Dislike of cops does not equal love of thugs
The world is filled with misunderstandings. Those of us who love liberty often find ourselves at the focus of one when we point out the similarity between LEOs and the freelance thugs with whom they have a symbiotic relationship. Every time I show distaste for a cop acting like a gangster when faced with a member of the public, certain people make the faulty assumption that I sympathize with the aggressive elements of society and wish to see them running amok, preying on whoever they wish. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Since when does intense dislike of cops equal love of "criminals"? I dislike cops precisely because I dislike those who prey upon the innocent. There is no longer any meaningful distinction between the cops and the freelance thugs cops use to justify their unjustifiable existence. Both live upon theft; either freelance or "tax". Both thrive on coercion. Both have a perverted "us vs everyone else" attitude. But of the two, the LEOs are far more dangerous because they do what they do with a false sense of moral superiority, wielding a monopoly on force, and backed by the coercive "authority" of government.
Cops tend to vastly overestimate their own importance, and grossly underestimate the capacity of most of us to take care of ourselves without their "help". Perhaps it is projection on their part. I have never been in any situation where I called the cops, or was even tempted to. The thought never crossed my mind. I am aware that there is no situation so dire that it won't be made orders of magnitude worse by adding a cop to the mix.
And speaking of cops acting like the thugs they are brings up another subject. Giving cops the means to electrically torture people with whom they have a dispute was probably one of the worst powers ever handed them. Cops use Tasers much too readily. A Taser should never be used if a gun would be "too much". If you are not stopping an attack or a theft in progress when you draw your weapon, firearm or electric, then you are the attacker. A person not showing the respect you mistakenly think is due you is not a dangerous threat. A child running away from you is not reason to torture that child, unless you are a coward and a bully. If you are a cop and can't handle a 6 year-old child, you should go get a real job. Tasers are not "non-lethal", but "less-lethal". Cops think Tasers are a license to torture. Well, combined with a badge, I suppose they are right.
