Police should be trained to de-escalate but they tend to escalate confrontations and kill people.
...who have no concept of self responsibility, practice self reliance in a lawful and moral manner, have no regard for the rule of law and feel no accountability for their provocative actions.
Police officers are trained to deescalate confrontations and many do so very effectively. For every news-making situation like this there are likely dozens of potentially hazardous situations that occur daily across the country. These situations are effectively and professionally defused by police officers with no one getting hurt and rarely noted in the local news.
Perhaps those people who challenge police officers and getting hurt or killed in the process should practice some self responsibility and have a little more regard for the rule of law.
I agree with you whole heartedly that confronting the police is a very bad idea. However, this is 2008 and the power of the state has grown to unbelievable levels and is due for a trim. Federalism reaches into our lives through all kinds of strings attached to federal dollars returned to the states. If now is not the time to challenge the power provided to all levels of government over our lives when will that time be? War on drugs, war on accidents, war on smog, war on poverty, regulation of tobacco, alcohol, firearms etc. I just want to be left alone. Instead at every turn I am confronted with the power of the State. As an example of my desire to be free my brother lives at an airport community in a rural area. They have a neighborhood association that governs what goes on and protects the airport lifestyle. The president of the association, without consulting anyone called the county and demanded that speed limit signs be put up at 10 mph in order to protect the children in the neighborhood. He also invited the sheriff to come out and enforce it. My brother is the only guy living there with kids and his reaction mirrors mine. He asked the guy why in the name of time would you bring the world into our nice community. He is the only one with kids but he doesn’t want the speed limits and doesn’t want the sheriff patrolling. Americans are just way to willing to give up freedom for safety. I don’t think that being left out of the government system is even an option for most Americans and that is just sad.
Hope that clarifies why I am willing to trim state power in this day and age of nanny state dependence on gubt power.