Re: Motoring News- no Audi content(USA listers)

[dan_masi@MENTORG.COM (Dan Masi)]

On Feb 20,  7:45am, Anton Gaidos III wrote:
> Subject: Motoring News- no Audi content(USA listers)
> The Supreme Court has ruled that from now on an officer can ask that all
> passengers get out of a vehicle without reason or probable cause for any
> traffic related stop....
>  This latest ruling is to better protect the officer from passengers
> with concealed weapons. Come on! This is nonsense. An officer has better
> odds of being injured by his/her own spouse in a domestic dispute then
> in a traffic stop. This is a fact.

It's also fact that you're more likely to be hurt in a car accident
than a plane crash, but that doesn't mean that attempts to make air
travel more safe are unjustified.

This latest ruling is entirely apropriate, IMO.  If an officer
doesn't feel comfortable with a situation, he should have the right
to exercise some control.

I can't believe that I'm defending traffic cops, after being
somewhat unfairly treated recently.  However, every time a cop
makes a traffic stop, there *is* some real risk to his person.
Asking people to step out of the car if he feels threatened isn't 
a whole lot to ask.

You know, perhaps if we gave cops a little bit of respect about
issues like these instead of fighting them every chance we get,
maybe, just maybe, we'd see fewer cops being complete dicks.

Then again...

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q

> (MY opinion - I think Reno is a jack-booted-thug and the justices
> have failed to uphold the constitution.)

[warning: rant mode ON]
My opinion: reading, interpreting, and living by the Constitution 
in a completely literal way is about as useful as doing the same
with the Bible.

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q