General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Look, I thought I was the most cynical person on Earth. But these [View all]caseymoz
(5,763 posts). . . much less a slippery one. I'm no friend of the police. I been appalled by police behavior many times. I'm also a believer in civil liberties and freedom.
But I can't see the abuse, here. I haven't heard of one person arrested for leaving their homes (though I have heard at least one who was afraid the press the issue). I can't see the possibility that this sets a precedent or "slope" of any sort. These guys had already killed four people, injured or wounded 170, shot 200 rounds at police, and were throwing bombs, and they put the request or order up to stay off the streets after that unfolded.
Police kept their request or order up until they finished their search, then took it off when they didn't find the perp. Now, if they hadn't found him, and were in any way abusive about their power, wouldn't it have been more expected that they'd keep the request up until they did?
No, this is one time law enforcement clearly worked the way it's supposed to. A rare occasion, to be sure. It really pries away at progressive credibility, IMHO, to make this an issue, and makes Conservatives look better by comparison.
And as I said, people got to do pretty much what they wanted to do anyway: stay away from bullets and explosions, get a day off and watch some very good reality TV. That's a good deal, especially if you're automatically excused the absence and are on salary.