Reply #133: Actually, I would tend to

[tomg]

agree that the deification - which is quite a good term for what the MSM did under the tutelage of the Bush administration - played a large part in what has since transpired, by, in effect, offering a kind of carte blanch, but it probably falls into the second part of my earlier comment.

To say that there are not a good number of cops who are authoritarian loons would be absurd. Yes, it is a profession that attracts a fair-to-middling number of fascists, and probably far higher than most occupations. Any occupation where you have a kind of authority over others is prone to that. It is also a profession where, by its nature, there is a higher level of covering up and group "loyalty." It is also a profession where the members should be given constant training, and more in psychology than in weaponry. The issue is, I think, if we are going to have a police force what kind of regulation and safety precautions regarding their stability ( continued or initial) can we, as citizens, demand. That's really my point. No rose colored glasses. No "heroes." No whitewash. No blanket condemnation.