[SMARTY]

I work at a University where the Police Academy is close to my office.

The young men and women who I see daily in their classroom, and in the halls are some of the most clean cut and courteous kids on campus.... as are the ROTC guys.

Many of the police cadets, men and women, are a former military... most are much younger than me and routinely address me as Ma’am...lots of Yes Sir's and Yes Ma’am’s around them!!

[Rapscallion]

I may be wrong but it seems like police are MORE THAN WILLING to confront gun owners with violence rather than head off violence. Police making statements that they just can't wait to encounter armed gun owners only stimulates the militarized police to appear Nazi-like. The people of Connecticut are not subjects of some king (anymore) We thought that issue was solved two centuries ago. However,......

I am originally from Connecticut. I know its culture of patriotism. Baiting by police is inappropriate but violence is almost guaranteed if police and politicians want a fight, all of New England will be inflamed.

I encourage police and politicians to find bi-partisan solutions respectful of American citizenship and the Constitution itself.....and do it soon.

[grobdriver]

Despite Mike's castigation by "A Retired Pennsylvania State Police Trooper", all too similar events to those he he paints in words have been in the news (or not) these last few years.
Many of us watch the militarization of the police with trepidation, because we were paying attention to Ruby Ridge and Waco... and more recently the Donner fiasco not to mention the several incidents between cops and gun owners where the overbearing, I-am-master attitude has come through loud and clear.
I hope to God that the Connecticut situation doesn't "come to blows", but I fear it may.

[KosmicKitty]

I teach Cj courses. I changed several years ago from computer science because I wanted to do something different, Was planning on teaching again, but that’s the way it worked out.

The CJ kids are a world of difference from other majors. For the most part these kids are dressed nicer (clothing clean, not midriff or plunging necklines for the girls, boys wear suits occasionally), short hair cuts for the boys, very polite. Much more attentive to their studies, complete homework on time, get to class on time, for the most part, and so on.

And better manners. Was tutoring a kid in the school library last week and he slid the chair out from the table and held for me to sit down.

Now, that’s not to say that all the kids are little angels, they’re not. But the overall difference is there and it’s easy to see.