Two links today: Well, three actually!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FG_HuFtP8w8

That's Ron Paul. Look at the emphasized quotes! Those are American questions that should be asked by Americans of all parties. Why are we not seeing this from more of our potential leadership right now?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/10/103631/297

A simple, but clear picture of what can happen when we accept the ends can justify the means.

And this: "The idea that it's okay to violate someone's rights if you have "good reason," may be the most pervasive, and the most corrosive, legacy of the last six years."

Damn straight!

IMHO, either the law, and the process surrounding it matters or it does not. This, for me, lies at the heart of my issues with our leadership. Going forward, it is primary over all else.

With the law, and with it reason, intact as an intregal part of our government, solutions to the other matters will be found to be just and true, leaving our votes to decide the color and texture of said solutions.

We all are Americans. We all will share the implications that come with ignoring law and reason.

Having the ends justify the means is a circluar thing, therefore a crime before God and man alike. Go read your Bible and then go read your law, pre GOP since Nixon. We suffer each day we allow this crap to continue. It continues because few of us actually reason. Said reason may well result in uncomfortable insight. Ignoring this may feel good, but is a lie all the same.

(and yes, I'm absolutely gonna read Gore's book and hope he runs)

Edit: A review on Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/10/104044/505

From that review:

"Individuals receive, but they cannot send. They absorb, cut they cannot share. They hear, but they do not speak. They see constant motion, but they do not move themselves. The "well-informed citizenry" is in danger of becoming the "well-assumed audience." - Gore

The drawbacks of such a one-way communications system are apparent to Gore as citizens become disengaged and from the political process that the Founders assumed would lead to robust and informed debates among Americans on the most important issues of the day.

"A well-connected citizenry is made up of men and women who discuss and debate ideas and issues among themselves and who constantly test the validity of the information and impressions they receive from one another—as well as the ones they receive from their government. No citizenry can be well informed without a constant flow of honest information about contemporary events and without a full opportunity to participate in a discussion of the choices that the society must make." - Gore

We do this here! Pat yourselves on the back --then do it again. I'm in fine company here, even if we don't agree. And we shouldn't frankly because none of us has it dead on right.

There is a part of me that wants a Ron Paul type candidate within the Democrats.

Me too. Seriously.

Al Gore.

Maybe. He sure would be my first choice, given his actions lately.

However, he's not an option right now.

Did the police do anything wrong? I have no idea, you have the statement from a big time crook. The police say id didnt happen.

I've been through one of those "police say it didn't happen", or "it happened this way" deals. Ended up getting beat up on my own driveway, tossed in the can, appearing in court an unreasonable number of times, preventing me from maintaining my tri-state work obligations, attorneys fees for a trial, etc...

Over a year and a half later, I end up not guilty on all charges, filed a tort for my court fees back, on the ground they had no case, given the LIES they made on the stand, right before me, the judge, and my peers on the jury. Asked for just my fees, plus the additional attorney costs and got that done too.

End result, big hassle for me all because somebody made a poor judgement and felt the need to cover their ass.

To be clear, I did absolutely nothing, but exercise my right to not have police enter my home, without having either a warrant, or exigent (sp) circumstances. They had neither, and when denied entry, took that out on me. Oversight, in that case fell on my shoulders and expense. It really should have been done prior through training in conflict resolution, and proper vetting of potential officers.

(they are gone, BTW)

There are a lot of good police people, don't get me wrong. They do a good service, risk their lives, etc...

However, there are bad or maybe just poor police officers too. The clown that hosed me over was a furniture salesman before hosing my life up! He was just stupid. The other guy, with a coupla years of law under his belt, along with various criminal justice courses, lied the most!

My point being there is no blanket assumption to be made on either side, only matters of process and policy that need to be addressed.

That will cut the numbers of these things down. Messy incidents like this really illustrate just why we used to have the rights we did, how they matter, and the importance of making sure power is checked with firm oversight.

Had that oversight been in place, this case would likely not be making the news, and that's the greater point here. As we scale back the oversight and make enforcement more permissive, we will only increase the numbers of these kinds of incidents.

Now it's happening at a national level and that's gonna have serious implications for all of us, which again was my point, not the specifics of who might have been wrong or not.