No room for double standards

No room for double standards


(I had to almost fight to get this one published mostly intact. Here's the original version.)

The recent tragedy in which a Clovis police officer seems to have run a stop sign and caused an accident that killed a woman illustrates the difference between the way statists and libertarians see things.

Make no mistake: I don't believe for an instant the officer wanted to cause the accident. (Hence the word "accident".) I firmly believe he would do absolutely anything to be able to rewind time and avoid killing the woman were such a thing possible.

However, what is done is done and can never be undone. Accidents are a part of life and will continue to happen no matter what "laws" are passed or how careful you try to be. How you respond to an accident once it occurs shows what kind of person you are.

All I expect in a situation such as this is that the officer be treated exactly the same as any other person involved in the same circumstance. No double standards.

If the officer is to be given the benefit of the doubt, which I think he should be, I expect the same the next time a "commoner" is involved in a traffic accident that kills a police officer.

I expect the investigation to take a long time to conclude, perhaps allow the driver's family or friends to participate in the investigation of the accident, as Clovis police are investigating this case.

Employees of the state are not an elite class. They should not receive any special treatment.