Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Best Western


Author’s Note:  Back in the days of my wayward youth, I had occasion to interact with the police more often than I do today.  I was generally at fault and they always dealt with me professionally and used no more force than was necessary to take me away.  The youth of today are not so fortunate to find themselves in such a forgiving environment.  The war has been brought home. 

 

One of my favorite Western’s that I watched when I was a kid was Gunsmoke.  I liked the way Marshal Dillon did his job. 

If someone new walked into the bar looking suspicious, Matt would ask him questions to get a feel for why he was there and what he was about.  He was looking for violence in the person so he would know how to deal with him.  If he didn’t pick up on something bad about them he would leave them alone.  This shows discretion and going with your gut. 

The gamblers were often more difficult than the outlaws to size up as they were clever and could hide their true intentions better.  Matt would often know what he was dealing with before he could prove it-- and he would let them know it.  But he wouldn’t arrest them merely upon suspicion. 

Men carried guns on their hips back then.  When living in such a society, those who enforce the law are not going to sweat the small stuff.  There weren’t so many laws back then.  Just the ones about not aggressing upon or otherwise violating others.  And, as with the real-life Wyatt Earp, Matt Dillon stood between the criminal and the townspeople and protected them. 

The modern-day law enforcement officer bears little resemblance to what Marshal Dillon represented back then.  Their behavior is more akin to the outlaw of old who  enforce the laws made by the gamblers (of our money). 

The cops where I live have been handing out parking tickets for those not having Snow Park permits on their cars.  Snow parks are now pretty much anywhere that has been plowed out and has a place to park.  And you’re not going to be able to get one of these permits unless you buy it in town. 

In the Summer, they patrol the lakes in the region in boats (and the trucks that pull them) that are much nicer than those of their victims taken from the loot of their plunder of the public.  These watercraft enthusiasts are no longer even free enough to drink a cold beer while kicking back in their boats on a hot summer day without being hassled by the Screws.   Even the prisoners on the Shawshank Redemption had it better than that. 

And watch out for those invasive barnacles on the bottom of your boat.  This is the sort of justification used for taking more money out of their pockets for a boat inspection.

These lakes and snow parks are well out of civilization in the wilderness areas.  Who’s minding the store in town when the cops are protecting us from these “criminals” who or either too poor to pay or would rather risk a fine than contribute to this extortion racket?  

It also appears that the manufactured poverty by those handing down the orders has become too much of an enticement for police departments across the country not to further bleed their community dry through the implementation of such things as speed traps, sobriety check-points, SWAT team drug raids and civil asset forfeiture. 

In addition, it now requires little police training for soldiers transitioning back from the wars overseas.  This, along with IDF training, pretty much sums up how they see us. 

I never saw Marshal Dillon put other lives in danger when it was unnecessary, even the outlaws.  Why kick in a door when you can wait for the criminal to come out and pick them up at your leisure while providing less risk of harming others?  Can you say Waco?

Personally, I would be feeling much better about whatever may soon be in store for us if I could trust the police to do what their primary job should be and PROTECT US FROM VIOLENT CRIMINALS!  But since they are taking their orders from the worst of the criminals themselves, I’m not seeing how this is going to end very well. 

The enemy of humanity has always been the bully and predator.  Whether they be terrorists or those in uniform, it doesn’t matter.  Marshal Dillon was the sworn enemy of these types.  It’s time for those in uniform to decide which side of natural law they are going to be on. 

Or perhaps most have already shown us through their behavior. 

 

 

 

 

 

11 comments:

Kitty said...

The "police " are now little more than a corporate paramilitary force Free . It isn't just in America , it's here in Britain too. Instead of Marshall Dillon, we had good old Dixon of Dock Green . The epitome of the friendly British "bobby " Sgt Dixon represented everything about justice for all within the system . Now , we have tooled up snarling cops determined to fine you for everything , mostly 'car crime' .
Fines are a constant revenue stream for police forces across our country , and police officers get to drive fast cars and chase people ! Fun for the boys in blue !
Most people here distrust the police , and in fact in many cases hate them.This feeling covers all social demographics , and isn't just confined to the so called great unwashed .
There are I'm sure police officers who see their job as a vocation to allow them to make a difference , but they seem to be few and far between , the stories in the press of dereliction of duty , violence , criminal activity , and corruption, are becoming more common place . One of my neighbours after being burgled wrote an open letter in a Neighbourhood Watch magazine stating the police were not only unreliable but were liars , hearts and minds went a bit wrong there obviously .
Ultimately our police forces here and everywhere aren't fighting crime , they are fighting us , we are the enemy , the enemy within . Something to look forward too in a not too distant future maybe ?

freefall said...

