I disagree with your take on two counts.

First and foremost, just because somebody else is wrong or being a jerk does NOT automatically make the proper response being an equal or bigger jerk. Even when dealing with police officers. Yes, we expect officers are supposed to be the ones taking the higher road, but lets not just automatically lower the bar for everyone else. Lets encourage the civil part of civil society.

The second point is the presumption that an officer responding to complaints from people is somehow wrong. We have laws in place to balance the rights between all of us. In this case people have the right to walk on the sidewalk without watching to be run over by bikers, and bikers have the right to ride on the sidewalk at no more than 3mph(a very slow walk). If an officer gets complaints from folks about the bikers, he's not being a jerk to go over and check things out. It is, in fact, his job. The people complaining have the same rights as the guys on their bikes and it's the nuance of our laws that dictate who's in the right. In this case it certainly appears that those who complained to the officer where within their rights to do so because it's pretty certain the bikers weren't dropping onto the sidewalk from above at less than 3mph. The bikers were technically within their rights to point out to the officer that merely riding their bikes there was also legal. For the officer's part it looks like he started off with the actual impression that biking on sidewalks was not allowed, but backed off when the biker convinced him it was. In fact, the biker convinced him so much the officer FAILED to properly enforce the bylaw by insisting the bikers slow down. At this point, the complainers rights were stepped on by the officer being too passive and the bikers were left to ride faster than the bylaw states they should.

No kidding, why not say "Officer, I thought we'd be asked this so I looked into it ahead of time and the bylaw says..." Instead of pretending he's being deprived of some basic human right. You want cops to treat you like a person? Treat them like people.

In this case the cop was even right, but wasn't clear on the exact bylaws, but why the hell would he be? It's not like he's a dedicated esplanade cop.

So here's the text of the statute,

Bicycle riding on the Rainbow Harbor Esplanade is prohibited in excess of three (3) miles per hour between the hours of ten o'clock (10:00) a.m. and ten o'clock (10:00) p.m., except City employees in the performance of their duties.

Sounds like both he and the office where wrong on different sides of the bylaw. The Officer was wrong to say they couldn't ride there. The biker though was 'almost' certainly riding at more than 3 miles per hour, which IS prohibited.

"Rich Man's World (1%)"

[Arthur Jensen:]
"You get up and howl about america and democracy.
There is no america there is no democracy,
We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies.
The world is a college of corporations... inexorably
Determined by the... immutable bylaws of business.
The world is a business.
And I have chosen you to preach this evangel"

[Immortal Technqiue:]
For all my free market, healthcare robbing, stock stealing, retirement fund
Fucking with niggas. Fuck your little credit card scammin, jewlery stealing,
Crack selling, liquor store robbing mother fuckers (Its a rich mans world)
Hahahaha. Shout to the homies, Carnegie, OG, Willie Randolf Hearst,
Rockefeller, the real Rockefeller, my main bitch Leona, pour out a little Louie the
Thirteenth, Jack Abramoff, hold ya head, my Rothschild niggas, LET'S
GET THIS MONEY

[Verse 1: Immortal Technique]
I spend my day repping america overseas
Pensions for the workers? nigga please
Embezzlement etiquette private settlement
I'm better with confederate rhetoric from my mansion in connecticut
Foreclose and evict homes at the tenement
I twist words like a speech inpedIment
I hope you got good credit bitch
If not better get a new job with benefits
When I play golf with niggasii get cheddar with
New money buys brand new karats
My old money bought your great grand parents
You got grills in ya mouth I ain't mad at ya
I own every gold mine in South Africa
Thanks baby you made me a billion
Plus I own a building for each one of my children's children
That's the shit, snort coke in the whip miss USA sucking my dick
Yea what fuck the law 'cus real jail is for suckas
I go to country club prison you dumb mother fuckers
(I am the 1% fucking bitch)

[Hook]
You know my CEO corporate steeez please
Overthrow governments overseas in a breeze
Politicians in my pocket for a few hundred Gs
So if I'm never in court my assets a never freeze

[Verse 2: Immortal Technique]
I got a job and house and a bank account
When I'm out I doubt that's something you could say
And if not then I fake death like Kenneth Lay
Make money every day the world burns
Wanna tax us while y'all struggle to pay taxes
I'm getting my money the fastest
Memos and faxes shredded up documents
Slush funds through the corrupt continents
But they don't want me indicted
'Cause they don't want my dirty laundry aired when I fight it
Don't get my lawyers excited
'Cause what good is a law if you can't rewrite it
I got CIA traders, dictators so fuck y'all whistleblowers and haters
(Its a rich mans world) Shiiieeeaaat
I'll invest money from Al Qaeda
In the bank 911 widows go to later
Capitalism so I pray to fuck the state of the world
Money talks so what the fuck I need to say to ya girl
(I don't pay em to fuck, I pay em to leave)

[Hook]
You know my CEO corporate steeez greed
I'll treat countries like the IMF down on your knees
Real gangsters run the world fuck what you believe
I'll cut down the forest while y'all niggas burning some trees
I'll get your family murdered for a couple of Gs
'Cause your working class money ain't fucking with me
You think rappers are rich 'cause of songs you heard?
My labels make the money and haven't rapped a fucking word

