real nice

http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/g148830a.html

thought they are supposed to serve and protect?

"Scores of Houston police officers swarmed onto the Kmart parking lot [in Houston] 12:30 a.m. Sunday [Aug, 2002) and arrested about 425 people for criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor."

Apparently, the officers had requested permission from the Kmart shopping center to enforce No Trespassing laws on their premises in order to deal with possible drag racers. None of the people arrested in this raid were even told they were trespassing, nor were there any signs up. Not only that, but legitimate customers of Kmart and the surrounding businesses were hauled off to spend the night in jail. And, of course, this isn't even the right part of town for drag racing.

"They even arrested a 10-year-old girl who was having dinner with her father and took her to juvenile detention."

"Leanne Williams said her 19-year-old son called her from jail and told her he showed police a receipt for bottled water from Kmart, but he was still arrested. She said her son called her five times from the downtown jail, but police still couldn't locate him at 11 a.m. because his paperwork had been delayed.

"Scott said she didn't have the money to pay bail and so she pleaded guilty to avoid spending another night in jail."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory2/1539629

Some speculation is that the police were just trying to harass the predominantly hispanic population in that part of town.

-Biscuits

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/01/08/shot.dog/

To paraphrase:

Police pull over and arrest a family in their car on vacation, suspecting them of robbery because some money blew off the top of their car from a wallet the father accidentally left on the hood.

While the family is belly-down on the ground, one of their two dogs runs out of the open door (despite the family pleading for the officers to close the doors to prevent this). So the officer shoots the dog in the head.

This is all on videotape. I'm of the opinion that the officer should be shot in the head.

If you really wanna get sick, think about how police dogs would gladly take a bullet to save a cop's life (or a civilian's.)

Bitt, you left out that the dog in question was a puppy that was wagging its tail. And of course, the man blew its head off with a shotgun in front of the children.

This is probably one of the most callous things I've ever heard of a police officer doing, and he was not even suspended.

yn0t, why is that so upsetting to you? Dogs can be as brave or as cowardly as humans. They only choose the bravest to be police dogs, the kind who would naturally defend others with their life. Dogs are pack animals, with a clear rank and of the opinion that the lives of those that are higher are more important. This is their innate nature.

A dog risking its life to save a police officer or civilian is a noble thing. Carelessly or callously risking a noble animal's life, on the other hand, is disgraceful. Because it is more likely to give its life for someone else, you should be very careful about putting it in a situation where that might be necessary.

-Biscuits

This story is unreal... I mean why would you leave the doors of a car open WITHOUT a dog in it? It basically sounds like the guy thought he had a thief and was doing whatever seemed to annoy them.

I think you misunderstood my point. It's upsetting to know that a cop could kill an innocent dog, when almost any dog will defend its owner with its life.

its a really sad story. personally I think even if it was an accident the cop should be given permanent leave. those memories are with the family for life. if he cannot control his firearm better than that then he don't need to be a cop or gun owner.

yn0t, I see that now. Off topic, but how many cats do you think would risk their lives for somebody else? On the contrary, I've heard of cats eating their incapacitated owners when they became hungry.

Back on topic:
We put our faith in these men and women to serve and protect. We expect them to exercize good judgement and fairness at all times, so we are surprised every time we hear about a police officer abusing our trust. I think one of the highest crimes that can be committed is abusing a position of trust and authority, whether through bribery, corruption, covering your own ass, lying, or deliberately poor judgement. Yes, police officers should be held to a higher standard, which is why it is disgraceful that their leadership lets something like this slide without a suspension or a reprimand.

Most officers are going to meet that standard of trust, but we should be aware that the potential exists for that trust to be abused. That is why we have laws about unreasonable search and seizure, speedy trials, cruel and inhuman punishment, miranda rights, etc. Of course, if Ashcroft gets his way, all of those rights will be gone by the time he leaves office.

I am not surprised to hear about the abuse of our trust but I am deeply saddened every time it occurs.

-Biscuits

I've heard of cats eating their incapacitated owners when they became hungry

By incapacitated, you mean still alive?

yn0t, I see that now. Off topic, but how many cats do you think would risk their lives for somebody else? On the contrary, I've heard of cats eating their incapacitated owners when they became hungry.

I dunno, as far as I'm concerned we can take all the cats in the world and grind them up for fuel. Or dog food.

*** with the obvious exception of any cats who are owned by members of this BBS, of course ***

Oh, he controlled it very well. They often show the video tape on the news here. (It was a NC family, and TN is only one state away, anyway.) Fortunately, they edit it so that we don't see the dog's head being blown off, but the officer puts the shotgun up to his shoulder, pumps it, draws a bead on the dog and shoots it as it's running around in circles yards away from him. It's not like he just got scared and shot from the hip. He actively meant to shoot the dog. He thought about it.

