Is America a Police state?

[Monotheist 101]

I used to be very patriotic when I was little.. The USA was the best country in the world, Long Island the best city in NY..to me it was.. Anyhow I have been living outside the US for almost a decade now, IMO the US is a police state..we just happen to use "freedom" as an excuse to police..Im not patriotic at all anymore..rather anti..might become Australian in a few years..

 

[Revoltingest]

The Institute for Justice

For over 30 years, Terry Dehko has successfully run a grocery store in Fraser, Mich., with his daughter Sandy. In January 2013, without warning, the federal government used civil forfeiture to seize all of the money from the Dehkos’ store bank account (more than $35,000) even though they’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. Their American Dream is now a nightmare.
Federal civil forfeiture law features an appalling lack of due process: It empowers the government to seize private property from Americans without ever charging, let alone convicting, them of a crime. Perversely, the government then pockets the proceeds while providing no prompt way to get a court to review the seizure.
On September 25, 2013, Terry and Sandy teamed up with the Institute for Justice to fight back in federal court. A victory will vindicate not just their right to be free from abusive forfeiture tactics, but the right of every American not to have their property wrongfully seized by government.

 

[oldbadger]

I think by and large most police are good folks. That said, no one is perfect, so everyone including the police violate laws some times.

Cops have an us vs them mentality and knowing they themselves are not perfect look upon us civilians as even worse so we are all guilty of something in their mind.

Working a high risk job, they are naturally suspicious borderline paranoid. If they do come across a perfectly legal person, it is most likely frustrating for them going against their mindset. They cannot ever be wrong, they are the law.

My biggest problem is the blue line and they protect the worst among them, can't rat my brother in blue, no one will have my back ever again if I cross that line.

Hi.... thanks for that. Now.....What do you think?
The question was:- Are you prepared to vote for complete and total decriminalization of drugs in your country? It would take time to stabilise a 'by prescription' culture for drugs and there would be many drug related deaths, but personal, vehicle, house, home and building searches would drop away to a mere nothing by comparison, and the police would be able to focus on other areas of crime. And the drug gangs would go where the booze gangs went........

It is the voters' responsibility to get up, get out there and be heard. The voters must be responsible for their leaders in a democracy, surely? I honestly can't blame the police for their attitudes. If we lived our lives again as police officers, you and I would have a totally different 'take' on all this, wouldn't we?

 

[oldbadger]

This is an issue which might corrupt most cops into the not "good folk" category.
Even if they won't do evil deeds themselves, a great many (majority?) will cover up for their cohorts doing them.

Evil? Oh come on, Revolting......!
No. Not many people will cover up 'evil' done by their colleagues.
There's a culture among many working groups that accepts that mistakes can happen, and that some will be bad mistakes, but that if every bad mistake was banned from the work there would not be many left...... (surgeons might be an example).
Yes..... if you and I were cops, I think we would support our colleagues in their mistakes, but their evils...? You and I would go out there, side by side, to put the world right....... my goodness, would we ever shoot some bullets off, (and get paid for it....!) but if you hit an old lady in that mission, I'd have to report ya....!

 

[Revoltingest]

Evil? Oh come on, Revolting......!
No. Not many people will cover up 'evil' done by their colleagues.
There's a culture among many working groups that accepts that mistakes can happen, and that some will be bad mistakes, but that if every bad mistake was banned from the work there would not be many left...... (surgeons might be an example).
Yes..... if you and I were cops, I think we would support our colleagues in their mistakes, but their evils...? You and I would go out there, side by side, to put the world right....... my goodness, would we ever shoot some bullets off, (and get paid for it....!) but if you hit an old lady in that mission, I'd have to report ya....!

To cover up even a mistake (a material one, eg, person unjustly beaten or shot)
is to allow evil because the victim would never receive justice or compensation.
Surgeons make mistakes without being banned. Malpractice insurance is there to
compensate those who suffer a loss. I'd settle for fewer cops if those who remained
were honest & competent.

 

[oldbadger]

To cover up even a mistake (a material one, eg, person unjustly beaten or shot)

Well, I'd report a colleague for either of those!

I'd settle for fewer cops if those who remained were honest & competent.

That's cool as well....... but, would you lighten the load on Police Departments 'right across the land' by decriminalizing drugs, so the police no longer had to do those body, home and vehicle searches which at present they are responsible for?

Just think of all those honest decent police out there who are branded because they are ordered.... ordered..... to carry out these searches, who have to fulfil quotas of various kinds, such as tickets or whatever? Are you going to take this kind of pressure off them?

Are you going to vigorously 'push' to ban laws like 'no kissing in public', so that police do not have to respond to coup[les deliberately doing just that whilst their mates gather round to film the arriving police, etc? Will you support your 'good' police when you get them?

