It is absolutely reasonable to be afraid of cops these days.

[Anti Federalist]

Officer Safety . . .

http://ericpetersautos.com/2013/11/30/officer-safety/

If it is reasonable – justifiable – for a cop to base every interaction with a citizen on the presumption that the citizen might be a threat to his “safety,” isn’t the reverse all the more reasonable?

That a citizen should assume the worst when confronted by a cop?

After all, a cop is known to be armed – and not merely with a gun. He possesses the authority of the state and with it, a far more relaxed standard for using gross and disproportionate violence against a citizen. He can do things to you legally – without fear of repercussions that no ordinary citizen would dare to do – and to which, moreover, the ordinary citizen is legally obliged to submit.

Is it not enough to make a citizen fear for his safety?

Consider:

You are driving along, on your way home. You glance up in the rearview and notice there is a big white sedan just inches off your bumper. Cops do this for a reason – to intimidate a prospect.

Then all of a sudden, flashing strobe lights and loud sirens – the purpose of which is also to intimidate. To instill fear.

Now you are aware that an armed stranger is demanding you stop your vehicle – god only knows why.

But you do know – having read about it last week – that another armed stranger subjected another motorist who’d apparently done nothing more than commit a minor moving violation to repeated forced anal probing, forced enemas and a forced colonoscopy.

You know, moreover, that this was not an isolated, one-time incident (see here) but rather, has become a fairly common practice (affirmed by the Supreme Court, which has ruled that citizens are subject to strip searches – at the discretion of the cop – after having been detained for almost any “violation,” including minor traffic offenses).

Your mind rolls over the YouTube videos you saw the other day. The Tazerings, the head-kickings, the slamming of slightly built, middle aged women into concrete benches.

You wonder: am I going to be next?

And you are afraid.

It is absolutely reasonable to be afraid of cops these days. To dread them, in fact.

Far more so than for them to be afraid of us.

They represent an increasingly lawless, unaccountable authority that does just what it pleases to anyone it likes.

Hardly a day goes by without an absolutely appalling case of egregious over-use of force cropping up on YouTube or LiveLeak. These videos give the lie to the stories cops used to tell – and which were hard to contest – that their victims “resisted” or (lately) presented a “threat” to “officer safety.”

Instead, we see the truth: Video doesn’t lie. The spectacle of a fellow citizen being cold cocked by a cop three times the victim’s size – and for no justifiable reason. Just because he can.

We are powerless in the face of this authority. One need not even violate a law to become the object of law enforcement. Merely to be out in public is enough to put one in peril of any random cop’s bad mood. Or outright sadism. Of late, they openly state that “the law” doesn’t matter (as, for example, in the case of people held at gunpoint who did nothing more than openly carry a firearm in full compliance with open carry laws in their state; see here). Cops do whatever they like – and we are expected to Submit & Obey.

Yet they are afraid of us!

We are expected – no, legally required – to be supine and accepting. To give them the benefit of every doubt – even to the extent that it places our own lives or those of our families in extreme jeopardy.

It is laughable – and pathetic- at the same time. These “heroes” – quaking in their body armor, high-capacity, military-grade semi-automatic pistols strapped to their hips – shivering with trepidation at the prospect of dealing with an argumentative soccer mom, scrawny teenager or senior citizen who refuses to “comply.” These beefy tough guys stewing in steroids – with their buzz cut hair and dark sunglasses who see “threats” everywhere.

One almost feels sorry for them.

Of course, these alleged “threats” to their “safety” are really nothing more than less-than-immediate deference to their authority. That’s what arouses their ire, these sad little big men.

And women, too.

It ought to be the other way around, of course. Cops – those charged with enforcing the law and endowed with the legal authority to use force – should be afraid of citizens. Or rather, they ought to be afraid of the consequences of abusing their authority. They ought to be obliged to give us the benefit of every doubt. To put their “safety” at risk, if need be – for the sake of ours.

Is that not, after all, what “heroes” are supposed to do?

But of course, they are not heroes. They are enforcers. Members of the most violent gang in the country. It is a hard thing to come to grips with, intellectually – after a lifetime of immersion in fairy tales about serving and protecting. But our guts have long known the truth of the thing. Who among us feels safe when they see a cop car inches off their bumper? Or a cop, period? Who invites them to their home? Wants them around? Feels comfortable in their presence?

Our minds are finally catching up with our guts.

More and more of us are coming to realize that any interaction with a cop could be a life-changing (or even life-ending) experience. That it is in no way paranoid to harbor the fear – given what’s happening all around the country – that any of us could be next.

As this dawning awareness percolates, I expect pushback. Because you can only push people so far. When someone’s scared – and for good reason – unpredictable things can happen.

Cops, more than anyone, ought to understand this.

Sow the wind – reap the whirlwind. . . .

Throw it in the Woods?

[qh4dotcom]

Should I dread the military too? Border Patrol, etc.?

[Anti Federalist]

Should I dread the military too? Border Patrol, etc.?

Yup.

[Dianne]

Dread anyone that is a Federal agent, police office, Judge ... The government is mafia controlled from top to bottom.

