The Racket: Nobody Can Rightly Claim Surprise at Police Corruption
WaPo's Michael Sallah, Robert O'Harrow Jr., and Steven Rich explain the situation:
The paraphilia is called lust murder, which is strange enough insofar as its phrasing suggests more a murder for lust instead of a lust for murder, but it probably works better than a neologism like mortophile. In truth, I'm actually surprised that we don't have a —philia for those who get off on the thought of killing other people. (Cidephile? Not quite.)
But here's the thing: Recalling those who carry guns for personal protection, especially because they might doubt the ability of the police to do their jobs, how many of those are going to gun down a cop because he's using his badge to steal your money?
Because the answer is that if you're not willing to when you are absolutely certain you're being railroaded, then it really isn't about preventing crime; it's about empowerment to kill people.
Really there is nothing about what we're hearing from the Washington Post that should surprise anyone. This is how it's gone for years. And this is one among many reasons so many people identify police badges with dangerous corruption. The only real question is why it's gone on this long, and we're still not really doing anything useful about it.
This is how it goes, because this is how we want it. And while there are many who find such circumstances repugnant, they are still a minority, and thus must continue to endure the kind wishes of our neighbors who would instead choose to empower poice corruption.
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Notes:
Sallah, Michael, Robert O'Harrow Jr., and Steven Rich. "Stop and seize". The Washington Post. September 6, 2014. WashingtonPost.com. September 7, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/09/06/stop-and-seize/
WaPo's Michael Sallah, Robert O'Harrow Jr., and Steven Rich explain the situation:
After the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the government called on police to become the eyes and ears of homeland security on America’s highways.
Local officers, county deputies and state troopers were encouraged to act more aggressively in searching for suspicious people, drugs and other contraband. The departments of Homeland Security and Justice spent millions on police training.
The effort succeeded, but it had an impact that has been largely hidden from public view: the spread of an aggressive brand of policing that has spurred the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from motorists and others not charged with crimes, a Washington Post investigation found. Thousands of people have been forced to fight legal battles that can last more than a year to get their money back.
Behind the rise in seizures is a little-known cottage industry of private police-training firms that teach the techniques of “highway interdiction” to departments across the country.
Local officers, county deputies and state troopers were encouraged to act more aggressively in searching for suspicious people, drugs and other contraband. The departments of Homeland Security and Justice spent millions on police training.
The effort succeeded, but it had an impact that has been largely hidden from public view: the spread of an aggressive brand of policing that has spurred the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from motorists and others not charged with crimes, a Washington Post investigation found. Thousands of people have been forced to fight legal battles that can last more than a year to get their money back.
Behind the rise in seizures is a little-known cottage industry of private police-training firms that teach the techniques of “highway interdiction” to departments across the country.
The paraphilia is called lust murder, which is strange enough insofar as its phrasing suggests more a murder for lust instead of a lust for murder, but it probably works better than a neologism like mortophile. In truth, I'm actually surprised that we don't have a —philia for those who get off on the thought of killing other people. (Cidephile? Not quite.)
But here's the thing: Recalling those who carry guns for personal protection, especially because they might doubt the ability of the police to do their jobs, how many of those are going to gun down a cop because he's using his badge to steal your money?
Because the answer is that if you're not willing to when you are absolutely certain you're being railroaded, then it really isn't about preventing crime; it's about empowerment to kill people.
Really there is nothing about what we're hearing from the Washington Post that should surprise anyone. This is how it's gone for years. And this is one among many reasons so many people identify police badges with dangerous corruption. The only real question is why it's gone on this long, and we're still not really doing anything useful about it.
This is how it goes, because this is how we want it. And while there are many who find such circumstances repugnant, they are still a minority, and thus must continue to endure the kind wishes of our neighbors who would instead choose to empower poice corruption.
____________________
Notes:
Sallah, Michael, Robert O'Harrow Jr., and Steven Rich. "Stop and seize". The Washington Post. September 6, 2014. WashingtonPost.com. September 7, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/09/06/stop-and-seize/