Much as I seek police officers willing to take a stand and engage with the ignorant masses about why they refuse to challenge their brethren when misconduct or abuse happens before them, I applaud those officers and agents who acknowledge that the War on Drugs is one of the most destructive and counterproductive initiatives our government has devised. And that’s why I find this post at LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, troubling.
As an active duty veteran police officer, I would love to publicly join Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and freely speak out against the drug war. However, I am scared, yes scared, to join LEAP publicly. Although many active duty law enforcers are already speaking out publicly with LEAP and maintaining their careers (more on them later), I believe I would be punished by my department for my advocacy or perhaps even fired.The anonymous cop goes on to explain why he’s scared:
And he then explains the psychology of cops belying this fear:We are scared that in “rocking the boat” and speaking out:1) We will be terminated and lose everything.2) We will get passed over for promotion, lose the position that we currently hold, or fail to be transferred to more desirable assignments within our agency.3) Fellow officers and supervisors will blacklist us for appearing “weak” or “soft on crime”.These are the everyday real-life reasons why I have not gone public, and why I believe active duty members of law enforcement usually remain silent about the 800 lb. “drug war” gorilla in the room.
Rarely have I expressed something at SJ in such vulgar terms, but this seems an appropriate moment to do so. To the bold active duty officer who sincerely wants to see the drug war end, but fears for his economic welfare: Fuck you. You are a liar and a coward.There are also underlying psychological and personality reasons that make cops reluctant to speak out:1. Ego2. Ignorance3. Denial4. Fear5. Lack of shame of #1-#4I will be the first to assert the primary reason for my silence, and the silence of most cops, is an economic one (the fear of losing my job). But after 40 years of an insane drug war, is economics the only reason cops have generally remained silent? Honestly? Give me a break. This is not just about fear of losing one’s job—this is also about the character and spirit of the person wearing the uniform. Ignorance, for many cops, listed above, is a self-imposed ignorance of “not wanting” to know.
It’s one thing for a cop to do his job because he believes that the performance of his duty serves a greater good. He may be an imbecile, or a drone, but at least he’s honest about it. To claim to believe that one is strapping on a gunbelt and shield and going out daily to do harm to others, and yet doing it because it gets you a paycheck and vests your pension is to live a lie. These aren’t objects, the people whose lives are being destroyed by your efforts. Their families, their children, aren’t worthless. And yet you claim to realize it, and do it anyway. Because it’s good for you. You are scum.
But that only scratches the surface of the problem. So you think the war on drugs is wrong. Whoopee. What about the gratuitous beating of a defendant? That’s cool with you? Oh, you don’t do it. But others do, and you stand by and watch, or at the barest minimum, laugh about it in the locker room, when one of your pals talks about giving a perp a good “tuning up” for mouthing off. No problem?
It’s not so easy to talk the guilt away, the responsibility you deflect. It’s hard to be a man? Oh, poor baby. There are real people out there taking real heat for their beliefs. There are real people out there taking real heat for nothing. But you, tough cop, are too scared to own your belief? Let’s all cry for your hard position.
You want to enjoy the benefits of the paycheck, the union contract, the sweet deal of 20 and out, the camaraderie of the brethren and the power to beat anyone who pisses you off and cover it up, knowing that your shield will protect you from consequence. And you want others to feel sympathy for the terrible peer pressure that silences your facile beliefs?
Oh no, you don’t. Not until you step up and stop another cop from striking, kicking, tasing a person who has done nothing more than be inadequately respectful to a fellow officer, do you get to ask for sympathy. Not until you testify truthfully in court about an unlawful seizure you engaged in, or observed. Not until you risk a bit of your skin to do the right thing. You don’t get to ask for anyone’s understanding of your cowardice.
There are others, many others, who put their butt on the line every day to do the right thing, to stand up and be counted for the benefit of others. You cower in the corner, your chickenshit, and seek understanding. What understanding do you give to the children whose fathers will be shipped off to some country they haven’t seen in decades after you pinched them for smoking a blunt? But then, that’s just your job, to enforce the law, even though you don’t agree with it. And is it your job to stomp their head in the process, or lie about how you happened to see the joint hidden inside their moving car, inside the ashtray?
