Police Abuse Alert! Actions Unworthy of Their Badges
Both stories show examples of police using their position to wrongfully exert authority over those they are sworn to protect. When those protecting us from the bad guys themselves behave like the bad guys, what recourse do we have? We fight.
Do not resign yourself to the situation. We all deserve better than this, in particular the honest cops who suffer “guilt by association” . Make abuses public, lay charges, or file suit, when appropriate.
English Common Law — the foundation of both Canadian and American law — gave us the Castle Doctrine since at least the 1600’s. It was stated very well by the British PM in 1763, “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the crown. It may be frail – its roof may shake – the wind may blow through it – the storm may enter – the rain may enter – but the King of England cannot enter.”
Officials work on our behalf at the “consent of the governed”. But “the governed” have grown accustomed to the State playing the role of parent: providing for them, resolving their difficulties, arbitrating disagreements. This magnifies the perception of power by those who wield it, and diminishes it among those who are being “parented” by the State.
If we empower the government to take our risks from us, to provide our needs, and to make our hard decisions, something happens when we want to say “No!” They will no longer see us as the free citizen warning them not to overstep their authority. They will see a petulant child rebelling against daddy’s incontestable correction.
Fortunately, not all of us are so servile as to embrace Chris Rock’s view of government authority. Far better than Chris Rock’s paradigm is that of James Otis, Jr. who in 1761 denounced as tyrannical these very police actions in his speech with the famous phrase “A Man’s House is His Castle”.
(See SunNewsNetwork.ca for more on the gun seizure story.)
Topic: Police Abuse of Power, Nevada, Canada, Gun Rights, Castle Doctrine, Third Amendment