[Anti Federalist]

Dread anyone that is a Federal agent, police office, Judge ... The government is mafia controlled from top to bottom.

Any contact with any of the above, puts your life, liberty and possessions in jeopardy.

[Christian Liberty]

What about people you know personally (ie. Not as a government official.)

[Anti Federalist]

What about people you know personally (ie. Not as a government official.)

If my own brother was a cop or FedCoat, I'd never have him in my home again.

Feel free to do what you please, of course.

[Tod]

You are driving along, on your way home. You glance up in the rearview and notice there is a big white sedan just inches off your bumper. Cops do this for a reason – to intimidate a prospect.

One time a sheriff's deputy did that to me just as a small animal darted onto the roadway in front of me. Of course I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the poor creature.

[Suzanimal]

You are driving along, on your way home. You glance up in the rearview and notice there is a big white sedan just inches off your bumper. Cops do this for a reason – to intimidate a prospect.

Before children I worked in a bar and every night I had a police escort home. They were literally inches off my bumper with their high beams on, it scared the crap out of me the first time it happened. I couldn't tell it was a cop (the road to my house is very dark), I thought it was some creeper following me home.

[DamianTV]

I think the author is quite correct, and has been lurking here quite a bit. Some of the terms he uses have been coined on these forums.

He took it out of the woods.

[satchelmcqueen]

a cop i know laughed as he told stories of doing this to people just to get them to start swerving so he could give a ticket.
One time a sheriff's deputy did that to me just as a small animal darted onto the roadway in front of me. Of course I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the poor creature.

[Contumacious]

Officer Safety . . .

http://ericpetersautos.com/2013/11/30/officer-safety/

If it is reasonable – justifiable – for a cop to base every interaction with a citizen on the presumption that the citizen might be a threat to his “safety,” isn’t the reverse all the more reasonable?

?

The reverse is definitely more reasonable.

But the scumbags who pretend to be Supreme Court justices have given the gendarmes vast powers in order to create a police state.

So if you are stopped:

Ask if you are detained or free to go.

Brief detention for a traffic violation ?: accept the ticket and move on

prolonged detention not free to go? demand Miranda rights

free to go? Do not answer any questions and get the fuck out of there.

.

[Christian Liberty]

If my own brother was a cop or FedCoat, I'd never have him in my home again.

Feel free to do what you please, of course.

Because of fear or because of repulsion? The latter would seem to make more sense in such a hypothetical case than the former.

Do you think every cop actually understands how bad some of the stuff that they do is? I somehow doubt it, considering the huge portion of the population that actually supports a lot of the stuff they do. Is being a cop any worse than not being a cop yet supporting the bad things they do?

All that said, I respect your stance. I wouldn't necessarily go that far (I do not have a brother that is a cop, however.)

[Anti Federalist]

Because of fear or because of repulsion?

Maybe a little of both.

Primarily because these guys, once they become cops, that's it, they are forever cops first, and brothers, sons, fathers, friends second.

Heard a story today about a local active hunter and guide that got ticketed by a "very close friend" who happens to be a NH clam cop for "illegally transporting a deer carcass".

Well, now, that's the end of his profession...he'll lose his guide "license" as well as his hunting privileges on the King's land.

All because his "buddy" just happened to stop by his house to shoot the shit.

If I were having a dinner party and it came out that one of my guests was a cop, they would be asked to leave, immediately.

[phill4paul]

Maybe a little of both.

Primarily because these guys, once they become cops, that's it, they are forever cops first, and brothers, sons, fathers, friends second.

Heard a story today about a local active hunter and guide that got ticketed by a "very close friend" who happens to be a NH clam cop for "illegally transporting a deer carcass".

Well, now, that's the end of his profession...he'll lose his guide "license" as well as his hunting privileges on the King's land.

All because his "buddy" just happened to stop by his house to shoot the shit.

If I were having a dinner party and it came out that one of my guests was a cop, they would be asked to leave, immediately.

Reminds me of that story that was posted about a dinner party and who attending would be a Nazi. Yes, they would be asked to leave my home also.

[Acala]

Spoiler Alert!

I know how this story ends. We all die. Yup. I die. You die. Everyone you have ever known dies. If I am lucky, my parents will die, then I will die, then my children will die. This is the way of nature.

"The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play. They throw earth over your head and it is finished forever." -Pascal

Not only do we all die, but it really doesn't much matter how. Of course a quick and painless death is, all other things being equal, preferable to a long, agonizing death. But it doesn't much matter in the larger scheme. And since the end is a foregone conclusion, and the means of the end are not particularly important, all that is left that matters is how the tale is told.

It is not how you die, but how you live that matters.

Some may choose to live their lives simmering in gloom, fear, anger, and hatred. I suppose there might be some dramatic value in embracing these emotions as the theme of your life, but I find it rather tiresome and uninteresting, not to mention unhealthy. But it is really a matter of personal preference. Yet the purveyors of gloom invariably claim that their's is the only rational view for all who see things as they really are. It isn't. In fact, it is a view distorted by emotional bias.

