About Teasel running him out of town...

There is no defense for Teasle's actions. Someone passing through town and wanting to grab some breakfast on the way is a far cry from a homeless "bum" loitering and panhandling. If Rambo had been driving through town rather than walking, the confrontation would've never happened and the man would've continued on his not-so-merry way. It's a simple and sad reality the the Sheriff and a large number of his deputies were simply corrupt, abusive and power-hungry. They were lucky only one of them died, for violating a direct order, and it wasn't even at Rambo's hands.

Crimefighting is not a "preventative maintenance" practice. It can't be. Rambo was punished and discriminated against for a slew of presumptions and possibilities that one man couldn't see beyond.

"some of his men killed"

Only one of his men was killed.

I haven't read the book, but it seems to me that the makers of the film are quick to set up the Teasle_Rambo confrontation in the interest of story pacing. They could have made Teasle look a little more reasonable at the beginning and it wouldn't have added more than 10 minutes running time to a film that clocks in at 93 minutes from beginning to end.

This is film making and the makers want the local law enforcement leadership to appear beyond redemption. Dennehy and Starett are very good as the stereotypical stadistic local bad cops, with a young David Caruso as the good cop trying to reason with his bullying superiors.

You have to let the dog sniff you - that calms him down. Otherwise, he will think there's something wrong with you, and is suspicious of you and may start barking and exhibiting irritating and even dangerous behaviour.

But once the owner relaxes the leash and lets the dog freely sniff you, the dog calms down, and there won't be any problems.

This same principle would have applied in the movie (and the book).

If the cop would have just let the bum freely buy some food and lodging, he would have remained calm, and soon be on his way - it wasn't as if the bum was going to stay permanently and make the boring town his home. He wasn't going to be trouble or start a criminal career there. He wasn't going to buy a house and start farming (and even if he had, what'd be the harm in that?).

So what, what kind of clothes he wears, how often he showers, how often he shaves or what style of hair he wears? What's the big deal, as long as he _BEHAVES_ well?

The subtext of the movie was of course that he had been driven out of so many towns, that the 'veteran' murderer was sick and tired of being treated that way (basically, unfairly, unjustly and discriminatorily, especially since he expected to be rewarded from his cruelty and sins against humanity in the war, instead people saw that the emperor was naked, indeed, and treated him accordingly), and THIS TIME, he was going to make a stand, because otherwise, it would NEVER change.

He didn't want to continuously just go from town to town, just to be driven out (for some reason, he never considered a shave, a shower, and to use a flagless, non-military-looking jacket - I mean, why BROADCAST what you are, and then get pissed off when people treat you like what you look like?) over and over again, for all eternity.

He wanted to stop somewhere and get some food and rest, especially after 'serving' the 'country' he 'loves' by murdering and slaughtering innocent human beings by the masses.

The cop wasn't acting like a peace officer, or even like a policy enforcer - he was acting like an unlawful thug, who thinks he owns the town and can do anything to other people with impunity.

The cop didn't respect, protect or uphold the bum's rights, but instead, violated against them.

Plus, hiking another how-many-miles-was-it, probably wasn't a pleasant thought in the rain, at that point, when he had already walked for who-knows-how-many-miles.

(Apparently buses don't run in or through the town, and taxi cabs don't exist)

Teasle was superficially wrong. But he was definitely karmically right - you want to be a murderer? Stay away from decent people. Teasle should've incarcerated him for the murders he did under the 'military' guise during the war - a murder is a murder, no matter where you commit it, what you are wearing while committing it, or who orders you to commit it. You are still a murderer, no matter how you try to rationalize it.

Law is law for everyone in every situation, there are no exceptions.

(Acts and statutes are different, they can differ - but they are not the law)

Also, instead of asking: "Is there any law against me getting something here?" (or whatever he said, I am paraphrasing from memory), he could have said: "I will do whatever you say, anything you demand, as long as you first prove to me
that I am obliged to do it." - That's CONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE, which means that there is no dispute, and you are not in dishonor for disobeying something, because you ACCEPTED (not REJECTED), and you are not being silent, or saying a simple 'yes' to his demands, because you have conditions attached. It's very powerful)

The cop would have to then PROVE that he has the right to boss him around, which, he of course cannot do. So he has no leg to stand on, and has to let him do whatever he pleases (or he would face a firestorm in a court - that is, if the court is fair, which it probably wouldn't have been anyway).

In addition to this, the bum could actually BILL the cop for every injustice and perversion of law, every unreasonable command given, and especially every physical touching / violence he has to endure in his hands. Like, let's say 20 000 dollars per punch or a hit, and of course 5000 dollars per wasted hour for his time.

After the cops would have to pay a 50000 bill to the bum, who could then of course live very lavishly with that money in their boring, little town, the cop would think twice before attempting another unlawful arrest again. At least of Rambo.

But I guess this is not that kind of a movie (or a book), and Rambo is supposed to be a bit clueless and mentally unstable because of the war. In the book, he is a real psycho, although so is Teasle, and the ending is surreal and a bit weird - and in some way, disturbing. The movie ending is actually better.

P.S. It's not TEASEL, it's TEASLE. Try to learn to spend a few seconds looking at the names before attempting to write them, if you are an 'american typoist'.

http://americantypo.site11.com/typos

Except Rambo was more like a backpacker than a bum.

Except most people would buy a military man a meal.