dagblog - Comments for "A Devastating Comment From The President"

I'm just commenting on a

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 23:03:26 +0000

I'm just commenting on a blog, I'm not making vicious comments, and I certainly don't make comments on what you say more than many others, nor do I seek you out.

I was unclear. "The Ghetto"

jollyroger — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:11:45 +0000

In reply to I never said Gates should see

I was unclear. "The Ghetto" is a place, not a state of mind. Skip Gates does not live there. Thus the Crowley/Gates episode is inapposite to my comment.

But you're lovable, and

Ramona — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:24:52 +0000

In reply to OMG! I make mistakes! Also,

But you're lovable, and that's what counts.

We've been through this

rmrd0000 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:59:31 +0000

In reply to I just write my opinions

We've been through this before. Our "discussions" wind up diverting the conversation and have destroyed the posts of other bloggers. Feel free to express your opinion with others. I think the other bloggers would appreciate posts being free of our often vicious exchanges. I have tried to be polite. If you persist, I will report it as harassment.

I just write my opinions

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:25:13 +0000

In reply to Please resist the urge to

I just write my opinions based on what I read and what I think. Who reads them is their business.

Please resist the urge to

rmrd0000 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:51:01 +0000

In reply to So what would you recommend

Please resist the urge to engage in conversation with me. We disagree on a host of issues. You are free to share your views with others. I just don't care what you think.

So what would you recommend

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:36:04 +0000

In reply to If the police repeated treat

So what would you recommend if a neigherbod watch Zmmerman-type got into Gates' house when he saw Gates shoulder in the door? (the 911 call did say a Hispanic man...) Would you want the police to check up on Gates' well-being - make sure Zimmerman isn't in the kitchen with a gun, or just assume that the owner opened the door so everything is okay?

Re: a bad hip, how do the police know for sure someone answering the door is unarmed, and how does having a bad hip prevent him from shooting?

One interesting item I found now Googling was that the idea of "domestic disputes being the most dangerous situation for police" is actually not founded in statistics of actual danger, and results in police taking a more defensive posture for personal safety instead of a more effective strategy.

The same book goes into whether the police help, and something like 95% of the women in Detroit who called 911 for domestic violence felt the police made the situation better. (understandably, the men often didn't think they helped, but the statistics show the arrival as lowering further violence). But it's doubtful that the overall public is aware that 95%+ women were happy with the results of reporting violence, meaning the police suffer from bad PR, and it hurts their ability to help people.

Obviously Gates' case wasn't a domestic dispute, but the book helps to understand a bit police reactions and the complexity of the issue from their side.

http://books.google.cz/books?id=9jCJXOxKXoUC&pg

It would be interesting to

rmrd0000 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:24:34 +0000

In reply to If the police repeated treat

It would be interesting to see if protests in Jasper, Louisiana changed police behavior. It would also be interesting to know if the behavior of the Cambridge, Mass. police force towards the black community have changed since the Gates incident. If changes in approaches to blacks by police have been made, it would support protests against aggressive police behavior as a means of changing practice. Even if police behavior didn't change, there is no reason that people should just bend to the will of an "occupying force". Protest is an American value. Protest can be in the form of a lone individual with a degenerating hip or a several thousand strong march.

"Reasonable" is the key word

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:38:15 +0000

In reply to Except Trayvon Martin did not

"Reasonable" is the key word here. But yeah, I can't seen any reasonable in this case.

If this is what "stand your

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:33:34 +0000

In reply to One thing that remains

If this is what "stand your ground" means in practice then that law has to fall, regardless of the original intent. "Unintended consequences" indeed.

That was my point. The law is flawed. I'm sure that Zimmerman is flat out lying. But without witnesses, can a prosecutor prove that beyond reasonable doubt?

I don't know enough details about how the law work holds up in court. Maybe this was simply a gross failure by the authorities. But what I read about the law suggests that the law itself has made this possible.