Flutterby™! : Illegal vs sane application of the law

Larry pointed out this article: Cop claims he’s issued nearly 800 tickets for texting and driving:

Myer said he sees most people typing away on their phones while waiting at red lights.

"Most people think they're safe there," Myers said.

However, he said it’s still illegal.

"At a red light, you're still driving. according to the law. You're on a roadway, behind (the wheel of) a car, in charge of it, with a vehicle in drive," Myers said.

So this isn't about safety, it's about control. Big surprise there.

And this weekend I had an epiphany about such things. I have, more than once, heard a phrase to the effect of "and the cops found their planted weed and left, while the brownies were still baking in the oven." And various other variations. The law and order folks might say "well, the perpetrators were guilty of what they were accused of", but the problem is that those involved quickly learn that what they were guilty of wasn't the act for which they were arrested or cited, it's for being who they are. Whether or not those brownies were in the oven, when the evidence is planted like that they would have been busted for something.

So why bother trying? This is the problem with policies like "stop and frisk", and with police exercising their power because they can, control over specific cultural goal. It sets up police not only as the enemy, but as the arbitrary enemy. And as we've seen with studies of the long-term impacts of "stop and frisk", what we see is that the social fabric tears and tatters.