Although I think being shot to death by the police is far from the worst way a person can die, let's assume that it is somehow worse than most. How much of a risk is it? Speaking anecdotally, I know not a single acquaintance who has died by the hands of a cop. I know many who have died in car accidents, a couple who have drowned, a couple drug overdoses, some alcoholism, a couple industrial accidents, many suicides, a tractor accident, a couple of non-cop murders, and, in the last decade, an increasing number of deaths by disease of various kinds. Not a single death by cop. And the official mortality tables support the anecdote.

The top ten causes of death in the USA are as follows:

•Heart disease: 597,689
•Cancer: 574,743
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
•Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
•Diabetes: 69,071
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
•Intentional self-harm (suicide)

So, not only is it certain that you will die, it is very likely that you will die of one of these causes. Many of which would be less desirable than a cop's bullet, in my opinion.

So those of you who live in fear of cops: do you also live in fear of cars? FAR more likely you will be killed by a car than a cop. Terrified by water? Do you loath electricity for the killer it is? Phobic about cancer? Horrified by sugar? If you are being RATIONAL about your fear, those should be the things that terrify you. But they probably don't. Why? Because your fear and loathing of cops is NOT rational, it is emotional. It is tied into other issues that have nothing to do with the real, factual risk at hand. Perhaps it is simply drama - being afraid of the looming police state is more dramatic than being afraid of influenza, even though you are far more likely to die of the later.

But it is your life so BE AFRAID if that is what floats your boat. But don't try and sell the idea that it is rational or the only correct approach for anyone who is awake. It isn't.

As for me, I prefer living a life of humor, love, joy, and appreciation for this amazing world as I carefully try to step over the venomous serpents and open manholes.

Keep your fear. I have no use for it.

[Christian Liberty]

a cop i know laughed as he told stories of doing this to people just to get them to start swerving so he could give a ticket.

Yeah, those would be the ones you call "Sociopaths."

AF, P4P, another Eric Peters post from about a year ago illustrates what I'm talking about:

http://ericpetersautos.com/forum/showthread.php?17780-Cop-Types&p=135380&viewfull=1#post135380

I'm not defending any of the State's pawns, but I don't think they are all deliberately malicious.

Maybe a little of both.

Primarily because these guys, once they become cops, that's it, they are forever cops first, and brothers, sons, fathers, friends second.

Heard a story today about a local active hunter and guide that got ticketed by a "very close friend" who happens to be a NH clam cop for "illegally transporting a deer carcass".

Well, now, that's the end of his profession...he'll lose his guide "license" as well as his hunting privileges on the King's land.

All because his "buddy" just happened to stop by his house to shoot the shit.


Yeah, this is why I can't defend the profession at all. I wonder why the guy's friend felt the need to do that.

If I were having a dinner party and it came out that one of my guests was a cop, they would be asked to leave, immediately.

If they were the type that fell under the category of "sociopath" (like the guy satchelmcqueen was referring to) I'd totally, 100% agree with this. But if not, isn't education a better strategy? Or have you given up on that?

Maybe its just because I get stressed out with this whole thing sometimes, but I prefer to focus on bedrock principles than singling out specific professions. So, instead of saying bad things about "cops" I'd simply say that since stealing is wrong, its wrong no matter who does it, that since kidnapping people is wrong its wrong to "arrest" someone for a victimless crime, even if you have a badge, etc. Some people will accept that message, most won't. That "most" includes both cops and non-cops, and almost everyone I know, most of whom aren't cops.

Reminds me of that story that was posted about a dinner party and who attending would be a Nazi. Yes, they would be asked to leave my home also.

Link?

[heavenlyboy34]

Spoiler Alert!

I know how this story ends. We all die. Yup. I die. You die. Everyone you have ever known dies. If I am lucky, my parents will die, then I will die, then my children will die. This is the way of nature.

"The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play. They throw earth over your head and it is finished forever." -Pascal

Not only do we all die, but it really doesn't much matter how. Of course a quick and painless death is, all other things being equal, preferable to a long, agonizing death. But it doesn't much matter in the larger scheme. And since the end is a foregone conclusion, and the means of the end are not particularly important, all that is left that matters is how the tale is told.

It is not how you die, but how you live that matters.

Some may choose to live their lives simmering in gloom, fear, anger, and hatred. I suppose there might be some dramatic value in embracing these emotions as the theme of your life, but I find it rather tiresome and uninteresting, not to mention unhealthy. But it is really a matter of personal preference. Yet the purveyors of gloom invariably claim that their's is the only rational view for all who see things as they really are. It isn't. In fact, it is a view distorted by emotional bias.

Although I think being shot to death by the police is far from the worst way a person can die, let's assume that it is somehow worse than most. How much of a risk is it? Speaking anecdotally, I know not a single acquaintance who has died by the hands of a cop. I know many who have died in car accidents, a couple who have drowned, a couple drug overdoses, some alcoholism, a couple industrial accidents, many suicides, a tractor accident, a couple of non-cop murders, and, in the last decade, an increasing number of deaths by disease of various kinds. Not a single death by cop. And the official mortality tables support the anecdote.

