Authority and Liberty

Update: "Blacks -- in particular, black men -- swap their experiences of police encounters like war stories." - Henry Louis Gates in the New Yorker (1995); from Liberal Cambridge Reflects on Racial Rift (Krissah Thompson and Cheryl W. Thompson) -

You, the reader—veteran, police, Marine, civilian, whatever—this moment are likely criminally responsible for breaking the law.

Be it federal, state, or municipal, you are criminally indictable for violating criminal statutes.

“With the law books filled with a great assortment of crimes, a prosecutor stands a fair chance of finding at least a technical violation of some act on the part of almost anyone,” said Robert H. Jackson.

That was in 1941.

It’s fair to say the sphere of unlawful behavior has expanded immensely since then.

In this reality, we should expect police officers and prosecutors at all levels of government to exercise a measure of discretion, intelligence, and empathy in dealing their fellow citizens, their fellow human beings.

Recent events reconfirm that even approaching this imperative is elusive. The last thing we should do as a society is deprive another of liberty. Only when there is no other way should we resort to this drastic action.

As seen in the actions of Crawley of the Cambridge Police Department or Dalma of the Madison Police Dept [Cambridge and Madison are surely among America' most liberal places with a deep tradition of working for civil rights], too many police, prosecutors, and other politicians seem determined to reject the sage advice of Robert Jackson and are hostile to liberty.

Take Crawley. Does he really not understand why accosting a black man arriving back to his own home would illicit indignation and anger? Welcome home, Prof. Gates.

Apparently not, Crawley just needs to arrest somebody who challenges his imperial vision of himself.

I have a lot of dealings with real police and military veterans through family and friends. And this type of cop or military officer as Crawley is universally reviled; Crawley’s a scumbag seeking out ass-kissers.

Here’s an example of discretion.

A couple summers back, my girlfriend was driving to her sister’s house to dog-sit and house-sit for two weeks. Jackie told me being alone in the house scared her at night, even with the dogs and wonderful neighbors. There had been several break-ins in the vicinity, with one right next door just the week before.

Ten minutes after Jackie left our apartment, she called and said some man was following her in a large black truck as she serpentined through numerous turns to get to her sister’s house. Then as she pulled into the driveway, the guy parked right in front of the house, blocking the driveway.

Jackie was still in her car as she spoke, “Come over right NOW.” It was already dark out, and Jackie was too frightened to walk from her car to the front porch with the man sitting in his vehicle staring at her.

I understood. I drove over fast full of adrenaline and slowly came up behind the car, wrote down the license plate numbers, flipped my brights on and off, got out of my car and walked briskly over to ask the guy what he thought he was doing.

The guy took off, very fast for this neighborhood where 25 mph mean 25 mph because of the number of children usually around.

We called the cops, and this Marine veteran dude came and talked to Jackie and me. We explained the situation and gave the officer the guy’s plates. Jackie thought the guy might have been objecting to her “Out of Iraq Now” and “Peace” bumper stickers since this had happened quite a few times before, but usually not this aggressively. I thought that, 'maybe the guy was just pulling over to make a phone call or to smoke a joint,' and said so to the cop. He nodded and said he couldn't say that, but that I could as the boyfriend.

The cop came back later and asked if we knew the guy in the black truck – he gave us a name and general address. Neither of us recognized the name.

The cop told us the guy in the truck didn’t have any record, didn’t seem to be dangerous, and would not bother us any more. The officer also asked if there was anything Jackie could have done to provoke the man’s actions – like cutting him off in traffic or doing anything that could have been perceived as threatening. She didn’t think so and reiterated that she had had trouble with what some people perceived to be “unpatriotic” bumper stickers. [Shit doesn’t happen when I drive her car I feel the need to add.]

The police officer assured us that after he spoke to the guy, the last place the guy would go to is the address my girlfriend was staying. The officer also would his keep an eye out on the house during the next two weeks while on patrol.

