The neocon National Review is filled with apologetics for the police state, and the essay Ms. Zebest cites is no exception. "[T]he NYPD’s extraordinarily successful counterterrorism model"? NYC is an open-air prison because of the NYPD and authoritarian scum like Rudy Giuliani.
I've had just about enough of "law and order" conservatards who have helped turn America into the fascist police state that surrounds us today. "Law and order" to these people means the police can do as they please, unhindered by any laws, while the rest of us have to lick boots or face the consequences. It's support for one-sided anarchy, and it's disgusting.
And what's this Ms. Zebest says about a "war on police"? Seriously?! The "civilian army" she decries IS the police, and it is they who are waging a war on us, not the reverse. That applies to all police -- federal, state, and local.
I do agree with some of the positions stated in the National Review essay and by Zebest, though my reasons are undoubtedly different from theirs.
Yes, we should oppose the federalization of state and local police. If we must have policing, it should all be done on the local level, subject to strict citizen oversight. But police federalization is hardly unique to the Obama years. The process precedes Obama by decades, though it was G.W. Bush's administration that really got that ball rolling. Someone remind me: Which president introduced the Dept. of Fatherland Security?
I also agree that putting cameras on cops (or anywhere else) is not going to solve the problem. The pigs get caught committing violent felonies on camera all the time. The "just us" system protects them all the same. Crystal-clear camera footage showed anyone with a brain that Garner's death was the result of manslaughter at least. Yet not even an indictment was returned. Cameras only contribute to continuing violations of our privacy. If they must be used, then citizens should demand that the footage be public domain, freely accessible to all.
Lastly, I agree that these police killings don't reflect a racial issue. They DO reflect a civil rights issue, albeit not in the way the leftists would claim. Leftists tend to obsess over equality as the highest good, and their main complaint about abusive policing is that it's "unfairly directed against minorities." Well, I call BS. I've seen many video clips of blatant police brutality and misconduct, and many cases -- most of the worst ones, in fact -- had whites as the victims. The proper attitude isn't that bad policing is "unfair"; it's that bad policing should not exist, period.
A superb comment from Anonymous December 8, 2014 at 6:29 AM who stole thoughts and ides directly from my head that I could not as keenly put words to! Thank you for speaking so clearly what real Americans think about the state of things on our streets. Mike has attracted some bright, straight thinking men to his blog for sure.
First thought in my mind is that I am the watchtower commander on my property and I will not tolerate any tyrannical .gov toad coming onto my property for any reason.
There are bad cops out there and always will be! Lets get that thought firmly planted in our brains. These are the same cops that deal with the scum of our society who respect only the aggressive use of force. Ingrain that as well.
Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals?
"Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals [sic]?"
How about no cops at all? That is my choice. We got on fine in this country for decades without 'em.
BTW, those cameras will turn out to be unreliable, especially when they have recorded some embarrassing footage. Good luck indicting any cops with those cameras.
That would explain where all the ammo and arms went that was purchased on govt orders for ridiculous places and agencies.. They should do a head count before they get too crazy though..
T. Paine, I'd like to answer your post point-by-point:
First thought in my mind is that I am the watchtower commander on my property and I will not tolerate any tyrannical .gov toad coming onto my property for any reason.
That's the right attitude! But I'm sure you realize that making a stand against the forces of evil on your own property is a last resort. If you're surrounded and by yourself, you're only getting out dead or in custody. You can still win in that situation by taking some of your attackers down with you, but obviously it's better to avoid such a Pyrrhic victory.
There are bad cops out there and always will be! Lets get that thought firmly planted in our brains. These are the same cops that deal with the scum of our society who respect only the aggressive use of force. Ingrain that as well.
In the US, they're all bad cops. Exceptions do exist, but they are so few as to be insignificant.
All cops enforce unconstitutional laws ("just following orders" isn't an excuse). All cops cover up for the wrongdoing of other cops. The institution of law enforcement in the US is best thought of as a street gang or mafia running a protection racket.
Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals?If those were the only two choices, then I'd much rather have the former.
America was built on the promise of freedom, not security. And we don't need cops to protect us from bad guys -- especially not cops who are bad guys themselves. We can protect ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities. But if we consider it more efficient and effective to have a full-time police force, then it should be held to extremely strict standards. It should be fully accountable to the community -- none of this "police policing the police" crap -- and the members of that police force should have to be residents of that community. Further, the police should NEVER be permitted to have weapons or equipment that isn't equally available to all other citizens.
Perhaps the ideal system would be to have a sheriff elected by each community, along with a small number of deputies. If these couldn't handle a certain criminal problem, then a citizen posse could be called up, just like in the old days.
