Joe Horn
Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department,
Ret.
crowtalk@theriver.com
Political Profiling
by Joe Horn
NRA types, other gun organization members, cops or citizens, those who foolishly have pro-gun organization decals or stickers on your vehicles, you need to check out the FBI Bulletin site below ASAP.
You're all on the list of various Anti-Government "Extremists". Extremist is Administration code for terrorist. It seems, according to the FBI, that pro-gun stickers (i.e., NRA, JPFO, NSSF, L2AS, SAF stickers) are the same as "anti-government" stickers (Whatever they may be) and indicate extremist activity and potential danger to LEOS in traffic stops. Check out the below FBI site and Bulletin.
This is an excerpt from the Bulletin:
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"Vehicle Stops Involving Extremist Group Members"
"Recognizing the Signs of Extremism"
"Members of extremist groups may reveal their affiliations in a number of ways. First, the vehicles they drive often provide clues that can help officers prepare for potential danger before making a stop. Specifically, extremists' vehicles may sport bumper stickers with antigovernment or pro-gun sentiments..."
Preceding Excerpt from: The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December, 1999 edition, page 18.
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I'm going to dub this new form of discrimination Political Profiling. Is that better than racial profiling? I think it's much worse, because it has changed the 1st Amendment Right of free speech and the expression of ideas into a mushy form of Probable Cause as well as endangering innocent citizens by telling Police Officers that these stickers indicate "extremists" with violent tendencies towards LEOs.
This possibility is raised in the officer's mind by no more than the FBI Bulletin below, pronouncing that presence of a decal indicating membership in a 2nd Amendment Civil Rights organization is *really* extremist with violent or dangerous tendencies. Advocacy of the Bill of Rights, or portions thereof, are indicators of "extremism". Hmmmmm
Golly, I know lots of cops with NRA stickers or " I'm the NRA" stickers. Better get out the scrapers, guys and gals. Anyone remember the "off the pigs" stickers from the 60s and 70s? They were characterized as "anti-police". Now, NRA type stickers are anti-government and indicate VIOLENT POTENTIAL.
Mercy, times do change!
Aren't stickers advertising your sentiments the opposite of furtive and sneaky? Aren't they still legal under the 1st? I guess Sierra Club stickers mean there's a Ted Kaczinsky (UNABOMBER) behind the wheel and there are bombs in the vehicle. I'm sure glad doper gangbangers don't have NRA stickers on their rides. They're probably not "extreme" as NRA types.. I know they don't account for the national homicide rate and cop shooting like you rank and file NRA and other gun rights organization members do, ya extremists!
Maybe we'll get stats one day on how many are murdered every year by NRA, NSSF, SAF, L2AS, GOA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership members as well as the violent and/or fatal incidents they caused during traffic stops for the period of time`LEO fatality stats are kept. So far this year, according to the stats I've seen, heart attacks and drunk drivers kill more cops on duty than criminals. It's not that Police work isn't dangerous at times but there are 70,000,000 gun owners out there who are NOT threats to us. I have always viewed the armed citizen as a community resource to the police if real trouble ever broke out. still hold that view. Anyone that remembers the armed citizens who limited the carnage caused by a sniper in the University of Texas Tower in the mid-60s will agree.
I guess a pro-gun sticker will become Probable Cause if it hasn't already in some circles. Free Speech (That's the First Amendment) is sure taking a beating in the closet of Political Correctness. The *real* problem with this is the idea of calling people pejorative names. When you call people names, you dehumanize them and you make it easier to "do" things to them, like arrest them, or make war on them, etc. A seller of contraband pharmaceuticals is harder to kill than a drug pusher, an Asian citizen of former Indochina is harder to kill than a gook, and a defender of America's freedoms is harder to kill than an extremist. A guy who wants to live alone in the woods is called a white separatist instead of a recluse. Never forget this tactic, because it has always worked for thousands of years. Except for the "radical left" which is now the "Radical Chic". How much outrage was there in the media about the environmentally concerned Unabomber?
Political profiling is the worst of several bad habits some LE agencies have and are developing, be they federal or state or local. Is being-anti government illegal? Can't one pay taxes and disagree with Unca Sam at the same time or is that (disagreement being "extreme") just not done anymore?
Joe Horn
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Ret.
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FBI Warning: Pro-Gun Bumper Stickers Indicate Extremism
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin warns police "pro-gun" bumper stickers are a sign of "extremism."
Go to the web site below and select the December, 1999 issue. You have to download the entire issue (about 2.7 MB).
You also need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is available for free from the Adobe web site. There's a link to the Adobe web site on the FBI web site.
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* The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin web site: *
* http://www.fbi.gov/library/leb/1999/leb99.htm *
Download the December, 1999 issue and go to page 18.
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Joe Horn |
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Disclaimer: All comments are the personal opinion of the writer and not intended to represent any government agency, whatsoever. |