Now, he may have gotten scared, as he claims, but I'm more inclined to think that he was punishing these robbers in any way he could think of. Even if that's not the case, what happens when, for instance, he accosts some black guy on the streets, asks to see ID, and then shoots him because the guy draws his wallet?

In reply to:

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*** with the obvious exception of any cats who are owned by members of this BBS, of course ***

---

Well thank god you said that or I would have to kill you
I've seen cats protect their owners by biting someone's ankles or swiping at them. But compared to a dog they really don't have the ability to protect a person.

But compared to a dog they really don't have the ability to protect a person.

I dunno. I've seen cats that are bigger and tougher than many dogs... In high school, I had a friend whose cat was so huge, it used to bring home decent-sized rabbits instead of mice. We used to joke that next, it was going to be a ten point buck.

I'm sorry, but I've become fed up with all the "cats are terrible, mean little creatures." And when you start talking about cats eating their owners then I have to say it's getting just too dumb. I refuse to believe that nonsense.

How do you know a cat wouldn't try to save someone's life? Besides, it's just not the kind of animal that you train to do something like police work. Cats are incapable of some of the things dogs are, and so what?

For the record, I had a dog when I was little, and I loved it. It was a beautiful Samoyed that my parents found at a gas station on the NJ Turnpike. It was a great pet until it died of heartworms.

For the past 17 years, however my family has owned a cat. I love the cat, too. I have come to the realization that many people have bad cats that don't like people and/or are mean to people when they are around. I, on the other hand, have what is possibly the nicest cat on the entire planet. I'm serious about that. I've had her since she was a year old, and in that time she has never once hissed at, bitten, or scratched someone (well, she bites my hand playfully when I'm playing with her, but that's the opposite of mean anyway). She is always extremely friendly. She has never avoided a single person. She is always rubbing up against people, insisting to sit on their laps, and insisting that you pet her or scratch her head.

So, not all cats are mean, and I'm sick of all the bad rep they get. I've met plenty of dogs that disliked me, but I don't label them all as vicious, do I? Nope.


While we're on the topic, I'm also tired of cats always bing portrayed as villains in animal movies. From "Lady and the Tramp" to "Cats & Dogs", they're always the evil animals out to stop the good dogs. How one-sided can these people be? I wish I could find a great Answer Man column on Roger Ebert's site about this, but I can't at the moment.

Hehe, I like how I've sidetracked this whole discussion with one sentence. I just merely stated that I had never heard of a cat saving someone's life, while it almost expected for a dog to try. If you have a cat and you like it, that it all well and good; it doesn't affect me one way or the other. I don't think a lot of people dislike cats because they've seen mean ones in the past, but rather because they wonder whether the cats are there because they care about their owners or whether they are just using them for food, shelter, and being petted. As I have not owned a cat, I can not say one way or the other.

If you want to debate whether dogs are better than cats or vice versa, go for it. I think the original poster wanted to discuss the abuse of our trust by certain police officers. I appologize if I have irreparably changed the course of this thread.

-Biscuits

but rather because they wonder whether the cats are there because they care about their owners or whether they are just using them for food, shelter, and being petted.

The difference between a dog and a cat?

Dog: "The human is feeding me. He must be a God."

Cat: "The human is feeding me. I must be a God."

haha good one faq master.

ask the guy in meet the parents if cats are better than dogs. what was that damn cats name anyways?

cats are pussies.

From Michael Moore's book, 'Stupid White Men':

"In my first film, Roger & Me, a white woman on social security clubs a bunny rabbit to death so that she can sell him as 'meat' instead of as a pet. I wish I had a nickel for every time in the past ten years someone has come up to me and told me how 'horrified' and 'shocked' they were when they saw that 'poor little cute bunny' bonked on the head. The scene, they say, made them physically sick.

Some had to turn away or leave the theater. Many wondered why I would include such a scene. The Motion Picture Association of America gave Roger & Me an R rating in response to that rabbit killing (which compelled 60 Minutes to do a story on the stupidity of the rating system). Teachers write me and say they have to edit that part out of the film so that they won't get in trouble for showing my movie to their students.

But less than two minutes after the bunny lady does her deed, I included footage of a scene in which police in Flint opened fire and shot a black man who was wearing a Superman cape and holding a plastic toy gun. Not once - not ever - has anyone said to me, 'I can't believe you showed a black man being shot in your movie! How horrible! How disgusting! I couldn't sleep for weeks'. After all, he was just a black man, not a cute cuddly bunny. There is no outrage at showing a black man being shot on camera (least of all from the MPAA ratings board, who saw absolutely nothing wrong with that scene)."

Mr. Jinx?