7 comments:
The neocon National Review is filled with apologetics for the police state, and the essay Ms. Zebest cites is no exception. "[T]he NYPD’s extraordinarily successful counterterrorism model"? NYC is an open-air prison because of the NYPD and authoritarian scum like Rudy Giuliani.
I've had just about enough of "law and order" conservatards who have helped turn America into the fascist police state that surrounds us today. "Law and order" to these people means the police can do as they please, unhindered by any laws, while the rest of us have to lick boots or face the consequences. It's support for one-sided anarchy, and it's disgusting.
And what's this Ms. Zebest says about a "war on police"? Seriously?! The "civilian army" she decries IS the police, and it is they who are waging a war on us, not the reverse. That applies to all police -- federal, state, and local.
I do agree with some of the positions stated in the National Review essay and by Zebest, though my reasons are undoubtedly different from theirs.
Yes, we should oppose the federalization of state and local police. If we must have policing, it should all be done on the local level, subject to strict citizen oversight. But police federalization is hardly unique to the Obama years. The process precedes Obama by decades, though it was G.W. Bush's administration that really got that ball rolling. Someone remind me: Which president introduced the Dept. of Fatherland Security?
I also agree that putting cameras on cops (or anywhere else) is not going to solve the problem. The pigs get caught committing violent felonies on camera all the time. The "just us" system protects them all the same. Crystal-clear camera footage showed anyone with a brain that Garner's death was the result of manslaughter at least. Yet not even an indictment was returned. Cameras only contribute to continuing violations of our privacy. If they must be used, then citizens should demand that the footage be public domain, freely accessible to all.
Lastly, I agree that these police killings don't reflect a racial issue. They DO reflect a civil rights issue, albeit not in the way the leftists would claim. Leftists tend to obsess over equality as the highest good, and their main complaint about abusive policing is that it's "unfairly directed against minorities." Well, I call BS. I've seen many video clips of blatant police brutality and misconduct, and many cases -- most of the worst ones, in fact -- had whites as the victims. The proper attitude isn't that bad policing is "unfair"; it's that bad policing should not exist, period.
"Paranoia, the destroyer"
A superb comment from Anonymous December 8, 2014 at 6:29 AM who stole thoughts and ides directly from my head that I could not as keenly put words to! Thank you for speaking so clearly what real Americans think about the state of things on our streets. Mike has attracted some bright, straight thinking men to his blog for sure.
First thought in my mind is that I am the watchtower commander on my property and I will not tolerate any tyrannical .gov toad coming onto my property for any reason.
There are bad cops out there and always will be! Lets get that thought firmly planted in our brains. These are the same cops that deal with the scum of our society who respect only the aggressive use of force. Ingrain that as well.
Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals?
"Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals [sic]?"
How about no cops at all? That is my choice. We got on fine in this country for decades without 'em.
BTW, those cameras will turn out to be unreliable, especially when they have recorded some embarrassing footage. Good luck indicting any cops with those cameras.
That would explain where all the ammo and arms went that was purchased on govt orders for ridiculous places and agencies.. They should do a head count before they get too crazy though..
bondmen: Thank you for the compliment.
T. Paine, I'd like to answer your post point-by-point:
First thought in my mind is that I am the watchtower commander on my property and I will not tolerate any tyrannical .gov toad coming onto my property for any reason.
That's the right attitude! But I'm sure you realize that making a stand against the forces of evil on your own property is a last resort. If you're surrounded and by yourself, you're only getting out dead or in custody. You can still win in that situation by taking some of your attackers down with you, but obviously it's better to avoid such a Pyrrhic victory.
There are bad cops out there and always will be! Lets get that thought firmly planted in our brains. These are the same cops that deal with the scum of our society who respect only the aggressive use of force. Ingrain that as well.
In the US, they're all bad cops. Exceptions do exist, but they are so few as to be insignificant.
All cops enforce unconstitutional laws ("just following orders" isn't an excuse). All cops cover up for the wrongdoing of other cops. The institution of law enforcement in the US is best thought of as a street gang or mafia running a protection racket.
Which would you rather have: A compliant non confrontational cop who always rolls over or a cop willing get blood on his knuckles to keep the bad guys on their heals?If those were the only two choices, then I'd much rather have the former.
America was built on the promise of freedom, not security. And we don't need cops to protect us from bad guys -- especially not cops who are bad guys themselves. We can protect ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities. But if we consider it more efficient and effective to have a full-time police force, then it should be held to extremely strict standards. It should be fully accountable to the community -- none of this "police policing the police" crap -- and the members of that police force should have to be residents of that community. Further, the police should NEVER be permitted to have weapons or equipment that isn't equally available to all other citizens.
Perhaps the ideal system would be to have a sheriff elected by each community, along with a small number of deputies. If these couldn't handle a certain criminal problem, then a citizen posse could be called up, just like in the old days.
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