Why Waste Money For Body Cameras?
Dec 4, 2014 Commentary, General
B. Hussein Obama is looking to provide federal money (read taxpayer money) to equip police departments across the nation with body cameras that are worn by police officers so that everything they do (every encounter) is recorded.
It is not the place of the federal government to be doling out our money for things that affect state and local law enforcement. If individual states or localities want these cameras then they should pay for them. Federal tax dollars do not belong paying for these things but that is an issue for another day.
For today I am wondering how Obama or anyone else thinks cameras worn by police officers would make a difference. I have no issue with police officers wearing body cameras though I fail to see what value they have.
Let me explain. The body camera would record what the officer and the person with whom that officer interacted did. It would show who did what and it would either corroborate or refute the stories of the participants. So far that all seems good and who could argue with that? Hell, if Officer Wilson had been wearing a body camera we would know exactly what happened between him and Michael Brown.
But would it have mattered?
[note]In Ferguson it would not matter. People were looking for a reason to riot and loot and cause mayhem. They would have done the same thing if Wilson had been indicted. The race pimps and the Media stoked that fire real good.[/note]
A camera in the Ferguson case might have shown Wilson to be lying but would it have resulted in an indictment? Given the evidence presented in the absence of a video I feel he should not have been indicted but I also know, based on cases where video IS available, he would likely not have been indicted even if the entire encounter had been recorded.
There are ample cases on the internet where police officers are recorded clearly violating the law and the rights of citizens. There are videos of officers shooting people (and dogs) for no reason. These police officers who are armed with batons, heavy flashlights (that can be used as a baton), Tasers, pepper spray and a firearm need only say they feared for their lives and they are deemed to have been justified in their actions even though these actions are taken against people who are UNARMED (since that seems to be a buzz word in the Brown case). I know I have said that unarmed does not mean harmless and I have seen plenty of videos where offices were perfectly justified in shooting unarmed people.
In those cases it is usually pretty clear. In those where the outrage is present it is usually obvious that the officer used excessive force. In these cases, where it is all caught in video, the officers are not indicted and are deemed to have acted appropriately and “within their training and department guidelines.”
So would a body camera make a difference?
The city of New York is having its turn at outrage over a Grand Jury decision. In this case an officer was not indicted for the death of a person who resisted arrest, was encountered by the officer and taken down. The guy ended up dying and it was all recorded. In the recording the person is taken to the ground and placed in some kind of choke hold and he is heard gasping and wheezing and saying that he can’t breathe. At what point does it become obvious the guy is in distress?
If this were a lone cop (the suspect was quite large) one might conclude that he did not let go because that could have been a ruse to attack the officer. But there are several other police officers present. All the cop on the ground has to say to his fellow officers is grab his arms guys, sir I am going to let you go so you can breathe but if you resist we will be right back where we started. With several other cops present there was no reason for this. [Please police officers save your righteous indignation and don’t waste my time telling me how tough it is on the street. Four or five armed to the teeth guys can handle a man who is having trouble breathing and who is NOT fighting. If not, turn in you badges.]
“All over America, cops are getting away with this,” added 22-year-old Demetri Green. “They’re the real gang in New York City. They’re the real gang in this county.” New York Daily News
[note]In my opinion there was no need to begin with. This man was accused of selling untaxed cigarettes. Was it OK for him to die because he was allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes? It is not like this guy committed some violent felony and his resistance was non violent. He was simply accused of selling something the state did not get a cut of.[/note]
In my opinion those who said Trayvon was shot for carrying Skillets (Skittles to the literate among us) and that Mike Brown was shot for walking in the street are idiots and ignored the facts in the case. Both of the people killed in these cases were VIOLENT. They were attacking someone. The guy in New York was not attacking anyone. He was selling an untaxed tobacco product.
The question should not be whether the officer followed procedure it should be was his response appropriate for the infraction and was the result of his actions an acceptable consequence of the person’s crime. In other words, was too much force used for a guy allegedly committing a non violent crime? Hell, they don’t treat people carrying small amounts of marijuana in New York the way they treated the victim here and he had a LEGAL product when the police killed him.
Given the video that shows the entire episode (the video came from a bystander) and given the reality that a lot of force was used for a non violent crime and given the man can be heard gasping and wheezing and saying he could not breathe and given the medical examiner ruled this a homicide a reasonable person could conclude that the officer went overboard and caused this man’s death. The Grand Jury did not see it that way and refused to indict.
It is rare for a police officer to go before the Grand Jury for these things and it is rare for any officer to be found guilty of a crime when he uses force while doing his job even if it is clear that what he did was wrong (and would be illegal if we did it). This is true even when video evidence is present.
So I ask, what good would body cameras do?
[note]It seems to me the cameras would only beneift cops. They could prove a citizen’s claim of abuse, foul language, or racial bias was untrue (as happened recently). Since clear video evidence of police wrong doing does not hold them accountable it is unlikely their own recordings would…[/note]
It will be interesting to see what happens in Ohio where it is obvious a cop murdered a child. The kid was playing with a toy gun and the police were called. When they arrive one of the Miami Vice wanna be cops shoots the kid dead seemingly before the police car comes to a stop. If this guy is found to have acted appropriately then maybe we really do need to burn the place to the ground and start over…
Related:
Obama Body Cam Request Takes a Hit
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: abuse, body cameras, ferguson, lies, murder, New York, Obama, ohio, police excessive force, protests
Freedom Means For All No Matter What We Think About It
Nov 11, 2014 General, Military
Freedom of religions and expression is for everyone no matter what others think of what is expressed…
There is an NBA player named Dion Waiters who refuses to stand for the National Anthem. He claims that as a Muslim it violates his religion. I don’t know how it could but I am not a Muslim and it is not my place to judge or interpret his religion so long as what he does in no way infringes on my rights or the rights of others.