With the police officer’s assurances that he didn’t think the fellow was dangerous, I left. No charges were filed, and more importantly, Jackie felt that the officer had listened to her complains, and she felt safer for his having been there. It was a good example of how police officers should protect and serve. Everyone’s happy, no arrests. End of story.

I Love Black People! Even in Fitchburg

Don't know what your living situation is, but a black man moves in a couple doors up and watch the property taxes in the hood move right on down.

Black people [depicted above-right from Google Images] are like magic this way; no way white guys can do that.

Reprinted below is a short column from last month, and mal invites members of my neighborhood association's newsletter—the Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg, Wisconsin (bordering Madison)—to explain why they ran a house and street number in the Spring issue and accused the people there of being "uninvited ... drug dealers" and printing a less-than-convincing evidential basis for their conclusion. Do please post a comment below.

I called the cops last month and they said they don't know anything about drug dealers at any specific house near where the Jamestown Neighborhood Association [is that whites-only] asserts "(t)here is suspicion of drug dealing".

But after I made several passive observations [that's sociology talk for a non-invasive looking at stuff] near the address the past several weeks, I did notice a few black people walking about. Yes. I see black people.

I do hope that if the people holding ongoing suspicions of drug dealing were to see my brother-in-law [he's a black man] and sister visiting from Milwaukee that they cut them some slack even though he is black as midnight, has a quasi-Afro and often gets downright cocky, taking on a disturbing air of arrogance after winning repeated games of Scrabble, for instance.

Shiiiiiiit, I'm going to go get myself some KFC and a big can of Mickey's.

---

Neighborhood Association as Cop-Wanna-Be

Mar 20, 2009

Fitchburg, Wisconsin - The Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg (bordering Madison) believes that it has seen the enemy in its midst: Drug dealers.

And in its Spring 2009 newsletter, the neighborhood association identifies a specific house number on a street named King James Way, writing that "There is suspicion of drug dealing at xxxx King James Way. ... If we don't let drug dealers know they're unwelcome, they'll come—uninvited," urging neighbors to call the police should they view suspicious activity and "this kind of behavior."

No doubt then, the newsletter is rigorous in supporting its accusation and compiles a compelling fact base before making this specific accusation in its widely distributed newsletter.

Wrong.

The sole piece of evidence in support of its singling out the address in question reads: "Cars have been pulling up and stopping for a very short time period leading to this suspicion."

That's it, a "suspicion". It's reckless to engage in this kind of public accusation without a compelling fact base.

Terrorists in Fitchburg Says Mayoral Candidate

Update: Bill Lueders of Isthmus broke this story at 9:58 this morning.

Mayoral candidate Jay Allen [at right] supports policies facilitating terrorists living in Fitchburg, says Allen’s opponent, former Fitchburg mayor Mark Vivian.

Mark Vivian is a hard worker; I respect him.

But Vivian has reportedly teamed up with GOP political operative (and occasional radio personality) Brian A. Schimming of the Midwest Strategy Group, a lobbying and consulting group in Wisconsin, in Vivian’s bid to defeat Allen on April 7 in this non-partisan mayoral race.

And the results are deplorable.

In a fund-raising letter dated March 9, Vivian writes:

My opponent, Jay Allen, has introduced legislative action to use the City’s police powers to condemn land owned by the Novation Campus, and threaten 2.5 million dollars of your tax money to interfere in what should be a private matter between current tenants living illegally on Novation property and its owners. The illegal tenants have known ties to an organization identified on the U.S. Federal Government list of domestic terrorist groups.

Honestly, this silly fear mongering employed by Vivian is sad, but I doubt Vivian came up with this nonsense by himself.

Writes Isthmus' Lueders: "The (alleged terrorist) group is called Food Not Bombs (a peace group)," Vivian says, when asked what domestic terrorist outfit he was referencing. "They’ve been working with the people [at Drumlin Farms] to organize protests."

