Gangsters in Blue

One of the arguments often used to defend poorly behaving police is the claim that they are “just doing their jobs.” This is such an absurdly silly argument that I am surprised that ANYONE takes it seriously.

I will not spend much time addressing the typical response to this most typical of arguments.  This response is the claim that the Nazi’s were also just doing their jobs too when they participated in the mass slaughter of innocents.  Yes, this argument is 100% true, but it hardly seems relevant in the America of today.  Furthermore, using arguments like this may lead us to fail in our attempts to convince others to fight against the arbitrary use and abuse of police power.

Agents of the Gestapo and the SS were indeed following orders when they committed their atrocities, however in many cases, they were forced under threats of violence or death to carry out these acts.  Often times people killed innocent people to prevent from being killed.  This does not in any way excuse these people or these acts, but it does provide us with some kind explanation for why some of these men participated in evil acts.

In America, the situation is different.  Yes, the United States government continually uses force and coercion against its subjects in order to get us to act according to their desires, but America is still a voluntary society in one important manner.  In America, people are not forced to accept jobs that they do not voluntarily choose to take.  This does not mean that we are all employed in jobs that are our first choices, and it does not mean that government acts of coercion have not prevented us from starting new businesses or being employed in the field of our choice.  However, there is no longer a military draft in America and we are still free to reject offers of employment for any reason whatsoever.

This is the key fact which makes the argument that police are “just following orders” or “just doing their job” so absurd.  The police officer who arrests kidnaps a person and throws them into a prison cage with rapists and murderers  for the “crime” of growing a plant marijuana is indeed following orders from his commanders when he makes said arrest.  However, no one forced the officer to become an officer.  He did not have to choose a career which he knew would lead him to cage humans for participating in victimless activities.  Most importantly, he does not fear that his superiors will hurt or kill him if he does not commit acts of violence against civilians.  We should have no sympathy for the officer who is ridiculed when he body slams a man who is doing nothing but silently and calmly dancing in protest at the Jefferson Memorial, and we certainly should not defend him by arguing thaty he was just doing his job by enforcing the “law.”

In America, we have the right to refuse to be employed by a certain employer if we do not like the tasks that this employer asks us to undertake.  This right is not a secret; every one knows this.  No one is pointing a gun at police officers telling them they have to do things that they do not want to do–in fact, it is usually the police officer pointing a gun at an innocent person and forcing him or her to do things they do not want to do. It says a lot about a person’s character if that person willingly seeks out a job that will lead him to use violence and threats against peaceful people.

Next time someone gets righteous with you and informs you that some police officer was “just doing his job” when he used undue force to subdue a harmless individual, remind this person that the officer chose this job and if he truly did not want to be harming people, he is free to quit at any time.

A Solution

One of the big problems with coercive monopolies is that the providers of protection (police) do not have to answer to their customers. Costs go up, quality of customer service goes down. A tendency towards reducing crime statistics and increasing arrests arises. The problem today with police initiating force is only one of many symptoms of the larger problem. Coercive gov’t monopoly of services.

It is perfectly normal for people to aspire to go into the business of protection. People that put themselves in harms way to protect and defend should be praised and compensated accordingly.  However, there is no reason why this service cannot be provided privately and funded on voluntarily. In such a system, people who commit so-called “victimless crimes” would no longer be targets for arrest.  Furthermore, officers who abused their powers would be held liable for any harm that they have done.

To quote John Hasnas (page 35):

“If a visitor from Mars were asked to identify the least effective method for securingindividuals’ persons and property, he might well respond that it would be to select one group ofpeople, give them guns, require all members of society to pay them regardless of the quality ofservice they render, and invest them with the discretion to employ resources and determine lawenforcement priorities however they see fit subject only to the whims of their political paymasters.If asked why he thought that, he might simply point to the Los Angeles or New Orleans or anyother big city police department. Are government police really necessary for a peaceful, securesociety? Look around. Could a non-political, non-monopolistic system of supplying policeservices really do worse than its government-supplied counterpart?”

