When the Charleston City Police Department issued a proclamation that tailgate drinking would not be tolerated at a Dave Matthews concert on the 4th of July, SA pointed out the often misplaced priorities of both modern government and law enforcement.
WTMA commentary broadcast 7/8/08:
6 Comments
The prevelant mentality of ‘I AM the law’ amongst may law enforcement folks and political bosses such as Joe is dispicable. No single person is the law and has the right to infringe on others’ rights. I don’t need permission to drink a beer someplace – that’s a natural right from God – not Joe.
I’m indifferent to illegal immigration, but yes, I see your point and it is a good one. Corporate America breaks the law every day, but the system goes out of its way to enforce silly laws instead of doing anything about the big problems.
The reason for this schizophrenia: money. Municipalities generate money when they hand out alcohol tickets worth hundreds of dollars, thereby getting funding to help secure the employment of government employees. On the other hand, deporting illegals doesn’t generate revenue. The only principle being followed is job security.
Jim Dallas, the System is the problem – not just the people running it. The charade they hold every 4 years is smoke and mirrors.
It is to Mr. Hunter’s credit that he didn’t fuel the fire of class-war by commenting on the reasons why someone would participate in an art walk as opposed to attending a Dave Matthews concert. He kept to the point: namely, the wastefulness of concentrating a trained police force on minor law infractions such as drinking at a public event for the political advancement of a single public servant (Mayor Mullens).
Like Dallas, I am indifferent to immigration. I see this mentality played out more specifically in our nation’s current drug policies. The incarceration of over half a million non-violent drug offenders is responsible for our country having the highest prison population of any nation on earth. One reason why is because political hopefuls pander to the conservative “get tough on drugs” attitude in our country to get elected. Also, much of our national policy over the last seven years has been based on Christian conservative values, which by their very nature are authoritarian and repressive. We have wasted countless police man-hours and hundreds of billions of dollars convicting and imprisoning users and small-time drug dealers, instead of concentrating on apprehending the big-time drug kingpins of organized crime. They always get off scott-free because of their money.
There are several cheaper, more pragmatic, more effective models of drug policy already in existence that have proven themselves admirably. But so many people and institutions are being made wealthy by our nation’s current “war” on drugs, it will take an act of God to change it. So I guess I agree with Palmetto Patriot: the whole system needs a serious review.
Actually, it isn’t Christian conservative values that are authoritarian and repressive. Rather, it is the Christian conservative model of biblical justice that is to blame for punishing non-violent drug offenders as harshly as murders, rapists, and other violent offenders. My personal opinion is that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. So I try to the best of my ability to practice the principles of honesty, open-mindedness, willingness, courage, humility, and goodwill in my daily life