The Conscience of Abe’s Turn - free speech - Comments

Re: Why Bother Burning Books When You Can Just Throw Them Out?

An Avid Reader since '89 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:43:23 -0800

That is absolutely the most despicable law I’ve ever heard. Books are SUCH an important part in‘ preserving history! And we’re just dumping it in the trash because some kid *might* die of lead poisoning, even though it’s never been documented!? What next? Will we have to throw out heirloom furniture because the wood *might* splinter and hurt a kid? Must we burn vintage fashion because the fabric *might* spontaneously unravel and choke the wearer? Appalling, disgusting, and deeply distressing.

Re: Why Bother Burning Books When You Can Just Throw Them Out?

Heidi Gohn — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:49:09 -0800

Wow. What a shame. I collect antique children’s books and this makes me sad. I’m betting there’s lots of people out there dumpster diving for them, though.

Re: Police Tramples Protester's Face with Horse

TimK — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:44:00 -0800

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:

There’s an investigation that’s been held up while we get the criminal cases out of the way. So I think that investigation is going to be opened up. We have a whole litany of items that the police officers were in violation of, including constitutional rights, civil rights. So if it goes to court, it will be tried by a federal jury so they’ll be able to discover evidence.

Re: Police Tramples Protester's Face with Horse

Bob Suruncle — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:08:45 -0800

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?