Just Doing Their Job? is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

It never ends, does it? Another week, another set of crooked cops. At least this week, the jail and prison guards managed to stay out of the news. Let’s get to it:

In New York City, an NYPD narcotics detective was arrested on June 9 on charges he lied about witnessing drug transactions that resulted in the arrest of one man for selling crack and three others who were his customers. Detective Francisco Payano’s fictive report began to fall apart last year when a defense attorney brought forward surveillance video footage of the location in question that showed no drug dealing going on at the time in question and that Payano wasn’t even present. The case against the alleged dealer has been dropped, but one customer already pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. The cases against the other two have been sealed. Payano faces 64 counts of perjury and other charges. He has been released pending trial.

In Nashville, a Metropolitan Nashville police officer was indicted Friday on federal bribery and drug trafficking charges. Officer Richard Wilson, 31, went down in a sting after accepting $24,500 to transport what he thought was cocaine for who he thought were drug traffickers. He is charged with soliciting a bribe, attempted cocaine distribution, and money laundering.

In Philadelphia, two former Philadelphia police officers were sentenced June 15 to 10 to 20 years in prison each after being caught in an undercover sting helping drug dealers rob a man they thought was a drug courier. Christopher Luciano, 23, and Sean Alivera, 31, were arrested last October and pleaded guilty in April to charges of robbery, conspiracy, kidnapping, official oppression and possession of a drug with intent to deliver.

In Jacksonville, Florida, a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s officer was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for agreeing to transport cocaine from Daytona to Jacksonville in return for payment. Former officer Carl Kohn went down after he starting plotting a deal with a “cooperating individual” to transport five kilos of cocaine in return for $2,500. He pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute five or more kilos of cocaine.

In Mesquite, Texas, the former head of the Mesquite Police narcotics unit was sentenced Monday to 15 months in federal prison for stealing cash during an undercover drug operation. John David McAllister, 42, went down after authorities received a tip that an officer was stealing drug money and FBI agents set up an undercover sting in March. FBI agents left $100,000 in cash in 52 bundles in a car they directed McAllister to search. They videotaped him removing one of the bundles and stuffing it in his pants before returning to the Mesquite Police Department. Still under surveillance, McAllister then drove to a nearby shopping mall and bought a $480 watch. FBI agents matched the cash used in that transaction to photocopies of the cash they used in the sting. McAllister was charged with theft of government property.

This Week’s Corrupt Cops Stories is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

On May 4 of this year, Brian Temple attended a scheduled meeting with his probation officer for prior convictions. After the routine meeting, Mr. Temple’s probation officer told him someone wanted to ask him some questions. She left the room and returned shortly thereafter with officer Peter Callahan of the Helena Police Department. Upon seeing Officer Callahan, Mr. Temple turned and ran to his car. He jumped in his car to leave, and began backing out of the parking space. Callahan chased him out to his car, drew his gun and positioned himself in front of Mr. Temple’s vehicle.

As they were in the middle of the street, and there was plenty of ample space, Mr. Temple turned left to avoid the officer and in order to go around him. Callahan, escalating a simple situation into deadly violence, fired his gun. The bullet went through the passenger side of the windshield and hit Mr. Temple in the chest, collapsing his lung and barely missing his heart. Mr. Temple miraculously managed to drive himself to the hospital, where doctors said he missed death by a narrow margin.

To justify this attempted execution, Callahan (as per usual police practice) claimed he feared for his life because Mr. Temple was driving at him. However, perhaps Callahan wouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with if he hadn’t chased, and pulled a gun on someone who simply didn’t feel like talking to him. In addition, the trajectory of the bullet as demonstrated by the hole in the windshield supports BrianTemple’s account – that he turned left to go around the officer.

The news was quick to paint Brian Temple as a less than sympathetic victim of police brutality. News sources pointed out his past record, reporting he had a past conviction of assault on an officer as well as theft, and noting in this instance that he had “fled the scene.” However, it is important to understand that during this particular instance,the only thing Mr. Temple was actually fleeing, was from a conversation. He was at a routine probation meeting. He was not under arrest. He was not committing a crime.

