Saturday, September 03, 2005
THE COPS WHO QUIT
The New Orleans cops who quit when their city needed them most are getting dumped on pretty hard. Before casting stones and judging them think about what drove them to give up the badge.
Cops are supposed to protect life, cops are only supposed to kill in order to protect life. They should not kill to protect property. Police Officers should not be asked to risk their own life to protect property. Yet, in New Orleans that is what they were ordered to do.
In the wake of Katrina, New Orleans descended into chaos and lawlessness. Armed thugs roamed the streets and looted. Many of these gun wielding animals probably were pre-hurricane criminals and hated the cops. Many people in poor neighborhoods hate cops. These same people in the post hurricane chaos had a perfect opportunity to kill a cop and get away with it. Especially if some cop tried to stop them from looting.
The cops never should have been ordered to halt their primary responsibility of protecting life and rescuing people. Cops should have been told to stop rapes, stop murders, prevent innocent people from getting assaulted. They should never been taken off that assignment and told to protect property by stopping the looting and go to war with armed bandits.
Most cops don't join the force because they want to kill people, they join because they want to protect life. They also don't join to get killed protecting a television.
If you want to go to war against the looters then send the military. Their job description is to kill people. The military is better equipped and has the man power and resources to do that job. Not the over-stretched, exhausted, emotionally drained local police force who has to deal with the trauma of seeing their city in ruins and have their own family and lives to worry about.
It's not exactly fair to compare the response of the NYPD to Septermber 11th to the disaster in New Orleans. The Officers on Sept 11th acted bravely to protect the lives of people who were under attack. They also would kill any terrorist who threatened the people of this city. This is what cops do. This is not the same type of job the NOPD was ordered to do.
*UPDATE*
The inspiration for this post was when Governor Blanco said something about shoot to kill to stop the looters.
This got me thinking that cops are trained NOT to kill to protect property, in fact a cop will probably get fired and go to jail if he/she did that. Also by shooting at looters the looters will shoot back and I didn't like the idea of cops dying for loot after initiating a kill or be killed shootout.
But it turns out the Governor was giving shoot to kill orders to the National Guard.
My argument to have the military do that job actually did happen.
The New Orleans cops who quit when their city needed them most are getting dumped on pretty hard. Before casting stones and judging them think about what drove them to give up the badge.
Cops are supposed to protect life, cops are only supposed to kill in order to protect life. They should not kill to protect property. Police Officers should not be asked to risk their own life to protect property. Yet, in New Orleans that is what they were ordered to do.
In the wake of Katrina, New Orleans descended into chaos and lawlessness. Armed thugs roamed the streets and looted. Many of these gun wielding animals probably were pre-hurricane criminals and hated the cops. Many people in poor neighborhoods hate cops. These same people in the post hurricane chaos had a perfect opportunity to kill a cop and get away with it. Especially if some cop tried to stop them from looting.
The cops never should have been ordered to halt their primary responsibility of protecting life and rescuing people. Cops should have been told to stop rapes, stop murders, prevent innocent people from getting assaulted. They should never been taken off that assignment and told to protect property by stopping the looting and go to war with armed bandits.
Most cops don't join the force because they want to kill people, they join because they want to protect life. They also don't join to get killed protecting a television.
If you want to go to war against the looters then send the military. Their job description is to kill people. The military is better equipped and has the man power and resources to do that job. Not the over-stretched, exhausted, emotionally drained local police force who has to deal with the trauma of seeing their city in ruins and have their own family and lives to worry about.
It's not exactly fair to compare the response of the NYPD to Septermber 11th to the disaster in New Orleans. The Officers on Sept 11th acted bravely to protect the lives of people who were under attack. They also would kill any terrorist who threatened the people of this city. This is what cops do. This is not the same type of job the NOPD was ordered to do.
*UPDATE*
The inspiration for this post was when Governor Blanco said something about shoot to kill to stop the looters.
This got me thinking that cops are trained NOT to kill to protect property, in fact a cop will probably get fired and go to jail if he/she did that. Also by shooting at looters the looters will shoot back and I didn't like the idea of cops dying for loot after initiating a kill or be killed shootout.
But it turns out the Governor was giving shoot to kill orders to the National Guard.
My argument to have the military do that job actually did happen.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
EARTHQUAKE
DESTROYS SAN FRANCISCO
Sike. Nope, this has not happened but it possibly could in the near future. Here is the scenario.
A mega earthquake strikes San Francisco devastating the city. Buildings collapse, water and power is lost, fires burn out of control. Thousands dead. Highways and roads destroyed. Shell shocked survivors try to evacuate but highways are so damaged they are trapped. Rescue and disaster relief workers are seriously impeded by impassable highways denying them easy ground access to the city. Damaged impassable highways create logjams of cars filled with people trying to escape. Hundreds of thousands are trapped in the city and are forced to make a slow journey on foot to get out. Emergency aid can't get in the city and the population can't escape. Thousands more die as a result. And there's always the possibility of after shocks.
DESTROYS SAN FRANCISCO
Sike. Nope, this has not happened but it possibly could in the near future. Here is the scenario.
A mega earthquake strikes San Francisco devastating the city. Buildings collapse, water and power is lost, fires burn out of control. Thousands dead. Highways and roads destroyed. Shell shocked survivors try to evacuate but highways are so damaged they are trapped. Rescue and disaster relief workers are seriously impeded by impassable highways denying them easy ground access to the city. Damaged impassable highways create logjams of cars filled with people trying to escape. Hundreds of thousands are trapped in the city and are forced to make a slow journey on foot to get out. Emergency aid can't get in the city and the population can't escape. Thousands more die as a result. And there's always the possibility of after shocks.
Jump back in time back to today. Imagine that San-Francisco has been receiving federal funding for the last 50 years to make their highways earthquake resistant. San-Francisco says it needs continued federal funds and requests even more money. President Bush ignores these pleas and instead severely cuts the projects funding.
Would you support Bush's action?
Would you defend Bush?
Would you defend Bush the same way that his funding reductions to New Orleans hurricane protection projects are being defended here?