So true Kitty. And the local level is as good as it gets. Now with the Syrian gas attack 2.0, is there any doubt that America's alphabet agencies and their vassals were not responsible?



Kitty said...

No doubt at all Free ,it's sickening . But , not everyone has the same perspective as perhaps we do . To step outside the cosy bubble most people live in either through ignorance or bliss (I'm not sure which it is) into the harsh reality of knowing our respective governments see us as nothing more than indebted slaves , it's a big step , understanding this undermines everything we have been lead to believe is important
Who really wants to give that up ?

Adaline - Free Leonard Peltier said...

🦉 owl
🦆 duck
∃ ~ ♬ ♪ ♥ ∞ ☮ ★ ☄ | ☄ ★ ☮ ∞ ♥ ♪ ♬ ~ ∃

Pandora Hope Seaclearly said...

I remember since the 80s stories coming out about cops abusing their power and raping women. I learned when getting pulled over alone to only open my window a crack to give a cop (I didn't know or know of,) license and registration. Wonder how that strategy would fly these days. There is a story around here about a young woman that went missing years ago, her murderers and body never found, and rumors of (it is highly likely that) bad cops were involved - hell, responsible. And yes, there are decent cops out there, we even have one in our little town, but that is becoming more of a novelty overall, and in cities the culture of policing is becoming dangerously militarized - the military equipment hand-me-downs they are inheriting from the endless unspeakable wars, like tanks and vehicles. Yikes. Runaways are already at high risk and they have to deal with the possibility of these monsters (the bad cops) breaking laws and ethics/morals. I fear for innocent people of color and my loved ones of color out there getting profiled so badly these days.

Chautauqua said...

It is called "Preemptive Retaliation"
It worked so well for the military in Iraq & Afghanistan,
and considering they have already militarized our civilian police,
it just follows they'd make it their MO at home as well. That is why we civilians are being treated like terrorists.

Adaline - Free Leonard Peltier said...

damn...

Kitty said...

In Britain we now have a policy that everything is an arrestable offence , and that means everything . In effect we are moving from innocent until proved guilty to the assumption that everyone is guilty or a criminal

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4385416/Court-rule-father-s-term-time-holiday-child.html
This is huge news here today . It really isn't about children being taken out of school , but the removal of parental rights, the criminalisation of parents and the State's being in loco parentis but also removing the civil liberties of the students in it's "care "
The incursions into and consequent removal of our civil liberties is happening with great speed , but reading the comments on the article I can see most of these people are sleepwalking into a totalitarian nightmare , the mantra being rules are rules , so obey them ! Why are people so obsessed with rules ?
We have the same profiling problems here Pandora , if you are a generic" brown" colour , don't drive an expensive car , you're either a drug dealer or other criminal element , but the reality is we are all being categorised , profiled and filed according to how much of a threat we are to the states ability to maintain the status quo .
As I said to Free at the beginning of the thread our so called police forces are no more than para military paid for by the corporate state we are all ruled by .
They are here only to protect the interests of the social , and financial elite , their excessively aggressive looking uniforms and attitude is not just for personal protection , but to give the clear message they are unapproachable and set apart from the general population . Semiotics( in this case clothing) is constantly being used to convey the true meaning of what is really going on , we just need the" eyes to see" to give us a clearer picture .
On that happy note :))) ( still have to laugh ) Life's still good though !

Unknown said...

Ah yes, Gunsmoke, a great way, it would seem, to perpetuate a feeling of 'suspicion' towards strangers (rightfully justified later in the plot) and justification for being 'questioned' by the local 'authorities' - remind me, how long has this program been going on?

freefall said...

Good point. But I find myself doing the same thing.

Yesterday, a man came to my door that I didn't know which made me suspicious. After learning that he was a plumber who had the wrong address it was fine. But until I understood that, I saw him as a potential threat.

This is what happens when living in a collapsing empire. We begin to see the worst in one another.

Thanks for the comment.

Unknown said...

Sad really because now more than ever there is a need to see the best in every one.

In order to get there we must break our programming one block at a time.