Even under the most bastardized interpretations of the Constitution, people have a right to refuse police questioning when they are suspects in a criminal matter, in the absence of an attorney. Callahan should not even have chased Brian, much less shot him in the chest. The penalty for fleeing a conversation with a police officer is not and should not be death.

Further, a quick investigation into Mr. Temple’s past conviction about 6 years ago reveals the previous “assault” on an officer was actually a situation in which Mr. Temple was confronted in a store by police for a theft matter. He turned to run. John Temple, Brian Temple’s father, says in that incident, the officer tackled his son to the ground when his son attempted to flee. As they both went down, the officer scratched his arm on a shelf. Under Montana law, this can result in an “assault on an officer” conviction.

The very next day after the earlier incident of alleged assault, John Temple coincidentally ran into the officer at the gym where they both work out. He asked the officer, Nick Painter, whether Brian had actually attacked or assaulted him in any manner. Officer Painter explained Brian had not kicked, punched, shoved, or otherwise retaliated in any manner that constituted assault, but the scratch on his arm from the shelf was enough for an officer assault conviction under Montana law.

John has mostly avoided reading news stories about the matter because he is aware of their bias. “I know my son has a lot of issues, and I know it looks bad,” said John Temple. “But most of it was for stupid stuff. He has some mental and emotional issues.” Indeed, Brian Temple has a history of bipolar disorder, diagnosed at a young age, as well as panic and anxiety disorders. John Temple stated these conditions would never excuse his son’s behavior, and certainly his son had to take responsibility for his own actions – but his son’s transgressions did not warrant an attempted execution in the street.

“He tried to kill my son in the middle of the street,” said John. “I want people to see this event from beginning to end. That day, and under those circumstances, and in that moment, it should not have happened that way. [The officer] only did it because he was angry. He was angry that Brian did not stop.”

John rightly makes the point that essentially, his son was shot because he disrespected authority. When he turned and ran from Callahan, he was not dangerous and was not evading arrest. As he was on probation, the police had his personal information and address. They clearly knew who his probation officer was. There were a multitude of ways in which they could have contacted Brian later. Officer Callahan had a variety of options to go about resolving the matter, but chose the most deadly and unnecessary one conceivable.

The bullet trajectory supports Brian’s account that he swerved left to avoid the officer, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, Brian was shot solely because he refused to engage in conversation with a hallowed man of the law, and because he refused to bow to authority.

John further noted that perhaps it would have been easier for Callahan had Brian died – since he could then tell all the lies he wanted to cover up the attempted execution. Not that Brian being alive to tell the tale has stopped corruption, by any means. Police know the public will side with them any day, over the word of an alleged criminal, and they take full advantage of their perceived holiness. John was recently informed that the Helena Police Department removed the windshield of Brian’s truck, which had previously been impounded as evidence. The police further refused his son’s attorney’s request to examine the windshield.

Helena officer shoots fleeing man in the chest is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

This infographic was created by the American Civil Liberties Union (click to enlarge):

Mass incarceration infographic is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

We’ve got it all this week: jail guards, police dispatchers, parole officers, big city narcs, small town deputies… Let’s get to it:

In Edgard, Louisiana, a St. John the Baptist Parish jail guard was arrested June 8 after a sheriff’s office investigation found he was smuggling drugs to inmates in the parish jail. Allen Meadows, 41, went down after the sheriff’s office got tipped off he was smuggling dope, and that’s all the sheriff will say so far. He was charged with malfeasance in office and four counts of trafficking contraband to a correctional institution. A search of his home in neighboring St. Charles Parish resulted in additional charges of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of cocaine. He was jailed on a $20,000 bond. And he’s now a former jail guard — he was fired after being arrested.

