Politicians and the people charged with enforcing politicians’ directives really can be like the pigs in George Orwell’s book Animal Farm.
The pigs’ express commandment for governing became, over time, “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal to others.” The “more equal” animals were the pigs in charge for whom the rules they imposed on other animals did not necessarily apply.
For examples of this commandment in practice, we can consider haircuts during the government-mandated closing of “nonessential” businesses, including salons and barber shops, in the name of fighting coronavirus. No professional haircut is allowed for the regular person in many parts of America. But, for politicians and cops, the rules may not apply.
Tag: police
Military abuses, including house-to-house searches, were among the primary reasons Americans offered to explain why they sought to secede from Great Britain in the 1700s. Now, an American governor is sending national guard forces house-to-house in the name of countering coronavirus.
You may find it more convenient to unlock your phone by pressing your fingerprint on or staring at the phone screen instead of typing out a password. But, some courts have determined that having your phone set to be unlocked via your biometric information will also make it much more convenient for police and prosecutors seeking to gain access to all the private information in your phone.
When police stop vehicles for purported driving rules infractions, police will often take advantage of the situation to inquire about other matters in a “fishing expedition” to establish suspicion of unrelated lawbreaking. They also may ask drivers for permission to search the stopped vehicles. This can end up badly for drivers and other vehicle occupants, especially those who do not adhere to the basic self-protections rules of saying as little as possible to cops and refusing permission for searches.
In a Friday editorial at the American Conservative, James Bovard examines a multitude of reasons why Americans rationally fear having an interaction with a cop. At the root, explains, Bovard, there are too many laws providing reasons for police to exercise force and too few restraints on when and how that force may be exercised.
Bovard writes his editorial as a response to South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s comment in a June Democratic presidential primary debate that Buttigieg is “determined to bring about a day when a white person driving a vehicle and a black person driving a vehicle, when they see a police officer approaching, feels the exact same thing — a feeling not of fear but of safety.”
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Making 911 Call Responses Safer
Calling 911 is marketed as a means to obtain help and safety when danger arises. But, when cops arrive in response to a 911 call, they can make a dangerous situation more dangerous and even make it deadly. This can especially be the case when the individual who makes the 911 call or is the subject of the call has a disability or a mental health issue.