WTF? (**NSFW**)

[Boomer6]

3 hours ago, HossHarris said:

So the concentration camp guards “just following orders” is valid defense/excuse for you?

This analogy is on par with, "if we can't trust them to wear approved patches, how an we trust them in combat?!"

In the absense of a law passed ordering police to torture, maim, rape, or execute prisoners I don't expect them to be constitutional scholars. We have courts for this.

Its the same reason I don't condemn college admissions officials for executing affirmative action for 60+ years. It was found to be unconstitutional, but I don't hold admissions officials personally responsible for following the law.

Edited Sunday at 06:37 PM by Boomer6

[Smokin]

11 hours ago, Boomer6 said:

It's easy to say they should have just refused. They're officers that are trying to clean up their city and were given approval to execute per the new law. Pardon me for not immediately damning them to hell for doing what they're told. If leadership directs a subordinate to do something unlawful, I'd prefer to hold leadership accountable. Even moreso when leadership just passed a law making it "legal."

 

They may have just been doing what they were told to do.  But that's no excuse.  If your commander gives you a direct order that you know is illegal, you have both a moral and legal obligation to not follow that order.  You also took an oath of office (as the police did or should) to support and defend the Constitution.  A single one hour continuing ed class on the Constitution should have told them that what they were doing was illegal.  If they didn't know better than it is due to willful ignorance.

We are rapidly turning into a police state and the better part of a dozen cops busting a weed store (don't legalize them in the first place) is just another example.  If they really wanted to clean up the city, then go do it.  Start with the violent crime.  There are cities in third world countries safer than NYC.

[Boomer6]

1 hour ago, Smokin said:

They may have just been doing what they were told to do.  But that's no excuse.  If your commander gives you a direct order that you know is illegal, you have both a moral and legal obligation to not follow that order.  

The whole point here is that there is a local law supportig this action. It's not simply a CC telling you to violate a reg. I'm advocating the politicians shoulder the majority of the blame for passing the law in the first place.

[Smokin]

Edit to add: the real military equivalent is a WG/CC writing an illegal sup to a reg that violates Constitutional rights of airman.  Someone has paper to hide behind and enforce it, but that doesn't make it legal/right.  Takes some balls to stand up to him, but it should be done.

I agree that politicians are ultimately to blame.  They pass laws that are blatantly unconstitutional and face zero repercussions.  Like in the case of the California gun laws I mentioned, courts should start holding politicians in contempt for violating the law.  Or I'd love to see someone arrested under an unconstitutional law sue the sponsor lawmaker personally.  Not the state or city, but the person that was responsible.  Might get politicians to think twice about passing bad laws.

Edited Monday at 12:01 PM by Smokin

[Lord Ratner]

21 hours ago, HossHarris said:

So the concentration camp guards “just following orders” is valid defense/excuse for you?

Well that didn't take long. If you can't tell the difference...

 

To me the bigger outrage is *how* these officers enforced this stupid law. Like Boomer said, I don't expect them to be constitutional scholars, but a cop should be fired for treating a civilian like that during a non-violent encounter.