Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Am I the only one disturbed?

Have you ever watched the A&E show "Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force?" It's one of your typical cops shows, U.S. Marshall's flying around the country (at tax payers expense) nabbing "bad guys." The show always begins with a 5 second disclaimer that says something like- "This show is about U.S. Marshall's hunting down 'alleged" criminals... all suspects are innocent until proven guilty..." blah blah blah. Supposedly the disclaimer is supposed to protect the people being arrested should they be somehow innocent of the crimes they're accused of.

Every time I watch the show I find myself more and more disturbed by several things. First off, the U.S. Marshall's are willing to (and do) step on the toes of everyone they come across in their endeavors to track down the "bad guy." Whenever they go to check on a possible lead, if they even bother to knock, they ALWAYS enter the leads home, without asking permission, and I've NEVER seen them present a warrant. I don't know, maybe I've missed something, but I thought there was supposed to be a warrant involved?

Once inside the home they treat everyone (EVERYONE) like crap, they get in faces, demand answers, push people around, threaten, intimidate, swear, yell, blackmail, etc. They do all of this in hopes that they will get another lead to point them in the direction of their target, even if it's just a phone number. All the while the camera is taking footage of the home, often in shambles (not expecting the company) in what I can only assume is an effort to show how "crime" is always linked with poverty, dirty homes, etc. 

Eventually they end up finding the poor sap after intimidating the hell out of countless individuals, and haul him off in their expensive black SUV's. Occasionally they will arrest someone with a real disgusting charge against them (the kind I would otherwise have little sympathy for,) but most of the time the "criminal" is guilty of some drug "offence." 

So let me get this straight, the police have the right to use whatever means necessary short of murder to intimidate anyone they choose into revealing basic information about some dude that smoked weed? Hold up! Isn't this a double standard? Physical force used to punish the associates of someone who committed a victimless "crime?"

I don't know about you, but there is something seriously wrong with that picture. If you don't see it, perhaps you need to reevaluate the meaning of "the golden rule." Drugs are nasty things, but they don't warrant the kind of behavior the US Marshall's delve out. PERIOD.


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