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From: ASPDMM@UOFT01.BITNET
Newsgroups: mod.legal
Subject: BITNET mail follows
Message-ID: <8608222245.aa01663@SEM.BRL.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 22-Aug-86 10:46:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: SEM.8608222245.aa01663
Posted: Fri Aug 22 10:46:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Aug-86 02:12:56 EDT
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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