Police Brutality? Nope, just another day on the job...

I saw this clip a few hours ago and still cannot wrap my mind around it.  About a year ago, a man was shot and paralyzed in what seemed to be a standard traffic stop.  The police officer claimed that he felt that the man "had a gun," but no weapon was found on his body.  I have provided a link to the dash cam video of the incident

Video

You tell me, at what point during the situation did the man on the bike pose any threat?  He watched his friend huck his bike over a curb, turned to see what the cop was doing, and took a bullet in the spine.  I didn't hear the officer shout any warnings or any directions, and there is audio accompanying the vid.  After shooting, the officer screamed at the victim to get his hands up.

Gee, officer, I would really like to put my hands above my head, but the hunk of lead you planted in my spinal column has different ideas.  Guess he forgot he doesn't live in the Old West, where the adage "shoot first, ask questions later" was the first chapter in the deputy's handbook.

The officer is facing 2-8 years in prison if he is convicted of felonious assault.  The jury must decide if the officer was justified in shooting the 24-year old.  I must now ask, what jury would find in favor of the officer after seeing that video??  That officer has a snowball's chance in hell of getting off of that rap.

It is completely embarrassing to see that these are the people that we allow to be police officers.  Now, I understand that traffic stops are dangerous, but there also has to be a bit of restraint shown on the part of the officer during one of them.  And where did the other police car come from?  Did he call for backup because he was chasing down two guys for a jackrabbit start?

It sickens me that officers like this are under our noses.  I'm not one to scream about "The Man" coming down on me, as I have had multiple positive encounters with police officers.  It worries me that it's only a matter of time until one of these bad eggs comes down on me or someone I know.  Wait, I know of someone like that....

A few months ago, my father was pulled over at the end of my road by a state trooper.  Now I will be the first to admit that I don't live in the bumbling metropolis or even suburbia.  I live in the boonies.  To even see a trooper in our neck of the woods (yes, pun intended) is an event in it of itself.

The officer performed multiple sobriety tests on him, such repeating certain words and following the flashlight, and finally demanded that he take a breathalizer test.  My father had informed him multiple times that he hadn't touched any alcohol that night, but the officer insisted that he was lying.  Dad agreed to the breathalizer, and informed the cop that it wasn't necessary, because it would come up .00.  Lo and behold, the machine beeped and showed .00.

Instead of calmly walking away and telling my father to have a nice night, the officer decided to rip the mouthpiece off of the machine and chuck it into the grass.  He then proceeded to berate my father for "touching the yellow line" and having a tail light out.  My father stood there and took it, and once the officer threatened with both tickets he retreated to his car.  Five minutes later, he came back out and told my father to "get home, you're lucky tonight."

These are the types that are patrolling our highways?  How can anyone take them seriously anymore?  I have respect for authority, but at what point do you say "fuck you, dude!"

Thankfully, not all police officers are like this.  I will say that the police friends that I do have are good guys and wouldn't be the subjects of these stories.

My advice to people is that if an officer is mistreating you or their power over you, get a name, badge number, and report them.  A complaint to the department goes a long way.

Grinding Gears

This Grinding Gears segment is taking a bit of a step back from the car world, and going a bit political. I try to keep my head out of the political realm, but this one really chapped my ass.

Last week, 5 high school students in CA were sent home from school for wearing "inappropriate" t-shirts to school. The assistant principal felt that the shirts, which bore the AMERICAN FLAG, were inappropriate because it was May 5, and that they "could offend other students."

These kids were asked to leave around noon, and no complaints had been placed to the principal's office against them at that point.

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy throwing back a tequila or two on Cinco de Drinko, but to say that they can't wear a shirt with the american flag on it because it is a Mexican holiday?? We're in the United States of America, if you don't like patriotism, then get out.

The kicker is that Cinco de Mayo isn't a holiday that is recognized in all regions of Mexico! It signifies the day that the Mexican militia defeated the French Army in the Battle of Puebla. The capital city of the Mexican state Puebla celebrates this day, and it is somewhat recognized in other parts.

Mexico's independence day is September 16.

The level of "political correctness" has gone way too far in this country. Now we're infringing on our own basic rights to speech and expression for the sake of hurting someone's feelings.

Now, some argue that if this should be allowed, then kids should be able to wear whatever they want to school based on the same principle. There is an easily discernible line between what is and isn't appropriate. I don't think that a kid should be able to wear a shirt that has foul language or images of death/sex to school. It's not the place for them.

Plus, there has been a softening of rules that I have seen in recent years, and the effect of this hasn't been positive. Kids are rude, brash, brazen, and don't have any respect for authority. Everything they ask for is given to them, and the sense of entitlement is out of this world. No one wants to work for anything, they just want it all handed to them on a platter.

What better reason to give these kids for rebelling but to persecute them for being patriotic? Can you say, 1776?

The parents of these kids are considering suing the school district. I say, bravo! Kick them where it hurts, and make a statement for the rest of this country that there should be no punishment for being patriotic.

Hopefully someday soon we will start to realize that this country is getting further and further out of our control.