In Virginia Beach, Virginia, a Norfolk police officer was arrested June 9 on charges he was peddling steroids and marijuana. Officer Kristen Wayne Harris is charged with 10 counts of manufacturing or selling steroids and one count of selling pot. He also faces misdemeanor charges of selling or intending to sell drug paraphernalia and assisting an individual in unlawfully procuring a prescription drug. The offenses allegedly occurred on various dates in the last three months.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a former state parole officer was arrested June 9 for allegedly asking for bribes from parolees to overlook positive drug tests or not administer the tests and for not incarcerating them when they violated parole. Kenneth Dupree, 46, is also accused of using threats of incarceration to extort and intimidate parolees into giving him money. It’s not clear what the formal charges are.

In Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, a Lawrence County jail guard was arrested last Friday after being accused of getting paid $25 to smuggle packages of pills, pot and tobacco to inmates at the jail. Adam Cozart, 24, went down after deputies were tipped by at least three inmates that he was bringing contraband into the jail. They waited for him and confronted him when he came to work, and Cozart admitted having a package for two inmates. It contained four Percocet tablets, a small amount of weed, and tobacco. He is charged with two counts of introduction of contraband into a penal facility, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into a neighboring county jail.

In Krotz Springs, Louisiana, a Krotz Springs Police dispatcher was arrested Monday after she allegedly released two jail inmates from their cells, helped them break into the department evidence room, and then shared stolen drugs with them. Dispatcher Amanda Nall, 23, went down after the department reported a burglary to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s investigators say Nall released the two inmates, then shut off the lights near the evidence room in a bid to thwart security cameras while one of the inmates broke into the evidence room and stole the drugs, which he and the other inmate shared with Nall before returning to their cells. Nall is charged with malfeasance in office and simple burglary, while the inmates are charged with simple burglary.

In McAllen, Texas, a former Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty June 9 to trying to sell confiscated marijuana to informants in other cases. Omar Salazar copped to federal counts of marijuana possession and conspiracy to possess marijuana. He also faces state charges in the scheme that surfaced during a raid at a stash house in Mission in 2009. He’s looking at up to 40 years on the federal charges. No sentencing date has been set.

In Jacksonville, Georgia, a former Appling County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty June 9 to tipping off a suspected marijuana trafficker to an impending raid by a joint narcotics task force in January. Richard Crosby, 36, was present during a planning meeting for the raid, which was the culmination of a months-long undercover operation, and he admitted that he passed word to the target through a second person to stay away from home the following day because a raid was coming. He pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the distribution of controlled substances, marijuana. He faces up to 2 1/2 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. He is out on bail pending sentencing.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, two Tulsa police officers were cleared and one former office was found guilty Monday in a complex federal case involving accusations of drug distribution, stealing money during an FBI sting, and planting drugs on people. Officer Bruce Bonham, 53, and Officer Nick DeBruin, 38, were acquitted on all the counts against them. Retired Cpl. Harold R. Wells, 60, was found guilty of drug conspiracy, carrying a firearm during drug trafficking and stealing US funds during the FBI sting. He’s looking at a mandatory minimum 15-year prison sentence, and he was ordered taken into custody upon the reading of the verdict. Bonham and DeBruin walked despite video surveillance footage of them and Wells splitting up and pocketing cash during the sting.

This Week’s Corrupt Cops Stories is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

Originally posted at FeeTV.

June 17, 2011 marks the 40th Anniversary of Nixons’ War on Drugs. Ever wonder what it costs and if it’s worth it?

“That’s like putting almost everyone in Hawaii and Alaska in prison.”

Sheldon Richman once wrote “For years advocates of free trade in drugs—that is, basic rights to life, liberty, and property for drug consumers, producers, and merchants—have pointed out that prohibition, in addition to being an immoral invasion of liberty by the State, sets in motion a variety of concrete evils that harm innocent people. These evils include the corruption of law enforcement, violent crime, and the expansion of intrusive government. Besides these domestic evils, the U.S. government has alienated farmers in foreign lands by helping to destroy their crops and livelihoods. If that’s not terrorism, nothing is.”

