Burger and Fries with Extra Lettuce (drive thru with guns)

Josh: Do you ever eat at McDonald's? People always say they'd never eat at a place they've worked before, especially Mickey D's. Its why I never got a job at In-n-Out. I always though it would ruin it.
— July 26, 2009 9:19 p.m.

President Obama is Stupidly

I haven't read many of the 103 comments above but I wanted to weigh in since there was so much discussion before about the Busby fundraiser incident. First, clearly Obama made a huge tactical error in commenting on this. He had a big press conference to talk about healthcare and the story ended up being his answer to this one question. He has lost the discipline he had in the campaign. I hope he learns a lesson from this experience. (I also hopes he stops relying on the children in congress to accomplish HIS goals.) Second, I have to acknowledge the relative restraint of Sgt. Crowley. He didn't pepper spray or taze anybody. He comes off in his interviews as a professional, genuinely nice guy doing his job. He could have slammed Obama but only went so far as to say he was "disappointed." I thought it was pretty classy. You never know whats in a man's heart but I do not believe that beyond the description, race had anything to do with the treatment of Prof. Gates. Third, I'm pretty sure that Gates was acting like a jerk in this situation. The police were there to protect his home which had already been broken into and he was being a total prick. He couldn't believe that all those years of teaching about racial profiling from his ivory tower had visited him personally. Most of us would have probably seen this as a acceptable intrusion. Now, with that said, I don't believe he should have been arrested. Here's why: It serves no purpose beyond the cop showing the citizen "who's boss." If only words are being used, the cop can simply leave, like any one of us should and would do in that situation. Is a reasonable person really going to try to have someone arrested who curses them out? I don't think so. The cops probably wouldn't even show up for that. They may not like it (and neither do I) but part of the cops job is to put up with verbal abuse. Contempt of cop should never be an arrestable offense.
— July 26, 2009 6:12 a.m.

Burger and Fries with Extra Lettuce (drive thru with guns)

