Boiled down to its essentials, this argument can be expressed by the lyrics of the song "Bad Boys" as used as the theme song of the reality TV show "Cops." For those who no longer participate in the previous culture, they are:
Bad Boys, Bad Boys Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad Boys, Bad Boys
At 08:41 AM 2/28/96 +1100, Mark wrote:
the bad boys are the criminals, the song is about what will you do when the cops come for you. The cops are not the "bad boys" in the song. Trust me.
Clearly, one of the purposes of the show "Cops" is to intimidate. Even though the police have total editorial control they often show thuggish and perhaps illegal behavior. (though they also sometimes show cops displaying hard to believe forbearance) Since the show is, in part, intimidatory, it seems reasonable to suppose that the cops are the bad boys who are going to come for you. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | We have the right to defend ourselves | http://www.jim.com/jamesd/ and our property, because of the kind | of animals that we are. True law | James A. Donald derives from this right, not from the | arbitrary power of the state. | jamesd@echeque.com