Posted on 10/20/2002 7:48:19 AM PDT by SamAdams76
The photos above currently on the Drudge site concern me. I followed the link and the article clearly stated that nobody was arrested last night.
Why then, do we have drivers of white vans, innocent civilians, evidently being pulled out vans at gunpoint and treated like dangerous criminals? One photo shows a man on the ground, evidently in handcuffs, with police officers standing over him as though they have just captured Whitey Bulger. When I first saw the photo, I figured the man was obviously a wanted criminal that police just so happened to come across during their search. But since there were no arrests last night, this man was obviously released and was no criminal after all.
The other photo shows a man by another white van with his hands in the air and a police officer has a gun drawn on him. Again, this was evidently just another innocent civilian who had the misfortune to be driving a white van on I-95 last night.
Now I understand the need for these roadblocks and for the police to be very thorough in their search for the sniper(s). But I cannot see the point of innocent people dragged out of their vehicles at gunpoint with no pretext other than the fact that they happen to be driving a white van.
Now maybe somebody here has an explanation why these two individuals were treated like criminals. Maybe they tried to evade the police or maybe they were driving stolen vans. But again, there were no arrests made last night. So what is the deal with our citizens being treated like Jesse James just for driving a white van?
I see one guy on the ground with handcuffs and one person stopped in the street with his hands up. Both of the vehicles look as if they fit the description of the white van in suspicion.
I have not seen anything that indicates the officers ( in your own words from the original post) " dragged out of their vehicles at gun point---" performed as you say and "dragged" the people out of their vehicles. Sorry, but until somes puts up a video that will back up your statement, I can only look at your statement as an exaggeration to try and strengthen you point and not that of fact. Nor do I see anything that shows the statement made by you in #21 that the officers "yanked" on anyone. Although it could happen, IMO the statement is obviously from your untethered imagenation .
Because you're being obnoxious, you've insulted a lady, and you apparently don't know when to stop. You should quit while you're behind. Think up a new and more appropriate analogy, why don't you? Can you do that?
Your dance partner presented herself as a grieved mother. How do you expect me to respond? How could I tell from her argument? She painted her case as a grieved mother. I just roll with the flow of this exercise. If she wasn't a grieved mother, then she should have made it clear.
But we know that all of those things have very little to do with catching a sniper. The chances of the sniper being drunk or mad are nil. He may have refused to be searched and that's where the facts and circumstances are on his side even though the police could dredge up any number of witnesses for white vans. But if there are no witness of shooters entering white vans and weeks of television coverage telling people to look for white vans, then those white van sightings have no LE value.
If you want me to agree that the police did not have the right to walk up to his van, without saying a word, and pull him out and through him to the ground, I agree. I am with you on that.
A more realistic scenario is he saw lots of weapons pointed at him, didn't understand English and panicked. Again, the problem is police behavior, not whether they are legally correct. Does the need to catch the sniper justify the risk of accidentally shooting someone considering the extremely low probability that any particular white van is involved never mind any white vans at all.
LOL! I guess horses have more than one side!
I agree Cob1, looks like his railroad got derailed and he hasn't got back on track yet. He has to attack from a different direction which got him derailed from the subject of the thread.
PA. are you back on track yet?
( LOL)
Yet here is another laughing at the tragedy of our circumstance.
You thought jwalsh was a WOMAN? GEEZ.
Hubble is too sensitive to light Earth emits. It would be like looking at the sun with night vision equipment.
BTW.. This is not a cutdown post. I actually have enjoyed your posts and thought they were very thought provoking. I had not thought of the satalite approach until you brought it up. Thanks and thanks to those that have responded with there insights as well.
Once again, I DEMAND that you produce HER WORDS where she said that.
You continue to post that over and over and there is NOWHERE that she said that.
Lady, if you EVER decided to be a hooker, PA could NEVER afford you!
It's not for a man to accept a presumption of guilt -- even from a lawman in such times as this. That is no man should well-tolerate with a welcoming face and words and nor any thankfulness being stopped on account of driving a white van. In dealing with stupidity and a chinese-fire-drill on the part of police, however, it never pays to get overly rankled or in any way threaten them in the performance of their duties. However a man should make clear that he doesn't appreciate being stopped, and holds such a stop to be an unnecessary abridgement of his freedom -- fundamentally and in this particular case because it is such a poor way to react and a burden in expense and misdirection to us all. However, man to man -- man to the officer(s) making such a stop, a man explains that he understands why the officer is doing it, as his duty, yet one the man being stopped takes polite and considered exception with.
So, as I read it, your position is that IF the police, while doing their legitimate search, should come upon someone who is falling down drunk and/or combative, they should just ignore that?
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