Heres’ the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Eric asks: Here’s an excellent think piece from a conservative (I know they are verboten to a libertarian but they are more closely aligned with you than with a Leftist) regarding tactical gear and armed government workers.
My reply: Of course.
It is not a coincidence that Hut! Hut! Hutting! has become common in line with it being common for armed government workers to dress the part. One does not jog in a tuxedo. The kitting out of AGWs to look as though an invasion of Poland is about to happen tends to make AGWs behave as if they are about to invade Poland. They regard themselves as kind of military cohort – which is why, in addition to getting rid of military equipment, getting rid of military ranks is also essential.
AGWs are not “colonels” and “generals” or even “sergeants.”
There are no commissioned ranks outside of the military. Pretending otherwise is akin to the way the German national socialists (who never referred to themselves as “Nazis”) awarded themselves ranks such as SA-Gruppenfuhrer – the fugazzi equivalent of a general in the real German army.
More fundamentally, the problem is this idea of armed government workers itself. I use this term because it is direct language and honest. There is no arguing with its editorial accuracy. AGWs work for the government and they are armed. In other words, they are the government’s enforcers. They do not “serve” or “protect” us. They serve the government protect its authority.
Why is that desirable?
Wouldn’t it be more desirable to protect our rights? There are many ways of doing so – but the point for purposes of this discussion is that AGWs do not do so. By definition. They enforce the law – whatever the law is. Irrespective of our rights, including the fundamental right to be let alone if one isn’t causing harm to anyone.
If that one principle were to be re-established in people’s minds – and the law – then the problem with armed government workers would no longer be a problem.
. . .
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They really don’t need more then patrol and detective “ranks”. Maybe a few of the detectives that would be supervisors of the patrol officers. If it was more peacekeeping then LE, there would be more detectives than patrol officers. AKA they would be solving actual crimes (like vandalism, thefts and home burglary) instead of ticketing motorists for “speeding”.