The top ten causes of death in the USA are as follows:

•Heart disease: 597,689
•Cancer: 574,743
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
•Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
•Diabetes: 69,071
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
•Intentional self-harm (suicide)

So, not only is it certain that you will die, it is very likely that you will die of one of these causes. Many of which would be less desirable than a cop's bullet, in my opinion.

So those of you who live in fear of cops: do you also live in fear of cars? FAR more likely you will be killed by a car than a cop. Terrified by water? Do you loath electricity for the killer it is? Phobic about cancer? Horrified by sugar? If you are being RATIONAL about your fear, those should be the things that terrify you. But they probably don't. Why? Because your fear and loathing of cops is NOT rational, it is emotional. It is tied into other issues that have nothing to do with the real, factual risk at hand. Perhaps it is simply drama - being afraid of the looming police state is more dramatic than being afraid of influenza, even though you are far more likely to die of the later.

But it is your life so BE AFRAID if that is what floats your boat. But don't try and sell the idea that it is rational or the only correct approach for anyone who is awake. It isn't.

As for me, I prefer living a life of humor, love, joy, and appreciation for this amazing world as I carefully try to step over the venomous serpents and open manholes.

Keep your fear. I have no use for it.
Lots of people live in fear of "terrorists". As AF can confirm, you are far more likely to be killed by a cop than a "terrorist". I don't think anyone here has a paralyzing fear of cops...just a realistic understanding of what the cops are.

[kcchiefs6465]

I don't fear the police but their presence makes me uncomfortable. Their sight causes feelings of uncertainty and makes me consciously second guess my actions. (Am I speeding, swerving, have my seat belt on, etc. or if today is just the day I'll be going to jail.) I have a history with them. Not here, but previously all of them knew me by name. I was routinely "disappeared", harassed, assaulted, taxed, robbed, impeded and my rights summarily tossed aside. As I said, I do not fear them though. It's more if my pocket of money should be thrown out the window before it ends back up in their coffers, if there is anything I have to eat/destroy, if there is anywhere I can go to avoid them, and if when stopped if I have trumped up warrants giving them permission and "authority" to put me in a cage. I hate cages. Really. I do.

I'm not so much worried of death by a police officer. I speak their language and reaffirm time after time of my compliance for cameras monitoring. Still, though, I will be robbed, taxed upwards of thousands of dollars per incident, and very possibly or even probably, thrown in a cage. You'd be a fool, or worse, one of their ilk, to not have an involuntary reaction to their presence. Or perhaps you haven't had the experiences many have had so you think it won't or can't happen to you. That would fall under being a foolish assumption.

A single interaction with a police officer can impede your life in such a way that it will take years and many hoops of jumping through to get back on track.

[Christian Liberty]

Even people who are "asleep" subconsciously know it. Everybody "speeds", even those stupid people who agree with the laws. My parents haven't figured out the blatant immorality of the system yet, but if they're speeding on a road and they see a cop, you bet they're slowing down.

[kcchiefs6465]

Link?
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?417749-1941-Harper-s-Magazine-Who-Goes-Nazi

[Acala]

Lots of people live in fear of "terrorists". As AF can confirm, you are far more likely to be killed by a cop than a "terrorist". I don't think anyone here has a paralyzing fear of cops...just a realistic understanding of what the cops are.

The people have been deliberately taught to fear terrorists as a tool of manipulation. It is an irrational fear. But fear is perhaps the single most powerful tool for manipulating people into doing things against their self-interest. That is why people should always be skeptical when someone tries to scare them, whether they are peddling fear of terrorists or fear of the government. Fear makes you weak in mind and body.

[Anti Federalist]

As for me, I prefer living a life of humor, love, joy, and appreciation for this amazing world as I carefully try to step over the venomous serpents and open manholes.

Why?

Are you afraid of being bitten, or falling into a sewer of shit?

Rational, cognitive fear is a normal, healthy reaction to certain stimuli.

It is this irrational and insane world that tells you "All is Well", when it most certainly is not and insists that you ignore that jangling voice in your head that is screaming "LOOK OUT!!!"

[Acala]

Why?

Are you afraid of being bitten, or falling into a sewer of shit?

Rational, cognitive fear is a normal, healthy reaction to certain stimuli.

It is this irrational and insane world that tells you "All is Well", when it most certainly is not and insists that you ignore that jangling voice in your head that is screaming "LOOK OUT!!!"


When I walk in the desert I enjoy the experience. I don't obsess over the venomous reptiles. In fact, I don't give them a thought. There is no fear. There is no brooding over how awful it is that rattlesnakes abound. I don't make constant posts about how everyone should fear and loath snakes. And if I happen to come across a rattlesnake, which I often do, there is still no fear. I simply do my best to avoid them. It doesn't require a lifestyle of fear and anger to deal effectively with the risks that have ALWAYS been part of life on this planet.

Cops are no different than venomous reptiles. (edit: This was careless and I restate it in a subsequent post)

If you have a voice in your head constantly screaming "LOOK OUT" the problem is in your head. Unless you live in a very different world than I do.

Allow me to come at it from a different angle: physiology.