How dare you explain your problems and ask not to be judged? It’s always been tough to stand up for principle, and yet people do it all the time. It’s too economically hard for you? There are no tears in my eyes. Not for you, anyway.
H/T Radley Balko
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He’ll never sit on his brains in prison. But he never has been and never will be “scared, yes scared” to help throw other people into prison. A lot ’em if need be to make it to retirement. Isn’t that true?
Thank you for so eloquently stating what I believe, but am unable to express in such an effective way (dropped on my head as a youngster, I guess).
There aren’t many times I feel compelled to add “amen” but this one does it for me.
I guess anonymous would have just cried in the corner while others were pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
I respectfully disagree.
You’re right to say that a police officer with integrity and fortitude should stand up for his or her beliefs, even if it means losing a job. But your harsh criticism of this particular officer, who believes that the war on drugs is wrong but is too afraid to speak out, takes too high a view of human nature.
In my opinion, the fact that the officer even feels guilt–because his job requires him to do things contrary to his beliefs–makes him better than most people. There are many (and not just limited to cops) who don’t care that what they do is wrong, and there are some who relish in doing what is wrong.
So why throw darts at him? What would it accomplish? Except make him regret posting that anonymous comment, or feel that he should now think like the others cops who feel nothing at all? I don’t want to promote his decision to remain silent; but there are only a handful of people who have the moral courage to always do what is right, when doing right involves personal sacrifice. I don’t know if I am one of those people, because I have never been confronted with a situation that really requires me to decide between the two.
He is just another normal person, a cog in the wheel; and to me, he does not deserve to be called a “chickenshit.”
It’s a fair complaint, but I don’t subscribe to moral relativity. Because there are worse cops doesn’t make him better. The fault here, and the reason for my harsh criticism, is his facile attempt to rationalize it, and his simultaneously and studious neglect of his complicity in the vast collateral harm. I read no regret, only excuse.
There are plenty of cops, and plenty more civilians, who put a lot on the line to do right. By making the decision to come out, but only so far as is convenient to him, he opened himself up to criticism. I gave it to him, as harshly as I believe he deserved. Your mileage may vary.
I am sure that there are police departments that would make life miserable for an officer that opposed the drug laws and there are others that would not. However people outside the department can also retaliate including the county attorney, city council members, state legislators and the press.
I heard a police captain from Cincinnati give a LEAP talk and he gave a very balanced presentation where he made it clear he was speaking for LEAP not his department. I doubt very much that he suffered any consequences for joining LEAP.
The officer quoted above seems rather timid for a cop.
Not timid at all. After all, he can bust heads with the rest of the boys, keep his pension and still speak his mind. He just needs us to appreciate his “precarious” situation and forgive him his anonymity, not to mention those lives lost to his pension.
It’s a great gig if you can get it.
These are cops who pretty much DEMAND to be respected for their courage as they go out and protect us civilians from the criminals & dregs of society, but who are afraid to exercise that same courage because they might lose out on money?
Either that courage is awful thin, or it is heavily bolstered with money & the legal/social cover of the badge & gun they hold.
Or maybe, if they are so afraid of their fellow officers & their leadership, then they shouldn’t be so quick to condemn civilians for being terrified of the police.
Why do you assume that every cop “busts heads with the rest of the boys”? You don’t know anything about this officer other than he is afraid to speak out against the drug war for fear of being fired. There’s no reason to think he beats people, or covers up for the misconduct of others.
Also, if you think it’s illegitimate for a cop to enforce laws he disagrees with personally, do you also think no one should join the military, and that if they disagree with a particular war that they are chickenshit for serving their country anyway?
You perspective is infantile. There is no police department outside of Mayberry where a laundry list of cop-culture problems doesn’t exist and thrive. If it’s not one in the list, it’s another, or a series of others. If it’s not a beating at this cop’s hands, it’s one of his fellow officers with him watching, or him joining in the laughter at the stationhouse.
