Bad Dream... :(
Thoughts and Politics Blog and Journal
So I had a strange and scary dream. I was driving in some random city, and there was a rail terminal or something where I had to drop a family member off at to catch a train. The drop off point was underground in some sort of tunneled roadway. The light was poor and the directions confusing, and I ended up driving in the direction I thought was out, on a pedestrian only pathway. Then cops showed up and started shooting at me.
The dream scared me quite a bit. The incidents of police shooting innocent unarmed people has been increasing at a fast rate. In the case of the unarmed mother who was killed in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, the police shootings of unarmed civilians has even been cheered upon and given a standing ovation by the senate and our leaders, as heroic acts. Is this not disturbing?
How long will we stand for such abuse of power? I get that being a cop is a dangerous job, but that is one of the realities of the job. Shooting innocent and/or unarmed people, for sport (essentially) is just not cool at all. I also understand that adrenaline kicks in, and miscommunication, and you see your fellow officers shooting, so you want to join in too. But that is still no excuse for such acts. If you pull that trigger, then you should be accountable for a murder.
Imagine if you were ever in such a strange situation, where your vehicle was mistaken for that of a wanted serial killer? And the police open fire on you before they even approach your vehicle? It happens...
So you can't say that, 'well, I don't break the law, so I have nothing to worry about.' I don't break the law either... Nor did those two women who were in that truck in that photo above. They were purely profiled, and fired upon.
Sure the cops likely will get a day or two off, maybe even with pay. But is that really any justice, or punishment for such a serous act. This is someones life here... It could be anyone. I could be your wife, or husband, heading to pick the kids up at school; or coming home from the grocery store...
Seriously people. I am just a visitor here in the USA. I really have no power to vote or sway political action in any manner. But if this was my country I would be very upset. Are you Americans all too pussy to stand up against this stuff, and demand change from your government? So far, it is looking like that is the case. Remember 9/11, right?
It is sad when the loss of so many lives on 9/11 is being used for political gain, and as an excuse to constantly ramp up funding for the police/intelligence/defense budgets. Just look at the graph below...
But I guess we are getting off track here... Either way, this is something to think about, and perhaps contact your local politician about. Unless you think this is all a joke, and you have been so desensitized that none of this matters to you anymore.