The human body is superbly equipped to respond to immediate threat in the environment. An angry bear comes rushing out of the bushes and your brain instantly recognizes the threat and activates the limbic system. Special hormones, including cortisol, are dumped into the bloodstream. Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, cognitive function speeds up, immune function shuts down, digestive function shuts down, and you have a burst of energy. For a moment you are stronger, faster, and smarter than normal because your body has diverted all its resources to those functions and given them a massive boost. This is acute stress and it is a healthy, natural and effective response to immediate threat.

Unfortunately, the human mind is so powerful that it can induce the identical stress response with thoughts alone. Imagining a bear attack will create the identical physiological response to a real attack, differing only in magnitude. And this is a big problem because although the acute stress response is natural and healthy, it is natural and healthy only because it is temporary and sporadic. When the stress response becomes chronic, things go bad very quickly. In the presence of chronic stress induced not by immediate threats in the environment but by brooding over what threats MIGHT arise, the neurological and physiological functions that are boosted by the acute stress reaction get burned out. The result is adrenal fatigue, loss of cognitive function, immune system weakness, sleep dysfunction, high blood pressure, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, etc. etc. Chronic fear and anger make you LESS prepared when a real threat arises. Chronic stress makes you less intelligent, weaker, less mentally resilient, and more likely to be sick.

The acute stress response to immediate threat in the environment is healthy. The chronic stress caused by brooding over the possibility of threats in the environment is slow poison that, interestingly, leads directly to many of the threats to mortality on the list in the prior post. So while it is highly unlikely that you will be killed by the police, it is highly likely that you will die from a disease that will be exacerbated by brooding about being killed by the police.

[Mani]

When I walk in the desert I enjoy the experience. I don't obsess over the venomous reptiles. In fact, I don't give them a thought. There is no fear. There is no brooding over how awful it is that rattlesnakes abound. I don't make constant posts about how everyone should fear and loath snakes. And if I happen to come across a rattlesnake, which I often do, there is still no fear. I simply do my best to avoid them. It doesn't require a lifestyle of fear and anger to deal effectively with the risks that have ALWAYS been part of life on this planet.

Cops are no different than venomous reptiles.

If you have a voice in your head constantly screaming "LOOK OUT" the problem is in your head. Unless you live in a very different world than I do.




Right there is the problem. Too many people think Cops are fuzzy cute bunnies with superman capes that will protect you and fly you home.


If you know that cops are no different that venomous reptiles, then you are good to go. You already know to avoid them.


The problem is TOO MANY are yet uniformed that the days of the cop being your Local "HERO" who's job is to PROTECT and SAVE YOU are gone. So some people make it a point to EDUCATE and EDUCATE and shout at roof tops again and again until the "BRAIN WASHING" of your local cop PROTECTING you is GONE. It doesn't happen overnight because the BRAIN WASHED idea of your HERO cop is DEEPLY entrenched in the minds of MANY MANY PEOPLE.

It's only after REPEATED bashings over the head with POST after POST does the mind go from...Well...I guess there's a couple bad apples...to....Wait....there's more than a few of these apples...to wait...is this a trend? TO finally...Holy shit, stay away from cops, they are venomous snakes!!



I applaud the efforts of people that go through that effort screaming LOOK OUT, over and over again, because it does take time to sink in. I know it took quite a while for me.

[Acala]

In an earlier post I said "cops are no different than venemous reptiles." I stated that carelessly. What I meant to convey was this: "Bad cops are no worse than venemous reptiles and should be regarded in the same way". But there are plenty of decent cops and the average citizen's encounter with the cops is far less likely to result in injury than an encounter with a venemous reptile.

[PaulConventionWV]

I drive a company vehicle at night and was tailed by a cop while I was going 90+. Keep in mind, as a company employee, I'm in no position to be rebellious as I often am. He told me he was "trying to be nice and let me go" until he noticed that the car's registration had expired a few days ago and I told him I wasn't responsible for it. He raised his voice at me and told me not to argue, threatening me with a ticket and all kinds of things. I was forced to swallow my rage and agree with him that I was responsible for the car, and he eventually let me go. Despite my best efforts to be respectful and just get it over with, however, it seems increasingly difficult to keep the pigs satisfied.

[PierzStyx]

Spoiler Alert!

I know how this story ends. We all die. Yup. I die. You die. Everyone you have ever known dies. If I am lucky, my parents will die, then I will die, then my children will die. This is the way of nature.

"The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play. They throw earth over your head and it is finished forever." -Pascal

Not only do we all die, but it really doesn't much matter how. Of course a quick and painless death is, all other things being equal, preferable to a long, agonizing death. But it doesn't much matter in the larger scheme. And since the end is a foregone conclusion, and the means of the end are not particularly important, all that is left that matters is how the tale is told.

It is not how you die, but how you live that matters.

Some may choose to live their lives simmering in gloom, fear, anger, and hatred. I suppose there might be some dramatic value in embracing these emotions as the theme of your life, but I find it rather tiresome and uninteresting, not to mention unhealthy. But it is really a matter of personal preference. Yet the purveyors of gloom invariably claim that their's is the only rational view for all who see things as they really are. It isn't. In fact, it is a view distorted by emotional bias.