As for enforcing laws that they don’t agree with, I have no issue at all. Lying to convict defendants of laws they disagree with, that’s a problem. Planting evidence to convict defendants of laws they disagree with, that’s a problem. Being silent about fellow officers doing so, that’s a problem.
Grow up. Mayberry isn’t real.
Your analogy is false.
Members of the military on active duty are required not to speak against a war with which they disagree. There is a process in place for them to make such disagreements known as well as the means to protest illegal orders.
To my – albeit limited – knowledge, police have no such contractual requirement. Speaking against drug laws are not giving aid and comfort to an enemy.
To your first point, while Greenfield might be making an erroneous accusation about this officer “busting heads,” the fact that anonymous will not speak against these laws gives us reason to think that he would do anything to protect his livelihood including covering misdeeds of other officers.
Busting heads isn’t an accusation, erroneous or otherwise, but a shorthand example of the flaw of this cop’s effort to seek the comfort of being the good guy while making facile excuses to cover the fact that he has no skin in the game. It could just as easily have been one of any of the examples mentioned in the post or the comments. And that’s the point, we don’t know what he does, except that he defends the culture for his own economic interests, and he neither admits to nor takes responsibility for any of it.
This just goes to show you that change will never happen in our society as long as there’s something greater to be lost personally, unless of course your a rich corporation, than you can pull off miracles like this: [Edit. Note: Link deleted per rules.]
Wow – talk about taking an argument, twisting it into something it is not, and then indicting the writer for it. Let’s take some of the talking points you mention: “gratuitous beating of a defendant” = illegal; “kicking, tasing a person who has done nothing more than be inadequately respectful to a fellow officer” = illegal (at least by department policy); “an unlawful seizure” (and testifying about same untruthfully) = both illegal. Being able to freely speak about a public policy issue SHOULD be legal; however, the potential adverse repercussions for this act are real, and the fear about how it will harm one’s career is a legitimate concern. Furthermore, you also assume that the anonymous writer has observed all the “harms” of which you speak. I am not sure how many (and it only may be a few), but there are departments out there that do no condone the illegal activity you speak of. Thus, saying the anonymous writer sees these things is presumptive. It is unknown whether those same law-abiding departments would tolerate an officer expressing a dissenting opinion about a legitimate public policy issue.
Furthermore, being so dismissive of this anonymous poster runs the risk of alienating him/her when he/she now does have the opportunity to exercise a little discretion in certain arrest scenarios that might benefit a potential defendant. He/she may be inclined to simply throw away the less-than-an-ounce of marijuana he finds on a high school kid instead of arresting the person if he/she is so jaded by the drug war. However, if he/see sees people who should be allies (i.e. – SHG) basically calling him an “asshole coward,” what does that make him think of the anti-prohibition people? Might he/she waver back towards the enforcement side because the anti-prohibition folks are jerks?
In short: SHG – take it easy…..
It is important to recognize that not everyone is born into a state of moral perfection. Most people who read the anonymous post recognize this. We understand this officer is simply sharing his or her experiences and observations. This person is not asking to be exempt from judgement, nor for forgiveness. (You may have missed the part in the officer’s post that said, “I can point no fingers, except at myself.”)
As an aside, I find the tone and language of this post unbecoming of a New York defense attorney.
I am so pleased to see so many perfect folks posting to this blog. I had no idea that people existed in this world who have not one self interest cell in their bodies. So great meeting you all.
Sarcasm aside, let’s stop trying to pass judgment on people we know nothing about and just listen to what this officer is saying, what it means. What I hear is another pressing reason for challenging the law enforcement culture. Many of you mentioned other reasons, such as, police corruption and brutality. What I hear is someone who very much wants to publicly speak out and is searching for a way to do so, yet protect his livelihood and maybe that of his family. You see, most likely it’s not just about his welfare, but that of his family and in the minds of most, including you, family comes first. What I hear is that the silencing of police officers is a bigger problem than what most people realize, especially during a time when you want cops to speak, to speak about many issues, issues counterproductive to effective and ethical policing. It is a time when we need transparency and that only comes when we create a safe environment for those who choose to speak out.
