In case you missed it: Another instance of truth is so much more brutal than fiction, and another example of how the so-called corruption of the fictional Abe’s Turn cannot yet begin to approach reality.
In brief, 100 police put down a peaceful protest march by Iraq war veterans at Hofstra University during the McCain/Obama debate. The veterans were marching in protest of the war and asking questions they wanted the presidential candidates to answer. A police horse trampled Nick Morgan, Iraq war veteran, on his ribs and face, breaking his orbital in three places. He was then affirmatively denied medical treatment. Much more at the links below.
Now, there’s a petition on Nick Morgan’s behalf, denouncing the treatment these veterans suffered at the hands of the Abe’s Turn cops, and demanding charges against him be dropped and a public apology be issued.
This Sunday, I was talking with two people—about something completely different. One noted that Abraham Lincoln (after whom Abe’s Turn is named) had dissenters arrested. I then mentioned off-hand that politicians always put down dissenting opinions, because they can, and they don’t like people disagreeing with them. That’s why, I said, Bill Clinton occasionally had dissenters arrested, and why Bush rounds them up into “free speech zones,” where they can protest all they want without being noticed. The third person looked confused. Yes, the first said, this is happening today.
If only she knew the whole story.
Here’s the whole story, with photos and video… not for the squeamish:
- The Story of the Hempstead 15 (1/3)
- The Palin Response, Ron Paul, and an Iraq War Vet’s Testimony (2/3)
- Are You An American?: The Police State vs. the Hempstead 15 (3/3)
-TimK
P.S. If you think the term police state is too strong, you may find my comments on the Helena-West Helena police state interesting.
Comments
Re: Police Tramples Protester's Face with Horse
As before, Not enough information is presented here to make a determination of police wrong doing. I ride my horses just about everyday (or two to five days a week) and have done so for 15 years. I can’t tell you which foot the horse is going to move next - maybe that makes me less than an expert rider - maybe not. I can tell that sometimes when I put my leg on my horse’s side and bump the reins the horse takes a step in the opposite direction than I intended.
So if that is typical - and maybe it isn’t - what happens when a police office is telling a an unruly crowd of people to move back. They refuse the order - there by becoming criminals - and someone trips under the horse’s feet? They get stepped on? Who’s fault is that? The horse? The policeman trying to control a crowd of idiots? of the idiot who refused to follow orders? Elsewhere on your site you mention that a criminal defense lawyer advises that when a cop tells you to do something - YOU DO IT.
Oh-And unruly comes from:
“un” - meaning “not” and
“rule” - meaning “control”
The point of a horse in crowd control is that the crowd is supposed to be smart enough to not mess with it - as in the “tiniest dog with a big bark” and still runs-away when an elephant stamps it’s feet. What happened to the other couple hundred people who moved away when the policeman told them too?
Re: Police Tramples Protester's Face with Horse
If I were to drive my car through a crowd, even if the crowd was not supposed to be there, I’d be liable for damages for injuries. And I’d probably be arrested, too, and rightly so. That’s why you’re not allowed to run down jaywalkers, even if they are too stupid to follow the traffic signals. (What about those other pedestrians who actually waited for the signal to show “Walk”? What happened to them?)
But even if the trampling was an accident, that doesn’t justify denying him medical care.
BTW, at last report, criminal charges have been dropped. And Nick Morgan (or the Hempstead 15 on his behalf) is still planning to sue.
-TimK
UPDATE: Says Nick Morgan:
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