They finally caught Eric R. He is the one that bombed the olympic's, and other places. He killed 2 and injured atleast 150 more. He has been hidding in the woods for 5 years. He was one of the FBIs most wanted he could be facing the death penalty.

Watch out Blib and Mop, now the FBI is going to have more time on there hands to watch you..........:D ( just kidding)

Plenty of mixed reactions to his capture. Pro-life types, and anti-government types aren't really pleased. They're going to be even more upset when the FBI comes knocking as the trail of evidence leads to their doors. Harboring a fugitive, or whatever charges Ashkroft dreams up, are not going to sit well in that community.

The time it took to find the Atlanta bomber is relevant to the war on terror generally. It took 7 years to find this guy, an American citizen, living in America. So it's going to take ages to find Osama, or the remaining bits of him if he was in Tora Bora when they bombed the place. Same with WMDs. Hussein had a whole country in which to hide, or destroy the stuff.

So liberals should stop whining about the Bush and Blair "hyping the threat".

That's a damn good point mattwriter.

Good point about the WMDs although the police can't arrest you because they might find something incriminating someday.

We went to war because we had PROOF of WMDs. Supposedly

To be technical, we had proof of things that strongly indicate WMD programs, not proof of the programs themselves.

Thanks, LinonelHutz for the comment.

Another couple of thoughts on that subject: Liberals continue to insist that the case was not made. But, as one columnist said (I think perhaps it was William Safire), "If Saddam had nothing to hide, then why did he hide it?"

This cat and mouse game went on for 12 years, and he kicked out the inspectors in the late 90s. Why would he have done that if he had nothing to hide? And why was he so obstructive right up until the beginning of the war? Even Hans Blix, very anti the American position, said that Hussein was being very uncooperative.

Even if we don't find any evidence of WMDs now, that doesn't mean he didn't have them. Just means he probably hid them extremely well, or destroyed them, or dumped them in the ocean, or sent them to another country.

And the outcome of the war is clearly the best for the Iraqi people in the long run.

Originally posted by mattwriter


Even if we don't find any evidence of WMDs now, that doesn't mean he didn't have them. Just means he probably hid them extremely well, or destroyed them, or dumped them in the ocean, or sent them to another country.

And the outcome of the war is clearly the best for the Iraqi people in the long run.
Let’s think about this for a moment. You believe war was declared because Iraq “supposedly” had WMDs. Did you ever consider that maybe Iraq isn’t the only foreign country with “secrets?” The soviets have been researching bio-chemical weapons for decades; some say they never stopped fighting the Cold War. If George W’s goal was to attack every country that “supposedly” had WMDs, wouldn’t the soviets be next on the list?

By the way, if anyone is still interested in the topic, a new debate has arisen: As you know, there was a HUGE reward offered for the capture of Eric Rudolph. Some say the officer who caught Rudolph should receive the reward, but the Federal Law Enforcement Division says the reward doesn’t apply to cops. Personally, I think that’s unfair. Police officers are the most underpaid and underappreciated workers in America. I think they are entitled to be rewarded now and again.

I have a lot of respect for police officers. Most of my closest friends are law enforcement agents. However, I dont feel that they deserve to collect bounties for the arrest of wanted fugitives. After all, it IS their jobs to do so. They have to put in 8 hours a day towards such a pursuit. And i dont know about your neck of the woods, but here in Virgina, most of the police officers do just fine. My best friend was making in the neighborhood of $40,000 a year in regular salary. Also he spent his weekends at a local tavern making $30 an hour to allow the bar to have a "police presense".

Cops are well paid. Their unions make sure of that. Some municipalities offer cops & firemen huge breaks on housing, up to 50% off on city/county owned properties. For those that choose not to buy, the apartment complexes offer significantly reduced rent just to have 'police presence'. As their chosen field is that of law enforcement, they should not be eligible to collect reward monies.