I've got more beefs than you..... believe me. I once worked 'three days a week' with another commercial detective, catching thieves in a well known 'do it yourself' chain of stores. We had the second highest arrest rate in Britain on a 3-day week, against all the full-time teams.

I'll tell you how we figured who would buy lunch for both of us each day. On our first arrest each day, we would call the police and then sit in a holding room with the thief or thieves and a duty manager until the police arrived. It didn't matter how rough the thieves looked (they were often posh people in suits actually, because we used a system of 'tells' which we had developed which did not take dress, age, sex, race, colour etc into account), and as soon as the police entered the room, if they did not know us, either one of other (or both) of us would often be grabbed, pushed against a wall (whatever), told to shut up, and told that we would get our chance to talk later. At this point the DM would explain to the Police that we were the visiting thief-catchers.

Whoever got grabbed, pushed etc got a free lunch next day from the other partner. If one of us was actually manacled before the cops could be told, he got free lunches for a whole week. If on the first arrest this did not happen, then the second arrest counted. And so we dressed further and further down the scale, and looked rougher and rougher, in order not to have to buy dinner for the other, and our arrests soared and soared.

So I understand how easy it is for cops to need counselling and retraining to bring their mindset back to a baseline. They don't get anything like this, and nobody cares...... they just slug on, not many of them winners, hated by all, and so they 'cling' to each other.

So would you and I, but a bad cop who beats or shoots....... to h-ll with them.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, I'd report a colleague for either of those!

I had a sneaking suspicion that you're one of the good guys.

That's cool as well....... but, would you lighten the load on Police Departments 'right across the land' by decriminalizing drugs, so the police no longer had to do those body, home and vehicle searches which at present they are responsible for?

You betcha!

Just think of all those honest decent police out there who are branded because they are ordered.... ordered..... to carry out these searches, who have to fulfil quotas of various kinds, such as tickets or whatever? Are you going to take this kind of pressure off them?

Support a coup to install me as Grand Poobah, & I will.

Are you going to vigorously 'push' to ban laws like 'no kissing in public', so that police do not have to respond to coup[les deliberately doing just that whilst their mates gather round to film the arriving police, etc? Will you support your 'good' police when you get them?

I'll even get rid of New York's no-dancing law.

I've got more beefs than you..... believe me. I once worked 'three days a week' with another commercial detective, catching thieves in a well known 'do it yourself' chain of stores. We had the second highest arrest rate in Britain on a 3-day week, against all the full-time teams.
I'll tell you how we figured who would buy lunch for both of us each day. On our first arrest each day, we would call the police and then sit in a holding room with the thief or thieves and a duty manager until the police arrived. It didn't matter how rough the thieves looked (they were often posh people in suits actually, because we used a system of 'tells' which we had developed which did not take dress, age, sex, race, colour etc into account), and as soon as the police entered the room, if they did not know us, either one of other (or both) of us would often be grabbed, pushed against a wall (whatever), told to shut up, and told that we would get our chance to talk later. At this point the DM would explain to the Police that we were the visiting thief-catchers.
Whoever got grabbed, pushed etc got a free lunch next day from the other partner. If one of us was actually manacled before the cops could be told, he got free lunches for a whole week. If on the first arrest this did not happen, then the second arrest counted. And so we dressed further and further down the scale, and looked rougher and rougher, in order not to have to buy dinner for the other, and our arrests soared and soared.
So I understand how easy it is for cops to need counselling and retraining to bring their mindset back to a baseline. They don't get anything like this, and nobody cares...... they just slug on, not many of them winners, hated by all, and so they 'cling' to each other.
So would you and I, but a bad cop who beats or shoots....... to h-ll with them.

Great story!

 

[oldbadger]

Support a coup to install me as Grand Poobah, & I will.

Can't. I'd start recruiting tomorrow (don't work on Mondays )........
LETTING AGENT SEEKS PRESIDENCY..............
but nobody around here knows ya...... Hell..... nobody here got a vote!

I'll even get rid of New York's no-dancing law.

Oh, bloody h-ll......
We've probably still got stupid stuff like that on the statute book as well.

I may still be allowed to put my wife up for auction in the market square, but she would probably just beat me up and sell me instead!

 

[oldbadger]

Great story!

Oh well.... I'll bore you with another, then....

The guy I worked with sometimes used to put me in one of a store's disabled wheelchairs, and I would look like his demented and aged Dad. So he would push me round the store until we went into an aisle with guys filling up big bags with expensive tools (whatever), and then he would make a play of telling me that he needed to go to another aisle, and would be back soon. I would sit there, dribble, and watch in direct vision. When the thieves would leave the store they would meet the other me, standing in front of them. That was often enough to 'phase' them into a total standstill.

