Police Union Calling for Hate Crimes Laws to Protect Their Persecuted Separate Culture.

Straight from the horses mouth, via the scenic route. Has there been any more clear statement by law enforcement that they now view themselves as a different and separate people from our own?

This is how they've felt for a long time now. 20 - 15 years ago or so, I used to go rounds with cops and copsuckers in alt.law-enforcement on Usenet. The topic was drug policy and it was ever dominated by stories about people like Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Patrick Murphy.

Back then, I sure hadn't heard of the term "copsucker". I just called them Law Enforcement Moonies or LE Moonies and made frequent, sometimes humorous (I hope, anyway) references and comparisons. I got all KINDS of rude and crude education from those exchanges. IRL, I had a self proclaimed officer of the law in NYC tell me that he had friends in my home county of Broward, Florida and that I might be hearing from them.

I sure did, too! Within about two months, I had every contract agency under the control of Broward Sheriffs' Office on my doorstep, starting with Code and Zoning demanding that my 30' tall canopy of trees be cut down to 6' stumps to comply with regulations defining a "hedge" and proceeding through roughly half a dozen other agencies.

People who didn't know me at all threatened my property, my liberty, my children, our beloved dog, all because I dared to disagree with a bunch of cops and copsuckers over what makes sense for the future of drug policy.

At the end of the exchange, several months later, I never had to attend one meeting or hearing. I did it all by written correspondence (with some missives Cc: John J.T. McNulty, esq.) I was not fined or charged with anything cause I wasn't breaking any rules (except the one about never, ever asking law enforcement to explain or question what they do). All claims were found to be unfounded, I had a good chuckle and two different officers in my neighborhood thanked me for pinning Bruce Hahn's ears back a little and almost getting him shit canned within 6 months of his arrival to incorporate several more services into the BSO fold. So it's all good ;)

All my life, I've heard the sound advice, find something you're good at, master it, stick with it. I'm pretty good at pissing people off. Only when we're real pissed do we speak our true minds and show our true colors.