On Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 8:16 PM, Michael Dinowitz wrote: > > Innocent until proven guilty applies until someone shows reasonable signs of > an illegal action. My example was decided by the police as being a
I get it-- two white boys in an expensive looking car deserved to be pulled over if they're driving in Harlem, or whatever. Same deal for a couple of black boys driving an inexpensive looking car in Vale, or whatever. You /seriously/ don't get how bad of an example (yet logical sounding, on it's face) that is? > reasonable sign of a drug buy. Note the term reasonable. To bring it into > the conversation, being Muslim or looking like a Muslim alone is not a > reasonable sign of anything. Being a Neo-Nazi alone is not a reasonable sign > of anything. Being Amish alone is not a reasonable sign of anything. BUT > being of a specific group and doing things that are outside the norm for > that group which is also inside the norm for crimes associated with the > group IS a reasonable sign to be examined. > 1. Amish, Muslim, Neo-Nazi - people > 2. Hanging out outside a synagogue multiple times at strange hours - > non-standard actions for people > 3. SOME members of the group are associated with violence against the > location where they are hanging out - reasonable suspicion > The Amish do not fulfill part 3. The other 2 do fulfill part 3. Part 2 alone > may warrant at least a second look for anyone but when combined with part > 3... Guess it depends on your idea of "examined". > Person: So Michael, why are you down on Muslims here? Can't they hang out by > a synagogue at 1am every night? You're judging them as Muslims. > Michael: do you have a reason to be hanging out by a synagogue at 1am in the > night? You do? OK, but I'll be suspicious of you being there almost as much > as I would of someone stereotypically related to desecration of synagogues. > Person: You're stereotyping. That's bad. Naughty Michael. We don't do that > in our polite society. Don't assume guilt, everyone's innocent until > convicted of a crime. alledged crime > Michael: What can I say, I'm a paranoid who thinks that there are people out > there who hate me and are willing to hurt/kill me. One of my favorite movies has a quote, and while the movie itself it totally un-related to this discussion (Ballroom Dancing), the quote, I think, is quite on point: "Don't live your life in fear" And if you must, /please/ don't try to make me live in fear too. Life is too short. -- Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it; but the free-thinker alone is truly free. George Berkeley ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:291830 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
