Why do we HONOR Veterans for Protecting us but Disdain Police for doing the same thing?

[Bandit]

While there are always going to be assholes in either the Service or the Police we should never throw out the baby with the bath water. Police are every bit as much heroes IMO as our Veterans. I am very thankful they are there, maybe even more so than our military..

[immoderate]

1. Killing American citizens is not "the same thing." At least in my mind.

--imm

[Bandit]

2. I guess killing foreign citizens is just fine with you though..

The Police help for more people than they hurt. I can not imagine what our world would be like if they did not exist. We would be up against armed Tea Baggers every day of our lives with no one but ourseves to protect us.. No I like the way things are ...thank You

[immoderate]

7. You are shifting positions. The issue is "protecting us."

Police who kill Americans are not protecting them. That they are usually vindicated is disturbing.

--imm

[Bandit]

9. Soldiers killing civilians are not protecting us either, in fact they are creating more enemies

There are more parallels than differences.

[immoderate]

10. But it is the differences that are the issue.

--imm

[Bandit]

11. So do you believe we should not have a police force?

If you don't believe that just what the hell are you arguing about?

[immoderate]

12. I think the police should avoid gratuitously killing citizens.

--imm

[Scootaloo]

3. Why? Let me show you this...

You see, the difference is, when a police officer does this:

The department finds no wrongdoing, and the court system gives a light probation sentence.

When a marine does this:


This is what the police do to him:


...And after an internal investigation, find no wrongdoing, and deny that it ever happened at all.

I'm not one to fawn over veterans, especially volunteers. But to compare them to the police forces in the United States is something that should be taken as an insult.

[Iggo]

16. ^^^^ End Of Thread.

[hfojvt]

4. most of the people who pretend to honor veterans

also will pretend to honor the police. It's all part of the military industrial, prison industrial corporate complex.

The $50,000 question is - who protects us from the protectors?

[dionysus]

5. .

[Ranchemp.]

6. I think it's the fact that the police forces in this country

are becoming far too militarized and that they are far more willing to shoot first and ask questions later.
The fact is that this is just a perception pushed by the media, not the militarization part, but the shoot first ask questions later, most cops go through their whole career without ever firing a shot in anger, but the only ones that are usually heard of, are those that fuck up royally.

Most cops are just trying to get through the day and go home alive and hope to hell they don't have to shoot or kill anyone.

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. If there were as many reported and documented cases of soldiers killing civilians...

as there are of racially-motivated harrassment, mistreatment of suspects, brutality and aggression by the police? we wouldn't.

[Tikki]

13. Who disdains the police? There are bad cops, bad soldiers, heck there are prob even bad firemen..

bad is bad…there are amazingly honorable police persons..etc.


Tikki

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. I didn't protect anyone when I was in the marines.

[geek tragedy]

15. Who's 'we?'

In general terms, cops are more hated on the counter-cultural left because they're a symbol of state power being exercised against citizens. And, when they do cross the line, it's citizens that bear the brunt of it.

That said, the cop-hating element of the counter-cultural left is a fringe group with no pull at any level inside the Democratic party.

Even those with the biggest axe to grind against police abuses--urban communities of color--don't engage in the silly cop hating. They hate the abuses of police and constantly lobby for police to respect their communities and their rights.

But, they also object to the fact that police are ABSENT from their neighborhoods too much. Because, as it turns out, more cops means fewer drug dealers, shootings, etc. They recognize the positive role that they need police to play in their communities.

See, e.g.,

http://lee.house.gov/press-release/congresswoman-barbara-lee-introduces-resolution-honoring-four-fallen-police-officers