In the land of the free...

[drcuriosity]

Right. This is a somewhat long-winded post that contains political/legal system/law enforcement commentary. But it's 6:20am, and I've got too much thinking in my head. Read away, or scroll down past it if you'd rather. Comments, flames, etc...


New Zealand has some crime issues, and some issues within its police force. There have been a number of high profile cases recently where police officers have been seen to be doing Bad Things by some of the public and especially by the media. Said cases are important, and we should indeed strive to reduce the amount of Bad Things happening both in law enforcement and in the wider community. I think you'd find that most cops would agree with you there, believe it or not.

However.

While we concern ourselves in New Zealand with a police officer shooting a man approaching him with deadly weapons who may or may not have been trying to kill him, or an Armed Offenders Squad member hitting an elderly jaywalking pedestrian at midnight when rushing to a call... there are far, far worse things that could be happening in our law enforcement, and in our legal systems. Here's an interesting tale from a Canadian who was resident in the good ol' Benighted States of America. [Link courtesy of nnnslogan.] The guy did a bad thing, certainly, but that kind of systematic abuse of power... it's sickening. And in no way am I implying that this is what happens every time - but to my eyes, it's enough. More than enough.

Our little backwater here in the South Pacific may have its Issues™ from time to time, but there are other places in the world that have Subscriptions™ - new Issues™ seem to turn up on a monthly or even weekly basis. While I like the concepts that America nominally stands for, and I've liked most of the Americans who I've met personally (even some of the homeless people panhandling at me in San Francisco) - I suspect any plans I may have previously had for emigrating there are something of a memory, and one that's receding more and more quickly as the months pass, nowadays.

I may still want to visit you guys again some day. As long as my love of truth, liberty and freedom doesn't get me branded as a dangerous subversive and denied entry. Best of luck for getting something healthy and sensible out of the next elections. I fear you may need it.

Comments

[glissom.livejournal.com]

While we concern ourselves in New Zealand with a police officer shooting a man approaching him with deadly weapons who may or may not have been trying to kill him
They're not still going on about that are they? Personally I feel that the officer responsible should have been given a nice cup of tea and a sit down and told that he did the right thing and then given some psyche leave to recover. As it is he's had to move away from rabid relatives and is still probably living in fear for himself and his family.

Hitting pedestrians sucks but these things happen when your going fast. If it was all lights and sirens then it was just unfortunate. If not then the officer is supposed to be going slowly enough for that to not happen.

If people are looking to pick on the police then they are starting at the wrong end of the heirarchy.

[electricmstress.livejournal.com]

I've read the danger_army link. Thanks for posting that.It is the stuff of nightmares- the life crushing variety and not a light cliched statement - I recommend others read this.
Last night I was making bitter comment about the pedestrian kill and various other incidents involving "Police Cockups Thru the Years". My ex brother in law was an officer in this city and he unashamedly told us of covered up violence against the public by his squad and the "confiscation" of property from suspects which would never surface again.Which only confirmed the things I'd been told.
However, reading your link has made me thankful for being in a country where I believe that integrity still outweighs bastardry in the force.However cynical I can get.

[synicbast.livejournal.com]

I suspect any plans I may have previously had for emigrating there are something of a memory, and one that's receding more and more quickly as the months pass, nowadays.

As with me, except on a more permanent basis. Finalised all the necessary conveyancing/immigration paperwork so Kate and the girls could move from Arizona to Vancouver as soon as the newborn is fit to travel. Seattle position finally expired once and for all; there's only a certain amount of leeway a uni can keep a position open for in the current US climate, particularly with the rising opinion against outsourcing and a disturbing increase in xenophobic attitudes.

Even with the possibility of a Kerry Presidency (and with the electronic voting system going in place, that's no sinecure), I'm wary of putting my family in a position of vulnerability on a "family values" area.

P-J

[drcuriosity]

Can't say I blame you, there. I hope things go well for you and yours.

Vancouver sounds like a nice place to visit too, come to think of it.

[jwm.livejournal.com]

Of course, saying that some other place or group of people are much worse is that same sort of handwaving that the wingnuts on the Right are using to excuse the torture and abuses that U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the world over have been up to since 9/11. "We're not as bad as the terrorists!"

Which is bullshit, of course. There are objective standards to judge their behaviour by. And the New Zealand police force isn't so squeaky clean that we shouldn't be asking questions like, why don't we have an independant police conduct investigation authority?

And questions like, why don't the police have a medium range low lethality weapon they can use, before resorting to firearms?

[drcuriosity]

That's exactly why I made a point of qualifying the post by saying that we do have some important issues that we need to address. It wasn't meant to be apologist for the way things are in New Zealand at all - because really, we have few to no excuses for the piss-poor efforts being made to reform law enforcement in this country.

While the fact that we're knee-deep in shit rather than neck-deep is a small comfort, I'd still far rather we had no shit at all. Worrying about the "little" things is important, because it lessens that chance of having "big" things to worry about later. Nothing is trivial.

[electricmstress.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Nor did *I* mean "Yay us! NZ, Land of the Just!". As a nation I think we are overly compliant and unquestioning and therefore uninformed of our "military", police and govt activities.

If it was a game called 'In the Shit', I would rather be knee deep than up to the neck. Sadly, there are no medals can be awarded at this point for clean service record, just lesser degrees of civil discomfort and unrest relative to degree of shit.

- Moderately Alarmed of NZ

[loonyt.livejournal.com]

Another reason why I'm glad we dont share a land border with the USA

ACK!

[iceprincesswhn.livejournal.com]

So, having grown up in the United States, daughter of citizens, grand daughter of citizens, etc., can I just state that I get more frightened and more saddened by my country every day? I'm marrying into a family who all have FBI files because Daniel's Grandfather was a member of the Florida Communist Party for about 2 months in 1934. Two months. When the FBI came to question his Grandmother, she told them, in no uncertain terms, that if they didn't leave her home, right then, she was going to tear her own blouse and run into the street screaming rape. My own mother has had things thrown at her, our house has been vandalized, our car sabotaged, our pets abused, our garden torn up, all because she happens to be a lesbian. I've been called a "Pink-o traitor terror supporter" just for saying that our president is unintelligent and misguided. I've had my books knocked to the floor and trod upon, just because I enjoy reading things that have no pictures in them. These same boys, the ones who used to bully me, and threaten my mother grow up to be police officers. FBI agents. Figures with authority and power. People like the Child Protective Services people who used to call me into their offices (out of school!) three times a school year, as my mom was a lesbian and therefore must be sexually abusing me! I'm scared to do anything anymore. I want to live in the USA I was raised to believe in, not this twisted Lewis Carroll version of it.

Re: ACK!

[drcuriosity]

I believe in the principles of America - good ol' Classic America as it has traditionally preached itself to the world. It's the love of those principles that makes it so difficult for me to tolerate what the country seems to be practising. If the state really was a bastion of liberty, equality and freedom...

I'm starting to get the feeling that someone needs to write an Animal Farm equivalent about democracy this time around - "All animals are equal; some animals have better lawyers and tax breaks than others."