Thread View: mod.legal
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Started by ASPDMM
Fri, 22 Aug 1986 14:46
BITNET mail follows
Author: ASPDMM
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1986 14:46
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1986 14:46
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2682 bytes
Dear Asbed It is unfortunate, but true, that the United States, once the melting pot of peoples, has sufferred lately from a boiling over of sorts. The cumulative effect of such events as the Iranian hostage crisis, the Munich Olympic disaster, and the bombing of US marine barracks in Beirut (et al) has created an hysteria not seen since World War II, when anyone of oriental descent was herded into "detention centers", the free world's answer to concentration camps. Now, I point out these things not in defense of the police officers who stopped you, but only to explain why you are in a bad position when it comes to prejudice. Any Middle Eastern nationals, those who look like Middle Easterners, have Middle Eastern sounding surnames, etc... have displaced all other minorities, including blacks, as the most oppressed minority in America. Easy to say for a white anglo-saxon protestant you say? Perhaps, but WASPs are, in fact, the ruling class of our oligarchical society. End of story. As for your dilemma with the police, you are again at a disadvantage. Whether at 56 or 65, it seems you were speeding. That's all it takes. You're on the wrong side of the law, and your bargaining position is significantly weakened. IF you have had a witness or something, it might have been different. We here in Toledo, Ohio have a funny plight. When driving in Michigan, which could happen depending on what side of the street you are on, 65 is the de facto speed limit. Michigan troopers just ignore it. In Ohio, it's 55. Easy to get careless, and try telling the Ohio trooper you got away with it in Michigan. Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. I think you've done all you can. I also think not much will come of it. The bottom line is this; you may have been unfairly treated because of your ethnicity, you probably could have gotten off if you were a WASP, police officers LOVE to exercise their power over civilians, the do it all the time and get away with it. Dave Massey
Re: BITNET mail follows
Author: jc
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1986 22:53
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1986 22:53
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> Easy to say for a white anglo-saxon protestant you say? > Perhaps, but WASPs are, in fact, the ruling class of our > oligarchical society. End of story. Our oligarchy isn't quite as uniform and seamless as some would have us believe. Here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the dominant names are mostly Irish and Italian. But things are changing; both the candidates for governor have Greek names. Granted, the centuries-old money is in WASP hands. But there's lots of decades-old money in slightly darker hands. True, there is lots of prejudice against middle-easterners. But the major frictions around here currently are with the Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants, and with the older Chinese population. Members of these groups are being attacked and beaten, and the courts are shrugging it off. As for the cops, well, sometimes they are the attackers. On the other hand, if there were a big news story like the Iranian hostages, there is little doubt that local bullies would use it as an excuse to beat the #$@#$ out of a few people with Arabic-sounding names. Yes, I know that Iran is not an Arab country. So? Around here, the large Armenian population got a lot of the blame for the hostages' troubles. When people are looking for victims to harass, they rarely go to the trouble of making such fine distinctions. Look at all the nuts that blamed the Jews for OPEC's price increases a decade ago.
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