You see, this goes well beyond financial interest and even the welfare of one’s family. In many police departments it can be a matter of life or death. Unfortunately, if you speak out without protection, your life may be in jeopardy. Believe it or not, there are very bad people in this world and as a cop, is you piss off the wrong colleagues by speaking out, you may very well find yourself without backup when attemting to arrest one of these very bad people.
In no way do I support covering up unethical or criminal behavior, I condemn it, but this officer is not speaking to unethical behavior. He is speaking to what he and others believe to be failed policy. This is a process for this officer. So how about supporting this cop and who knows, this process may lead to him and many others going public.
It happened with me 11 years ago. In the 24th year of my law enforcement career I felt the need to speak out, yet I remained silent for quite a while. I eventually found a way to do it safely, protecting me and my family. Fortunately for me, I was no longer working the street. Stay the course officer. You too will find your way.
Being able to speak out about the ills of a policy is one thing, and some courts have upheld the right of officers to do so. The best policy is to make clear you are speaking on your own behalf, and not for or as a representative of your agency.
Further, remember that most officers still have a good deal of discretion in their enforcement activities and one should be able to steer his efforts towards other enforcement activity unless and until he comes across a violation he has no choice but to enforce. After all, one has to do his sworn duty to uphold all laws – but he didn’t swear to go after every little infraction of every law.
And, we all no that the culture of some departments is such that publicly speaking out could be a dangerous thing for an individual – we need to respect that.
How nice to see all the LEAP cops turn out to support their brother officer. What a shame you have nothing to add when the post includes a video of some poor schmuck getting his head bashed, or a cop getting caught lying, but it’s nice to know that your, and your brethren below, instinct to cover each other never goes away.
But don’t threaten that if us “natural allies” don’t embrace every cop who hints at being against the drug war, they’re going to flip back to the other side. Is that the extent of his integrity, that if we don’t give him a balloon he’s going bad again? Show some guts. Show some integrity. I have skin in the game and little tolerance for threats like yours.
So my tone is “unbecoming?” And yet you find nothing unbecoming of the myriad videos of cops engaged in gross misconduct also posted here? Right.
It doesn’t require perfection, but integrity. There’s nothing bold about supporting a cause when it costs nothing. The people here put their butts on the line for their beliefs every day. When your anonymous cop puts something on the line, then he gets some credit. Until then, don’t expect anyone to feel for him.
That’s right. It’s hard to have integrity. There’s a price to pay. That’s how integrity works.
Interesting discussion. I, as a young officer was, and still am, an idealist. I thought that I simply had to “do the right thing” as that is how I was raised. My dad had little use for police as he saw them as bullies and “the enemy”. He did not encourage or discourage me when I told him of my decision to become one. Since I have retired I have joined LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)and work to overcome some of the wrongs that bad public policy has caused to our citizens.
As a young officer I “rocked the boat” often by speaking out about issues and was told repeatedly that if I wanted to get promoted I had better learn to keep my mouth shut. I respectfully told the supervisors saying this that I was going to follow my conscience and do what I thought was right.
I managed to make it 30+ years without having a citizen complaining about me on how I did my job. Of of all my accomplishments I am the most proud of that.
Eventually I was promoted and those telling me to “keep my mouth shut” did not make it as high in the organization as I did.
Once I was in a supervisory position I insisted that my officer always tell me the truth and not just tell me what they thought I wanted to hear. Surprising what you will hear when you don’t criticize or threaten your officers for keeping you informed. Of course you need to be mindful of them when you take actions on issues that arise…but cops are known for being creative and it is not that difficult to not “out them” and still act on their information.
