Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Police officer fatalities decline dramatically
Overprotective parents notwithstanding, it is getting safer out there, at least if you are a cop.
Via a USA Today factoid box, we learn that only 59 American police officers died in the line of duty during the first half of 2008, the lowest level since 1965 (when, obviously, the country had far fewer people in it). For the 11th straight year the majority of those deaths came from traffic accidents rather than direct combat with bad guys. Not surprisingly, violent crime continues to be "near historic lows" (unless, unfortunately, you are a black male).
There are fewer people at large doing violent criminal things than there have been since the Kennedy administration. Professional gum-flappers from journalists to politicians to activists to bloggers traffic in pessimism about America, but if the decline of violent crime is not an indicator of social health I do not know what is.
10 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Jul 23, 10:31:00 AM:
Another sign of social health: the falling stock price of the NYT
By , at
Wed Jul 23, 11:27:00 AM:
Absolutely!
By the way, this compares with 173 US casualties from hostile fire in Iraq through the same period. Given how may more police there are patrolling the streets in the US versus US miltary in Iraq the risk factor, if expressed in percentage terms, will obviously be much greater in the war zone than at home but, still, it's not like it's hugely more dangerous to enforce the peace in Iraq as at home. But, it doesn't matter because hte messiah is still against the surge, while being in favor of an American "surge force" of some kind. How weird is that!
By , at
Wed Jul 23, 12:14:00 PM:
Our safer streets are due in part to the 2.3 (or so) million people in jail. President Obama will be under a lot of pressure to free those convicted of crimes who are in fact political prisoners. It should get interesting.
By 
Dawnfire82, at
Wed Jul 23, 04:07:00 PM:
"President Obama will be under a lot of pressure to free those convicted of crimes who are in fact political prisoners."
...
What?
By Ray, at
Wed Jul 23, 06:33:00 PM:
Drug dealers and users. They've been elevated to "political prisoners" now. Of the wicked "War on Drugs."
The terminology of modern wingnut propaganda is so immensely rich in irony, that one feels that satirists have so little left to do.
By , at
Wed Jul 23, 06:43:00 PM:
"What?"
A Google search will show quite a bit of stuff.
"There are hundreds of people who went to prison as a result of their work on the streets against oppressive conditions like indecent housing and inadequate or complete lack of medical care, lack of quality education, police brutality and the murder of people organizing for independence and liberation. These people belonged to organizations like the Black Panther Party, La Raza Unida, FALN, Los Macheteros, North American Anti-Imperialist Movement, May 19th, AIM, the Black Liberation Army, etc., and were incarcerated because of their political beliefs and acts in support of and/or in defense of freedom."
I have witnessed people in the media claim that resistance to racism, oppression, unjust laws that may take the form of theft or murder are in fact political acts. Eldredge Cleaver said his rapes of white women were political acts.
Some claim that more than 60% of the inmates in America's jails belong to racial minorities and ethnic groups. African-Americans account for 12% of the total population but are about 1/2 the prisoners in the United States and arguably receive disproportionate sentences in some instances than whites who commit the same crimes. Congress recently passed a law to equalize penalties for those selling crack (mostly blacks) and those selling powdered cocaine (mostly whites). Previously, sellers of crack cocaine received substantially longer sentences.
President Obama will be under a lot of pressure to mitigate this. There will be many advocating the release of cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. I'm just waiting for the question of reparations for slavery to come up. That should be interesting.
By Dawnfire82, at
Wed Jul 23, 08:42:00 PM:
So much clearer now. Thanks for taking the time to explain. You sounded... serious... to me the first time.
By , at
Wed Jul 23, 08:58:00 PM:
and were incarcerated because of their political beliefs and acts in support of and/or in defense of freedom."
Well, yea that and some murders and bombings, but mostly due to the murders and bombings.
By , at
Wed Jul 23, 11:53:00 PM:
That whole line of rationalization should be called "The Palestinian Defense".
-David
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu Jul 24, 10:25:00 PM:
That should be a chess strategy, characterized by suicidal aggression and perfect willingness to sacrifice anything in order to inflict some casualties.