Seems like cops using the drive through is almost always bad news: In this case, a cop thinks he was short changed and pepper sprays a 17 year old. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPseyY0Vg0E In these two cases, the employees add a special ingredient to the cop's meal: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1026051loogi… http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0… Here, an old lady got arrested by the impatient cop waiting behind her. http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/24/grandmother-… The first class of Day 1 at the academy should be, walk inside!
— July 26, 2009 5:47 a.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Thank you Josh. I don't want any money. I don't even necessarily want him fired. I just don't want this hothead to shoot somebody who doesn't deserve it. If he can be educated and corrected that's fine with me. Whatever gets the job done. The last thing I'd want is for other citizens to have to pay out of their own pocket for his actions. i just know that I would sorely regret it if I didn't go forward with this.
— July 10, 2009 10:46 a.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Josh: I am in the process of filing a complaint right now. Its kind of ridiculous to argue that the incident doesn't pass the "smell test" because I've done "nothing about it" when it occurred less than 48 hours ago. I'm certainly not going to post it here but I will be sure to let you know the results of the investigation. BTW, the incident you posted is TOTALLY different from the old lady fundraiser. From what I can tell, these guys were right to get tazed, arrested and probably even worse. They broke the law and then assaulted an officer. Rickey: You can bet all you want. I'll take your money. 2 unbiased witnesses approached me to tell me the cop was totally out of line. You have absolutely no idea what happened and you're willing to bet on it based on an incomplete account written by a stranger on a comment board? How much are you laying down? Don't make hasty generalizations or totally off base inferences about people or events you know nothing about. This was my first negative interaction with the police EVER. That's including times when I've gotten a ticket. FYI: SFMC stands for Semper Fi Marine Corps. I definitely don't have a problem with authority. Lets turn it around and see if it works on you: Based on this guys comments he is obsessed with "AUTHORITY". He is one of two things: A weak, yellow, coward with no spine to even stand up for his own family or a power hungry little tyrant who cannot stand to have his word questioned. Either way, he has no morality whatsoever and would either give his rights away for nothing if he were challenged or take someone else's if it suited him. How's that for accuracy? I think its much better than you were able to divine about me from a couple of phrases. The fact is, I don't respect anyone, authority or not, that does something to hurt my child. Even if I did have "a problem with authority," that is irrelevant. We live in the United States. There is no requirement to "respect authority," despite the years of brainwashing you've endured. You must obey the law, period. You don't have to bow down to those who enforce it. You sound like Eric Cartman.
— July 10, 2009 8:40 a.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Wow, I thought this would be dead by now. I have to agree with surfpup619 (ad hominems aside). I understand the sentiment that you should be totally polite and deferential to police. I had an incident this very day where I was sweet as pie to a cop and got treated like a criminal (along with my 4 year old daughter!) We were innocent bystanders and this guy acted like the deputy in this case (except luckily, we didn't get pepper sprayed). Despite my comments here of standing on my rights, etc., I basically chickened out and cooperated totally and let him be in charge. Meanwhile he violated about 4 different rights. He also mistreated my daughter. Frankly I could kick myself for not standing up to him. It only proved more to me the importance of showing cops what their true place is in our society--our servants. DEFERENCE DOES NOT WORK. I will never allow myself to be embarrassed like that again in front of my daughter.
— July 9, 2009 2:30 a.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Josh, With regard to your original post, given some of the comments here, have you changed your mind on any of these issues? Do you still believe that walking away in your own kitchen is the same as driving away at 70mph on the freeway? Do you really think that these rich democrats hate cops? That assuming 99% of noise complaints go smoothly, (whatever that means) its the 1% standing on their rights who are the "problem with society?" Should we all hand over our ID's and be detained for longer than we wish? Is it OK for the cops to harass ANYBODY, even those who are not nice to them? If so, then we've got more to talk about. When is it the cop's fault? You had a cop who acted in a manner which probably broke the law. It sounds like your detention was "unreasonably delayed" which violates your civil rights. This proves that cops are sometimes in the wrong. I know the title is "Stupid Cops and the Stupid People Who Hate Cops" but you really do absurdly contradict yourself. You show your experience with a bad cop and then you disparage anybody who is against bad cops. If you look at some of the posts at the UT website, other cops have posted saying how much they hate stupid cops. It causes them a whole bunch of problems and compromises their safety. The title of your post should have been "Everybody Hates Stupid Cops."
— July 7, 2009 1:28 a.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Ponzi: Spot on! Excellent post. I'd only say that perhaps you shouldn't throw up. That might give them some evidence. I actually abhor drunk drivers. I've reported what I though was drunk driving on a few separate occasions. I am one of those people who doesn't drive at all after drinking, even a little. As much as I hate them, I hate violation of due process and the 4th amendment even more. So much is done in the name of "making a cops job easier" even for the noblest of causes. But in the end, it does more harm to the country.
— July 6, 2009 11:05 p.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

Josh: Its not true that you will be arrested as long as you're dealing with an honest cop. The monkey tests are usually used to establish reasonable suspicion leading to the probable cause use of the field breathalyzer. If they can't get to that point, they have to let you go. And if they do take you in without probable cause, you have the right to suppress the evidence. We're obviously defining "have to" differently. You're saying "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." What I'm saying is that when we get to a point when you "have to" allow your Constitutional rights to be violated, we are in trouble. Your line of thinking allows for and accepts bad behavior by cops. I know that rights can be inconvenient and sometimes (albeit more rarely than people think) let guilty people go free but that is the cost of having the rights to begin with. I think its well worth it. Your friend sounds like a really good cop. I like those. I think we all should avidly encourage those kinds of people to be cops. Something cops seem to forget is that the police SERVE THE PUBLIC. Sure, they shouldn't have to take their shoes off all the time but just that attitude would go a very long way with most people. They are the ones who have to prove themselves to us, not the other way around. You're right about noise complaints 24/7. Its a PC 415 violation. However, the police have to see/hear it themselves or have a civilian make a citizen's arrest (with the officer acting as representative). In this case, we don't have that. I'm not sure what you're referring to when you mentioned people at the party "seeing it one way." I mentioned the neighbors not hearing anything (until AFTER the cops showed up). Its not disputed that Busby was done talking when the cop showed up. The main dispute is what happened after he asked for DOB. By the way, once the cop gave you your citation, you could taken off. When he started lecturing, instead of calling him a d**khead (even in your own mind), you should ask if you are free to go. He "has to" say yes.
— July 6, 2009 10:57 p.m.

Stupid Cops and the Stupid People That Hate Cops

"That’s the nice thing about pepper spray." refried: I'll take a tazing over pepper spray any day. When its over, its over. Pepper spray is the gift that keeps on giving. Especially when you take a shower later on. OUCH!
— July 6, 2009 8:58 p.m.