The fact is he has a right not to stand for the National Anthem and if he chooses to exercise that right it is his business. A lot of people do not agree and have been calling him out and that is their right as well but the one thing they can’t and shouldn’t try to do is force him to comply.
This is Veteran’s Day, a day when we honor those who have served this nation. We served to protect the rights of the citizens of this great nation and that means that sometimes folks will do things within their rights that we don’t like. When they do it means veterans did their jobs and did them well.
It might not go over well that I feel this way but freedom is for everyone no matter what they choose to do or not to do so long as they don’t hurt or bother someone else. I don’t like the fact that he will not stand to pay tribute to the nation that allowed him to succeed and gave him all the opportunities in the world BUT I will die defending his right to do just that.
I think it is a dishonor to the nation when people do not stand for the National Anthem particularly when there are so many veterans who can’t stand at all BUT the reality is freedom means people get to choose things that others might not like and when they do those things without fear of punishment it affirms that our veterans have done their jobs well.
People do not have to like what this guy does (that is THEIR right) but if they are unwilling to tolerate his right to do as he wishes (in this case based on his religious beliefs) then those folks have no claim when their rights are violated.
When one of us loses our freedom we all lose our freedom…
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: dion waiters, freedom, religion, rights, veterans
Ebola Unlikely Here But It Has Arrived
Oct 1, 2014 General
Barack Obama said that it was unlikely we would see Ebola cases here but we now have, so now it is likely and many people are in danger.
This is not fear mongering because there is a real possibility that a lot of people were infected. A man returned from a funeral in Liberia. He had contact with a lot of people along the way and he presented to a hospital with an illness. He was initially sent home and returned when he got worse. During the period between visits he had contact with a lot of people.
Now a second person has presented with symptoms. This is all taking place in Dallas and so far the issue concerns family and close contacts. How many people have all of these folks had contact with? A virus spreads through contact and the more people who are in contact with the infected person the more infections we will have. This is how the seasonal flu spreads (though the method of transmission is different between those viruses).
“Let me be real frank to the Dallas County residents: The fact that we have one confirmed case, there may be another case that is a close associate with this particular patient,” he said. “So this is real. There should be a concern, but it’s contained to the specific family members and close friends at this moment.”
The director continued to assure residents that the public isn’t at risk because health officials have the virus contained. USA Today
The virus is only contained with regard to the original carrier. Since a second person has symptoms there is a real possibility that many have been infected. Given that this guy flew on a plane full of people and given that he has had contact with many folks who in turn have had contact with others it is unwise to say the virus is contained.
This is a disaster in the making and our government is responsible. Why do we allow people to return here from affected areas without quarantining them?
We are ill prepared for this because our so called leaders are more interested in catering to special interest groups like the illegal alien crowd which has resulted in huge numbers of people (with varying diseases) entering this country and being dispersed throughout it.
Why do you think there are so many reports of children with Respiratory illnesses across this country?
Be prepared for a nightmare if this mess results in an outbreak.
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
They Will Feel Right At Home In Baltimore
Sep 22, 2014 General, Immigration
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake unveiled her plans to lure immigrants to the “Charm City”. There is no indication whether her plan is strictly for those here legally or all comers regardless of status but since Maryland welcomes illegals with open arms and Blake calls these folks New Americans like the moron governor, there is no doubt she will welcome them with open arms.
I don’t know what Blake wants to accomplish with her plan. Baltimore already has a high crime rate, a drug use and trafficking problem and large numbers of people on welfare so it is not like she is looking to actually change the landscape.
Perhaps she just wants to increase population since Baltimore keeps losing people who are tired of the failure of liberalism. There will always be the hangers on who have their hands out and expect gubmint to take care of them but those looking for a better life are fleeing the city (and in many cases the state all together).
Since most parts of Baltimore look and act like third world countries the immigrants, legal or not, will feel right at home and who knows, with a little work (ha ha work) on their part Baltimore might just hit the bottom it has been seeking for decades.
Blake wants 10,000 new families to inhabit her run down city and I am sure there are plenty of immigrants (including lots and lots of illegals) who are looking for a place to call home.
The rest of the counties should realize that while Blake is importing crime, disease and new welfare recipients they will be footing the bill.
Baltimore has two things going for it and those are the Ravens and the Orioles. If those teams played in another part of the state there would be no reason to visit the city.
Oh, it does have a new casino that attracts people from outside the city but it is too new to determine if it will be a plus or a minus for the city.
Of course the casino and stadiums do need people to clean them up and what better way than low wage immigrants.
Perhaps Blake can get her lawn taken care of as well…
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: baltimore, disease, illegals, immigrants, liberals, stephanie rawlings blake, welfare
Merry Christmas 2013
Dec 25, 2013 General
My annual tradition:
To My Liberal Friends:
Please accept this with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2014, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes.
To My Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: 2013, merry christmas