The numbers don’t add up

If you watch the news media and listen to politicians, cops and their unions, there’s a “war on cops.”

Here’s the reality…

Statistically, it’s more dangerous to be a civilian encountering a police officer than a police officer encountering a civilian.

Not only that, it’s never been safer to be a police officer.

So why all the bullshit reporting?

#1. It justifies high salaries and pensions for cops
#2. It justifies insanely high police budgets (in many cities and towns, the police budget is the top expenditure)
#3. It justifies police violence

Item #3 is particularly concerning, especially if you know a little history.

Chile: It had been known as the Switzerland of South America.

Then in 1973 the police and military turned savagely against its non-violent citizens in the service of a military coup. Thousands of people who had opinions the government didn’t like were seized, tortured and murdered.

Why did the the police and military and this most democratic of countries do this?

Because in the lead up to the coup the right wing news media in the country – under the careful direction of the CIA – flooded the news with stories about how police and troops were under threat from citizens.

The reports were completely false, but it didn’t matter. The reports were believed and the police and the military acted accordingly.