Anti-Big Brother

"Man with TV show alibi wins settlement from L.A.: He was cleared of murder because outtakes from 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' put him at a Dodgers game at the time of the crime."

Video camera can be a good thing as long as it can be used to prove one's innocence. Or prevent police brutality. In that sense, Rodney King was a good thing: video camera allows the playing field between cops and non-cops (both criminals and LAC or law-abiding citizens).

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Courts: why they aren't worth the tax dollars

LA Times opinion "Traffic court -- it's no democracy: A visit shows arresting officers go unquestioned while defendants are all but ignored" is eye opening (the print edition is titled "Railroaded in traffic court?")

I've never been to a traffic court so I can't say one way or another but based on the tickets my wife and I have gotten over the years, it makes sense. The thing that stood out the most is:

By the time the judge got to me, I had observed that every single case in which the officer took the trouble to appear was resolved in exactly the same way, regardless of how the defendants argued their cases or what evidence or witnesses they presented.
That entire morning, the judge never questioned or challenged a word uttered by a police officer. Several times during the proceedings, I observed officers looking over at their brothers in blue and smirking as they gave evidence. It was plain to me that the judge would accept the police officers' words without question or challenge.

Just as the police are not on your side, it seems that the court isn't either. Sad...

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Police: why they aren't worth the tax dollars

"Why Smart Cops Do Dumb Things" explores why police apparatus have become dumb and dumber. [That Boston scare over publicity stunt which didn't raise an alarm for 2 weeks (in other cities, presumably) and then the police overreacted.]

And on the other side, "Government Goons Murder Puppies! The drug war goes to the dogs." (Hat tip to Vox Day.) So they're too busy "fighting" victimless "crime" including killing "dangerous" puppies. Right.

Unfortunately, we, the people have become too dependent on the State to protect us and allow the State to do their deeds. As Arthur Silber points out in "America, Now Without the Revolution" it's as if we're back to King George [not to be confused with the current POTUS]. And Key Word has an appropriate post called "Worshipping God or Worshipping the Government."

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

All kinds of new Police weapons

Popular Science is showing off the various new police tools, esp. non-lethal (i.e., torture) weapons: Cop Tech 2010. And has the following scary quote:

Part of the need for new equipment stems from the changing role of law enforcement. “The line between war and crime has become blurred,” Heal says as we drive away from the house. “Police officers are now expected to prevent and respond to terrorism. Soldiers are asked to guard prisoners and investigate crimes. Street cops have sub-machine guns.”

Have the citizens turned into Enemy of the State already?

Copyright 2007, DannyHDad, All Rights Reserved.