Comments on: My life as a tyrant

By: Police Officer: “My life as a tyrant” | Independent News Hub

Police Officer: “My life as a tyrant” | Independent News Hub — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:47:03 +0000

[…] Chris Hernandez March 4, 2013 […]

By: chrishernandezauthor

chrishernandezauthor — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:42:48 +0000

I see your point, and can’t argue with your logic. Those vendors had a right to resist. I’m still glad they didn’t, and don’t want to see anyone killed for something that could be handled through other means.

You’re right though. Being a cop, and sometimes being a soldier at war, means being in situations where any decision you make will be wrong.

By: Lampie

Lampie — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:41:14 +0000

As I read this (fine writing and obviously deeply felt, by the way), I had many comments come to mind. After reading the comments, I see that most of them have already been covered, and answered. To be honest, I’m no fan of the police, but for the most part I’m coming down on your side here. While your response might not have been perfect, your instincts were right, and I get the impression you would do it a bit differently after having considered things in hindsight. You may never be in Kosovo again, but I’m pretty sure that in principle, that situation comes up pretty often as a cop.

I did see an error in your logic when discussing what you might have done if one of the vendors pulled out a gun and said “No!”
You wrote… “On the other hand, would I want to see Joe get shot over being a prick? No. I don’t want to see anyone die over something that can be handled peacefully through legal means.”
Fair enough, but you also wrote… “No vendors had been ticketed. None received receipts for their property. None had recourse to recover what had been taken.”

These were people with little or no other means of support for themselves or their families. By your own account, this was a vocation of last resort for them (short of stealing or worse), and it was being stolen/destroyed by your overzealous associates. In my opinion, if ever there was a time to rise up against tyranny, these people were looking at it. I have been to 3rd world countries, and seen what real poverty is. I’ll bet many children didn’t eat that night, or the next. Since you believe, as I do, that tyranny was one of the reasons for the Second Amendment, at what point is it ok to say enough?

It’s a tough line to draw. If they should have fought back, what about the guy who gets his truck towed for expired registration (basically a permit) and looses his job as a result? Are his kids less important?

I could never be a cop. The philosophical acrobatics would leave me in knots.

By: So-called voluntary searches - Page 2

So-called voluntary searches - Page 2 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:52:15 +0000

[...] some people just think that it is their right to use whatever power has been bestowed upon them: My life as a tyrant | chrishernandezauthor Reply With [...]

By: chrishernandezauthor

chrishernandezauthor — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:36:52 +0000

Debra,

One of the scary things about being a cop is seeing how bitter and cynical some of the older guys get. I really don’t want to be pissed at the whole world when I’m older, and I don’t want to hate being a private civilian when I retire. Fortunately not all the older cops are like that, but enough are that it worries me.

Thanks for your comments, and for your service.

By: Debra Witt

Debra Witt — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:27:07 +0000

I really enjoyed reading your article. I was a Deputy Sheriff for 15 years. I was never a street officer, I was a jail sergeat. I completly understand what you are talking about. That is the reason I left Law Enforcement, it was no longer enjoyable for me. I had become very hardened to caring for other people. I was no longer taking care of people I was controlling them, it has taken me several years now to get out of that mind set. I have seen many law enforcement officers become that way, where they could arrest people for breaking laws just because they could. It’s good to know there are other people out there that can see this happening.

By: chrishernandezauthor

chrishernandezauthor — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:59:11 +0000

Yes, but there’s no reason to be happy or eager at the prospect of killing our neighbors and countrymen. In ths country, we don’t have to massacre each other to make changes and protect liberty. We’re better than that.

By: bravhrt

bravhrt — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:24:02 +0000

The tree of liberty could not grow were it not watered with the blood of tyrants. ~ Bertrand Barere de Vieuzac

By: The Kind of Cop We Need | Save our USA Gun Rights

The Kind of Cop We Need | Save our USA Gun Rights — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:33:49 +0000

[...] My many thanks to Matt Bracken – an old friend with whom I only recently got in touch, and whose books I greatly enjoy – for this link. [...]

By: chrishernandezauthor

chrishernandezauthor — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:56:23 +0000

Thanks Dylan. When I was working in Kosovo I met a lot of Europeans just like the ones you described. Never touched a gun, hate guns, from countries that experienced horrible massacres in living memory but couldn’t fathom that such a thing might ever happen again. On the other hand, I met a bunch of gun nuts when I worked with the French Army. A lot of those guys wanted to move to America so they could own weapons.

Thanks for your service and continued defense of our freedoms. I don’t pull people over anymore, but if we ever run into each other I bet we’ll have some cool stories to tell each other.