Adams - long time no talk.
Clearly the woman was "resisting arrest". But arrest for what? The issue here, however, is what kind of society we want to live in, how we are developing LEO culture (particularly among young LEOs), and -more broadly- the disturbing trends in the post-9/11 national security state. For those of us, yourself included, with a sense of history, these are certainly disturbing trends.
So after this incident, everyone knee-jerks: LEOs defend the LEO, Sharpton cries racism, etc. But the broader context is lost. How is this a positive for the city of Seattle, or for our society? What is "learned" here? If your answer is "not to resist an officer", you are wrong. What is accomplished is that the dividing line between citizens (of any stripe) and LEOs (or the state, which they represent) is set in even sharper relief. LEO authority is stamped even deeper into the metal of our culture. Is this good? Some would say yes. But in manifests in many negative ways as well (I used the airport absurdity example earlier, but there are many, many others).
The authority of the state must not be allowed to reign supreme in our society, or it will be forever transformed into something that looks more like Europe. In America, the state has traditionally (and up until fairly recently) played a subtle role in day-to-day life - it has been "passive" rather than "active". Increasingly, today, the state is taking a more and more active role. Remember - authority, once handed over to the state - is rarely gained back by the private individual. In the rare cases where it is gained back, the process is often violent and bloody. We continue to hand over authority (and the ability to project power) to the state at our own peril.
