Next up: dueling cops?

Last Thursday, one contingent of police was en route to confront those guarding Terri Schiavo’s hospice...

“Agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told police in Pinellas Park, the small town where Schiavo lies at Hospice Woodside, on Thursday that they were on the way to take her to a hospital to resume her feeding. For a brief period, local police, who have officers at the hospice to keep protesters out, prepared for what sources called ‘a showdown.’ [...]

“Participants in the high-stakes test of wills, who spoke with The [Miami] Herald on the condition of anonymity, said they believed the standoff could ultimately have led to a constitutional crisis and a confrontation between dueling lawmen. ‘There were two sets of law enforcement officers facing off, waiting for the other to blink,’ said one official with knowledge of Thursday morning’s activities. In jest, one official said local police discussed ‘whether we had enough officers to hold off the National Guard.’ ” (1)

I’m glad someone can see some humor in this, but to me it seems more troubling than laughable, on so many levels. What a waste of resources to spend police manpower on such a travesty! And if this showdown came anywhere near fruition, how dare our elected representatives play “army” with sworn law enforcement officers!
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(1) “Terri Schiavo case - police ‘showdown’ averted,” by Carol Marbin Miller, The Miami Herald, March 26, 2005.