Although I think being shot to death by the police is far from the worst way a person can die, let's assume that it is somehow worse than most. How much of a risk is it? Speaking anecdotally, I know not a single acquaintance who has died by the hands of a cop. I know many who have died in car accidents, a couple who have drowned, a couple drug overdoses, some alcoholism, a couple industrial accidents, many suicides, a tractor accident, a couple of non-cop murders, and, in the last decade, an increasing number of deaths by disease of various kinds. Not a single death by cop. And the official mortality tables support the anecdote.

The top ten causes of death in the USA are as follows:

•Heart disease: 597,689
•Cancer: 574,743
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
•Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
•Diabetes: 69,071
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
•Intentional self-harm (suicide)

So, not only is it certain that you will die, it is very likely that you will die of one of these causes. Many of which would be less desirable than a cop's bullet, in my opinion.

So those of you who live in fear of cops: do you also live in fear of cars? FAR more likely you will be killed by a car than a cop. Terrified by water? Do you loath electricity for the killer it is? Phobic about cancer? Horrified by sugar? If you are being RATIONAL about your fear, those should be the things that terrify you. But they probably don't. Why? Because your fear and loathing of cops is NOT rational, it is emotional. It is tied into other issues that have nothing to do with the real, factual risk at hand. Perhaps it is simply drama - being afraid of the looming police state is more dramatic than being afraid of influenza, even though you are far more likely to die of the later.

But it is your life so BE AFRAID if that is what floats your boat. But don't try and sell the idea that it is rational or the only correct approach for anyone who is awake. It isn't.

As for me, I prefer living a life of humor, love, joy, and appreciation for this amazing world as I carefully try to step over the venomous serpents and open manholes.

Keep your fear. I have no use for it.

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." -John Adams

Its not about fear, its about reality. Its about knowing who the threat is coming from and how to respond.

[PaulConventionWV]

Spoiler Alert!

I know how this story ends. We all die. Yup. I die. You die. Everyone you have ever known dies. If I am lucky, my parents will die, then I will die, then my children will die. This is the way of nature.

"The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play. They throw earth over your head and it is finished forever." -Pascal

Not only do we all die, but it really doesn't much matter how. Of course a quick and painless death is, all other things being equal, preferable to a long, agonizing death. But it doesn't much matter in the larger scheme. And since the end is a foregone conclusion, and the means of the end are not particularly important, all that is left that matters is how the tale is told.

It is not how you die, but how you live that matters.

Some may choose to live their lives simmering in gloom, fear, anger, and hatred. I suppose there might be some dramatic value in embracing these emotions as the theme of your life, but I find it rather tiresome and uninteresting, not to mention unhealthy. But it is really a matter of personal preference. Yet the purveyors of gloom invariably claim that their's is the only rational view for all who see things as they really are. It isn't. In fact, it is a view distorted by emotional bias.

Although I think being shot to death by the police is far from the worst way a person can die, let's assume that it is somehow worse than most. How much of a risk is it? Speaking anecdotally, I know not a single acquaintance who has died by the hands of a cop. I know many who have died in car accidents, a couple who have drowned, a couple drug overdoses, some alcoholism, a couple industrial accidents, many suicides, a tractor accident, a couple of non-cop murders, and, in the last decade, an increasing number of deaths by disease of various kinds. Not a single death by cop. And the official mortality tables support the anecdote.

The top ten causes of death in the USA are as follows:

•Heart disease: 597,689
•Cancer: 574,743
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
•Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
•Diabetes: 69,071
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
•Intentional self-harm (suicide)

So, not only is it certain that you will die, it is very likely that you will die of one of these causes. Many of which would be less desirable than a cop's bullet, in my opinion.

So those of you who live in fear of cops: do you also live in fear of cars? FAR more likely you will be killed by a car than a cop. Terrified by water? Do you loath electricity for the killer it is? Phobic about cancer? Horrified by sugar? If you are being RATIONAL about your fear, those should be the things that terrify you. But they probably don't. Why? Because your fear and loathing of cops is NOT rational, it is emotional. It is tied into other issues that have nothing to do with the real, factual risk at hand. Perhaps it is simply drama - being afraid of the looming police state is more dramatic than being afraid of influenza, even though you are far more likely to die of the later.

But it is your life so BE AFRAID if that is what floats your boat. But don't try and sell the idea that it is rational or the only correct approach for anyone who is awake. It isn't.

As for me, I prefer living a life of humor, love, joy, and appreciation for this amazing world as I carefully try to step over the venomous serpents and open manholes.

Keep your fear. I have no use for it.

That was quite poetic, but your statistical analysis of how afraid one should be of certain things just doesn't hold any water. Just because more people die of certain things, that doesn't mean those things are more to be feared. The only reason cops aren't so high on the list is because people aren't exposed to cops as much as they are to other things, like disease, cancer, or accidents. If a cop does approach you, you have already been singled out as one in a relatively small amount of people who have even talked to a cop in the last month. Knowing that, since you have already beat those odds and are now face to face with a cop, it is quite reasonable to fear him more than water, fire, disease, or other things at the time.

