Everyone remembers the Christopher Commission, right?

[reddread]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Commission

I like this part-

"The failure to control these officers is a management issue that is at the heart of the problem. The documents and data that we have analyzed have all been available to the department; indeed, most of this information came from that source. The LAPD's failure to analyze and act upon these revealing data evidences a significant breakdown in the management and leadership of the Department. The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, lacking investigators or other resources, failed in its duty to monitor the Department in this sensitive use of force area. The Department not only failed to deal with the problem group of officers but it often rewarded them with positive evaluations and promotions.
We recommend a new standard of accountability....Ugly incidents will not diminish until ranking officers know they will be held responsible for what happens in their sector, whether or not they personally participate."
The commission highlighted the problem of "repeat offenders" on the force, finding that of approximately 1,800 officers against whom an allegation of excessive force or improper tactics was made from 1986 to 1990, more than 1,400 had only one or two allegations. But 183 officers had four or more allegations, forty-four had six or more, sixteen had eight or more, and one had sixteen such allegations. Generally, the forty-four officers with six complaints or more had received positive performance evaluations that failed to record "sustained" complaints or to discuss their significance.[1]
The Christopher Commission found that only forty-two of 2,152 allegations of excessive force from 1986 to 1990 were sustained - or less than 2 percent.[2] "According to the Christopher Commission '... the complaint system is skewed against complainants.'"[2] "The majority of investigations at that time were done by division staff, not IAD, and the commission found this seriously problematic because division investigators often failed even to interview or identify witnesses"

[merrily]

1. Seems as though we're going backwards.

Maybe it only seems that way to me because I don't know enough about the way things were when hippies flocked to Haight Ashbury. But, in hindsight, putting flowers in the barrels of rifles and preaching love seem to me much better than some of things we see today.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It was no piece of cake then, either. Just let me dream, though, ok?

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. We AR going backwards, and it is intentional.

Since Reagan, the Republicans have been marching to the right, with a clear agenda of removing everything that has been gained by the left since teh 1930's.
Worse yet, this is now a global agenda, as Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Venezuela, Ireland are showing us.

[merrily]

3. IMO, both of the two largest parties have been marching to the right.

As far as the global shift, I agree. And some of the reasons for it can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_From

Also, in global power brokers like the Bilderburg Group, the US international version of ALEC (the name of which escapes me, but which is even larger than ALEC) and some groups I'm sure we'll never even hear about.

[reddread]

4. since Kissinger, at least

Ronnie was a great salesman but he was never EVER an architect of policy.

[reddread]

5. remember, they didnt even kill Rodney King

I guess the GOVERNMENT's threshold of "who cares" moved over two decades?