were maybe not surprisingly, at least, willing to let him ‘rule’ from a position of fear, than were prepared to shout him down for an obvious lack of understanding of what this country is supposed to stand for, in the first place.

Plenty of people were just as wary of the new guy in office and how he got there as were over what was being done about the attack and we did speak up. Millions more have caught on in the meantime.

I will always regret having nothing additional showing in the history books, besides the recent election, if indeed that’s how the entire Bush fiasco turns out. Eights years of constitutional heartbreak, ill-conceived war, and a fiscal morass to match? For what, exactly?

I encourage people, again, to remain personally engaged and to continue contacting their representatives and to think ahead to 2010!

Wallet Found in Central Park Tree 27 Years After Theft

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31759024/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/#storyContinued

All that brings to my mind is the movie Convoy.

I do think you are both correct, as is George, to link this to 9/ll “changing everything”. We are accepting incredible restrictions on our freedoms and an ever tightening police state, while saying very little. This is a dangerous trend and it will be (and already is) a disaster for this nation. This is domestic “blowback” and like the international version, we will pay dearly for it.

George cuts to the chase on this and that bottom line is true of all of the links cited in the original article JT posted. There are a sizable number of people drawn to law enforcement who were indeed “school yard bullies” and these people invariably got hired. Like the typical school yard bully they know how to cover up their sadistic bent, just as they did when their victim complained to the principal.

The majority of the people who go into law enforcement do so because they have a keen sense of duty to get the bad guys of society. The system, however, too often rewards the bullies who cover their sadism and get promoted into positions of power. The good officers who complain find their careers threatened or even mortal danger such as the case of Frank Serpico. The bullies inculcate the rookies into their mindset, with the implied threat of career loss if they don’t go along.

George also correctly cites 9/11 as a contributor to a Police State mentality, here in America. Every mindless pundit and politico who stated on TV that day and in the months following “That now, this changes everything” empowered the
advance of the American Police State. Stupidly, they didn’t realize that this trite falsehood actually gave victory to the scum who perpetrated 9/11. This should have changed nothing in the sense of our being a Country of Laws, that are
adherent to the rules and principles of our Constitution. The best way to know who is a false patriot is usually in their
self-serving proclamations of love for this country, while having no understanding of what this country stands for.

Had it been known these officers should have been fired for the ongoing threats to Mr. Wilson prior to the tasering, since those alone represented an unacceptable breach of their authority.

http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/07/fog-of-war-mcwarster-mcnamara.html

George,

I agree especially, with the last paragraph of your rant!

—

Huh?

This is a classic case of school yard, lunchroom bullying.

All law enforcement officers should be subject to comprehensive, annual psychological testing.

Also, child protective services, in the various states, should be engaged to investigate the domestic situation of ANY officer accused of abusing the public trust or assaulting citizens. Their children should be questioned to see if they’ve been harmed or physically abused in anyway. If they officer has a history of sexually abusing those in their custody, an inquiry into sexual abuse should also take place. Perhaps if they stood to loose their children to the state, they would think twice about being so quick to react with violence.

I would go even further to change our RICO laws to expand it to include law enforcement officers who abuse the public trust. To me, that’s infinitely worse than any drug offense. (A little tongue-in-cheek I know, but you get my point)

Maybe if we started taking their jobs away, their children away, and their houses away, they’ll find a new appreciation for responsibility, integrity and the rule of law. Right now, they have relatively unlimited power (if they “suspect” you of ANYthing, of course)and virtually NO accountability.

I used to respect our law enforcement officers (Oh well…I used to respect the presidency and the Supreme Court too!). Now, I have such a visceral negative reaction. I used to feel like they were helping and protecting us. Now I feel like the citizenry is their favorite punching bag, getting out all of the anger and hate from a difficult childhood.

We deserve better and until we start holding law makers and law enforcers to the HIGHEST letter of the law, then the relationship between the people and the police (and government, in general) will continue to deteriorate until it is us versus them. And that is a horrible place for any society to be.

The worse part is, 90% of the problem, at least in my opinion, stems from post 9/11 training rhetoric. These folks think everyone is a potential terrorist and/or a potential low-life. When you look at the people you work for and whom you’re trying to protect like that, something is WRONG.

Thanks ALL for letting me rant! I get so disheartened by abuse of power. Increasing accountability for law enforcement officers is critical — no one scrutinizes the scrutinizers! Frankly, I think it is reaching crisis levels.

Thank goodness none work for the fire department.