When I was about 10, we had a very large siamese (at least a 15-pounder), which was extremely protective of it's territory, which she seemed to think included us as well. One day a neighbour's bassett hound, which outweighed the cat at least five to one, made the mistake of following me home from school and coming into the house after me. The cat watched it carefully, right up to when she apparently thought the dog got too close to me, at which point she freaked out and damn near killed the thing.

It was pretty impressive. 30 seconds of nasty ripping noises, blurred motion, and a demonic wailing

The dog ended up at the vet, with severely lacerated ears and nose, a slash on it's belly that needed about 10 stitches, a lot of missing fur and blood, and major psychological trauma.The neighbours weren't at all happy, but the dog never came anywhere near our house again, and steered clear of cats as well.

The cat didn't have a mark on her.

On a different occasion, Pixel did her best to disassemble a cocker spaniel that was several times her size, when I made the mistake of jokingly telling her to "get it". Off the bed and out the door like a shot, followed by loud yips and clouds of fur. The owners of the dog were really pissed off, but I had told them that if they didn't stop their dog crapping in our yard I'd set the cat on it.

Pound for pound, cats are far more dangerous than dogs. They are, in my experience, at least as loyal to a family or person, but from a completely different point of view.

Mind you, I've known some very nice dogs, but on the whole I prefer cats.

pca

but I had told them that if they didn't stop their dog crapping in our yard I'd set the cat on it.

ROFL

On a different occasion, Pixel did her best to disassemble a cocket spaniel that was several times her size, when I made the mistake of jokingly telling her to "get it". Off the bed and out the door like a shot, followed by loud yips and clouds of fur. The owners of the dog were really pissed off, but I had told them that if they didn't stop their dog crapping in our yard I'd set the cat on it.

my eyes water with laughter picturing that scene unfold.

"If your dog craps on my yard one more time, I'm gonna staple his ass shut!"

In reply to:

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I've heard of cats eating their incapacitated owners when they became hungry.

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Don't get me wrong I like dogs, (prefer them to cats actually due to allergies) but dogs do some pretty terrible stuff as well. There was an old lady in my hometown that went out to feed her Rotweiler... Her family came to check on her only to find one of her arms chewed off and her face missing. Not to mention a kid in a town a few miles away that had to have 50 or 60 skin graft operations on his arm after a run in with the neighbors pit bull....

It's all about how you raise your pets... even cats.

If you want to debate whether dogs are better than cats or vice versa, go for it. I think the original poster wanted to discuss the abuse of our trust by certain police officers. I appologize if I have irreparably changed the course of this thread

Sorry, it's just that your sentence implied a superiority of dogs over cats, and I've gotten tired of that because it's a common opinion. Cat owners seem to be less vocal about their preferences.

But if I were to compare the two, I would pick a cat because they require far less maintenance. I don't have to walk it, I don't have to bathe it, and I don't have to pick up it's droppings. Plus, I'm not a fan of the whole "dog smell" thing. I have never been to someone's house and not known that they have a dog the second I walk in the room.

On the other hand, I do agree that dogs can be better companions. They are much more energetic, and that makes them better friends. My best friend in high school had a golden retriever. It was the stupidest dog I've ever met, but it was playfull and would chase the dot of a laser pointer until it was close to death


ps-Oh yeah, and those cops you're talking about suck

Hehehe... I have owned both cats and dogs. Personally I prefer cats. (don't tell my dog) The main differene as far as I'm concerned is simply size and domestication. Drop a dog off in the woods, it'll likely starve before it learns to hunt. A cat, however, hunts even if it has food nearby. Just for the fun of it. you hear a lot of stories about dogs maiming people, but you rarely hear of a 15 pound dog maiming anyone, it's always the lerger breeds, simply because they can. If cats weighed in at closer to 60 pounds, I wager we wouldn't be keeping them as pets. They're just too "wild". As far as the smell thing, the same can be said for cats. I don't care how clean the litterbox is, I can always smell them. My dog lets me know when he wants to go out, I let her out, no problem. Then again, I live in a rural area, so my yard is rather huge. (around 8 acres) I CAN say that in my life so far, I have been wounded by my cats far more than by my dogs. I still have a couple scars from my cats.

Oh, and I only have a dog now because my gf is allergic to cats. Not that I don't want a dog... oh nevermind. Actually, the only type of pet I've never owned that I wanted to was a sugar glider. Those are cool... I just don't know if I can pay it enough attention. (They are so social they will literally die of loneliness)

and it continues. expired for a decade??

http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/g150199a.html

Since when does only 27 weapons constitute an arsenal? I don't see how they justified confiscating them. He let the permit on his 3 "alleged" silencers expire, but he doesn't need a permit for the rest. If he ends up convicted, he loses his right to have the weapons, which means what? He gets to sell them? 27 weapons could be half a year's salary for him.

-Biscuits