New Orleans officers plead not guilty

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- Three New Orleans police officers pleaded not guilty Monday to battery charges based on a videotape showing two patrolmen repeatedly punching a 64-year-old man accused of public intoxication and a third officer grabbing and shoving an Associated Press Television News producer who helped capture the confrontation on tape.

After a brief hearing, at which trial was set for January 11, the officers were released on bond. They quickly left in cars without commenting.

They were suspended without pay Sunday, police spokesman Marlon Defillo said. The police promised a criminal investigation.

Hmmmm.

'America' didn't torture anyone. That is why we prosecuted the people who did.

Indigenous tribes did plenty of slaughtering of each other before and after they ever heard of an evil white European male.

Slavery existed in America long before those EWEM's ever landed. It existed in many countries long after we abolished it here - Brazil for example. The Sudan and Saudi Arabia currently. America is not the most egregious example by a very wide margin.

SCOTUS arbitrarily legalized abortion, 'America' did not pass a law doing so. Which is why so many people are against abortion on demand in America.

Our national roots were like most independent nations - we fought against external and internal groups or nations to gain that independence. As for the Vietnam/60's style suspicion of all authority and outright treason, no, that is not American. Open government, such as the Sunshine laws in Florida, is a good thing. Equating complete access of leftist newsrags to 'openness' is ludicrous.

The point is that it is invalid to point to the sins of 'America' as its 'national roots'. America is not perfect, but I agree with Churchill:

"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried"

And, despite Al Gore's attempted thievery, we do it a heck of a lot better than anyone else. If you don't like this country as a whole, warts and all, I think a comparison to the alternative places you could live would be educational.

Besides, who the hell are the rest of the countries in the world to criticize us? Do the French have some unknown secret plan to solve the world's problems - other than curse Boooooosh and Americans generally? Why do they think they aren't a German or Russian colony right now? And what about the rest of Europe?

China is a bad example on all counts - Japan has a country because we built it back and handed over the keys. South America is a seething pile of corruption and overpopulated poverty, and Chavez's Castroization of his country cannot possibly be what anyone in their right mind calls an improvement. Yes, one day we really might have to go down there, kick his butt for a while and give the country back to the citizens - until the next crackpot personality cult thug takes over again.

Yeah, we have thug cops. Yeah, we kicked the butts of people who some might think didn't deserve it. Yeah, yeah - we have a history of slavery, Indian reservations, McDonald's, and napalm (gotta love that smell). And?

Interesting press conference by the cops' lawyer. It was all the victim's fault, again, of course.

Incredible that they yet again deny the video with such drivel as 'parts you can't see' and 'he was NEVER struck in the face'. So, the part where the guy is being punched in the head is SOP for NOLA and FedGov cops? And the beating up of the witness and threat of arrest by the Fed Customs cop was just crowd control? Oh, yes - the grabbing of the TV producer by that brave hero, Smith, was merely because the producer bumped into him.

How credible.

Without the video, these guys would never have even been charged. Poor, poor them.

Reporters generally are maggots, but filming these other maggots wearing badges is a GOOD thing. Even reporters perform a public service accidentally some days. The key point is that the video can be viewed with the MUTE button to screen out the usual comments - judge what happened for yourself.

Cops have lied forever about someone being 'belligerent' (translation: didn't bow down humbly and say 'yes sir' when arrogant jerk cop spews some insult or rude comment at them) or 'appeared to be intoxicated' (translation: since no test was done, lets just all tell the same lying excuse and try to sell it to a friendly prosecutor and judge). Same old same - cops are never wrong, citizens better just salute and kiss butt or get that WWF steroid fed beat down.

"Helpful hint:

If a police officer tells you to stop what you are doing, it is prudent to do so. "

This is true, of course. It is also true that in NOLA, with or without a hurricane (and by that I mean the storm, not the drink), if you look out of the wrong corner of your eye, ask a police officer what you did wrong, or make the least little bit of noise (don't grunt) if you are run down from behind by a group of officers walking the street four abreast, you are likely to be resisting arrest, getting smart with an officer, or doing some other beatable or jail-able offense.
Have you found an article supporting the position that this person gave them a hard time? Thus far, all the witnesses I have found do not indicate this is so. The newsman ought to press charges as well. If it is true that they were justified, it will come out.

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