Also, I don't think anyone's trying to sell you the idea that you should be afraid, only that being afraid is not unjustified in the normal sense. The fearless are exceptional, and not everyone can be expected to live like that since it is a normal, even necessary, human reaction to fear danger. Nobody's trying to sell you fear. They are simply stating how a fear is reasonable, and reaction to that fear, often completely justifiable. It is not right to expect people to submit to authority when such a reasonable fear exists, and that is the whole point.

[PaulConventionWV]

Yeah, those would be the ones you call "Sociopaths."

AF, P4P, another Eric Peters post from about a year ago illustrates what I'm talking about:

http://ericpetersautos.com/forum/showthread.php?17780-Cop-Types&p=135380&viewfull=1#post135380

I'm not defending any of the State's pawns, but I don't think they are all deliberately malicious.


Yeah, this is why I can't defend the profession at all. I wonder why the guy's friend felt the need to do that.

If they were the type that fell under the category of "sociopath" (like the guy satchelmcqueen was referring to) I'd totally, 100% agree with this. But if not, isn't education a better strategy? Or have you given up on that?

Maybe its just because I get stressed out with this whole thing sometimes, but I prefer to focus on bedrock principles than singling out specific professions. So, instead of saying bad things about "cops" I'd simply say that since stealing is wrong, its wrong no matter who does it, that since kidnapping people is wrong its wrong to "arrest" someone for a victimless crime, even if you have a badge, etc. Some people will accept that message, most won't. That "most" includes both cops and non-cops, and almost everyone I know, most of whom aren't cops.


Link?

What do you think would have happened if the Sons of Liberty tried to "educate" the British redcoats? Well, likely nothing, at first, and then rebellion afterward when the British were unmoved. Oh, wait, that DID happen!

[Acala]

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." -John Adams

Its not about fear, its about reality. Its about knowing who the threat is coming from and how to respond.

The OP chose the word "fear", not me. And the reality is that the VAST majority of people will never have any encounter with the police that is more than an annoyance. So the threat is truly insignificant.

[Henry Rogue]

It is absolutely reasonable to be afraid of cops these days
Number one terrorist threat in the U.S. today.

[Eagles' Wings]

When I walk in the desert I enjoy the experience. I don't obsess over the venomous reptiles. In fact, I don't give them a thought. There is no fear. There is no brooding over how awful it is that rattlesnakes abound. I don't make constant posts about how everyone should fear and loath snakes. And if I happen to come across a rattlesnake, which I often do, there is still no fear. I simply do my best to avoid them. It doesn't require a lifestyle of fear and anger to deal effectively with the risks that have ALWAYS been part of life on this planet.

Cops are no different than venomous reptiles. (edit: This was careless and I restate it in a subsequent post)

If you have a voice in your head constantly screaming "LOOK OUT" the problem is in your head. Unless you live in a very different world than I do.

Allow me to come at it from a different angle: physiology.

The human body is superbly equipped to respond to immediate threat in the environment. An angry bear comes rushing out of the bushes and your brain instantly recognizes the threat and activates the limbic system. Special hormones, including cortisol, are dumped into the bloodstream. Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, cognitive function speeds up, immune function shuts down, digestive function shuts down, and you have a burst of energy. For a moment you are stronger, faster, and smarter than normal because your body has diverted all its resources to those functions and given them a massive boost. This is acute stress and it is a healthy, natural and effective response to immediate threat.

Unfortunately, the human mind is so powerful that it can induce the identical stress response with thoughts alone. Imagining a bear attack will create the identical physiological response to a real attack, differing only in magnitude. And this is a big problem because although the acute stress response is natural and healthy, it is natural and healthy only because it is temporary and sporadic. When the stress response becomes chronic, things go bad very quickly. In the presence of chronic stress induced not by immediate threats in the environment but by brooding over what threats MIGHT arise, the neurological and physiological functions that are boosted by the acute stress reaction get burned out. The result is adrenal fatigue, loss of cognitive function, immune system weakness, sleep dysfunction, high blood pressure, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, etc. etc. Chronic fear and anger make you LESS prepared when a real threat arises. Chronic stress makes you less intelligent, weaker, less mentally resilient, and more likely to be sick.

The acute stress response to immediate threat in the environment is healthy. The chronic stress caused by brooding over the possibility of threats in the environment is slow poison that, interestingly, leads directly to many of the threats to mortality on the list in the prior post. So while it is highly unlikely that you will be killed by the police, it is highly likely that you will die from a disease that will be exacerbated by brooding about being killed by the police.The distinction you make here is important.

We get a weekly update from our law firm. This week was an educational piece on what to do if stopped by a cop. Don't admit to anything. Don't answer questions, give your id and "papers" and thats it. Breath tests can be refused - with consequences.

Now, this info is empowering and useful for those of us who have been indoctrinated to never question the police. It alleviates fear.


Recently, a rapist, disguised as a cop, brutalized two women in our area. NOW, I will call 911 and verify if a cop stops me. I will not even roll down my window.