Read more about the War on Drugs:

Drugs, Economics, and Liberty by Walter E. Williams
What the Drug Warriers Have Given Us by Sheldon Richman
The Fiasco of Prohibition by Douglas Rogers
Politics and Prohibition by Donald J. Boudreaux
The Re-legalization of Drugs by Tibor R. Machan & Mark Thornton

The Cost of the War on Drugs is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

Recently, I shared a song called “No-knock raid” by Lindy about the the proliferation of violent “no-knock” SWAT raids in the United States. Since I shared the song, Reason TV created this excellent music video for the song using footage of actual raids. You may find some of the footage in the video disturbing or upsetting, but as I’ve said before people need to get upset about SWAT raids. Please share this video with your friends and family.

“No Knock Raid,” written and performed by Toronto-based musician Lindy, is a searing indictment of one of the most aggressive, ubiquitous, and mistaken tactics in the War on Drugs.

Consider only the most recent raid to cause a national outrage: On May 5, 2011, 26-year-old Jose Guerena, who survived two tours in the Iraq War, was shot and killed during a raid on his house by a Pima County, Arizona SWAT team that fired dozens of bullets through his front door. Guerena, married and a father of two, had just finished a 12-hour shift at a local mine. Law enforcement sources claim he was involved in narco-trafficking but have yet to produce any evidence supporting that claim. Officers involved in the death have been cleared of wrongdoing.

Guerena’s death is not an isolated incident. As USA Today reports, an astonishing 70,000 to 80,000 militarized police raids take place on a annual basis in America, many of them on mistaken suspects and many of them ending with injury or death for police and citizens alike.

As Reason Contributing Editor Radley Balko and others have documented, the militarization of standard police practice is a direct consequence of the modern-day War on Drugs, started 40 years ago by President Richard Nixon – and perpetuated by every administration since. (For a comprehensive report on the failure of the drug war to achieve any of its stated goals, read “Ending the Drug War: A Dream Deferred,” by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.)

Many of the raids shown in this video have been discussed on Cop Block in the past. Check here for Cop Block’s coverage of SWAT raids. Also recommended is Radley Balko’s book Overkill which examines and criticizes the proliferation of SWAT teams and the use of no-knock raids.

“No-knock raid” music video is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

I received this email on June 9th around 4 pm and the return email addy was fake. The person, who claims to be Edgar Winters, was upset about CopBlock’s post outing an Undercover New Hampshire Drug Task Force Agent Charles “Charlie” Newton.

what a bunch of assholes you are! have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is. in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high? get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

Here was my response to them, before getting the bounce back.

Edgar, if you’d like to have a conversation I’m all for that. If you want to attack and belittle be, get it over with and be on your way.

In hopes that you’re willing to do the first I’d like to respond to some of your comments and leave you with some material if you’re so inclined to read it.

“have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is.” 

Would there be such violence if the government didn’t have a war on the drugs? Would people prefer to get their drugs from places like Walgreens, a business that wouldn’t shoot at you, and other pharmacies that they already go to for drugs?

“in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high?” 

Have you ever seen someone over does from legal drugs? Has anyone sold their child for an Oxycontin or morphine hit? Those are legal but I don’t see you advocating doctors be jailed for giving them to people.

“get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

“

Sadly, officers take more lives than they save. Since that’s the case, me being more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist or drug dealer, I’ll take my chances with the latter.

If you’d like to learn more about how the governments prohibition on drugs creates such problems check out this article: http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/justice-and-civil-liberties/how-the-drug-war-created-crystal-meth/

Also, I’ll say this, would Al Capone had been such a mobster if alcohol wasn’t illegal during his rise to the top? This country tried to ban a substance, that people clearly want, before and it didn’t work. The definition of stupid is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response, though I’d appreciate it if you kept the attacks to a minimum.

In Liberty,

Ademo

I’m more than happy to discuss things civilly via email but you have to leave a valid email address for that to happen.