[Verse 3: Immortal Technique]
Y'all in the ocean coastin' with the sails out
Hey America thanks for the bailouts
I made off at the banco ambrosiano
Got away scott free like el Vaticano
Acitvists activist get mad at me
'Cause I'm a tax free charity
80% to the staff and company
And 20% to the homeless and hungry
The country gotta pay the fed reserve
Kick back to the banksters haven't you learned
You protest cops or patrols on the street
But I bought city hall so I own the police
Email facebook and the shit you tweet
On the phone companies so I heard you speaking
My suggestion is no correction no elections, sex with no affection
No invention would benefit the world of man
Will exist till I got the money in my hand
World bank, interest rate damn rape on the spot
But I'm a gangster you gon' take my money like it or not, nigga
(I got your country in my pocket, motherfucker!)

[Hook]
You know my CEO masonic steeez cheese
Only little people pay all these taxes and fees
Since you were born we controlled what you watch and you read
And pretty soon were gonna own the fucking air that you breathe
I take what I want fucker I don't have to say please
I'll convince you that it's good for you, take it and leave
You think presidents are the face of a nation
I put em all where they are, end of the conversation

Hahaha

I love this idea, but I'd think it'd be strictly a rural project- You'd need an awful big piece of land to have one of these, and I'm sure that cities and towns have bylaws pertaining to pool construction.

If you park illegally you deserve what you get. I hate when dumbasses parks in my condo's stall on Friday and Saturday nights. Since I moved into the place in October, I've had 6 vehicles tagged and towed by city bylaw.

Good riddance.

Oh, and *fake.

>> ^NetRunner said...

The problem with that analogy is whether Videosift is like your backyard or not. I guess it could be considered a kind of gated community with bylaws, as opposed to a completely public place where all human rights must be respected.

It depends on whether we want to cultivate the community by manually pruning it, or rather think we benefit more from leaving it a little feral and organic.

Every time an officer is even accused of brutality, or arrest on false charges, their righteousness is blown away.

One bad officer can destroy the reputation of the of 10 good officers.

The problem with officers is that some of them have a violence fetish, and the uniform, gun and bylaws protect them.

It should be every righteous officers duty to oust every bad seed, so as to build up a reputation for his or her precinct that will make the citizenry feel safe.

Here it is: Don't break the law. That goes for the officers, you are protected only as long as the citizenry support you.

I do not support those that break the law, even officers of the law. I do however expect those officers to show restraint, and knowledge of a person's rights (provided they are not in the felony zone). The uniform and the gun do not give the officer the right to do what ever they want.

If you want a free for all, better go to a country that doesn't have a constitution.

^ it was in the bylaws.

no whips, and leave the black leather mask at home.

Write in for Ron Paul

In reply to this comment by NetRunner:
Out of curiousity, who do you plan to vote for? Bob Barr? Write-in for Ron Paul?

In reply to this comment by Constitutional_Patriot:
McCain... Obama.... Clinton... it's all CFR to me baby.

>> ^Constitutional_Patriot:
McCain... Obama.... Clinton... it's all CFR to me baby.
btw - don't you find it disgusting to see how half of the democratic supporters have pledged to vote for a NeoCon instead of one of their own if they don't get another Clinton in office? Are we living in bizzaro world or what?


To the second point first, it's not half the democratic party -- it's just who showed up to "support" Clinton at the RBC, by protesting it, catcalling during it, chanting, jeering, even hissing at the mention of Obama's name. The way these people representing the Clinton campaign comported themselves was purely shameful.

To his credit, Obama made sure to tell his supporters to be respectful, not to jeer, boo, chant, etc, but simply applaud the arguments made in their favor, without being too over the top. They more or less did that.

As for bizzaro world, you started your post by painting all three with the same brush because they're members of a think-tank on international relations?

Everyone's got their axe to grind in elections, I have several that I'm deadly serious about -- restoration of the Constitution (stop torture, restore checks and balances, stop domestic spying without oversight), economic policy that benefits people who don't own their own billion-dollar company, and ending this failed nation-building exercise in Iraq are just my top three.

Two candidates promise that, one promises anything but that. I don't believe Clinton's promises, but I believe Obama. I don't expect him to fix it all overnight, but I expect him to try.

CFR membership doesn't really register for me as an issue, especially since CFR has some good ideas with regard to Iran. I kinda wish Bush listened to CFR, might've tempered his petulant foreign policy into something reasonable.

NetRunner beat ya to it.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Clinton-supporters-protest-at-Rules-and-Bylaws-Committee

I can't speak for jPop (or kPop), but the SAG bylaws are very clear that the only time an actor can stop a performance is when catering supplies Aquafina when the performer quite clearly screamed "Evian," Domestic chocolates are placed on the performer's pillow instead of imported, and "that second-rate bitch's trailer is bigger than mine." Pausing a show by 30 seconds to remove someone in extreme distress so they could get immediately medical attention is explicitly forbidden. With strict punichment up too and includig being forced to appear a Disney movie starting in a Gilbert Gottfried, K-Fed, and Tim Allen flict.

Sure having someone flop around stage while everyone is ignoring her totally appalls the audience and renders them unable to connect to production of anything else,but hey, the show's gotta go one.