Fear mongering is standard GOP fare that fortunately will not play any longer no matter how often Dick Cheney, Mark Vivian, or anyone tries it.

"This is funny," said Allen this morning. "Really, I just don't know what to say."

The John McCain-Sarah Palin-GOP fear mongering presidential campaign of 2008 generated some 37 percent of the vote in Fitchburg last November against Obama-Biden's 72 percent.

Look for similar results on April 7.

As for Mark Vivian, he's a better man than this silliness would lead you to believe.

Below is the picture of political desperation from Isthmus written by someone whose quest for political power has transformed him into a political golem.

Neighborhood Association as Cop-Wanna-Be

Fitchburg, Wisconsin - The Jamestown Neighborhood Association of Fitchburg (bordering Madison) believes that it has seen the enemy in its midst: Drug dealers.

And in its Spring 2009 newsletter, the neighborhood association identifies a specific house number on a street named King James Way, writing that "There is suspicion of drug dealing at xxxx King James Way. ... If we don't let drug dealers know they're unwelcome, they'll come—uninvited," urging neighbors to call the police should they view suspicious activity and "this kind of behavior."

No doubt then, the newsletter is rigorous in supporting its accusation and compiles a compelling fact base before making this specific accusation in its widely distributed newsletter.

Wrong. The sole piece of evidence in support of its singling out the address in question reads: "Cars have been pulling up and stopping for a very short time period leading to this suspicion."

That's it, a "suspicion". It's reckless to engage in this kind of public accusation without a compelling fact base.

What if innocent people live at the identified address? It's best to leave these matters to the police, and not a less-than-careful neighborhood association that apparently lacks a driving commitment to gathering facts before making accusations.

If innocent people live at this address, they likely have been libeled.

Perfect Obama Fieldwork Operation in Wisconsin

Fitchburg, WI - Worked the early shift today at a high turn-out ward in Fitchburg, WI, next to Madison.

We received two separate knocks at our door in last three days.

I worked as an election inspector from 6:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

The register-at-the-poll crowd was huge in the morning, and was steady when I just left now.

Obama people working as poll watchers were numerous; I counted three.

No McCain observers, no Wisconsin DoJ observers (and I was looking for the little bastards to have a word with the folks).

Any Obama supporter IDed who has not voted will get a knock or call.

This fieldwork GOTV operation - and there is every reason to believe that this is what is happening in Virginia and Indiana - is what wins close elections, though Wisconsin won't be close.

Looking good folks.

- via mal contends

Obama Looking Good in Wisconsin

The good news just keeps on coming.

Voting in Fitchburg (pop. 20,501), Wisconsin (Dane County), located next to Madison, was brisk this last week as voters rushed to cast absentee ballots.

Obama should increase the 90,000-vote cushion that Dane County gave John Kerry in 2004.

Republican attempts at voter suppression in Wisconsin are naked, well-publicized and on Thursday or soon after likely be given a legal scolding. [Having too many blacks voting will not play well this particular election as a political message though J.B. Van Hollen and the Republicans will not stop trying.]

Obama endorses SeniorCare in Wisconsin, the popular Prescription Drug Assistance Program, that helps seniors buy needed prescriptions.

McCain favors letting people choose to pay for drugs or not get them. This will help Obama with a key voting demographic here.

And nationally, Obama looks to achieve an electoral landslide.

Colon Powell endorses Obama.

Madison’s West Side Hit with Obama Sign Theft

Numerous reports of Barack Obama signs being stolen on Madison’s west side and the City of Fitchburg have been reported over the last few days.

“We have had a whole bunch of calls of stolen signs, and they're all on the west side of Madison,” said a Madison Obama staffer in a phone call from the Monroe Street headquarters.

The theft victims include the writer of this blog.

A Fitchburg resident on Monticello Way in Fitchburg reports that he heard several young males shouting “I hate that fucking guy! [Obama],” a few nights ago.

A police report has been filed with the City of Fitchburg Police Department (case # 08-14651).