Joe: I will try to answer "the issues" you raised. My own personal viewpoints, of course.
"Do Cops use excessive force unnessecarily at times?"
Sure. At times they do. Haven't seen a thing that was perfect this side of heaven in my life time yet.
Now, to be a little less smartass-like and more specific: It depends on the specific departments rules and regulations. The cops are there to enforce the law, not to pussyfoot around. This is especially true in large metropolitan areas that see a lot of crime. The cop has a job to do, and he needs to go home at the end of his shift. He should respond with at least one level of force above that of his opponent. Personnally, I have not been yanked out of a vehicle for running a stop sign yet. However, if I was speeding 50mph over limit and eluding arrest, I would just about expect to get shot. Reasonably so, if I was endangering people. Joe, just once, try to be in their shoes: With all the crime and human filth out there, you got to be careful and anticipate violence against you. Yet, you must meet PC guidelines to keep your job. It ain't fair,is it? I have never had a problem with cops. My wife, OTOH, cannot stand them, because of a few minor bad experiences. I still feel they are out to protect YOU and ME. I do not rely on them to do that. Not because I don't trust them, but protecting myself and my family is my job, nobody else's. Same with providing income and food on the table. Small government, not big..... I do appreciate the police, though.
"Is it excusable?" Sometimes. Sometimes not. It just depends. See my answer to your previous question.
In short, I refuse to believe that all cops, or even a majority, is an elite cast of @sshole weekend warriors out to get the common folk.
"Are there too many laws?"
Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. Go beat up a cop to change that.
Seriously, whaddaya gonna do about that? I don't buy the argument that you and me can change something about that. That's just the way it goes. To my limited knowledge, there has never been a government that over time has simplified its legal code, gone back to the roots. Generally, nations and governments get more and more convoluted, complicated, perverted all the time. It would behoove anybody doubting me to look at Rome, the Greek Empire, today's European States, Russia, and finally, this country of ours. The end is inevitable, my friend.
This country is the greatest country on God's green earth, but it ain't eternal. Take a look at the Good Book and you'll find that in the end, there are no great countries. It will all end.
I am not promoting passivity and complacency. Do whatever you can, speak your mind, bear good witness for what you believe. You can slow things down, make things right for you and your community. But don't kid yourself into believing that you can change the final outcome.
"Are they oppressive?" You bet. All to protect you. However, not the entire volume of CFR is oppressing you personally. Ain't nuttin perfect, is there?
"Does the fact that many cops do a great many good things excuse the things that bad ones do or the bad things done by good ones?" Nope. Absolutely not. And yet, that's the way things go. Nothing excuses the truly bad actions of individuals. Just don't judge the entire force based on those actions of those individuals. Don't fall into that trap.
"What is the role of the police in our society today, how has it changed historically?"
Protect, serve, enforce. I really do believe that, so don't laugh at me. The police force is meant to offer the citizens of this great US community some common protection which they pay for with taxes. You gotta have some order in the pigsty, otherwise things will fall apart.
In the distant past of this country, there used to be a thing called personal responsibility, and independence. People nowadays RELY heavily on the police. Which is partly due to that responsibility thing. Also, a lot more people these days. See, in the old days, the men were men, brave frontiersmen that could handle things themselves. Today....well, you know what I mean. That's just the way things go.
