Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Sidekicks & Stunts
Friday
June 9, 2006
Have you heard about the Stolen Sidekick story out of New York City? Check out the link above to read a sordid tale of theft, caveat emptor, and the ability for internet payback. Even if it turns out that it's a hoax (and it lacks many of the classic hallmarks of a traditional hoax, which makes me tend to believe it), it's an entertaining story.
Surely I'm not the only person who thinks that the police are going too far with this "going undercover" business to go after minor offenses like speeding, running red lights, etc. There's a story I read tonight on WFTV's website, by way of the Drudge Report, that described how police in Orlando ran a sting for people who were running a red light in that city with an officer in drag. The name of the bust was called Operation Delicious.
You mean to tell me that the police don't have anything better to do than dream up stunts like that? Last Friday I saw two officers on the I-65 overpass that I drive over on my daily commute to work peering down at passing interstate traffic, doing speeding surveillance from up high. Nevermind that the officers were putting us, the drivers, at risk with their spy game tactics.
These sorts of things cause me, and I imagine many others, to harbor resentment for law enforcement. Sneaky tactics that seem to come from a deceptive mindset don't sit well with me. Today I saw two cops sitting behind some large trees, waiting to nail potential speeders coming down Highway 31. My thought? Have some courage and put yourself out in the open. Will people see you and slow down? Yes, and that *should* be the idea, shouldn't it? I feel the same way about unmarked cop cars, though they stupidly buy the same cars (usually) that are cop cars, and I inherited my father's ability to spot a cop car based solely on its headlights. It's funny, I'm terrible with faces, just terrible, but if a Crown Victoria pulls behind me at night I know that it's likely a police officer.
One more complaint along the same lines: the recent "Click It Or Ticket" campaign featured all men who received tickets. If you have a campaign that showed only women being written tickets, some nonsense activist group would get up in arms about the issue. Bullocks to all of it.
My friend Adam Kelley had recommended to me that I rent the movie Munich, and I finally did that this week. I watched it tonight, as I had to have it back to Blockbuster by midnight (I beat the deadline by an hour.)
And, let me tell you, it is a POWERFUL movie. Munich combines a real-life story and a very real, still ongoing struggle with a dramatized counter-terrorist narrative. Without spoiling it, let me tell you that the 2½ hour long film is a captivating story, with superb acting, a fascinating plot, and a main character who is both sympathetic and complex. It is highly recommended...
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