I guess it's just easier for me to put myself in the shoes of a cop who just needlessly (had the alleged suspect surrendered) put himself at potential great risk for the public good, than it is for me to put myself in the shoes of a criminal who put all concerned at risk for his own selfish motivations.

Please don't get me wrong. I certainly agree that police brutality is horrendous and they deserve to be prosecuted. Restraint on their part is to be expected and I'm not condoning their actions. It's just that I better understand the mindset of being angry at someone for overtly disobeying a lawful order, thus putting them at great risk, than I do the mindset of someone intent on getting away with a crime and putting others at risk in the process...

I wish I was that optimistic. It's the proximity factor that keeps my hopes in check.

So what's your favorite kind of trouble to stir up? hmmmm?

same same for me, except for the still looking part.

Good answer and I'd expect no less from someone so thoughtful and and well versed as yourself, not to mention obviously quite popular overall.

Maybe "giving up on the idea of meeting anyone on line" is the way to go. It seems certain to take the pressure off and allow one to just be themselves, which is the only way to be earnest really imo.

Thanks for the good words.

I'm not about giving warnings. I am about heeding my own intuition though... I hope to not compare (too much) any future relationships to past ones.

On the positive sentiment. Same to you with cherries on top.

I'm here to share thoughts and ideas in a relaxed, casual and friendly manner. Sometimes I stray from that desire insomuch as I respond to negativity or something I disagree with in not so friendly ways, but I usually regret it to some degree because to me, conflict isn't all that fun.

How about you ?

To flirt? To debate? Just plain bored? For attention? To stir up trouble? To make friends?

All or none of the above?

Spill it!

There's a damn good reason they (the police in the field) are called "The thin blue line".

My opinion is that since they take on the responsibility of enforcing the law, then yes, it goes without saying that they, themselves, should be above reproach in that regard.

That being said, I also feel that the full gravity of their responsibilities and duties should be taken into full account when judging their behavior in the course of their duties.

We in America are supposedly guaranteed through the constitution a "jury of our peers". I'm not sure that every tom, dick, and harry, alice, brenda and mary who's quite adept at internet surfing and televion viewing but has never put not only their life, but also the future welfare of their families on the line for "civic" duty is qualified to judge them.

At least I don't feel that I'm qualified to do such... When I'm at work, I don't risk being in pursuit of someone or multiple someones who could do anything to get away and only God knows what, should they accomplish that get away. If you're a cop in pursuit, you don't know WHO you're chasing. For all you'd know, it could be a serial killer or even Osama Bin Laudin (sic?).

They'll probably stay fired and be ostracized for what they've done. Shame really... Not for what they did wrong, but for all the times before then when they may have contributed in very positive ways.

"When we do good, nobody remembers. When we do bad, no one forgets".

Although he'll likely be traumatized, I hope the young man (victim) in question recovers and goes on to lead a productive life, but I wish he'd decided to follow police orders to surrender that day.

#1 Finally get to the point that my business is self administering.

#2 Tour all the best pubs in Ireland.

#3 Teach my (at this time) 19 mo. old grandson the correct chords and fills for Stairway to heaven on guitar.

#4 See Paris in the springtime with a new love.

#5 Finally have my thesis on " Why we'll lose the drug war and the resulting effects in modern society" published.

#6 Dive the Andrea Doria. (scuba)

#7 Participate in the Pamplona encierro in Spain. (running with the bulls)

#8 Make the final mortgage payment on property bordering the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (long ways to go on that one)

#9 Become adept at whittling.

#10 Develop rock hard abs at least once before I die.

#11 Die like I was born, ie toothless, bald headed, naked, and in the bed with a strange lady.

Well, since you insist on pointing out the writing errors of others, I might point of that your own writing skills are lacking in perfection. You frequently end your sentences with prepositions. You use semi colons where a simple period would be proper. You often don't capitalize the first word of a sentence and you use split infinitives.
This is all off topic but since you seem to feel that proving a point is more crucial than displaying common courtesy, I agree with you on the "mea culpa" sentiment.

Yes, clearly... Two wrongs don't make a right. The suspect stole and ran. The police caught him and beat him. The suspect's alleged motivation was to steal and get away with it. The cop's motivation was to catch an unknown perpetrator and in the heat of their pumped-up-adrenalin-filled state of mind, punish him for putting them them at risk.

Both parties were wrong, but I have sympathy for the cops because they don't set out to do wrong, it's a crime of passion. I'd bet that had they even had two minutes to cool down, it wouldn't have happened.
True that they are held to a higher standard, and professionalism dictates that they push their own emotions aside, yet I don't know anyone who doesn't get angry at being made to feel fear.

Cops are human too, is all I'm saying.

I'm not saying their reaction is justified, but to be realistic and fair, cops are only human. When you take your chances and flee from them, it's a natural tendency for them to enter into a state of high stress and anxiety.
After all, they're charged with potentially entering into harm's way by chasing and apprehending suspects who they don't know from Adam. They don't know that the subject isn't going to turn and fire on them, take hostages, commit a desperate car jacking or what...
During and after a chase, their adrenalin levels go off the charts and I'd dare anyone to always maintain their composure in a life threatening situation like that...
It's easy to judge them as criminal by witnessing the end result of the chase, but I doubt that many who would dismiss their behavior so assuredly actually put themselves in the cop's shoes while the chase and all of its potential for disaster are occurring.

Again, I'm not saying it's right, but anyone who's ever been in a combat type situation understands the tunnel vision you experience while coping with a deadly serious threat, and a chase IS a threat. It's a threat to potentially any innocent bystander, as well as the officers involved in the chase.

jmo

Actually, on the automatic music part (as in a musical ?), that would be unnerving as hell.

That's not her typo. She was quoting someone.

Not that I have a dog in this hunt, but you do seem a little condescending in quite a few of your postings. It leads one to suspect that you aren't out to make friends in the forums.
A little courtesy would go a long way, should you wish your responses to appear otherwise.
Not to state the obvious, but this IS a social networking site. If proving your point is more important than making friends, I suppose you'll accomplish that goal, for what it's worth...

Yes, plenty of great experiences. No one to reminisce about them with but yes...

I feel smarter too. It would have been nice had we both had good role models for parents. We were both from broken homes.

I feel plenty more informed on the matter. Maybe that education will pay off some sunny day. Maybe not... Time will only tell.

I sort of think it's too bad that it's not part of a public school curriculum. "Relationship success 101". It seems so important to a happy and healthy adulthood for some of us.

Last I heard there's a 50% divorce rate. Good for lawyers I guess... I'm not sure who else though.

" Experience is the harshest teacher because you have to fail the test, before you get the lesson"

You're smokin

Yeah... I guess I know at least a few couples who don't think twice before making disparaging remarks about each other. I can't help thinking to myself that their future together is less than hopeful.
As an outsider it's so apparent sometimes. It seems a shame...

I was married for nineteen years. If I was still married, I'd maybe be worthy of giving advice. It was blissful and wonderful at its best, but mind bending and gut wrenching at its worst.

If I ever decided to commit to it again, I'd avoid (like the plague) codependency, resentment, and complacency. I'd always and in all ways keep in mind and heart that compassionate communication is the key to empathy.

To me, marriage isn't a piece paper. It's a declaration to the world that we stand together against all comers.

Then again, what do I know eh...