Friday, July 28, 2017

Bad Apples

“We’re going to support you like you’ve never been supported before.”
We get it. Our Dear Leader was boosting the morale of law enforcement officers in a speech on Long Island. 
“For years and years, [laws have] been made to protect the criminal,” Trump said. “Totally protect the criminal, not the officers. You do something wrong, you’re in more jeopardy than they are. These laws are stacked against you. We’re changing those laws.”
Yeah, ask the growing list of victims of poorly trained cops about who the laws and courts are stacked against.
But his message went much darker. He practically advocated police brutality when he ranted: “When you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, and I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice,’”.
“Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over, like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody, don’t hit their head, I said, ‘You can take the hand away, OK?’” he added.
Many officers grinned and enthusiastically applauded.
There’s your “few bad apples”, heartily embracing the “Law and Order President” casually endorsing the idea of brutalizing suspects in custody.
What happens when cops become the thugs?
Nothing good can come of it. Nothing resembling justice. 
Citizens are killed and injured. Families then sue the city that employs the thugs in uniform. Respect for police diminishes. Then someone decides to take further revenge against random officers that are the epitome of professionalism, and more cops die.
Is that really worth this stupid “Please don’t be too nice” tough guy talk?
Time will tell. It isn’t hard to picture the day when some thug cop capriciously kills or maims someone, and we see his grinning face and clapping hands in the video of that speech.
Trump is an ignorant, thuggish, stupid asshole. Cops who get a tingle up their leg at Trump’s tough talk are also stupid thuggish assholes. We don’t need them in uniform. But there they were, basking in the vile ignorance of our president. 
Instead of culling these authoritarian bullies from police departments, we doom ourselves to more unwarranted deaths by cops, and we doom more cops to acts of retaliation.
But since our nation is now under an authoritarian bully of a president, don’t hold much hope for more sanity, professionalism and good judgment from those “few bad apples”.
Trump the "Bad-Apple-in-Chief" just enabled and encouraged those bad apples in uniform into more violence and bloodshed.
That is what authoritarian bullies do. 

==
This is how professionals in law enforcement responded to Trump's thuggish remarks:

Gainesville Police:

The @POTUS made remarks today that endorsed and condoned police brutality. GPD rejects these remarks and continues to serve with respect.

Suffolk County PD: 

The SCPD has strict rules & procedures relating to the handling of prisoners. Violations of those rules are treated extremely seriously.
As a department, we do not and will not tolerate roughing up of prisoners.

International Association of Police Chiefs:

Managing use of force is one of the most difficult challenges faced by law enforcement agencies. The ability of law enforcement officers to enforce the law, protect the public, and guard their own safety, the safety of innocent bystanders, and even those suspected or apprehended for criminal activity is very challenging. For these reasons, law enforcement agencies develop policies and procedures, as well as conduct extensive training, to ensure that any use of force is carefully applied and objectively reasonable considering the situation confronted by the officers.


Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

The Light of the Right Through The Glass Darkly

As I may have mentioned, I've been studying con-servatism for years. I've heard Limbaugh. I've watched FOX News. I have even read many good con-servative bloggers. I learned I'm a real American, and I learned liberals are to blame for everything. Most of all, I learned to believe. I learned to stop thinking and just believe. 

That's how it's done. Ya just gotta believe, especially believe people with lots of money. Trust me. Or better yet, trust the GOP and Trump. 

I now trust the good Christians of the Republican Party. Because I now believe Republicans are God's Own Party. And most of all I believe, and believe in, our president. He's rich AND he's a star! That's proof enough for me that he knows way more than I do.

That was it. My learning is complete. My eyes are opened! My con-servative soul is reborn. 

Thank God that White Nationalist Jesus sent Trump to save America! At last, we are a great country! Unbelievable personal liberty! And so much prosperity for everyone! It’ll make your head spin.

Our con-servative agenda is finally in full swing. Crackdown on the drug war. More asset forfeiture without conviction. Longer prison sentences. Break up those Mexican families. Wooo Hooo! Smell the liberty!

Shut down climate research! No more Global Conspiracy of Evil Climate Scientists. Dear Leader will shut them up for good. Smell the freedom!

Open the floodgates for our job creatin' polluters! Smell that fresh air of prosperity! Drink that “Liberty Lead” in your water, Flint!

Deregulate Wall Street! Let there be big league prosperity for the most worthy and morally superior pillars of capitalism. 

Cut taxes for the rich! They have suffered long enough. Great prosperity will magically trickle down to the rest of us. This time I promise it will. Remember, ya gotta believe.

Time to cut Medicaid for all the sick parasites, and take food stamps from those whiny little poor kids. We’ll show them what good con-servatism will do for them. Let ’em pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just like our Dear Leader did since he was only two years old. 

We were only mocking the Black Guy. Trump is the real messiah, and he will lead the Great Republican Revolution for a new (Mostly White) American Aristocracy!

No wonder us true believin' Republicans and con-servatives are falling in love with Putin. It's ’cause he knows what’s best for America. 

Trump. Yeee Haww!

I bet Putin told him just what they would do in their secret meeting. First, stop supporting them damn Syrian rebels. They annoy Vlad's other little buddy Assad. 

And sanctions, schmanctions. There's deals to be made. We all know our president is a legitimate businessman. You believe that, right?  I know you do.

Trump's playin' it smart, keepin' what's said between him and Putin a secret from us. Kremlin Don knows who to trust, I tell ya. Ya gotta let the genius do what he knows best. 

Don and Vlad, they ain't a gonna be fooled by no fake news on CNN, or them dumb-ass USintelligence agencies. These two tough, smart leaders know what's best for America and the world. Just ask 'em.

Prosperity and power for those who have it! (Especially for Don and Vlad.)

Health care for those who can afford it! Free speech for the rich! A Federal government in shambles! This is what makes America great!

And what about them what got a problem with that? Punishment, exclusion, and silence for them Muslims, Blacks, Mexicans, liberals and other losers.

In other words, more WINS for Don and Vlad.Woo Hooo! USA! USA! KGB! KGB!

God bless real Americans and the Real America! To Hell with loony liberals and their commie agenda! Putin’s Puppet is in charge.

Thank you, Jesus! We knew you loved America best. You can hold off on the Rapture as long as Trump is our Dear Leader, for Heaven has descended upon our humble, and once again great, Christian nation