Rep. Cynthia McKinney, If she can punch a police officer and not get arrested why can't we all do it?
452867
People in positions of power, regardless of race, often receive a lot of leeway in legal matters that would land most of the common people in jail. Consider Ted Kennedy (got away with manslaughter), the head honchos at Enron (getting off pretty light compared to all the people whose retirements have been ruined), O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake (they should team up to catch the "real killers") and the list goes on...
1006075
I do believe that refusing a lawful order from a policeman, such as to get out of one's car, is a clear violation of the law, and is considered resisting an officer. \n\nPersonally, I think such people should have some teeth knocked out with a truncheon and a few lumps put on their heads, but that's just how I roll.\n\nAs for the dog, if the owner can't control it in a crowd, while the police are arresting someone on the ground, it certainly is the correct call.\n\nAgain, personally, I think that breaking it's little spine with a well placed truncheon blow would be better, but that's how I roll. I don't take kindly to vicious dogs on the loose.
352649
Cynthia Mckinney has always played the race card. Ever since she got into public office and even before. Her father was an activist for "black rights", not "HUMAN rights".  This same incident has happened 4 times in the past and each time she has claimed "racism" as the cause. She was not wearing the special pin given to members of Congress FOR ID PURPOSES. Nor was she carrying her Congressional ID and just BLEW thru the security checkpoint.\n\nTHIS is an example not only of the "entitlement" mentality, but of the racism that seems to be sprouting up with CERTAIN "black leaders". Not saying ALL black leaders are racist, just noting that SOME have shown racist tendancies LATELY.
317832
Assault on a police officer - with or without a cell phone in your hand - is a felony. The officer should have cuffed her, taken her to the station and booked her, congresswoman or not. The fact that he did not showed that he was being more than gracious to her. \n\nShe, however, is refusing to take any blame for the incident ... as if this officer - who was doing his job to protect her and everyone else in the building - was somehow beneath her.\n\nThe "race" cry is a red herring. I say, show us the surveillance tapes (you KNOW there have to be some recording a checkpoint inside the House), and the issue will be closed. Of course, she will have a nice orange jumpsuit to go with her oversized flower brooch and hairdo ... but hey, that's justice.
372793
Yeah, they can pretty much do what ever they want. Right now my brother is sitting in jail because an officer said he kicked a car door into his leg. This is considered assault on an officer, and that is a felony. If he is convicted he could serve 2 to 10 years. It sucks because we can't do anything about it, and it is all because this officer wants to lie.
439843
Only if the Capital Police officer that assaulted her is charged also. It is their job to recognize members of Congress. He failed to do his job and laid his hands on her first.
976068
I guess I am qualified to answer this.  I was a police officer in London for 30 years and am somewhat unique in that I was both shot and stabbed.  I was trained to use a firearm for over 20 years.\n\nThere are several different issues here, one of which is that we select police officers based on certain criteria, none of which is their ability to use a firearm.  It therefore goes without saying that many serving officers, if not most, will not have the skills (either practical or emotional) to be armed.  We do NOT recruit people into our police forces in order for them to kill our fellow countrymen.\n\n(As far as one of the other contributors to this answer is concerned, just about the only "accidental" shooting was of Charles de Menezes, and we all know WHY he was shot.  I think everyone in the police understands that that was a terrible mistake, but the mistake was not made by the firearms officer, who acted (a) in good faith and (b) in the belief that he was protecting the lives of many other Londoners when he fired his shots.  There are several other controversial ones, but unfortunately all you ever read are headlines without knowing the full substance behind the stories.\n\nHowever, the most pressing argument against officers being routinely armed is this:  at present officers attend many incidents where physical contact is involved; pub fights, domestic arguments, theft, assault; whatever you can possibly think of where, ultimately, the police officer and the alleged criminal come into physical contact.\n\nAt present, in the vast majority of instances, such physical contact results in a peaceful arrest or solution to the dispute.  In a few it involves a scuffle or worse.  Rarely, if ever, does it involve a confrontation by the officer with a lethal weapon, for the very simple reason that most people do not carry such weapons.\n\nHowever, arm EVERY police officer and the difference is apparent.  Every single time a member of the public comes into contact with a police officer he or she has the opportunity to become an armed criminal by the very simple expedient of overpowering the officer.\n\nMany of our new breed of officers are of very slight build - the smallest I ever saw (I left in 1998) was a 4'10" girl at Brixton, who was the same size as a 12-year-old girl.  It takes very little imagination to see how just about anyone could get her gun off her.\n\nThus, with every officer armed, every single incident they ever attend has the potential to become an armed incident.  This would require a profound change of policing practice which would be only of benefit to the police officers, who would be duty bound to protect themselves, and of no benefit whatsoever to the public who they serve.  