"Signs of the Death of Your Freedom..."

TimK — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:23:09 -0700

This videographer, a native of Poland during Communism, where they didn’t have “free speech” like we do, documents an anti-police-state protest and the police misbehavior that successfully quashed it. And again, The Conscience of Abe’s Turn mirrors reality. (Or is it the other way around?) Watching this video, all I could think was, That’s something the Abe’s Turn police would do. That’s something Baedes actually did! (Not exactly, but yeah, just about. Achieved the same result anyhow. It’s in episode 2.)

The documentarian sums up the following short video: “I realized that in America, you can also be wrongfully arrested and beaten, or even killed, in violation of your civil rights… This kind of incidents are signs of the death of your freedom. And when American freedom dies, what do you think will happen with the rest of the world?” Here’s the video:

This is not an isolated incident in America. It is common practice. And some incidents are much worse. For example, here’s a photo of a woman being handcuffed after the police broke her leg (not for the squeamish!). No, her leg is not supposed to bend that way. But I’m sure it was an accident, right? (Shit! I guess Mira got off easy, in episode 1. BTW, why do the cops in these photos all look like Baedes, just a little bit less ugly?)

Actually, while I was watching the video by the guy from Poland, I was afraid he or his cameraman would be arrested, too, just for being there documenting the whole thing, as Matt Rourke, an AP photographer, was, at the RNC police-state debacle. (Rourke says he was freed because AP “put the whole weight of the company behind me.” Hmm… What if he hadn’t had the influence of a big, multinational corporation on his side?) I’ll have to remember that and work it into future episodes of Abe’s Turn. Of course, no one will believe it…

-TimK

P.S. Just in case you haven’t had enough, here’s the story of another press photographer, which includes the line: “One cop took his stick and poked me repeatedly in the genitals. Another punched me in the face. The entire time I was yelling ’Press! Press! Press!’” The problem with this guy is he had press credentials, identifying him as “a working, professional journalist, as opposed to some drama junkie with a camera.” Except for one thing. The “drama junkie with a camera” has the same constitutional rights as the professional journalist.

P.P.S. I’m trying really hard not to use profanity in this piece, because I don’t really need to. But nothing can really get my point across as well as a string of well-chosen cuss words. Remember what Clyde said to her attacker in episode 4? Yeah, that’s it.

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"Signs of the Death of Your Freedom..."