He now runs a large property services company, and he makes me slave for him as a part-time carpet cleaner.

 

[Revoltingest]

The shutdown is really inspiring the Vogons in government to abuse the little people (mere citizens)...
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone » Local News » NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

 

[Revoltingest]

Obamacare Marketplace: Personal Data Can Be Used For
Your medical info to be shared with law enforcement now....oh, boy!

Should you decide to apply for health coverage through Maryland Health Connection, the information you supply in your application will be used to determine whether you are eligible for health and dental coverage offered through Maryland Health Connection and for insurance affordability programs. It also may be used to assist you in making a payment for the insurance plan you select, and for related automated reminders or other activities permitted by law. We will preserve the privacy of personal records and protect confidential or privileged information in full accordance with federal and State law. We will not sell your information to others. Any information that you provide to us in your application will be used only to carry out the functions of Maryland Health Connection. The only exception to this policy is that we may share information provided in your application with the appropriate authorities for law enforcement and audit activities.

 

[Revoltingest]

The administration has found a way to seize reporters' records when gov is criticized.
Armed agents seize records of reporter, Washington Times prepares legal action - Washington Times

 

[Revoltingest]

Man Claims He Was Anally Probed 8 Times Following Traffic Stop For Drugs « CBS Las Vegas
Yipes! One wonders what the real offense was....insulting a cop, being the wrong color?

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles...er-nm-police-force-colonoscopy-in-drug-search
The cops then billed the victim $6000 for raping him

 

[Revoltingest]

[youtube]ytUl2Ie4E8Y[/youtube]
This is an amazing one.
She was arrested for filing a complaint against a cop, which was treated as illegal.
Cop Sexually Assaults Woman Then Arrests Her For Protesting - YouTube

 

[Apex]

[youtube]ytUl2Ie4E8Y[/youtube]
This is an amazing one.
She was arrested for filing a complaint against a cop, which was treated as illegal.
Cop Sexually Assaults Woman Then Arrests Her For Protesting - YouTube

I am amazed they actually fired the guy. Usually they just get put on paid probation (i.e. vacation) which is more of a reward than punishment.

 

[Jeremy Mason]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWej7sRVmOs#t=558

 

[Dirty Penguin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWej7sRVmOs#t=558

WOW...!!!!

The video with the girl I thought was going to be bad enough.....

Then yours was just heartbreaking. Some of the ones with the crowd I was kinda torn on... but there were some blatant police brutality crowd videos there.....

The ones with people being beaten..after already on the grown were just horrible....or some of the ones where the cops just rushed the person...wow!

Yea, and whole thing about cops arresting you in public while filming them is an obvious violation of your constitutional rights.

I predict video being shot on the fly and uploaded almost instantaneously or simultaneously to a cloud server so even if they do seize your equipment....you can still get your video out later......but in such a digital age..they can't seize all of our cameras if we all film them at the same time.......:sad:

 

[Aquitaine]

WOW...!!!!

The video with the girl I thought was going to be bad enough.....

Then yours was just heartbreaking. Some of the ones with the crowd I was kinda torn on... but there were some blatant police brutality crowd videos there.....

The ones with people being beaten..after already on the grown were just horrible....or some of the ones where the cops just rushed the person...wow!

Yea, and whole thing about cops arresting you in public while filming them is an obvious violation of your constitutional rights.

I predict video being shot on the fly and uploaded almost instantaneously or simultaneously to a cloud server so even if they do seize your equipment....you can still get your video out later......but in such a digital age..they can't seize all of our cameras if we all film them at the same time.......:sad:

I agree. If you're going to work in frontline PUBLIC SERVICES, expect to be filmed by Joe Public!

 

[Dirty Penguin]

I agree. If you're going to work in frontline PUBLIC SERVICES, expect to be filmed by Joe Public!

Take L.A. for instance...you would think that their rule/law to arrest you and seize your equipment would be an obvious violation considering we have lots of footage from the press of LA officers...be it good news or bad news. Bu no one's taking their cameras from them....

How does a state law trump a constitutional right?.....or am I thinking of this too simplictic?

 

[Revoltingest]

Colorado takes a cue from Professor Farnsworth....
Police use 'nose telescope' for cannabis odour mapping - Telegraph

As more cities in America legalise the drug, attention has switched to the pungent smell that wafts from the joint itself.

Denver has passed a new “odour ordinance” with a potential $2,000 (£1,247) fine for anyone found guilty of polluting the atmosphere.

The need to draw up standards emerged because of the confusion over the legal position of whether somebody smoking marijuana in their own home could be committing an environmental offence when the smell seeps into the street.

Under the new law an offence is committed if the odour is detectable when the smoke is mixed with seven times the volume of clean air.