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?
Apparently, your mama never taught you any manners, and you make me ashamed to be of the same gender as you...
I am VERY tempted to hit abuse on ya for that, but since it wasn't directed at me, I'll let the Lady make the determination...
Don't spend your allowance all in one place, kid.
Freaking jerk.
Whatever gets your through the night.
You need a new screen name. That is all I have to say.
I do have a concern about all of this idea though. What if a hostile enemy WERE PROBING our capabilities. What should we do in that case?
That is were I have a serious problem with the tactics shown the other night. Our society is giving up our very idea of Freedom in order to catch a sniper. Is that how we should react to potentially the actions of just ONE PERSON?
I don't know about other states, but in Texas Penal Code § 38.15 a person commits an offense if the person with criminal negligence interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with: (1) a peace officer while the peace officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law;...
It should be noted however that (d) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the interruption, disruption, impediment, or interference alleged consisted of speech only.
Hey, what's a mushroom cloud against your Miranda rights?
Truly I believe things are much better when we put ourselves in the other guy's shoes.
Oh, chadsey, you just don't see the whole picture!
You see, this guy was driving home in his white van after a hard day on the job thinking about his beautiful little blonde haired daughter who was waiting in his beautiful little rose covered cottage beside his beautiful blonde haired wife who was soon to be delivering a beautiful blonde haired baby boy and who had cooked a beautiful dinner for her hard working man who was driving along listening to the Christian radio station and giving thanks to the Good Lord for his blessings when all of a sudden he was surrounded by six squad cars containing twelve jack-booted, snarling policemen who grabbed him by the hair and drug - YES, DRUG! - him out of his white van and threw him down on the pavement on his face where one jack-booted, snarling policeman stood on his neck while another kicked him in the groin and a third whacked him with a flashlight while a fourth slapped the handcuffs on him!
You've got to use your imagination when you look at these pictures, chadsey.
My gosh, if it weren't for the imagination of the idiot who posted this thread, we wouldn't even know what happened!
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