Sometimes lookie-loos are part of the team of those being arrested. Sometimes the sweet lady is carrying a gun. Sometimes the guy being searched and arrested is capable of hurting the lookie-loo,and/or the officers. Saying you are a reporter could not protect you if this scene went bad. The cops are not always the good guys, He should have given you his name and asked you nicely to stay back. Agreed. But did it occur to you that the person involved could have been far more dangerous than the cops, and that the situation was more dangerous than you realized?
As a selfish land owner in Kneeland, what non-residence don't seem to grasp is that the owner of the property that is being used had to clean up when your gone. You leave diapers, sweaters, broken sleds... In the past at the school, the outside tables have been burned, the radio antennae on the roof has been torn out of the roof, causing it to leak in the computer room, windows broken, etc. On one Sunday, after the area had been without power for more than 4 days, there were so many people at the school that locals could not get out to get supplies, and PG&E and emergency vehicles could not get in. While gridlock on the road was happening, one pleasant man took his toddler out of his car seat and allowed the child to crap on the snow pile in front of the school. (Great fun, everyone in the car laughed and laughed). Three vans blocked the entire road out to the airport. When the snow melted the road for two miles was littered with other peoples trash. It gets to be like a rock concert at the Oakland Coliseum! People come up in their two wheel drive cars and get stuck.
Its not mean hearted to want to protect your livestock, and your property. When the fence is torn down the cows will roam, and they are a danger on the road. Some people are not there to play, but to case the area and break in because of the isolation.
No one from town comes up to clean up the mess from the party. We don't go to your house and whoop it up and burn your furniture, tear down your fence and crap on your porch. Twenty cars is about the limit, but cars for two miles is dangerous and abusive.
The 2nd amendment was not about hunting rights. It was about the citizenry defending itself from the tyranny of future governments. If your govt has drones to hunt you and kill you, why wouldn't you want to stop it from its objective? Who are you more afraid of? Would you prefer a liberal dictatorship, or a conservative one? At what point, would it matter?
Going along with this administration does not guarantee that the next one will not be what you agree with, and that it won't go all the way to complete control of every aspect of your life. You may love Barack Obama, and love everything he is doing, but I am almost certain he will not achieve the state of "forever president". It's the next election and the one after that that you should be looking to. The idea of limiting the citizens of their right to not be ruled over is the purpose of arming them. Limiting how many, what kind, where kept, etc., is asinine.
The conversation should go in the direction of mental health. There are far too many people who need more than out-patient services can provide. There are some who DO need to be institutionalized, protected from themselves and protecting others. We NEED to re-examine our care of the mentally ill. They are, in high numbers, the ones who are homeless, drug-addicted and victims of crime, abuse, and neglect. They are also the ones who are arrested and jailed because there is not a decent, caring system that can help and house them.
We know our local "characters", the ones who walk the streets in town, talking gibberish, gesturing and yelling, dashing into traffic, slumped in a doorway. Not as many as you think are just drug addicts or "winos" Their decline typically started with their mental health.
Take this conversation back to the drawing board. Start with the individuals who have acted on our society which has caused us all to be so sad and feel defenseless. I ache for the families who have lost their own to random insanity.
I want to protect myself and family from every possible harm, I want there to be a world of sweetness and light for every one. No war, no hunger...etc. but I can't provide this, and there is no simple solution. Removing guns from the population will only open a whole other can of worms. Worse than this.
The intent of the 2nd amendment was for the citizenry to be able to defend itself from a tyrannical government. If our govt. is intent on removing our self defense against it, doesn't that make you thoughtful? If you are comfortable giving all of your self defense to a liberal govt., would you be as comfortable giving it to a conservative one? What type of enslavement do you chose? Which type of tyrant are you wanting? As it is now the population has almost one gun for every person in this country. By limiting the type of weapon you can possess, the govt. is in essence limiting the populace 's ability to repel an attempt by a tyrant to subdue it. Self defense on a small scale is the immediate concern, but the bigger picture is ?... You can't against legislate fear. A horrendous event does not justify a national stampede. Just like 911, we need to let the emotion dissipate. Not even attempting to sweep this lat shooting horror away, but there will always be people who will always find a way to cause great harm and fear, and unfortunately notoriety, by doing terrible acts. Guns, explosives, chemicals, are NOT the the motivators in these events. People are, and the common denominator is usually that the person is not functioning rationally. Don't join the lemming stampede.
Dream on , Fhyre Phoenix. I agree with Carol. Who is going to fund this fantasy, when we are so close to joining the rest of civilization in the "New Age of Austerity"... You could have all of the Bottoms covered with solar panels and it still wouldn't provide enough power for these "successful entrepreneurs". I wish we could free up the regulations for all entrepreneurs to be successful. Why is growing pot in your house OK, but having a legit and successful business that provides to the public somehow evil. Peace and Love
No conspiracy... there was a lot of money that came through PG&E, and that company's managers would be foolish to let go of band width not knowing what regulations from the govt. could come in the future. Hum-Co has a reputation for it's no growth attitudes, and there is probably no need at this time to open up that band width for anything.
Re: “Good Cops Aren't Afraid of Cameras”
Thank you Mark Sailors! Even though your post was HUGE, I appreciate the info. Unfortunately, most commentators won't bother to inform themselves of this useful knowledge, it gets in the way of their rant against "the Man". Having been a public servant, there are times when the last thing you need is someone with a grudge against your uniform, making themselves a pain in the ass, for some whipped up cause. Fine take your damn pics, but, should you get knocked down, stabbed, shot, etc, then you scream that the cop failed to protect you. Either way, I got the sense from this article the cop was going to come out of this exchange as the bastard, and our poor intrepid reporter was in no way an obstacle, or a distraction.