I was in court today (I'm a criminal defense attorney) and noticed two ATF agents. One was a "gun crimes task force" guy, and the other was some kind of "Project safe America" agent. Whatever that is.Yes I can. But not being an "Only One," and a BATFU "Only One" at that, I don't think it would have ended well.
Anyways, I wish I could've taken a pic, but the courtroom was off limits to cameras, and I didn't want to risk a picture with my blackberry.
Here's the problem: the ATF agent was standing in front of the Judge, with his Glock holstered on his thigh, but unstrapped, and he had his hand on the butt of his pistol the entire time he was talking to the Judge. Seriously. I didn't know whether to take that as a threat to the Judge, but I was tempted to ask him to remove his hand from his weapon and secure it.
Hope that that made sense to you. I was just dumbfounded that he had his hand on it like he was going to draw. Of course, I had to disarm to go to court, but.... oh well.
Can you imagine if that were you or me?
And it was probably "Project Safe Neighborhoods," you know, that public/private partnership (say, isn't that the core of...fascism...?) that everybody who's anybody is on board with...
Sounds like someone with a huge ego and far less smarts. Naked truth on display.
ReplyDeleteWasn't there a law dealing with that kind of behavior or something.
ReplyDeleteYeah, silly me, the only ones always have a written exemption in the "laws" that are supposed to apply equally across the board...oh well, at least we're free.
HIS courtroom, HIS judge, HIS judicial system. And at this point he's probably right.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I LOVE to hear stories like this. A good reminder of what we're dealing with and what's dealing with us. They don't think like we do.
I have sympathy for the wasp I can't shoo out of my house and have to swat. He didn't mean to come in and cause us fear and maybe pain. I feel sympathy for the poisonous snake I had to dispatch; my granddaughter plays in the yard. The snake strayed out of the woods; he doesn't know he doesn't belong on the sidewalk.
Two-legged threats? No sympathy.
Right on the money, Defender. Unlike wasps and snakes, the two-legged threats know better.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time in a truck stop I was having a conversation with a highway patrolman. While I or my son talked he would stand with his armed folded across his chest while he politely listened. The conversation was friendly and had nothing to do with anything of great importance. But everytime he started to speak, his right hand would automatically drop to the butt of holstered pistol.
ReplyDeleteAfter the third of fourth time, I asked him if he had plans to use the "damn gun" because if he did, I was going to take it away from him. He asked what the hell I was talking about. I told him what he was doing, and he replied "I don't do....I'll be damned." Just as he started his denial he caught himself dropping his hand to his pistol. He looked surprised as all Hell. He did apologize,and he asked me if I was serious when I said I might have to take it from him. I said I was, that I didn't like people trying to inimidate me, even if it had become unconscious habit and they didn't realize they were even doing it anymore.
He said that was something he would have to think about. Nice guy and more intelligent with less need to prove his dick was biggest, than most cops I have met.
The conversation, of course, took a different tack then. We talked about his need to be alert, but just perhaps he could get more cooperation from people if he didn't start either angering or scaring them with that intimidating technique.
I wish we had more like him. He was willing to consider.
My son, later said "Dad, you're crazy." Oh well.