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Power Corrupts ...

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With the increase in power are there also more incidents of corruption?

St. Paul cop charged with assault at O'Gara's

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Roughed up by a group of partygoers, two men walked out of O'Gara's Garage in St. Paul last Jan. 20, one of them yelling, "Call the cops," according to a criminal complaint filed late last week.

Came a voice from back inside: "We are the [expletive] cops."



Ex-cop charged in Calif. train platform death

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Witnesses say Mehserle fired into the back of 22-year-old Oscar Grant while the man was lying face down on a station platform in Oakland.



Cops: Firefighters started blazes to get work

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Four firefighters have been arrested on suspicion of igniting between 15 and 20 fires in western Arizona so they could get paid for fighting them, officials said Tuesday.


"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

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Actually, I grew up there. But not in Chicago. I've lived in MI for 29 years. Not much to be proud of in either state.[:/]

I'm so damn honest I won't even talk to a developer on the phone about specifics of their zoning or development request before the public hearing. And don't take campaign contributions. Maybe that's why I'm still waiting.

And I really pissed one developer off when I made a motion to reconsider a question because there was new information and still voted against it. Actually he understood that I was doing what I thought was right.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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With the increase in power are there also more incidents of corruption?



You are, I hope, aware, that these sorts of events have been going on for a long time? And just a few decades ago, they were able to openly beat and kill blacks, union workers, foreigners.

Hardly accurate to call the Oakland guy an Ex-Cop either. He resigned to avoid a deposition on the event.

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With the increase in power are there also more incidents of corruption?



You are, I hope, aware, that these sorts of events have been going on for a long time? And just a few decades ago, they were able to openly beat and kill blacks, union workers, foreigners.

Hardly accurate to call the Oakland guy an Ex-Cop either. He resigned to avoid a deposition on the event.


I asked a question, I didn't give an answer.

PS: Does my post appear slanted? I've been learning from the experienced posters ... :P
"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

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Absolutely.

It's why we at least try to impose checks and balances within government.



Like Internal Affairs for most big city police departments, MP/JAG for the military, impeachment procedures for members of congress, POTUS and VPOTUS, etc...
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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With the increase in power are there also more incidents of corruption?


That is a different question than the one in the poll. One is a question of correlation, the other, one of causality.



That is the question for the poll. There aren't any other questions ... (there is a subject).
"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

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Some cops get in a bar fight, a transit cop screws up and a bunch of rummies start a fire to get paid. Who had power????

A cop in my city accidently shot a bad guy in the back while handcuffing him. A former fire chief around these parts started lots of fires and I know lots of cops that have been in barfights.

Out of thousands of cops and firefighters in the nation, I will go out on a limb and say no to your poll if that is who you refer to in the poll.

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Plato attempts to address this question with the story of the Ring of Gyges.

His character, Glaucon, argues that men are only just in so far as it benefits them, and that they are unjust whenever certain that they can get away with it.

By this reasoning it is not that power corrupts, so much as that power reveals the corruption which is already present.
"User assumes all risk"

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I'd say power has the potential to corrupt. Not all people with power, authority, or other tools of influence abuse them.

Depends on their principles.
" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

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Well when you think of the psychology behind becoming a cop or any occupation where you get to tell people what to do you can kind of guess what types of people seek such opportunities.

Some are truly there because they want to help, and some our there because of the power.

In my old town in NY most where there because the pay was ridiculously high and they did nothing, really nothing other then hassle people for stupid shit.

I love good cops, i really hate bad ones.



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Poll: Power Corrupts ...



Sorry i think it depends on the person.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

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His character, Glaucon, argues that men are only just in so far as it benefits them, and that they are unjust whenever certain that they can get away with it.

By this reasoning it is not that power corrupts, so much as that power reveals the corruption which is already present.



I would tend to agree with this, but surely there are those that would not act unjustly...what makes them so different? I'd suspect the answer lies within the varying levels of pride in each and every individual.
Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

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I would tend to agree with this, but surely there are those that would not act unjustly...what makes them so different? I'd suspect the answer lies within the varying levels of pride in each and every individual.



First what do you describe as pride?

And what is it about pride that you attribute to the tendency to act justly or unjustly?
"User assumes all risk"

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Does power corrupt the good?

Or are the bad attracted to positions of power?

Just like with skydiving, you hear a lot about the few bad ones, and very little about the lots and lots of good ones.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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