JLHeard

There are many issues about the laws and who makes them, etc.. This thread has already gone all over the place. But I'll address the issue of the cops just knocking. You said maybe they were just being careful. Well, my question is if they were being careful, who were they protecting, themselves or the suspects. Obviously, they were protecting themselves. In all honesty, I believe in the type of society in which we are supposed to be living, they should ere on the side of protecting the individual. You know that cops nowadays routinely use overwhelming force for many things. My point is they don't seem to be learning, or do they not care, or they care more about themselves. I think we use our police too much like the military and the military too much like the police. It sickens me to see local cops dressed in black BDUs, helmets, and flack jackets. Frankly, it is scary. I believe we need to curb the aggressive attitude. Even the terms we use like "war on drugs" and "war on crime" suggest too much aggressiveness. Suspects are "perps", "scumbags", etc.. Attitudes need to change. My cousin is a sheriff's deputy (I know, I still love him, even though I've heard some stories about him) in a very rural county. With some recent Federal grant money, they bought M16A2s and MP5s. Why? They carry them in their cars and they dress in BDUs. Why? In the 60s the model of responsible law enforcement was Andy Griffith who could talk someone into almost anything and always got his man. Today, Andy would carry an MP5 and pistol whip the criminals. And don't argue that things are more dangerous today. Maybe they are, but with all the so-called drug crimes and meth labs that exist in the county where my cousin works, they still average about 5 murders every two years (and half of those are domestic disputes).

Matthius

All I can say is watch the news and read the papers. You'll see stuff all the time. Remember the family in Tennessee who had the family pooch blown away because the father left his wallet on the car after getting gas. Going down the interstate cash was flying out of the wallet. A motorist called the police and told them about it and said "something wasn't right". The police stopped them, (thought they were armed robbers even though none had been reported in the area and it was a man woman and child) had them on the ground and shot the family pooch as it bounded out of the car with its tail wagging (despite the woman's pleas that it was a friendly dog). Would not a simple and careful stop with one officer approaching the car and questioning the occupants with another covering the scene with a shotgun probably have answered all questions and resulted in less trauma. But no, those guys were following their traing which was to take no chances and use maximum force. I could tell you about the woman in Minnesota who called the cops because her teenage son was threatening suicide, only to see the cops shoot him 5 times and kill him when he gestured at them with the steak knife he was holding. This stuff happens all the time. Recently in the town I live, two cops shot and killed a homeless man who was armed with a garden rake. He was shot at a distance of 15 feet. How was he going to hurt them with a garden rake at that distance?

Also, the Germans are no different than any other nationality. I don't see anyone being too rebellious here. I merely see people making excuses for the excesses of authority.