Cops, generally are good people but if they do not have strong, moral leadership that hold them accountable and responsible they will never become great officers. Yes, there are bullies out there that take pleasure in causing or inflicting harm on citizens and they should not be wearing a badge. But most police officer are doing a good job and you have to ask yourself…where would we be without them? Stay safe. /tln/
Even Federal Judges are encouraged to speak out when off the bench, and are encouraged to present alternate views.
No, anonymous would be collecting evidence for the king’s soldiers, and other rat-like endeavors.
When I graduated from POST I took an oath to uphold the principles of the United States Constitution.
In part, when I finally understood that the Laws concerning the war on drugs are unconstitutional, I consciously decided I no longer wanted to play a part in violating my fellow citizens constitutional rights. I then went to work in my states department of corrections to do my part in rectifying some of the damage I had done to my communities family unit.
When I instituted a successful Habitation program that reduced the recidivism rate from 90% to less than 30% over a 18 month period of time. This program was immediately legislatively De-funded and soon after I was terminated based on supposedly racial discrimination issues (ending a decade of honorable and governor accommodated law enforcement work), in-which I filed a civil action that was settled out of court for $50,000.00 awarded to me.
In my opinion the war on drugs has contributed immensely to the corruption of our entire culture.
I appreciate your statement, that the most important accomplishment of your career is going 30+ years without a citizen complaint. I’m no cop-hater, though most cops would think otherwise because I’m no cop-lover either. I appreciate the job they do, and tell others (who assume I’m their ally when the call all cops scum) that they’re wrong and nuts. We take each cop, each situation, as it comes. We’re only as good, or bad, as what we say or do at any moment. All of us. Cops too. And without the will to put ourselves at risk for our beliefs, we’re just making noise. Sounds like you did that with your career.
I wish this Officer the courage and honesty he deserves. The “demanded” silence is why we are in trouble today!
Answer these 2 questions for me, please:
How is it we keep hearing of these ”largest drug bust ever” if we have been on the right path for the last 40+ years, should not the number and size of these bust being going down, “not “ up story after story and year after year?
“ If “ we have been on the right path with the longest war our country has ever been in ( sadly one against our own sons and daughters) for the last 40+ years while spending over a “ Trillion “ tax dollars and putting more people per capita behind bars than any other country on earth.
Would not logic, facts, reality and common sense dictate that “ if “ we are winning this war the need for more resources, funding, prisons, jails, probation, courts etc… should all be going down “ NOT “ up year after year?
If logic, facts, reality and common sense can “ NOT “ be used to support and justify this known failure called the war on drugs, why should we be forced to sacrifice our nations sons and daughters to it???
There Has To Be A Better Way, help us find it.
Rusty White
Speaker LEAP
You “wish” the officer the courage and honesty he deserves? What’s that supposed to mean? Courage comes from within, not from “wishes.” Honesty is who we are, not what’s convenient.
This could explain a whole lot of problems between cops and civilians.
While a fan of Radley, I’m troubled by his post. He seems to be brushing LE officers broadly. Most police officers rush into problems citizens will flee from; armed robberies, rapes, burglaries, traffic accidents with injuries. These officers have never participated with a SWAT team, kicked in a door, thrown a flash grenade, or shot a puppy while searching for MJ, nor do they ever want to serve with such a unit. They solve our problems when we need them, citizens are thankful for their service, and they go home and have dinner with family and walk the family pet. Some are disturbed at what they see in the War on Drugs and have an opinion, but cannot speak out for fear of losing their family income and retirement, which they feel is earned in doing their daily and necessary jobs. Yes, necessary.
As a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, I questioned the war. But had I quit in protest, that would have been one less experienced pilot to rescue the wounded, which I did on numerous occasions. Quitting would not have been the answer and would have put lives at risk.
The job of a police officer is necessary. These attacks on police officers who question the War on Drugs but chose to stay in the profession are unwarranted (unless you know the specifics of the officer). These attacks, which do nothing to try to understand the circumstances of the honest, hard working police office, and will simply strengthen their silence.
The question is, how do we support these few police officers, doing a job we ask them to do, who wish to speak out about the excesses in the War on Drugs?
Russell Jones
Radley? Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot before you start.
One basic rule to getting the right answer is to ask the right question. The question isn’t how do we support people who want to be bold so long as they have nothing at risk. Until he has skin in the game like everyone else, there’s nothing to support. Belief without risk is nothing. It’s not us civilians who make the job hard, but the brother officers. We’re just the guys who suffer at the hands of the bad cops, and for the silence of the ones who tell us how good they are but can’t find the balls to stand up when they see something bad happen. And we should feel bad for them?
And don’t criticize Radley for painting with too broad a brush just so you can paint all cops as “honest, hard-working police officers” with your own broad brush. Got anything to say about cops who beat people? Lie on the stand? They go home for dinner with the family and the pet too. What about the cops who watch and say nothing?
You want people to “undestand?” Then let’s hear about cops’ understanding the harm as well.
I think I was far from painting all cops with the broad brush of being “honest, hard-working.” I made it clear there are cops who ask for the assignments where they can kick in doors, throw flash grenades, shoot puppies, etc. all in the name of searching for an illegal herb. Having said that, for forty years now our society, and police officers, have had the nonsense of the evils of recreational drug use burned into their minds. People, citizens and police officers alike, do not usually have epiphanies. It is a gradual process that I point out in my book, Honorable Intentions. I’ll stick by my original question as I think those officers need our support so they can voice their opinion. Why silence them just because they don’t have that epiphany and suddenly quit in mass?
I guess it was Brian Tannebaum who called for a dialog about police behavior. This has turned out to be an opportunity for such a dialog because police and others are commenting on this particular post.
At the moment the dialog is incoherent because people posting are venting on far too many subjects. The original post was about how the police are enforcing the drug laws they think are wrong in a destructive way. I think that if we focused on the destructive way the laws are enforced we my get somewhere.
Nice of you to slip your book to sell into this comment, particularly after I deleted your advertising link in your first comment. Sell it elsewhere.
There’s no dialogue. There’s cops arguing about how us “civilians” don’t understand their problems. We may agree about the war on drugs, but otherwise it’s the same old thing, cops circling the wagons around their brothers while refusing to acknowledge any wrong within their own ranks. Sadly, it’s always the same old themes.
And if I hadn’t spoken ill of one of their own, they wouldn’t be here at all.
SHG, Can you tell me who you are and a little about your background to help me understand your perspective? Thanks.
SHG, Never mind, I found more info about you. Thanks.
There’s nothing very tricky about my perspective. I’m a supporter of LEAP, and I respect the cops who have shouldered the burden of standing up for their beliefs, some of whom (like Jeff Kaufman) I’ve known for more than 35 years. But my concerns aren’t just drug war, and I can’t turn a blind eye to the other, equally serious, problems that remain unaddressed in order to better “understand” the difficulty of being a cop against it. I’ve seen too many suffer for their beliefs, at the hands of cops, to sympathize with a cop who won’t. Standing up for principle is what distinguishes integrity. Without the willingness to stand up, thinking good thoughts is worthless.
Were the person a baker, a banker, or a barber I would agree with you. However we should rightfully hold police officers to a higher standard because of their role in society. It is their job to enforce the law and to protect the least of us from the worst of us.
An officer that fails to directly address a wrong, and chooses not to act causes a profound harm to society. Not only does he become complicit in the harm, but it erodes our faith in trust in the very institution.
If you are not prepared to take on that higher moral and ethical calling, do not become a police officer. Become a security guard, a fireman or an EMT.
I do have “guts”, as you have implied that I do not. I am not a cop – I am a prosecutor. I am public with my face, public with my views, and public for LEAP. On the surface I am a lot braver than someone sitting “on the other side” who is casting stones from relative safety (and thus have “more skin in the game” than you).
As for the officer needing “a balloon”, you misinterpret my comment. The hypothetical officer I presented works for the anti-legalization people by simply doing nothing, maintaining the status quo, and arresting everyone he/she can without exercising discretion.