Originally posted by Mopoloton
If George W’s goal was to attack every country that “supposedly” had WMDs, wouldn’t the soviets be next on the list?

Right. Except for the part where the Soviet Union has been gone for 13 years or so.

Originally posted by HaVoK
My best friend was making in the neighborhood of $40,000 a year in regular salary. Also he spent his weekends at a local tavern making $30 an hour to allow the bar to have a "police presense".

Are you sure about that? I’ve never heard of a cop with that kind of income. Regardless, I don’t think that’s enough. Police officers in America have the most stressful and most dangerous jobs in the world. On top of that, almost nobody appreciates what they do. Cops receive much more criticism than compliments, even though they risk their life everyday.

Lionel- I’ve always called them soviets, I don’t think they mind.

No one should get a reward when they help take scum off the streets. The reward is that we all can sleep a little better.

As far as police having the most dangerous job, I don't think so. Alot of them usually have a boring job. I'm not saying there is not a chance of them being in danger, but most of the day is spent ridding around doing nothing. Honestly a night store clerk as a more dangerous job.

Originally posted by Mopoloton
Are you sure about that? I’ve never heard of a cop with that kind of income. Regardless, I don’t think that’s enough. Police officers in America have the most stressful and most dangerous jobs in the world. On top of that, almost nobody appreciates what they do. Cops receive much more criticism than compliments, even though they risk their life everyday.

Without a doubt he made quite a good salary. And as far as the criticism goes, who doesnt get more of it than compliments? That is why they call it a job. Because you have a set schedule of things to do. If you do what you are supposed to, no one says a thing. Yet if you dont.......we all know what happens then. And i agree with Maddog about the danger thing 100%.

Originally posted by mad dog
No one should get a reward when they help take scum off the streets. The reward is that we all can sleep a little better.

As far as police having the most dangerous job, I don't think so. Alot of them usually have a boring job. I'm not saying there is not a chance of them being in danger, but most of the day is spent ridding around doing nothing.
That’s the most common misconception in the world. People picture cops as fat slobs sitting in patrol cars eating doughnuts and looking for an innocent person to harass. That’s just not the case, they aren’t required to wear bullet-proof vests for nothing.

Mop; I never once said that cops are fat, doughnut eaters. I know people that have quit the force because it was a boring job. They were in good shape and wanted something more in life, some became nurses, construction workers etc... To assume that cops go around having shoot outs and car chases every day is WRONG. Most of there job is endless paper work and mindless activity. Once again I'm not saying that there job can't be dangerous, but most of the time it is boring.

Originally posted by mad dog
Mop; I never once said that cops are fat, doughnut eaters. I know people that have quit the force because it was a boring job. They were in good shape and wanted something more in life, some became nurses, construction workers etc... To assume that cops go around having shoot outs and car chases every day is WRONG. Most of there job is endless paper work and mindless activity. Once again I'm not saying that there job can't be dangerous, but most of the time it is boring.
They probably quit because they weren’t being paid enough, or because they’re sick of no one giving them the respect they deserve. I knew a lot of police officers when I worked security. One of them once told me, “When you’ve been a cop for as long as I have, you start to think there are no good people left in the world.”

Mopo; No actually some of these people went to lower paying jobs, they were just plain bored.

The cops I watch on TV every Saturday night don’t have a boring job. I guess it depends on where you live.

TV, eh? Is anything ever like it is on TV? (Just think of "reality shows", are they ever close to reality?) Sure every once in a while you get to go get a drug dealer or get involved in a high-speed chase, but that is not normal. Rather, maybe once a month the average cop gets to do something exciting.

The average cop gets to catch speeders and “offensive drivers” on a daily basis, and if they give you any trouble, you can FINE them! To me, this would be exciting.

How about Eddie Money(famous in the 80s) he was a cop he left because he was bored, and wanted more out of life. Mopo, are we talking reality or are we talking about the sh** that is on TV, BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC, DIFFERENCE.....

