The latest cause embraced by the “cops are racist” crowd comes in the effort to stop police from pulling over vehicles involved in minor traffic infractions. The theory goes that once stopped, police can find any number of BS reasons to invoke a search of the car, sometimes resulting in the discovery of drugs, guns etc. That’s “unreasonable” because most of the people arrested in these kinds of situations are of color.
That’s a lot of Kool-Aid to drink in one sitting.
So, without fully engaging the argument (of which, I must acknowledge, there are some points to be made on the other side), may I underline this item that came across my X (formerly Twitter) feed last week. It’s from a police officer who posted this:
“Meanwhile in Hayward (California) … This is an excellent example why traffic stops are very important.”
His post goes on to cite a police log report detailing a traffic stop and search:
“The driver was detained, and a search of the car was completed. During the search, Officer Adami found an abundance of contraband including weapons, burglary and robbery tools, etc., such as machetes, a medieval style club with metal spikes, large fix blade knives, a CO2 arrow gun, a lock picking set, masks (creepy ones, at that), ammunition, and nearly two pounds of unsealed marijuana. This is one example how a traffic stop for an equipment violation can lead to the lawful discovery of other more serious offenses. And one can imagine the harm that could have been done with these items.”
Now look, I don’t know the skin color of the guy pulled over with this stuff in his car. Does it matter, really? Most people are with me when I say we don’t want this guy running around unchecked in a free society. If a legit traffic stop and subsequent search of his car put this guy behind bars, that’s a good thing.
I’ve included a picture of the stuff taken in the stop. I don’t think anyone will disagree with me.
NEVADA EVENTS
There is a lot of stuff to do on Labor day in the Battle Born state. One you may want to put on your calendar is the Labor Day celebration in McGill. There will be a parade, a dance, free swimming in the town pool, a cookout and more. Most people drive through McGill on their way to Salt Lake City or, if you’re going the other way, to Las Vegas. This is a chance to stop and take in a most interesting slice of Nevada rural life.
INTERESTING
Here are a couple of internet rabbit holes tidbits I have gathered for your personal edification:
– Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff have documented cougars killing six collared wolves since 2013—almost 30 percent of the 21 documented natural wolf mortalities in the state. National Geographic reports that trend is not repeated in other Western states, such as Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Cougars killing wolves in those states is rare. Why so many in Washington? Terrain favors the cougars, scientists speculate.
– While vacationing in Lake Tahoe, President Joe Biden got booed while talking to reporters.
– Quick shout out to Jessica Eichstedt, a Reed High School Teacher who has been named the Gilder Lehrman Nevada Teacher of the Year by the Nevada Department of Education. She is now one of 53 finalists to win a $10,000 award at the national level. It will be announced in October. Eichstedt is a native Nevadan from Reno with a degree from UNR.
Nice, Jessica.
ONE MORE THING
While we have good teaching on our minds, here’s a list of bad analogies used in actual high school essays, Here are three that tickled me the most:
– She had him like a toenail stuck in a shag carpet.
– Her eyes twinkled like the mustache of a man with a cold.
– She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
Thanks for reading again this week. Until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.
“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick, a Nevada Hall of Fame journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.
