Lens of Liberty

While driving into work this morning I heard a local talk show host discussing the Herman Cain harassment allegations. The host made the comment (I’m paraphrasing from memory) that because the accuser received money to settle the charges of sexual harassment, she has zero credibility.

Move along, nothing to see here folks.

The logical gymnastics that the politically brainwashed will perform to avoid admitting that someone on their side of the aisle may not walk on water is simply astonishing. It’s possible that all three of the women currently accusing Cain are lying (anyone associated with Gloria Allred is immediately suspect) but surely the accusations must give even the most ardent Cain supporter a moments pause.

In the summer, my wife and I spend many Sunday afternoons with friends in the right field stands of Citizens Bank Park cheering for the Phillies. Our distance from home plate, about 400 ft, never stops us from booing umpires over the size of the strike zone. Similarly, NFL fans will inevitably judge every review of a close play in their team’s favor. It is all part of the fun of being a fan, believing that your team is always right, that every close call that goes against them is a conspiracy.

In politics its Team Red vs Team Blue . Cain is on Team Red, so all those fans are going to question the motives of the women coming forth with these allegations. Not many years ago, however, when it was someone from Team Blue being accused of inappropriate behavior, there was no such doubt from Team Red. Back then it was Team Blue who believed the whole thing was a Vast Team Red conspiracy. It’s all great fun, and cable news companies love the ratings, there’s only one problem.

Politics is not sports.

Unfortunately, that’s what we’ve built it into and politicians love it. It helps them obscure the fact that they’ve run the country into the ground. Debt, war, evaporating liberties, are all swept under the rug so that our team can win the big game on election day.

Joke’s on us though because in reality, there is only one team.

I get it.

The guy is a jackass.

Nobody likes the guy who jumps on the field and runs around and interrupts the game.

For Philly fans, it’s even more infuriating. More than three million people a year pass through the gates of Citizens Bank Park, but we all get painted with the stupidity of the few from the shallow end of the gene pool. The glee with which the national media reports on every incident that occurs in Philadelphia makes the majority of fans even more intolerant of this kind of idiocy.

So I do understand the “he got what he deserved” mentality.

Here’s the problem. The police aren’t vigilantes. They aren’t supposed to impose punishment and there is a reason for that. Their job is to investigate crimes, make arrests, and turn the person over to the judicial system.

As I explained the last post, the situation did not justify the level of force used. I think most people would have to admit this, but the anger at the culprit is coloring everyone’s view of the incident. We wanted to see the guy get it, and he did.

But it was still wrong.

The fact that we all got some satisfaction from it, doesn’t change that. What’s more, there is great danger in overlooking this kind of excessive force simply because we don’t think highly of those on the receiving end.

More on that in the next post.

Among my family and friends, I seem to be largely alone in thinking that the police were out of line in using a tazer to subdue an idiot who had run onto the field at a Phillies game. My reaction to the event was instinctive, it was wrong. But as I discussed it more, I had to re-examine that instinct to determine if it was correct.  Below are the most common justifications I’ve heard for the cops actions and why I think they’re wrong.

1) It sent a message to other morons not to run out onto the field.

Since it took less than 24 hours for it to happen again, doesn’t seem like this argument holds much water. Considering that moron #2 didn’t have the forethought to hand off his weed to a friend before engaging in an activity that was guaranteed to end with him in police custody, perhaps we should avoid relying on the ability of morons to fully think through the consequences of their actions.

2) His intentions were unknown, so we have to assume he may be a danger to the players.

This is a valid concern. Players and coaches coming under attack from fans is not without precedent. However, I don’t see how a reasonable person could believe that this kid had any intention other than getting his 15 minutes of fame as he ran circles around the field waving a white towel. The video of the incident makes it pretty clear he had no ill-intent. If he was intending to attack someone on the field, I hardly think he would have run figure eights around the outfield first. Furthermore, if he had gone directly after, say Jayson Werth in right field, there’s no way the cop would have been close enough to prevent the attack. So the only way a tazer would be effective in stopping an attack is if there was never going to be an attack.

3) Using the tazer protects the police from injuries that may occur in subduing the moron.

I think everyone acknowledges that police officers face serious risks every day, but we’re not talking about someone waving a knife or a bat, or making threats. You can’t justify using a tazer against someone who is not threatening anyone because of incidental injury that might occur. If that is the standard, the range of police encounters where tazers are justified becomes frightening.

But all this is only half the story. Read part 2 here.

A fan ran out onto the field in the 8th inning of Monday nights game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Obviously, this is not a particularly unique event at a sporting event. However, what makes this story noteworthy is that the police used a taser to subdue the fan.

“This is the first time that a Taser gun has been used by Philadelphia police to apprehend a field jumper,” Phillies spokeswoman Bonnie Clark said in a statement. “The Police Department is investigating this matter and The Phillies are discussing with them whether in future situations this is an appropriate use of force under these circumstances. That decision will be made public.”

No, this is not an appropriate use of force, regardless of what the “investigation” determines. Fans who run onto the field are idiots and they are annoying, but they are generally not dangerous. There is no justification for using a taser.