ICE is Not Law Enforcement

So why, you ask, am I writing about what is probably the most obvious thing to all sane people. The answer is: to put a reasoned argument on the record.

Law enforcement investigates crimes and apprehends suspected criminals and puts cases before prosecutors that decide whether there is sufficient evidence to put them before the courts. Law enforcement also enforces arrest warrants issued by the courts.

Law enforcement arrests specific individuals where there are reasonable grounds to believe they committed a crime or where a court order has been issued.

The courts decide whether suspects should be detained during trial and whether they are guilty what the punishment should be. Judges also issue arrest warrants for suspects or convicted criminals at large. This is what we call due process.

Law enforcement wears badges with  identification numbers so that they can be held accountable. 

Law enforcement officers, the police, are constrained by the rule of law and must obey the law and must not mistreat suspects or prisoners. In the case of police misconduct there are provisions for consequences and due process procedures that must be followed. We may not always agree with the findings of said due process but it exists.

Law enforcement does not round up groups of people based on their appearance or the colour of their skin, or the language they are speaking, or the fact they are participating in legal protests or because they swear at them.. Law enforcement does not routinely engage in masked thuggery or murder people without consequences. Law enforcement does not detain in concentration camps and even deport. people without due process or court orders (or in some cases in contravention of court orders). Law enforcement are not told by their superiors that the law does not apply to them. Law enforcement are not encouraged by their superiors to mistreat people and break the law. Law enforcement are not told they may do what they please and that they will suffer no consequences because the highest offices in the land have their backs.

ICE is no more law enforcement than the Gestapo or the SS, the KGB or the Stasi, ICE is NOT law enforcement and should not be treated as such by actual law enforcement agencies. They are not their brothers but are the criminals they are paid to pursue and bring to justice.

The Problem With Hockey

If Canadians are supposed to be so polite and Americans so aggressive why is their national game a gentlemens game and our national game a thugs game.

This is just the most recent example of thuggery in Canadian hockey.

Is it the big money involved at the highest level that has removed any semblance of ethics and sportsmanship from hockey, where experts and commentators routinely talk about “good penalties” and where it considered acceptable and even good strategic play to break the rules if the benefit is worth the penalty time. If you can wipe someone out for the season and not get caught it is even better and you can probably expect a bonus somewhere down the line.

Some will argue (why do I have visions of gawdy sports jackets when I type this) that fighting is an intrinsic part of the game and is required to reduce tensions and prevent even more dangerous infractions. If that is so there is something extremely wrong with the game where the most basic ethical principle has become winning at all costs.

In light of this most recent incident some have argued that fighting should be “banned” in junior hockey. By “banned”, I assume they mean that the “powers to be” should actually take the rules against fighting seriously with serious consequences such as not allowing participants in fights to continue to play.

However, junior hockey is the training ground for the NHL where players learn the skills necessary to play in the big league and fighting is an “essential” part of the NHL. Hockey players of all ages are always going to aspire to be like their NHL heroes. If you “ban” fighting at the lower levels players will still aspire to the day they can make it into the NHL and fight like real hockey players.

It has to start at the top in the NHL. As long as hockey players aspire to be like their heroes there will always be fighting at all levels until it is no longer acceptable at the highest level. Players who insist on continuing to participate in thuggery should no longer be allowed to play in the NHL, forever.