Officers would have to become very aloof and distant.  That is the total antithesis of what we expect in a British police officer.\n\nWhat we DO need is an armed response that is available at very short notice - it was always my view that the system that I left was nowhere near good enough.  I understand that armed officers are more readily available nowadays.\n\nThe other measure that could be taken to protect society (including police officers) from armed criminals is a robust sentencing policy (which we aren't going to see).  In my view, anyone arrested for carrying a knife unlawfully should go to court in the first instance.  If convicted they should receive a custodial sentence of 12 months without remission.\n\nSimilarly, anyone convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm should receive an immediate custodial sentence of 14 years imprisonment.\n\nFinally, in your example of the house where the shooting took place, the decision not to enter was nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not the officers were armed.  It was a very poor management decision by a senior officer.\n\nUnfortunately, in these days of liberal academic senior officers, many of whom are selected to fill some sort of quota, such poor dec
342464
THEY CAN. THIS COUNTRY IS NOT READY FOR IT YET. STILL SOME IGNORANT IDIOTS HERE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ARE RAISED TO HATE PEOPLE NOT FROM THERE OWN RACE. I SERVED UNDER GEN POWELL AND WOULD VOTE FOR HIM IN A HEARTBEAT. BUT, IF HE WERE ELECTED HE WOULD HAVE ASSASINATION ATTEMPTS ON HIS LIFE, BECAUSE SOMEWHERE SOME REDNECK JERK WOULD TRY JUST BECAUSE HE HATES MINORITIES. \n AND THERE ARE RACIST ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY, EVEN IN VERMONT AND IN MAINE.
672109
First of all, you probably ought to learn to spell- the word is "poll".  Second, why would men and women hitting each other EVER be ok?
684870
Get real-\n\nIf OJ got off,\n\nIf Sandra McKinney got off,\n\nIf Alcee Hasting can get elected to office after being impeached as a judge,\n\nIf Marion Berry can get re-elected mayor of DC after hustling crack,\n\nWhy do you think this guy has to worry.  After all, they only have about 100 hours of tape on him.\n\nHe's formulating the race card right now.  If only Johnny Cochran were alive to save this poor persecuted soul.
383570
As a woman with African roots, I was embarassed by McKinney's actions and then she played the race card which was just downright insulting.  She should be held accountable for her actions and apologize to the Officer she assaulted along with the charges being upheld; her race being the extreme reason why she should do this!  I don't care who she thinks she is because she is abusing her authority!  She is NOT above reproach nor the law.  Shame on her!  It is people like her the pushes the stereo-typing in the first place!  McKinney didn't cover her mistakes, she exposed them.
515029
I think our society is becoming more communist everyday. These laws are quietly passed by legislature to feed the government more money (you're right) You should really stop complaining and start getting involved with your government on a local level and on a state level. Write to your congressman and tell them how you feel. Might not change anything today, but if we all write and b!tch long enough, we may just get what we want, it worked for Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X. Our forefathers in America bitched and fought hard for what we used to have- FREEDOM. As for COPS- These are puny pawns who enjoy being used by the government machine. They are small men and women inside, that's why they have to feel important carrying a gun and bullying little gals like you. Why do you think it takes 5-10 cops to pull over a black guy? Because they know they don't stand a chance, black men are lightening quick to disarm a cop of their bully weapon, and stand up to them on a man to man level. Women cops you say? The only female cop that pulled me over, didn't even come up to my car window, she called for 2 back-up squads. She didn't belong on a police force- she belonged in a quilting bee! (along with the other pu$$y cops)
412142
Uh, thats not aggrevating an officer.  I think you are allowed to aggrevate them as much as you want, as long as you arent obstructing them.  But what you described is pretty serious, expect some jail time, before being deported.
1085707
Why not-we have plenty here to do the job. People need protection--fact-there is trouble there. And they will be wittinesses to everything.
624973
Because society keeps coming up with new reasons to lock people up.  Used to be, two guys get into a fight, the police show up tell everyone to cool off and go home.  Now they are both locked up and must somehow find money for an attorney to defend them against charges of assault, assault with intent, making terrorist threats, etc.  Used to be we had peace officers, now we have law enforcers.  Completely different mindset.  We are a vindictive people who want to see everyone (except ourselves) punished to the fullest extent, for the most petty of infractions.
939505
Every person who attempts, by means of any threat or violence, to deter or prevent an executive officer from performing any duty imposed upon such officer by law, or who knowingly resists, by the use of force or violence, such officer, in the performance of his duty, is punishable by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\nIs this what you were looking for?
933485
You CANNOT beat up your neighbor (or anyone else) without violating a penal statute for assault. It would be justified if the other person was beating you up first and then you could be acting in self-defense.