Well, I’ve never been a cop so I don’t know EVERYTHING about it. All I know is that in LA, there is a high-speed chase every night (I heard this on the news). Like I said before, I guess it depends on where you live. I DO know that the show “COPS” is as close to the real thing as you can get, those people aren’t actors.

Eddie Money certainly didn’t switch to a lower paying job.

But you forget, Mopo, there are thousands of cops in LA, and not every one of them is chasing the bad guy. In Cops, would they want to show all the guys behind their desks filling out paperwork? No! That's not good TV.

What Borg said... I'm talking about cops everywhere not just city. Of coarse there are going to be some places that are more fast paced then others, but in general a cops live is boring.

Actually, the officers on “COPS” admit that a lot of their time is spent doing paperwork, but isn’t that the way it is with all jobs. There isn’t an occupation in the world that doesn’t require some degree of paperwork. Even though cops aren’t always chasing a “bad guy,” they’re out catching speeders on a daily basis (at least the ones down here are). To me, that would be more exciting than most other jobs are.

More exciting, yes, more dangerous, no. What about the coast guard, off shore fishermen, loggers, bush pilots, taxi cap drivers, cashiers, construction workers(high rise, bridge roadway),etc... There are alot of jobs out there alot more dangerous then a troopers( no disrepect to troopers).....

So now you’re saying cops DON’T have the most boring job on Earth? Make up your mind, man!

Originally posted by Mopoloton
Police officers in America have the most stressful and most dangerous jobs in the world.

This is what I was making my statement about, and I was agreeing somewhat to your statement about a cops job being more exciting then some other jobs, like banking. I NEVER ONCE SAID THERE JOB IS THE MOST BORING.

Oh, OK.

Still, I think a cop should receive SOMETHING for catching a wanted fugitive. Especially one who has eluded police for so long.

The cops receive accolades from their peers and superiors. They get their 15 min of fame.

Maybe we should give a reward every time the bus driver delivers our kids to the school safely. Every time the teller opens a new bank account maybe they should get a reward. I hope you can see where I'm going with this, it is a cops job. When he signs on the doted line he is excepting responsibility for his job and part of his job is catching the bad guy. The reward he/she gets is that they have done there job and taken one more piece of trash off the streets.

Yes. Being a cop is a job. But don’t all jobs have a “bonus” for employees who go the extra mile? Catching a wanted fugitive is not an everyday occurrence in the Law Enforcement Division.

The cops receive accolades from their peers and superiors. They get their 15 min of fame.

Es said it................

The thing about police work is that catching any fugitive is a joint effort. It would be enormously unfair to award the cop who physically captured a criminal when there was probably 10 other officers who contributed to the capture.

Originally posted by mad dog
Es said it................
I heard him the first time! I was responding to YOUR post! The one directly below his!!!

Mopo; OK I'll say it, he does get his 15 min. of fame. Not to mention "IT IS HIS/HER JOB". Leper also brings up a good point how about all the other officials that helped with the capture. Troopers are trained in catching the bad guy that is what they have choose to do, if they don't want to catch the bad guy then find another job. Maybe a fireman should get a reward everytime he puts out a fire "NOT" it is his/her job "period"..........

Some kops needing attention


At least a dozen teenagers assigned to work with police departments as part of the Boy Scouts' Law Enforcement Explorers program have allegedly been sexually abused by officers during the past year. In the past five years, such molestations number at least 25, according to criminologists' research being released Wednesday.

Sponsors have promised reforms to the program, which attracts tens of thousands of teens annually.

Among recent cases:

* The East Ridge, Tenn., police department suspended its Explorer program after Officer Keith Maynard, 31, was charged with two counts of statutory rape and two counts of aggravated child molestation, accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl in the program. He is awaiting trial.

* In Haltom City, Texas, former police officer John Ross Ewing, 28, was indicted by a grand jury in March on charges that he sexually assaulted two male Explorer scouts, ages 15 and 16, at his apartment.

