When the Only Tool You Have is a Hammer
Every problem starts to look like a nail.
The subtitle says it all
Woman Arrested, Shackled After Pets Walk in Nearby Yard
This choice example of government stupidity is from the Washington Post (where you may need to register) via Yahoo.
Now its quite one thing to cuff someone who is resistive or dangerous (this is sound public policy) and quite another to cuff and iron up a 45 year old women on some pissant offense that could have been handled with a citation..
My feeling here is that entire judicial branch needs a refresher course on non violent, non coercive dispute resolution.
As an example, our mother nation, England, which is arrest happy by European standards still manages to solve many problems like this without an arrest.Ans as a bonus they can manage most, non violent arrests without resorting to handcuffs or leg irons. At all.
This is something we need to learn if we want to be the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. America needs less S.W.A.T. less guns, less cuffs, less coercion and less being afraid of middle aged poodle owners.