[Kerberos]

"So what is the deal with our citizens being treated like Jesse James just for driving a white van?"

The deal is that we are very quickly slidding into reactive mode. If this doesn't come to an end soon, you can expect to see a lot more of this.

[You Gotta Be Kidding Me]

Simple answer -----

The cops are lazy and not very smart. The sniper(s) could (and probably did) paint their white van blue, or switch vehicles, altogether. Of course, this would NEVER occur to our squad of "Andy Taylors and Barney Fifes".

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Yet another reason to bomb Saddam to smitherines.

[Boner1]

White Van Sales Are DOWN wonder Why?

[wku man]

All this, and no one actually knows for a fact that a white van/panel truck was used in any of the shootings. So people report seeing a white van or truck in the area after a shooting. So what? The other day and counted 18 white vans/minivans/panel trucks in about 10 minutes/three miles on Alt. US 19 (Pinellas Co., Fla.). They're arguable the most common vehicle on the roads today. Welcome to Police State, USA.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[ladyinred]

Why? Because of the sniper of course. The authorities have to check this out, and they never know who might be in the van. Walking up and saying, "Hey, you aren't the sniper are you?" doesn't make sense to me.

[Nov3]

I don't blame the cops for being paranoid but this is over the top.

[cynicom]

Police mentality using arrogant brute force is getting worse not better. This affair only gives them an excuse to vent their "them vs us" attitude.

Police and their supporters will say them have to do this to protect themselves. Perhaps, perhaps not.

[thepitts]

We are all the enemy untill proven otherwise? brilliant.

[soozla]

"Maybe they tried to evade the police or maybe they were driving stolen vans."

Maybe, but while we rip the guys that are doing the dirty work, the sniper continues to blow people away.

I say lets work together proactively with the law enforcement agencies i.e. be alert, attentive and observant so you can provide good clues and help to bring this person/persons down..................worry about the "civil rights violations" after the perp is caught!

[debg]

they are white guys..keep that in mind when some ME claims he was profiled and harassed for driving a white van.

[ladyinred]

How do the police know the drivers are innocent? How do they know that the driver isn't the sniper? What would you have them do? You know, I would cooperate with the police totally. If that is a problem for you, so be it.

[per loin]

Americans are being taught to accept having armed bureaucrats pointing loaded weapons at them. They are being taught to obey.

[finnman69]

Sorry, but this is how 'profiling' works. The cops are doing their job, and this is one of the side effects of terrorism that likely has the sniper(s) laughing his/their ass/asses off.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

when you outlaw white vans only outlaws will have white vans

[FITZ]

They can profile as long as the profile includes "white".

[Ligeia]

Do we know the handcuffed man is not under arrest for some other infraction? Maybe when the driver was stopped he was in violation of the law and resisted arrest. I check four or five Virginia newspapers each day and don't remember any stories of police brutality here. For the most part, Virginians have a cordial working relationship with law enforcement.

[FITZ]

Instead of internment camps for foreigners, the whole country has to be turned into one big internment camp for citizens. I think the way they did it in WWII made more sense. It was more temporary too.

[Wonder Warthog]

Ah, yes---cops are our friends. They would NEVER do anything in violation of our Constitutional rights, would they.

[Tench_Coxe]

Way back, right after 9/11, folks were told to 'go about their business as normal', since one of Osama's aims was to engender the actions in the U.S. seen in the above photos.

I am certain we will begin to see more of this in the United States in the near future. In my opinion, the terrorists have won, although not without willing ( or unwitting ) help from our 'betters' in D.C. .