[Dog Gone]

While I agree with the general sentiments of your remarks, I think everyone should prefer that people be arrested for actual crimes, and not merely for being in the right place at the wrong time and on phony charges.

That's the kind of stuff we think is more typical in totalitarian third world countries.

[norton]

Possibly or probably true today, my point was that things have changed a lot since I got busted in mass for rolling watermellons, drag racing, or copping a smoke between double features; or for minor tussles at the drive in.

That's as much our fault as it's the police's fault.

When you let law enforcement work, it is a lot less likely to turn into a general threat...and when you recognize meaningful "rights" rather than those we've made up over the past fifty years or so, you might be able to let law enforcement do it's real work.

(and my relations with police have never been what I'd characterize as good ... get along fine with retired police, it's the ones on the job that seem to resent my face.)

(finally, a note to the guy who thinks I'm Stalin: it IS a dicotomy (sp?) I support the police, but seldom enjoy the experience.)

[ChiMark]

No one has a right to be obnoxious and drunk on private property. Arrest them all. Where is there a right to loiter, drink, play earth shattering music, fight? What happens most often is customers will stay away. The problem is people see all forms of selfish behavior as a protected right. But we no longer have a younger population considerate of other people's rights. There was a time when curfews were enforced upon teenagers.

[Dec31,1999]

That's the kind of stuff we think is more typical in totalitarian third world countries.

I didn't know they had all night street parties of hundreds of people in the totalitarian third world countries.