The Doublespeak on State Protection Continues
June 29, 2005
6:35 a.m., MT

I don't know why it did so, but yesterday's Seattle Times has two stories semi-smushed together -- I guess that's because they're both robed-nazgul related. The main headline is 2 reporters facing jail after appeal is refused, and while that's a worthwhile developing story in its own right, the second one caught my attention. Scroll down to Police backed in lawsuit over restraining order for more of the same "let-us-protect-you-but-not-really-protect-you" doublespeak:

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that police cannot be sued for how they enforce restraining orders, ending a lawsuit by a Colorado woman who claimed police did not do enough to prevent her estranged husband from killing her three daughters. ....

City governments had feared that if the court ruled the other way, it would unleash a potentially devastating flood of cases that could bankrupt them.

Well, why not? They're certainly morally bankrupt. What else can you call the empty promises police protection has held out for years, backed by court rulings that reinforce the idea that they can't be held responsible for failing to "serve and protect"?

I love the closing quote from the woman's attorney: "The restraining orders are not worth anything unless police officers are willing to enforce them. They are just paper."

Yep. Getting a restraining order may give a besieged individual peace of mind, but it's an illusion. If you want real peace of mind, get something a wee bit stronger than paper. .38's the minimum I recommend.

Sunni

Replies: 3 people have spoken!

On Wednesday, June 29th, at approximately 8:00 a.m. Mountain time, Trevor said:

Always carry a backup weapon too. Even a .32 is better than nothing if the .38 jams.

On Wednesday, June 29th, at approximately 8:45 a.m. Mountain time, Sunni said:

Sure, Trevor. And the mindset is always more important than whatever self-defense tool one carries. I've seen people (can't say whether they were thinking of doing evil things or not) back off from me just from eye contact with me. I try to project a "You-do-not-want-to-mess-with-me" attitude as much as possible.

On Wednesday, June 29th, at approximately 9:23 a.m. Mountain time, Libercontrarian said:

Restraining orders are, I believe, written upon paper. Often times, that paper comes out of laser printers, and as such, isn't even capable of being the heavyweight stuff, which probably couldn't stop a BB.

Now, if the courts wrote the restraining orders on Class IV Protective Vests...

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