Join the forum discussion on this post

My Response to an Email about the Outing of a NH Undercover Cop is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

I received this email on June 9th around 4 pm and the return email addy was fake. The person, who claims to be Edgar Winters, was upset about CopBlock’s post outing an Undercover New Hampshire Drug Task Force Agent Charles “Charlie” Newton.

what a bunch of assholes you are! have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is. in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high? get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

Here was my response to them, before getting the bounce back.

Edgar, if you’d like to have a conversation I’m all for that. If you want to attack and belittle be, get it over with and be on your way.

In hopes that you’re willing to do the first I’d like to respond to some of your comments and leave you with some material if you’re so inclined to read it.

“have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is.” 

Would there be such violence if the government didn’t have a war on the drugs? Would people prefer to get their drugs from places like Walgreens, a business that wouldn’t shoot at you, and other pharmacies that they already go to for drugs?

“in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high?” 

Have you ever seen someone over does from legal drugs? Has anyone sold their child for an Oxycontin or morphine hit? Those are legal but I don’t see you advocating doctors be jailed for giving them to people.

“get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

“

Sadly, officers take more lives than they save. Since that’s the case, me being more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist or drug dealer, I’ll take my chances with the latter.

If you’d like to learn more about how the governments prohibition on drugs creates such problems check out this article: http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/justice-and-civil-liberties/how-the-drug-war-created-crystal-meth/

Also, I’ll say this, would Al Capone had been such a mobster if alcohol wasn’t illegal during his rise to the top? This country tried to ban a substance, that people clearly want, before and it didn’t work. The definition of stupid is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response, though I’d appreciate it if you kept the attacks to a minimum.

In Liberty,

Ademo

I’m more than happy to discuss things civilly via email but you have to leave a valid email address for that to happen.

Join the forum discussion on this post

My Response to an Email about the Outing of a NH Undercover Cop is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

I received this email on June 9th around 4 pm and the return email addy was fake. The person, who claims to be Edgar Winters, was upset about CopBlock’s post outing an Undercover New Hampshire Drug Task Force Agent Charles “Charlie” Newton.

what a bunch of assholes you are! have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is. in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high? get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

Here was my response to them, before getting the bounce back.

Edgar, if you’d like to have a conversation I’m all for that. If you want to attack and belittle be, get it over with and be on your way.

In hopes that you’re willing to do the first I’d like to respond to some of your comments and leave you with some material if you’re so inclined to read it.

“have you no idea of the real world effects of drug trafficking? think about the children who witness and experience violence associated with drug use, abuse and trafficking. it isn’t the land of make believe you stoners think it is.” 

Would there be such violence if the government didn’t have a war on the drugs? Would people prefer to get their drugs from places like Walgreens, a business that wouldn’t shoot at you, and other pharmacies that they already go to for drugs?

“in the real world, hopeless addiction leads to child neglect and abuse. have you ever been in a crack house? have you ever seen a mother so strung our on heroin that she would sell her daughter for the next high?” 

Have you ever seen someone over does from legal drugs? Has anyone sold their child for an Oxycontin or morphine hit? Those are legal but I don’t see you advocating doctors be jailed for giving them to people.

“get real, people. i’m all for ferreting out abusive police officers, but don’t get in the way of those who are doing the community a good service. the life they save may be yours. regrettably.

“

Sadly, officers take more lives than they save. Since that’s the case, me being more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist or drug dealer, I’ll take my chances with the latter.

If you’d like to learn more about how the governments prohibition on drugs creates such problems check out this article: http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/justice-and-civil-liberties/how-the-drug-war-created-crystal-meth/

Also, I’ll say this, would Al Capone had been such a mobster if alcohol wasn’t illegal during his rise to the top? This country tried to ban a substance, that people clearly want, before and it didn’t work. The definition of stupid is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response, though I’d appreciate it if you kept the attacks to a minimum.

In Liberty,

Ademo

I’m more than happy to discuss things civilly via email but you have to leave a valid email address for that to happen.

Join the forum discussion on this post

My Response to an Email about the Outing of a NH Undercover Cop is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"