[Christian Liberty]

What do you think would have happened if the Sons of Liberty tried to "educate" the British redcoats? Well, likely nothing, at first, and then rebellion afterward when the British were unmoved. Oh, wait, that DID happen!

You want to rebel, I have no problem with that.

I think there might be some cops who can be converted to our side, though. Maybe not.

[PierzStyx]

The OP chose the word "fear", not me. And the reality is that the VAST majority of people will never have any encounter with the police that is more than an annoyance. So the threat is truly insignificant.

Vast? No. The vast majority are just conditioned to accept police abuse as justified.

[susano]

One thing I have a lot of is empathy. Every time I read about somebody's dog getting killed by some psycho cop, I feel real pain. When some innocent person is beaten or murdered by a cop, I feel real pain. I empathize with the people and the dogs and I think of the searing and unbearable pain of losing someone you love to some above the law killer cop. Then there's that whole tyranny thing and having read accounts of people who experienced the worst (like at the hands of the Bolsheviks). Call me "emotional" but I so often think, "Shit. That could happen here. That could be my dog. A SWAT team could break my door down. That could be me.", etc. Though I am a white, middle class woman, and somewhat less likely to have a police encounter, I am effected by those encounters my fellow beings have had and it has changed the way I think about police. I now fear police. Not shaking in my boots, pissing my pants, losing my shit fear, but the fear that comes with knowing these asshole can beat, kill, sexually assault, and they know they can get away with it. What sane person lives in a police state and doesn't fear it? They odds may be that I won't suffer the brunt of it, personally, but I feel diminished by my fellow beings' suffering and I don't like ANY odds that it could happen to me, too. Worse, yet, the odds are not getting better as police are federalized with all the Homeland Security money and training. If I don't fear it now and, more importantly, if I can't empathize (not sympathize) now, when would that become appropriate? What do the odds have to be before I say this is a serious threat and I feel fear about it? That doesn't mean I can't love and laugh and enjoy what's good and beautiful. It means there's a real threat growing in my world and life and I feel anxiety about it.

[susano]

Oh, and, Acala, if I fear for my health I can take steps to guard it. If I fear snakes in the bush, I can wear cowboy boots. In this country, you cannot defend yourself against rouge cops. Or, I should say if you do they will kill you. So, there's that.

[Anti Federalist]

Yup, no doubt, it's killing me.

Trouble is, everybody knows a rattlesnake is trouble.

Not everybody knows that Officer Friendly is not.

I wish I could shut it off, but I can't.

Every Kelly Thomas, every Oscar Grant, every Miriam Carey weighs on my soul and, just like you said, makes me ill.

Because I know this is just the start.

I'm sorry that my children having to face a nation that has gone Full Nazi Retard scares the bejesus out of me.


When I walk in the desert I enjoy the experience. I don't obsess over the venomous reptiles. In fact, I don't give them a thought. There is no fear. There is no brooding over how awful it is that rattlesnakes abound. I don't make constant posts about how everyone should fear and loath snakes. And if I happen to come across a rattlesnake, which I often do, there is still no fear. I simply do my best to avoid them. It doesn't require a lifestyle of fear and anger to deal effectively with the risks that have ALWAYS been part of life on this planet.

Cops are no different than venomous reptiles. (edit: This was careless and I restate it in a subsequent post)

If you have a voice in your head constantly screaming "LOOK OUT" the problem is in your head. Unless you live in a very different world than I do.

Allow me to come at it from a different angle: physiology.

The human body is superbly equipped to respond to immediate threat in the environment. An angry bear comes rushing out of the bushes and your brain instantly recognizes the threat and activates the limbic system. Special hormones, including cortisol, are dumped into the bloodstream. Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, cognitive function speeds up, immune function shuts down, digestive function shuts down, and you have a burst of energy. For a moment you are stronger, faster, and smarter than normal because your body has diverted all its resources to those functions and given them a massive boost. This is acute stress and it is a healthy, natural and effective response to immediate threat.

Unfortunately, the human mind is so powerful that it can induce the identical stress response with thoughts alone. Imagining a bear attack will create the identical physiological response to a real attack, differing only in magnitude. And this is a big problem because although the acute stress response is natural and healthy, it is natural and healthy only because it is temporary and sporadic. When the stress response becomes chronic, things go bad very quickly. In the presence of chronic stress induced not by immediate threats in the environment but by brooding over what threats MIGHT arise, the neurological and physiological functions that are boosted by the acute stress reaction get burned out. The result is adrenal fatigue, loss of cognitive function, immune system weakness, sleep dysfunction, high blood pressure, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, etc. etc. Chronic fear and anger make you LESS prepared when a real threat arises. Chronic stress makes you less intelligent, weaker, less mentally resilient, and more likely to be sick.

The acute stress response to immediate threat in the environment is healthy. The chronic stress caused by brooding over the possibility of threats in the environment is slow poison that, interestingly, leads directly to many of the threats to mortality on the list in the prior post. So while it is highly unlikely that you will be killed by the police, it is highly likely that you will die from a disease that will be exacerbated by brooding about being killed by the police.