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Steyn: Cigars, But Not Close [Ferguson]
Steynonline.com ^ | 8/15/2014 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 08/16/2014 7:01:18 AM PDT by lwd

The "narrative" of Ferguson, Missouri changed somewhat today. But, amid the confusion, the blundering stupidity of the city's police department remains consistent.

This morning the Police Chief, Thomas Jackson, released security-camera shots of the late Michael Brown apparently stealing a five-dollar box of cigarillos from a convenience store. So the 18-year old shot dead by Chief Jackson's officer was no longer a "gentle giant" en route to college but just another crappy third-rate violent teen n'er-do-well.

{SNIP}

It's important, when something goes wrong, to be clear about what it is that's at issue. Talking up Michael Brown as this season's Trayvonesque angel of peace and scholarship was foolish, and looting stores in his saintly memory even worse. But this week's pictures from Ferguson, such as the one above, ought to be profoundly disquieting to those Americans of a non-looting bent.

The most basic problem is that we will never know for certain what happened. Why? Because the Ferguson cruiser did not have a camera recording the incident. That's simply not credible. "Law" "enforcement" in Ferguson apparently has at its disposal tear gas, riot gear, armored vehicles and machine guns ...but not a dashcam. That's ridiculous.

(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; ferguson; missouri; policestate; steyn
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To: lwd; JLS

Thank you for the Steyn post. A msut read for the full article.


61 posted on 08/16/2014 2:04:16 PM PDT by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: lentulusgracchus

I agree. If he’s the same guy that fills in for Rush every once in awhile, I enjoy listening to him. Shame he may have ‘jumped the gun’ before all the facts come out. I think it odd that he would compare crime and policing in Germany and America since the gun laws are drastically different in both countries.


62 posted on 08/16/2014 2:15:34 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: Sir Napsalot

I still don’t know if killing Brown is necessary, I’ll give the officer the benefit of the doubt right now.

But I just can’t imagine that the crowd would have behaved differently if the ‘State Highway Patrol’ not the riot-geared police was in control since the night Michael Brown was killed. As lots of pundits now claimed. They were not there, and we would never know now.

Also Steyn uses his small town one-man police dept in New Hampshire and quaint New England neighborhood to make his dashcam argument may not be adequate in St. Louis ghetto.

Even though I and a lot of people share his militarized police concern.


63 posted on 08/16/2014 2:22:56 PM PDT by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: Cap'n Crunch
More departments are going to cameras that are directly placed on the officer. What the cost is I don’t know.

Can't be that high. In Mongolia, they put cameras on their pet eagles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s8Co5zQR5A

64 posted on 08/16/2014 2:25:44 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody

Awesome.


65 posted on 08/16/2014 2:38:48 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: ontap

“Time will tell if it was a good shoot or not”

The biggest problem is that you are mistake there. People don’t trust that an honest investigation will happen.

Make no mistake, everyone involved in the investigation has EVERY incentive to clear him. Cops of course don’t want honest investigations, for fear they will one day face one. Government from town to Fed? They don’t want their enforcers having to be cautious of mistakes. Far better to send them the message that they have the officer’s back, even when he is wrong. That way, they won’t hesitate.


66 posted on 08/16/2014 3:37:09 PM PDT by LevinFan
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To: lwd

“The most basic problem is that we will never know for certain what happened. Why? Because the Ferguson cruiser did not have a camera recording the incident. That’s simply not credible. “Law” “enforcement” in Ferguson apparently has at its disposal tear gas, riot gear, armored vehicles and machine guns ...but not a dashcam. That’s ridiculous.”

They have all the money they need for the toys they want. R&D efforts to create better weapons. But they can’t spend anything on keeping their cops honest, or catching them when they are dishonest. Why is that?


67 posted on 08/16/2014 3:39:36 PM PDT by LevinFan
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To: Kozy

“During the annual inspection of all armament that we owned, I was introduced to three Uzi machine guns.”

Make no mistake, those Uzis were just toys to them. “Oh, cooool!”

The sad fact is, most aren’t qualified with their basic sidearm. Ya, they pass a very basic qualification process. But most have such poor aim and fire discipline that a hostage in LA just ate 10 rounds of police fire. Most cops work in urban environments where spay and pray are NOT good ideas. WE deserve better than that of them.

Most professions require you to be EXPERT with your tools, not just ‘OK’. ‘OK’ is fine for a burger flipper. ‘OK’ is fine for someone who merely has a weapon for self defense at home or such. Far less likely to need it. But a gun is such a standard tool of being a cop that it is worn openly on a belt.

Now they want BIGGER guns? Ya, lets give them belt fed machine guns and see what disaster they can create. How about spending the money aimed at bigger guns and APCs on training with the weapon they already have? A cop is far more likely to need proficiency with his sidearm, than with an uzi or APC.


68 posted on 08/16/2014 3:50:48 PM PDT by LevinFan
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To: lwd

I have to agree with MS on this one. LEO all over the country are out of control.


69 posted on 08/16/2014 9:16:15 PM PDT by wjcsux ("In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell)
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To: TangoLimaSierra

Good point! But I wondered if they had access to even do that, or whether it would affect their alarm system? etc.

I just don’t know.

But I DO know that was the story we didn’t hear from the ‘victim’ reporters who were manhandled by the police. I believe they are STILL in that area, b/c they just won’t leave.


70 posted on 08/16/2014 10:27:31 PM PDT by unsycophant
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To: unsycophant

Reminder to self: Check FR profile before making another statement like this.

I forgot I’d already seen the days where conservatives were talking out their asses, years ago.


71 posted on 08/16/2014 10:36:06 PM PDT by unsycophant
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To: lwd; All

Was there any report of Brown trying to go for the cop’s gun at any time? Was there any report of Brown attacking the cop? Was there any report of Brown threatening the cop?


72 posted on 08/17/2014 1:20:00 AM PDT by itssme
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To: lwd
Frustration on the part of the police everywhere at having to deal with travon after travon and the revolving doors that swing them in and out of jail after jail has to be huge. Still a handgun is seldom the answer for juvenile crime even committed by adults.Tazers always work better. Just taze the idiot,even the big ones, until they won't move anymore.Double cuff them and make sure they share a cell with an even bigger bubba.
73 posted on 08/17/2014 4:44:06 AM PDT by rodguy911 (FreeRepuplic:Land of the Free because of the Brave--Sarah Palin our secret weapon)
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To: Cap'n Crunch

GoPro cameras run $200-$400 a camera. There are other types slightly cheaper. It’s a good idea for both sides.


74 posted on 08/17/2014 4:00:58 PM PDT by Wyatt's Torch
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To: Wyatt's Torch

I agree, the cameras have been beneficial to the dept. I was on. I admit I do not know much about cameras and the equipment it takes to download everything. I know it was a huge problem for our dept. when they first started it up.


75 posted on 08/17/2014 5:36:15 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: Kozy
In the 80’s I was a police commissioner for a small New England town of 17,000. During the annual inspection of all armament that we owned, I was introduced to three Uzi machine guns. I asked why we had them? The answer was for crowd control. My directive was that these people are our neighbors and we are not firing on them with Uzi’s. Get rid of them. They were gone. APC’s should not be a part of your local police department vehicle pool. Get cameras not killing machines.

Brilliant!

76 posted on 08/18/2014 8:42:26 AM PDT by edwinland
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