Posted on 05/05/2015 12:31:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Watching the Right’s reaction to the Freddie Gray case, I’ve had a horrible nightmare: Aliens from a distant planet—big-government, statist aliens from Planet Obama, perhaps—have snatched millions of American conservatives and replaced them with Progressive pod people.
How else to explain the sudden, sweeping abandonment by my fellow conservatives of that most precious icon of our movement, the Constitution?
The Grey case is a constitutional fiasco. A guy walking down the street approached by the authorities because—literally—he “looked at them?” He’s pursued, frisked, found in the legal possession of a weapon (a pocketknife) and is arrested? No crime? No theoretical charge of a crime?
Then he’s shackled, laid on the floor of a police van on his stomach—unsecured and in violation of police rules—and bounced around the city for hours, while being repeatedly denied requested medical treatment.
The Police Can’t Just Grab People
Freddie Gray was an American citizen who started his day having not committed a crime, and ended the day with fatal injuries sustained while in custody of the government. And Republicans are defending…the government? Who are you, and what have you done with my conservatives?
Real conservatives—my Tea Party friends and limited-government activists—understand that the Constitution is a document of “negative rights.” An officer of the government sees you and decides he wants to search you, or grab you, take your stuff, or even kill you. Can he? For most of the history of mankind, the answer was “Shut up, peon, and get back in your cell!”
Our founders committed a truly revolutionary act when they wrote a Constitution that is a document of “No.” It tells agents of the government, “No, you can’t.” It doesn’t matter if the citizen is a pillar of the community or a punk. He’s still an American, so hands off!
You Don’t Need to Be Good to Get Rights
But why am I having to explain this to the Right? I learned all this from you. You explained to me that gun ownership has nothing to do with the question “do you need a gun?” or “are you a good enough person to be allowed to own a gun?”
We wear “What Part Of ‘Shall Make No Law’ Don’t You Understand?” t-shirts to remind big-government liberals that, whether they like guns or not, we have constitutional rights they can’t touch. You explained to me that the Obama administration’s assault on Tea Party groups—using the Internal Revenue Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau Investigation, etc. to intimidate activists during an election cycle—was precisely the sort of government thuggery the founders feared. Even though the IRS has the power to audit citizens, laws and institutions must check that power in the name of citizens’ rights.
But now you’re telling me that you support cops who arrested a guy legally in possession of a weapon, and you’re on the side of “Lois Lerner” law enforcement? Who are you people? Whoever you are, you definitely aren’t conservatives.
Alleged “conservatives” making their angry, foamy-mouthed defense of the Baltimore police tell me that what I don’t understand is that Gray is “different.” He’s “different” because he’s a known drug dealer, not a good, upstanding citizen.
To which I reply: Do you think President Obama thinks you “bitter clingers” are good citizens? Do you think he believes opponents of same-sex marriage, or businesses that don’t want to pay for abortions, or skeptics of climate change are good citizens?
Conservatives taught me that the founders understood we needed the Constitution specifically to protect the rights of Americans the government considered “bad.” When conservatives take the position that some citizens are so “bad” that the government should be free to ignore their constitutional rights, they are kicking the door wide open for a Hillary Clinton to use the power of the White House to do just that to Americans she thinks are “bad.”
No real conservative would support such a flawed, unconstitutional view of the relationship between the citizen and the state. Government agents free to kill unarmed Americans—and have the support of conservatives while they do it—is simply unimaginable.
So I’m left with only one possible conclusion: RUN AWAY! THE POD PEOPLE ARE COMING!
-- Michael Graham is a radio talk show host in Atlanta, Georgia.
We’re going to need an explanation of just how and when how Freddy got some Heroin in him.
I don’t know who this “The Right” guy is but I personally can’t defend anyone there. For starters, I’m not an attorney in that state, but I also don’t know enough to “defend” anyone there.
We’re going to need an explanation of just how and when Freddy got some Heroin in him.
Freddie Gray’s Knife – Why is Prosecutor Claiming Unlawful Arrest?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3285581/posts
Pat Buchanan’s campaign coordinator from 1992 is who the writer is. About as “conservative” as any other RINO.
The Paleos and loopy libertarians have successfully infiltrated many otherwise conservative sites.
the perp had a switchblade...
this is not yet common knowledge amongst talkshow hosts???
Defend what? We don’t have all the facts yet. We just are not in favor of lynch mobs that believe in guilty until proven innocent by a kangaroo court.
Were the bicycle officers just to continue on their ride through the neighbothood as if nothing was out of the oridnary?
I think most conservatives look at how Rudy Giuliani cleaned up NY by arresting and prosecuting everyone for minor crimes and say that is good work by the state. Personally, as a conservative one of the primary purposes of the state is to enforce the laws so that we can have a safe and peaceful community. How do we do that unless we arrest know drug users who are in process of purchasing drugs, who run from the police and illegal carry weapons?
Graham has a point but he takes too much liberty with the truth. Freddy ran. When a guy with his record which is known to the cops runs I’d say they have probable cause to chase. From there it gets very cloudy but I agree that carrying a knife is a fundamental right, spring loaded or not.
Yes, the writer is correct. Although Grey was a thorough scumbag, he deserves the same treatment when arrested as other citizens. But from what we know so far, it certainly doesn't seem like he was "murdered" by the police.
What you said.
“A guy walking down the street approached by the authorities because—literally—he “looked at them?” He’s pursued, frisked, found in the legal possession of a weapon (a pocketknife) and is arrested? No crime? No theoretical charge of a crime?”
Those assorted facts remain unclear. We doubt he was quite so pure as that description implies.
The problem is keeping Gray’s transgressions separated & distinct from the riotous mob’s. There is an understandable reluctance to express an opinion about Gray construed as favorable (”he was just some guy walking down the street with constitutionally protected, and mundane to the point of unworthy of the term, arms”) or unfavorable (”his rap sheet was as long as my arm, acted downright guilty, had a clearly illegal (like it or not) weapon, and was lawfully detained until they could decide on exact nuanced wording of charges”); expressing a leaning either direction will be attacked. Whichever opinion is expressed also has absolutely nothing to do with justifying the demonstrations & riots (distinct issues themselves), yet will be construed as being for/against the outrageous subsequent behavior. It’s a situation where no view can be duly expressed & respected. One can’t express sympathy for Gray without being imputed with support of the riots.
Some people & situations just don’t warrant pinning sociopolitical justifications on.
That severed his spine, did it?
>> The Paleos and loopy libertarians have successfully infiltrated many otherwise conservative sites.
Yes, and thank GOD they haven’t shown up here yet. ;-)
I’m not defending the cops, or Freddie Gray at this point. There is not is enough information to know what happened.
That doesn’t prevent us from condemning the rioters and looters, decades of incompetent Democrat rule in Baltimore and other cities, and the rush to judgment by Lefty media types and the novice prosecutors who are their “partners”.
Black people in America, the lesson to be learned here is simple. The government, especially Democrat government, is not your friend. The government has never been your friend and never will be your friend, even when every office is filled with black Democrats.
“Law and order” conservatives love big government police unions.
Martin Niemöller could teach them a thing or two.
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