Cops Continue To Suck

It’s been almost four years since I first wrote about why cops suck, and you know what? Nothing has changed. In fact, it seems these stories are only becoming more prevalent. I have over fifty examples in my story archive, and I don’t really go out of my way looking for them. Some sites have started similar archives, like Bad Cop News, for instance. Others, like The Newspaper just collect stories related to driving, which obviously often involve cops — this one in particular is interesting since it includes video.

So does all of this mean that these incidents are becoming more frequent, or that there are just more people paying attention? I’m not sure, but my guess is the latter. I’m sure officers such as Richard Perrone wished that there weren’t so many people watching. Recent internet buzz surrounding his story shamed him into reconsidering pressing charges against a couple who documented his own speed limit violations. Bloggers everywhere are asking the same question: are cops above the law?

Of course they aren’t, but it’s not always the cop that is to blame. Sometimes the laws are just stupid. This story about Police Chief Richard Knoebel writing himself a ticket serves to illustrate how ridiculous victimless crimes are. Kudos to the cop for being honest, but let’s be realistic. No one was harmed by his actions, therefore there was no victim. Without a victim, there can be no crime. If there was no crime, should he have to pay a fine? No. And neither should anyone else that might receive a ticket for commiting the same act.

So here’s an all points bulletin: be on the lookout for stories about cops found to be abusing their power and let me know about them. If we continue to talk about them, document their actions, and make them pay for their behavior, maybe it will start to be less common.

 Ghost Rider

It didn’t suck. I had set my expectations pretty low (as I do with all comic book-based movies), and it exceeded them. Nicholas Cage’s performance is solid, and the special effects are top drawer. The mythology/back story that is explained is intriguing, if superficial. The plot is predictable, but at least it has one, which is saying a lot in Hollywood these days. Overall, I’d give it a B- which means see it in the theater if there is nothing else you want to see, otherwise, wait for video.

 Lou Dobbs Is An Idiot

I already knew that, and that’s why I usually avoid his missives. In the past, he has drawn attention (and ratings) by making controversial (and xenophobic) statements about the so-called immigration problem. Which, in my experience, is only a “problem” for those who don’t like people whose skin is a different color from their own. So, like I said, I had learned to avoid him and his rhetoric (much like I avoid Bill O’Reilly’s patented brand of nonsense).

But I was suckered in by the first paragraph of his column today (as it appeared in CNN’s RSS feed), which led me to believe that I might actually share some common ground with Mr. Dobbs:

“We’re fighting a war that is inflicting even greater casualties than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, incredibly, costing even more money. We’re losing the War on Drugs, and we’ve been in retreat for three decades.”

Bravo! But rather than reaching the logical and inevitable conclusion from that premise, which is the War on Drugs has been a failure, and we must end it immediately, he instead goes on to cite examples of why we’re just not trying hard enough. He details the monetary costs, makes brief mention of the cost in human lives (although he is only referring to those who have died as a result of drug use, not those killed by the government thugs charged with executing the War On Your Rights), and then ends by saying:

“Whatever course we follow in prosecuting other wars, we must commit ourselves as members of this great society to only one option in the War on Drugs — victory.”

What a moron. Ignoring for the moment that declaring war on an idea (like drugs or terrorism) is as nonsensical as declaring war on the color blue, it’s not like there is any dearth of evidence that these wars are unwinnable. To declare that victory is our only option is idiotic. And invoking memories of Johnson’s “Great Society” in the positive makes him an idiot *and* a socialist. But I repeat myself.

 Happy Valentine’s Day

Everyone’s favorite Hallmark Holiday is just around the corner, so I felt it was time drag this old page out of mothballs. To help you celebrate this year, here’s a little top 10 list for ya:

Top 10 Things A Guy Would Like To See Printed On Candy Hearts: