Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Different Angle

From Brian F:
The image you posted doesn’t really show how ridiculous this only one is acting. Take a look at this one from a different angle. If the driver is so menacing, why does the only one in the background look like he is ready to fall asleep?


Maybe he's walking over, but you're right--he certainly doesn't look prepared to be in an area where such a police reaction is justified. The thing is, it's not the first time we've run into the phenomenon of threatening citizens with lethal force while others stand around with their thumbs up their...uh...their hands in their pockets.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess soon we'll be reading stories of photographers and videographers being attacked and their cameras confiscated, now that potentially embarrassing things are showing up.
If they'll do it for being a block away from a cordoned-off area, like recently, they'll certainly do it for showing Nazi tactics.

Unknown said...

I don't know about you, but I was instructed to keep my finger straight and off the trigger until I intend to fire. In this picture and several others the cop has his finger on the trigger. I guess that means he intended to shoot, and I agree that if that's the case than the other officer would probably have his weapon drawn, or at the very least helping out.

It would be a shame to shoot a citizen who was only trying to get back to his house, "for his own good," negligently or intentionally.

chris horton said...

Having a gun drawn on your person or not, Standing in front of a half ton pickup while doing so is a stupid place to be!

Feet slip on accelerators all the time!

Anonymous said...

One thing to remember: A truck can be a two-ton weapon if needed, and that idiot cop made himself a perfect target.

Anonymous said...

If it had ben a non- Only One they would be in jail on attempted murder charges.

Are they trying to start an overt war?

Anonymous said...

It would be easy to lose a body in a raging flood.

BourneShooter said...

The other picture had in the background some US Marines standing around in the back.

Anonymous said...

I call bullshit on the "ramming" of the "OO" otherwise the cop in the back wouldn't be taking a stroll around the cruiser, he'd have his gun drawn in fear for his own life.

There are pics over on the linked post showing him walking towards to aid in the manhandling of the guy so I don't think he was just standing there.

I think any "ramming" happened when ready-to-kill-for-no-reason jackboot stepped into the moving trucks way. It's called reaction time, and people don't generally think some ass is going to step in front of a moving vehicle.

-hairy hobbit

Anonymous said...

I am so glad Open-Carry is expanding. If more people are armed, cops may think twice about pulling crap...like this: Cops vs TV News Crew

The more and more I read this CRAP, the more and more these "police" loose whatever legitimacy they might have had, and look more and more like just another thug target to be dealt with.


C.H.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I'd be able to keep my foot off the accelerator if my public servant threatened my life to keep me from my property.

Anonymous said...

It was reported in the Cedar Rapids media that the guy was caught twice "sneaking" to his property before he tried to use his truck. He was tagged as a troublemaker and better to remove him before the cancer spread. Yeah, he was an idiot for trying it and the troopers were just doing their job, yada, yada. "Need to be patient" "Do as you're told"

Today KGAN reported that the same checkpoint is having problems today, three days after the city started this "strike team" mess. If this checkpoint is where I think it is, most of these homes are from lower-income working class people. Not on welfare, or dirt poor and certainly not wealthy. Their homes are probably the only thing they had.

I know the cities were overwhelmed and the citizens rightfully responded to the call. Hundreds of people showed up in a futile effort to keep the river out of Mercy hospital in Cedar Rapids. Dozens more arrived to keep the last well pumping, otherwise - no drinking water. The citizens saved Cedar Rapids, not the city workers, city council, mayor, emergency director... The hard-working people of each town, whether it survived or not, were the ones struggling with sandbags. We had to. We wanted to because these were our homes at risk.

And then I finally figured out why this guy's arrest bothers me so much. I don't know any of these people personally but if I put myself in their shoes I would be humiliated. How would anyone feel if they came back from their fight against the flood and had to face a bureaucrats' armed guard keeping you from your home. Your home - not the cities'.

What he did wasn't "legal" but it ain't right to kick a guy when he's down.

Thank you, David, for allowing me to vent.