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Officer Ted:

Let me start by saying that I have a pretty good idea of who you are. I believe you are not a police officer, but I do believe that you are a public servant.

That said, I think a few comments are in order here. First, I will not be addressing your "logical questions", at least not in this response. I can't speak for anyone else, but my opinion is that your behavior here does not warrant respectful discourse. If you want me or others to respond to your questions, please do not refer to me as a "contestant" or "stupid" or "ignorant" or anything else.

I joined this conversation late, so please let me offer you and others several facts and several opinions. To avoid confusion, I will label them clearly.

FACT: None of us were in Mr. Machado's car. This includes Ted P., Mrs. Machado, anyone who has commented on this thread, and the author(s) of this article.

OPINION: It is generally a good idea to comply with a police officer's requests, assuming they are legitimate. If you disagree with what the officer is directing you to do, you will have the opportunity to sort it out in front of a judge at a later time. If you truly believe the officer is being unprofessional and/or abusive, you would be wise to note his badge number.

OPINION: It is generally a good idea to avoid sudden moves when a police officer is approaching your car during a traffic stop. The officer has no idea if you are armed and dangerous or anything else.

FACT: In this country, you have the right to make a video of an officer conducting his business.

FACT: There are as many sides to a story as there are participants.

SPECULATION, BORDERING ON FACT: The author of this article did not interview Mr. Machado, or there would have been some sentences with quotation marks around them attributed to Mr. Machado. There are none, so we can assume that only the police officer's side of the story is reported in the article.

FACT: At the present time, our only source here on EastBayRI.com for Mr. Machado's side of the story is what his mother said above.

OPINION: If what Ms. Machado said is true, then the officer involved should be concerned.

FACT: It is only Ms. Machado's opinion that the "the officer had a guilty conscious and made up the charge". It will not be possible, unless the officer admits it directly, to prove that the officer "had a guilty conscience."

OPINION: Even if what Ms. Machado is saying is true, this will still boil down to a classic case of "he said/she said". Unless it was captured on the video, it will be difficult for Mr. Machado and/or his attorney to prove any of this in court.

FACT: ALL OF US will need to wait for the matter to be cleared up in court.

REQUEST: It would be very interesting if the author(s) of this article interviewed Mr. Machado. Then, at least, the stories of all the principals would be represented, not just the story told by the police.

Now, let's address your bedside manner, Officer Ted:

FACT: In your initial responses to other's comments, you suggested that the post-ers suffered from both "ignorance" and "stupidity".

OPINION: Whether it's at a cocktail part or on an online forum, statements like these are not a good way to start a conversation.

OPINION: The people at whom you directed these statements likely got riled.

FACT: I don't blame them.

OPINION: Many people don't like being called names.

OPINION: People are "jumping all over" you not because they are unable "to logically dispute [your] argument w/anything actually intelligible". They are jumping all over you because your unkind behavior invited them to do so. Calling people "stupid", "ignorant", and various related names -- AS YOUR FIRST RESPONSE TO THEIR PRIOR POSTS NOT DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY AT YOU -- is not a good way to start a conversation. In fact, as misguided moves go, behaving as you did is about the same as making a sudden move when an officer is approaching your vehicle. I.e., you really shouldn't be surprised at the result.

FACT: I can be dense, stupid, and ignorant at times.

OPINION: This is not one of those times.

REQUEST: Please, Ted P., acknowledge that you didn't exactly make the best start on this thread, that perhaps you were a little heavy-handed in your initial comments, and that, in hindsight, you should have expected that by calling others "stupid" and "ignorant", that they would be displeased and might respond to you in kind.

OFFER: You can ask me any questions you'd like and I'll answer them.

Okey dokey?

From: Barrington police charge man who tried to videotape officer

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.