And as for the video of someone getting beaten by police you say I did not see – congratulations, you found a clip of excessive force. I wonder what the other 300,000 law enforcement officers were doing that day? Maybe I should start posting online transcripts of in-court testimonies/arguments presented by criminal defense attorneys and their clients that are such blatant fabrications they should be perjury. Everyone has dirty laundry, sir.
First you threaten. Now you defend police abuse and attack bad defendants, as if they’re the measure of a good cop. Nice to see your true colors coming out. As much as I respect what LEAP does, it’s guys like you that remind us why we’re only “allies” at your sufferance.
As for dirty laundry, if you hadn’t limited your reading to the one post that personally touched you, you wouldn’t have written something that makes you look like a moron. But that was your choice, and you’ve made it.
My goodness! A little sensitive are we? I have avoided puerile labels like “moron”, unlike yourself. Your resorting to such language shows your true colors as well.
Yeah, you sure got me.
Allow to me assist you by interpreting SGH’s comment. For those of us who have read more than one post at SJ, the absurdity of your grossly erroneous assumption is obvious. Since you could have done a bit of leg work before your LEAP (get it – LEAP) to an absurd conclusion, but chose not to and instead to write something patently absurd, you revealed to all who read your comment that you are, at best, intellectually challenged.
In other words, others who read your comment, Jay, will think to themselves, “he’s a moron.” SHG merely put into writing what is obvious to others. It is not an ad hominem attack, but a factual description based upon your absurd and baseless assumption. I realize it stings, but sometimes the truth hurts.
Does that make him puerile? Perhaps. But you are still a moron.
Before reading the comment here, I had a lot of respect for LEAP. Now I don’t. They’re against the drug war. Great. But it’s clear that they don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves, and the minute someone doesn’t kiss their ass, they’re back to being cops and prosecutors who cover earch other’s asses and hate defendants. This has been REALLY revealing.
I don’t know that Jay Fisher is representative of LEAP, and you shouldn’t assume that everyone in law enforcement is like him. Don’t lose faith in LEAP’s purpose, but understand that the fact that we share one common interest, even if it’s an important one, doesn’t mean that we’re a big happy family now.
LEAP is an important step forward. There are still other issues that clearly need to be worked out. Maybe, the LEAP folks will give some though to them as a result of this. Maybe there are some within LEAP who already see that there are other issues to address. Going public on LEAP is a big deal and important first step. Give it time.
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Yes, of course this is spam, but it’s got the best user name of any darn spam I’ve ever gotten, and I always wanted a comment written by someone who calls himself hamburger casseroles.
It is obvious that the criminal defense bar has come out and shown their true colors in going after the “fascists” in the law enforcement community (despite their protestations of how much they respect LEAP members and what they do).
As for the “moron” label, I will remind the readers, Steve and SHG that I am not the one who started the asinine comparison between blatantly illegal acts (such as beating arrest suspects), remaining quiet about same, and remaining quiet about public policy issues such as drug legalization. Equally silly are those who think this is a valid comparison. From my observations, those who think I am a “moron” for the comments I wrote will not be in attendance at any MENSA meetings.
It’s good to know that you think highly of your own thoughts, even if no one else does. But now that you’ve pointed out that criminal defense lawyers are silently screaming “fascist” in a way that only your finely tuned ears can hear, we can appreciate your Mensa-worthy prosecutorial genius and feel ashamed at our asinine error of thinking you a moron based merely on the empirical evidence. We are all duly chastised by your self-assessment and high self-esteem.
I have to admit that I specifically clicked on the link of the comment because it was such a good name, so I’m disappointed that it was a spammer 🙁
But now I’m kind of intriqued about why someone would be spamming for something which people would either make from scratch or use an extremely well known product with a massive advertising budget – on a legal website no less since it seems extremely unlikely that anyone looking for recipes would read a blawg. That seems to make even less sense than a lawyer spamming a legal website with a barely literate and extremely banal comment in an attempt to attract clients.
But its still one of the greatest names ever 🙂
I can’t explain it. I can only appreciate its fabulosity. Some things are better left a mystery.