I get told my advice is excessive all the time, even by cops. But I haven't been shot or arrested. I prefer to err on the side of caution so I can go home and sleep in my own bed that evening.

I'm also extremely careful with my table saw. You describe this as fear, I describe it more as risk minimization. It costs me nothing, I am not degrading myself, I simply avoid things that trigger fear in the cop.

My father served in combat in WW2 and the KW. He received a couple medals for bravery. But he always did everything he could to minimize any unnecessary risk. If it was a tough mission, he'd often be asked to lead because the other pilots knew he'd bring 'em back with fewer holes in their airplanes while still pasting the target.

Despite all tour precautions, you were still held at gunpoint - I think it's fair to say in most countries people have to take fewer precautions and do not experience being held at gunpoint.

> Despite all tour precautions, you were still held at gunpoint

He came up behind me. I had no idea he was there.

Pragmatically, sure. But giving it out as advice perpetuates this culture where when a cop turns a traffic stop into a murder, the victim is scrutinized for eg not preemptively putting their hands on the steering wheel. In a free society, nothing less than deliberate disobedience warrants escalation.

Also if my table saw turned itself on and started walking at me while I was doing something else, I'd get a new one. And if all table saws tended to do this, I'd question whether I needed one at all.

Unfortunately, cops have to take precautions at traffic stops, specifically because cops have been killed at traffic stops.

Some traffic stops happen because the cop sees something suspicious and decides to investigate/explore the situation. I'm grateful they do. It helps keep trouble at bay, to an extent.

> the victim is scrutinized for eg not preemptively putting their hands on the steering wheel.

A cop would be an idiot to not make judgements, and change his behavior based on the situation.

You haven't really said much besides the same one-sided narrative that frames the situation as cops just doing some inevitable job, ignoring the overbearing techniques they've developed that make the situation much more dangerous for all. It completely leaves out the perspective of the motorist, who finds themselves in a tense escalating situation that they did not ask for. In a society based around individual liberty and a government subservient to the People, this is unacceptable.

> You haven't really said much

Well, between the 2 of us, we seem to have covered the 2 sides.