Posted on 06/26/2005 5:25:11 PM PDT by wagglebee
A traffic stop in Greer, S.C., this month is turning into a holy war of sorts, as a practicing Druid couple claim they were targeted by a Christian police officer who tried to convert them away from their pagan belief.
Debra and Tony Gainey say they were pulled over because they had a bumper sticker reading "It's A Druid Thing."
Tony Gainey was driving at the time of the stop June 10 and was taken into custody on charges of driving with a suspended license, operating a vehicle with an improper tag and failure to have proof of insurance.
"The reason they were stopped was the tag was improper on the vehicle," Greer police Lt. Cris Varner told WHNS-TV.
But Debra Gainey, a minister at the local Emerald Sanctuary Druidic Church, believes it was the druid sticker that prompted the traffic stop, as evinced by the conversation with officer Tony Stewart.
"[Stewart said], 'Did those bumper stickers come on the car or did you put them on?' and I said I put them on," Debra said.
She says the officer asked if she knew what they meant.
"So he started talking to me about God and Jesus Christ. ... I just felt like he was really getting into it, I had never expected to actually follow-up with a letter or anything."
According to Mrs. Gainey, the officer sent a card and letter to her home address days later.
"In this letter, he promises our problems will continue unless we listen to the words of the Baptists," she told the station. "We're feeling like those are threats."
"It's just kind of flabbergasting to be told that because it says Druid that we were singled out," she continued. "I don't think it's a matter of his religion or my religion, it's a matter of violation of our Constitution and trying to take that away our freedom that we are guaranteed."
The Gaineys have filed a civil-rights complaint, and the matter is now under investigation.
"The issue is the stop," police chief Dan Reynolds told the Greenville News. "Did they stop them because of the stickers? That's what we're trying to determine in our investigation. What was the reason for the stop?"
I thought the cop that stopped them was Officer Stewart?
But Separation of Church and State is in a letter by Thomas Jefferson. Are you SURE his correspondence isn't a higher authority than the Constitiuution etc? /sarcasm
I don't consider myself a Christian, but I am not at all anti-Christian; and agree with David Limbaugh for instance, that Christians in America are being oppressed by secular leftists. Christians such as Officer Hellfire and those that defend him here are only playing into the hands of the ACLU.
DJ MacWoW wrote: You have repeatedly knocked the cop using only the words of people whose honesty I question. If they can convince enough people they're telling the truth, the charges magically disappear and they could be rich.
You have given no cogent reasons for questioning the honesty of the couple, only a personal antipathy for their religion. The cop has given us reasons to question his integrity in his job. And from Fox21.com:
But Greer Police say they are investigating why the tag was run in the first place.
If Officer Hellfire had a clear cut legitimate reason for the stop, the Greer Police wouldn't have to be "investigating," at this point they are "investigating" so as to find some reason that they can use to defend themselves in the lawsuit.
You are right about that.
You have given no cogent reasons for questioning the honesty of the couple,
The guy was driving on a suspended license. That's illegal. Btw, around here they jail you for that. (NY State)
The plates on the car were registered to a different car.
They had no proof of insurance in the car. None of that speaks to their honesty.
I hope the investigation answers questions that the article didn't.
If Officer Hellfire had a clear cut legitimate reason for the stop, the Greer Police wouldn't have to be "investigating," at this point they are "investigating" so as to find some reason that they can use to defend themselves in the lawsuit.
Maybe. The Hubby was driving on a suspended license so he may have been erratic because a cop was behind him. People are stopped for no turn signal, no license plate light, unsignaled lane change, driving too slow (35 in a 55)...there are a lot of reasons to pull someone over or run the plate.
I thought maybe I got it wrong as at least 3 cops names are mentioned.
Maybe they're lying, but why would they say this guy sent them a card and not show it?
If the missionaries handcuff you and hold you in custody while they witnessed to you, I'd sue.
Unproffesional is ok in YOUR world as long as it's not illegal?
(Why does that sound so familiar? Hmmmmmmm.....)
And just because they're Druids, you don't?
It depends on what they said to him.
(Why does that sound so familiar? Hmmmmmmm.....)
Instead of inferring heaven knows what, you might try actually commenting on what I said.
That's not what I said. Don't try to make your problem mine. It won't work.
You "chose" to misunderstand my posts in the other thread too. And now you followed me here. Odd.
Hey paranoia case, I didn't follow you.
Good. Your posts aren't quite understandable. I was wondering if I'd have to guess more riddles.
Night.
OMG, please stop posting thing like this that I read at 12:55 am, it disturbs my neighborers.!!
DJ MacWoW wrote:The guy was driving on a suspended license. That's illegal. Btw, around here they jail you for that. (NY State)
Tony Gainey admitted he was wrong, and gave a plausible explanation of why he did it. I was once arrested for (but not convicted for) driving with a suspended license; I'd failed to file an accident report; I just assumed that I didn't have to file an accident report since I was the smashee, not the smasher, and I wasn't even in the car when it happened. Silly me! I guess that makes me very dishonest! And while the cop put the handcuffs on so tight that it was some months before I regained full sensitivity in my hands, at least he didn't proselytize his religion to me. While you want to impute some deep criminality to Tony Gainey's driving suspension, sometimes its a result of an overgrown bureaucratic system and some peoples inability to quite keep up with it.
DJ MacWoW:The plates on the car were registered to a different car.
They had no proof of insurance in the car. None of that speaks to their honesty.
One fine New Years Eve my wife and I went to a "First Night" in a city about an hour from where we live. I was careful not to drink too much, but in changing unfamiliar highways coming home almost made the mistake of entering on an exit; realized I was making a mistake and backed off...but then the blue light. My encounter with Maine State Police, they were very professional and pleasant, engaged me in conversation, clearly wanted to see if I'd been drinking but didn't insult me by asking. Ran my plates. They were not the plates for the car I was driving. Oops! We have two cars, the plate numbers were almost identical, I'd put the wrong plates on the wrong car! The cops must have assumed I was a criminal and arrested me! But they didn't; and they didn't proselytize me with their religious or political viewpoints. And I didn't get letters!
They had no proof of insurance in the car. None of that speaks to their honesty.
I was involved in a minor accident that was mostly my fault, but the police officer thought that I had done a real good job of avoiding it, and didn't cite me. But he asked to see proof of insurance, which I was required to show. Looked in the glove compartment. Looked again. Opps, not there! I was able to go to a nearby house, knock on the door, ask to use the phone, call my wife, who brought the card. This is all a long-winded way of saying that failure to fully comply with every bureaucratic requirement on the part of the citizen-subject is not evidence of his deep dishonesty. But in a "Free Republic" we hold our officials, including the first-line police officers to a higher standard; and they are expected to obey the rules and not engage in the oppression of citizens on account of their religion.
One guess who the boss in that family is?
Since tags are publicly displayed, a cop could choose any tag he wishes (such as who he is following at the time) and run it. There's no law saying he can't. As to whether he denied that to the couple, the courts are on record as allowing cops to lie to the public. Whether that ought to be the case is another matter of debate, but currently it's blessed.
While you may think so, the Greer police, who are investigating the incident clearly understand that Officer Hellfire's motivation for running the tag is relevant, since they are investigating the reason. If you don't get it, just think: Suppose he was mostly running the tags for blacks, with no other justification.
The difference is, we all understand from decades of "education" that blacks are protected, but you assume that Druids deserve no protection against being targeted for special enforcement actions.
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