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"Stopping medical professionals from doing their jobs puts the lives of civilians in danger." One of the first, and most important things we can do is to chang

by rsync 12y ago

"Stopping medical professionals from doing their jobs puts the lives of civilians in danger." One of the first, and most important things we can do is to change the language we are using. Above, you spoke of civilians as different from - separate from - police officers. Please stop doing this. All police officers are civilians - just like you and I.[1] If you are not in the process of being arrested you are the peer in every way of the police officer. Don't forget it. [1] With the obvious exception of the reader of this comment who is an active duty soldier/sailor.

TallGuyShort 12y ago
Civilians just like you and I, but with elevated rights to carry firearms and demonstrable bias in their favour in the legal system.
griffinmahon 12y ago
I like your distinction, and for the same reason think that there shouldn't be separate laws for the assault of a police officer -- there should just be laws for assault.
copsarebastards 12y ago
The concept of what you're saying is nice, but I don't know if I agree. In an ideal society, yes, cops would just be other citizens. But talking about cops as if we existed in that ideal world doesn't do anything to move us toward that ideal world. The fact is, cops are largely above the law and incarcerate thousands of people annually, disproportionately along racial and economic lines, and frequently for non-violent crimes. An average citizen can't walk up to another person and put them in jail, basically at will. A cop can: all it takes is planting a little evidence. Cops in America aren't ordinary citizens, they're threats to ordinary citizens, and speaking wishfully about them isn't going to fix that.
abandonliberty 12y ago
Dejure you are correct, but not defacto. The ability of an officer to arrest someone and openly carry firearms (Canadian) sets them apart even if they're not using them, particularly as they can abuse their powers. Police should be held to a higher standard to compensate for this, and the civilian legal system is poorly equipped to handle them.

by rsync 12y ago

TallGuyShort 12y ago

Civilians just like you and I, but with elevated rights to carry firearms and demonstrable bias in their favour in the legal system.

griffinmahon 12y ago

I like your distinction, and for the same reason think that there shouldn't be separate laws for the assault of a police officer -- there should just be laws for assault.

copsarebastards 12y ago

The concept of what you're saying is nice, but I don't know if I agree. In an ideal society, yes, cops would just be other citizens. But talking about cops as if we existed in that ideal world doesn't do anything to move us toward that ideal world. The fact is, cops are largely above the law and incarcerate thousands of people annually, disproportionately along racial and economic lines, and frequently for non-violent crimes. An average citizen can't walk up to another person and put them in jail, basically at will. A cop can: all it takes is planting a little evidence. Cops in America aren't ordinary citizens, they're threats to ordinary citizens, and speaking wishfully about them isn't going to fix that.

abandonliberty 12y ago

Dejure you are correct, but not defacto. The ability of an officer to arrest someone and openly carry firearms (Canadian) sets them apart even if they're not using them, particularly as they can abuse their powers. Police should be held to a higher standard to compensate for this, and the civilian legal system is poorly equipped to handle them.