Read on... (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-explorers-abuse,0,3472731.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines)

First of all, about Leper’s post, there is a HUGE difference between sitting in the safety of an office organizing the capture of a wanted fugitive and actually APPROACHING a wanted fugitive all alone and arresting him. And yes, mad dog, a firemen should receive a bonus if he performs a particularly dangerous feat.

As far as es347fan’s post goes: I don’t know if those officers are guilty or not, but I DO know that people love to file frivolous lawsuits against cops. I don’t know why, but they do.

Scouts nationwide are involved in the conspiracy. Yeah, right.

Those darned scouts always up to no good.

Mopo you want a fireman to get a reward(for doing there job when it involves danger), but you turn around and say screw the Vets of this country, man you are just plain screwed up.

Originally posted by es347fan
Scouts nationwide are involved in the conspiracy. Yeah, right.
Ever hear the term, “jumping on the bandwagon?” What about, “following the herd?” Then again, maybe those cops ARE guilty. I’m just giving you something to consider before you go labeling them all pedophiles.

Mad dog- you’re talking about a totally different section.

Has there been a label placed? You're the one bringing that up. No one else has.

If you’re saying they’re guilty of these crimes, you ARE labeling them pedophiles. You might be right… like I said, I don’t know any of these officers, so I can’t tell you if they’re guilty or innocent. I can, however, tell you what most likely happened: a few of these cops really did sexually assault some boy scouts. When they were put on trial for it, the news spread, and parents of scouts all over the country began to eye their local police officers with suspicion. Soon, that suspicion turned into paranoia, and parents everywhere began to accuse cops of molesting their children, even if the cops never actually touched any of their children. That’s what usually happens in this type of situation. Anytime a crime is committed and makes national headlines, everyone seems to want a piece of the action, even if it means filing a complete frivolous lawsuit. When the O.J. Simpson trial was still hot, people were actually calling the news offices saying THEY had committed the crime, just to gain popularity.

Playing ostrich as usual.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Originally posted by Mopoloton
What the hell is that supposed to mean?


Where did that Christian tolerance disappear to?????;)

It appears that having once been a rent a kop you have an affinity for kops & now leap to the immediate defense of them. Did anyone say they were guilty? An article was posted that was widely available to anyone, that's all. Now you're about to snap your garters in your haste to say they're not guilty of anything. Kops are fallible, & just as fucked up as anyone else.

Originally posted by es347fan
It appears that having once been a rent a kop you have an affinity for kops & now leap to the immediate defense of them. Did anyone say they were guilty? An article was posted that was widely available to anyone, that's all. Now you're about to snap your garters in your haste to say they're not guilty of anything. Kops are fallible, & just as fucked up as anyone else.
If you’d read my last post more carefully you would have noticed I didn’t say ALL of the accused cops were innocent. I believe the few who were guilty triggered a wave of paranoia that caused people to unfairly view all police officers as child molesters.
You were right about one thing: my experience as a security officer taught me to respect what cops do.

Dreamweaver, I wasn’t angry with anyone. That’s the way I talk all the time.

Mopo it is good to respect the person 's job, but there are still dirty cops. Just because they wear a badge does not make them a saint. Look at the catholic church I'm sure everyone thought "father so and so" was perfect, until junoir came home and said "he touched me there.........." It is the same with teachers just because they teach does not mean they like kids or even that they are smart. There are always going to be bad apples in society, we just can't run around saying "John is a cop so that makes him perfect and law abiding"

Here we go again…….. I NEVER SAID COPS ARE PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do you keep getting that? I agree that every organization has a few bad apples, and the Law Enforcement Division is no exception. I just said that I don’t believe ALL of those accused cops are guilty. I think there are more honest cops in this country than crooked cops.

Ok, it just seems like you are saying that ALL cops are perfect (me bad for misunderstanding).

It's cool :D