Posted on 08/04/2004 5:55:39 AM PDT by BJClinton
Texas cops thought they'd made a major drug bust when they raided a home northwest of Houston last Tuesday. After all, it looked like there were huge marijuana plants growing in the front yard.
"All of a sudden, they burst in with their guns loaded, pointing at me, screaming, 'Get on the floor! Get on the floor!'" northwest Harris County resident Blair Davis told KHOU-TV.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
>>Small town swat-type units have a tendency to get over excited.<<
Do not profile! Big city swat team units have the same problem.
They're probably not the sharpest pencils in the box. They had a warrant and by G*d they were going to execute it. You see the simple explanation in their minds is that they can't be wrong. If they're wrong they'll look around for something to justify their actions.
regards,
B.O...... and old codger...the last of a dying breed...those who actually will benefit a little from SS.
You don't need moral authority when you've got the guns.
VERY perceptive.
More and more it's becoming clear that there are a lot of cops out there who don't have all that much to do.
So the fabled Southern "radar townships" are moving North--after all, revenues are important.
There's a little suburb of Milwaukee in which Driving While Black is, informally, a felony offense.
It goes on and on, and gets worse.
But the Democrats are supported by the police unions and the Pubbies LOVE to trot out the "crime" problem.
Shut up and pay the taxes!
PING
Remember the show, "America's Dumbest Criminals?" I think we should have one titled, "America's Dumbest Cops." It would serve a two-fold purpose....quality entertainment, and could possible provide some incentive to these idiots to be a little more professionally discriminating.
Dumb Cops, Dumb Cops
Whatcha gonna do,
Whatcha gonna do
with a low IQ
Dumb Cops, Dumb Cops
Whatcha gonna do,
Whatcha gonna do
with a low IQ
If you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.
It's for The Children.
Ping
What are (or were) these "radar townships" ? Suburbs used as good examples for knowing if the crime figures go up or down ?
"The 9/11 Report says that on 9/11 the FBI had twice as much manpower devoted to fighting the War on Drugs than it did fighting the War on Terror. What does that tell you?"
That tells me our priorities are out of whack.
Hemp production is outlawed in the USA ?
Okay, it isn't a perfect world. But if it's going to cost someone money either way, why not at least try and give some consideration to which decision keeps the federal government in it's proper role in the republic?
I'm sorry. I'm not sure I understand your question.
"Last winter, here in Reno we had a motorcycle cop killed when a young girl whose reflexes were slowed by using marijuana was unable to hit the brakes fast enough."
If slow reflexes is the criteria, a lot of people should not be driving.
The problem with taxing it up the wazoo is that you get the same kind of criminal activity associated with it as when it's illegal.
A while back in California, there was a strongarm robbery of a cigarette warehouse, where the security guards were held at gunpoint, tied up, and gagged, and the bandits made off with millions of dollars worth of tax stamps - a few rolls - along with several pallets of cigarettes.
There's also rampant cigarette smuggling and black marketeering between states with low and punitive cigarette taxes.
When I say "up the wazzoo", I mean just high enough that you don't get the black market. They might be at that point with cigarettes.
"Even more to the point, why didn't they just knock on the front door and ask him what the plants were? Why the SWAT approach?"
It makes me sad that it took this long for someone to point this out. I for one am sick and tired of the "authorities" choosing the smash in the door with guns drawn as the first option. Here in TN a couple of years ago an elderly man was killed by cops when he tried to defend his home against what he thought were criminals (he was right, actually). turned out they had the wrong address. IMO these thugs relish the chance to play soldier and don't consider other, less invasive options like stakeouts, or a simple knock. I wonder if we can get an honest legislator to introduce a law against these tactics as a first resort?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.