As the nation focuses on the Olympics and the launching of Billy Ray Cyrus’ rap career, its foundation slowly erodes.
George Orwell’s “1984” is a warning against the effects of a strong, centralized state — his novel has become, to our detriment, somewhat of a how-to for government.
This trend is continuing throughout the world and is leading to revolts like those in Kiev and Venezuela.
We all agree that it would be ridiculous for the LSU Police Department to raid your apartment after sniffing beer as they walked down the sidewalk. However, the American people seldom apply this mentality to state and federal officers.
Their power, be it CIA agents or county sheriffs, has bloated well beyond its necessary size. Rather than serving as protector of the people, the police act like fifth graders during recess — overly aggressive while lacking any common sense.
A California widow recently filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for unlawfully breaking into her home and killing her 80-year-old husband. Police acted on an anonymous tip claiming Eugene Mallory possessed methamphetamine; they raided the house and claim to have shot Mallory in self-defense.
But when investigators began questioning the officers, their stories failed to match up with the evidence, leading some to believe that police shot Mallory pre-emptively. No evidence of methamphetamine was found on the property and blood was found on Mallory’s bed, indicating that he may have been defenseless.
More concerning than Mallory’s death is the complete absence of restraint by police — an anonymous tip in no way rationalizes barging through someone’s front gate. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution denies the legality of search and seizures without probable cause — a random tip to authorities in no way suffices.
On Friday, two Brooklyn officers hit a civilian’s car, checked to make sure there were no witnesses around, then arrested the man to try and cover up their mistake. If not for the overlooked surveillance camera, the two officers may have gotten away with arresting an innocent civilian.
Part of the problem is the abundance of unnecessary laws that demonize what should be innocent activities. Another, more insidious problem, is the ignorance Americans have to their freedoms and to the role of police.
A 2011 Newsweek poll found that 70 percent of citizens lack basic knowledge of the Constitution. Questions asking “When was the Constitution written?” and “What is the Supreme Law of the Land?” proved to be too demanding for most Americans. Although the poll questioned just 1,000 respondents, I am confident that close to three out of four people today would fail a basic Constitution quiz.
Knowing the laws that govern us is paramount to our protection. Who is going to stand up and defend the people when no one is educated about our basic rights?
If a computer salesman knows that a certain customer lacks any knowledge about the technology market, that seller may utilize that ignorance to maximize profit. Whether we like it or not, that same logic applies to our government and its laws.
I am not arguing that all officers are trigger-happy brutes or that martial law is imminent. But if you look at the collapse of any great empire, from the Egyptians to the Soviet Union, one common denominator is the erosion of individual liberty.
Most media outlets aren’t interested in informing us about these events because those stories draw little attention. We’re more interested in Lena Dunham’s wardrobe than the killing of innocent Americans.
Greater emphasis must be placed on the integrity of the Bill of Rights and media should highlight and denigrate any childish conduct from police or other public servants. It’s occasionally said that “a thinking population is any politician’s worst nightmare.” Politicians and police alike have been sleeping well for far too long.
Andrew Stolzle is a 21-year-old mechanical engineering junior from Baton Rouge.