Still a policeman is a member of the commonwealth. He is not outside humanity, but within. He is of the same blood and sinew as the rest of men. He is not more than or less than other folk. Yet, he transgresses, quite often, without limit. I have heard in the southern idiom, "... the law", in reference to the person and his office. This may be metaphorically, and unfortunately de facto, true; it is not de jure and intrinsically true.
There are some artistic creations of american popular art and theatre that are wonderful. In the black and white era of the cathodique cinema comedy, there were three programmes with three prominent lead actors ― Jackie, Lucy and Andy. Andy Griffith portrayed Andy Taylor, Andy of Mayberry. I believe he was and is unrecognised in his ability and sly, gentle cleverness. Shakespeare had Dogberry as a gendarme buffoon. Andy was iconic. The english bobby is recognised for not carrying a gun (he is armed with club) and people who have not been to England know and expect this. No one thinks of an american cop without his prop. Andy of Mayberry is an ideal, he is not the one you will meet at a traffic stop or on the street.
I try to speak circumspectively on this, police perform a necessary duty in society. There is much temptation in weakness of temperament and love of liberty and justice. That failure has the police act without constraint. A good and respective society does not allow this. The individual has to realise this, sometimes in advocacy and sometimes in self-protection.
The first amendment is our cloak of protection. It is not an armour of miraculous inviolability. We are legally guaranteed its domain, more so in theory than in reality. Also, law is to be reflexive, commutative, and distributive. Of course, when we open our eyes and lift our fingers to the wind, we see this is not so. We are required to mouth "liberty and justice for all", but honest and aware men know that is a fiction. It is the totalitarian party line.
There is an ancient joke, where the immigrant plaintively tells:
Yea, yea, free contree. Evryvone say free countree. I go vrk -- boss yell na me, I go na street -- polees yell na me, I go home -- vife yell na me. Yea, yea, free countree -- my a**.The first part is the materialist, and here the capitalist system, that uses men and their labor as only means of production. The second, is my concern, the police as a demi-tsar that is used by government, and allowed by the government, to inflict its and his will on the citizenry. The policeman is also a citizen. What is for the one, must be for the other.
The written law recognises free speech and free assembly. Police, and this extends to the national guard, hired thugs, "called security", and other agents, have this wicked tendency not to so recognise. Why crossing the street can avail a dozen indictments. And beyond this, they often commit criminal acts, in their own right, having nothing to do with lawful exercise. And, further, the state, being the courts and the other two branches of government, are loathe to exercise their office to prohibit, prosecute and punish the errant officer of the law.
There are categories of falsity to persecute the citizenry: resisting arrest, interfering with a law officer, provoking a riot, unlawful assembly, failure to disperse and other creative charges. Then there are complete lies: assault and battery of an officer, and the entire canon of criminal behavior when NONE transpired. The state, without consideration, rubberstamps guilty as charged. The word of the cop is assumed as the word of God and non-assailable.
When there is a camera, permanent visual witness exists. The police and state make effective use of it. When an arrestee is shown the tape, he concedes and surrenders, far more often then not. But when the film shows the citizen wrongly used and the perpetrator wears the badge, the matter is different. When made public, the police and their defenders twist credibility beyond rationality in defense, while the common citizen had he Ciceronic tongue and Aristotelian logic still would not prevail his innocence when accused. The police are quite willing to have others under picture surveillance; they do not want pictures of themselves taken. The Rodney King and the Los Angeles Police batting instructors should be an obvious example of such. The light of justice throws the deeds of darkness to view. God's first recorded words were, "fiat lux".* People have the right to use a camera. If the camera and its user are taken, that is theft and kidnapping. People have the right to photograph and film police, buildings and everything else. The orwellian Patriot Act is non-constitutional in many of its protocols.
In travel, we often use automobiles. The police act as highwaymen. The stops are investigative expeditions. Being right is of little and, often, counterproductive defense. Prudent and preventative judgment suggests certain protective measures. Every possible light needs to be operating correctly. Again and again, the statement, whether accurate or no, is used, "Your ____light was out". Take this lead away from them. Another thing that provokes cops are bumper stickers. Tactfully, do not display your opinion, especially if it is considered "liberal" or "critical of the establishment", you have walls in your abode for that purpose, try not to make your residence a jail cell. The true proof of these stops being against legal propriety is not when one is cited or arrested, but when no action is taken, not even a warning is issued or spoken. That is an admission you were stopped, in order, to be stopped.
An allied area are sobriety checks. I have been stopped several times. Some cars are stopped and some are not. I am questioned to why I am on the road, where my travel began, where my residence is, where is my destination, have I been drinking ... You have the right to remain silent because everything can and will be used against you. Being non co-operative is perilous. There are half a dozen patrol cars, more cops, light stands, et cetera ... This is defended, applauded, sponsored and defensively justified by the government, the media, MADD and other jasagers. The whole process casts out a large net and comes up with a small catch and our civil liberties are trashed.
Another is the issuing of tickets for revenue gathering. This is another form of taxation, a taxation by extortion. There are certain municipalities that use this as a major source of income. The officers' of government livelihood are maintained by that income. People object to a bum begging a dollar, yet they are required to pay a bogus citation or a warrant for their arrest appears. The next traffic stop your license, et cetera are processed and you are arrested.
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*Genesis i. 3 dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux
And God said: Be light made. And light was made. — drc
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. — kjv
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