Members of the peace march in Washington D.C., 1967, confront military police. These M.P.'s are less-equipped than some of our local riot police today (see below images).
.
Remember when police officers were “peace officers”?
Why do they refer to the police as a FORCE?
Why are our local police officers being federalized and given huge grants and equipment to create a “quasi-military police force”?
Why are more officers being caught on tape abusing suspects and innocent civilians, physically, with pepper spray and with “non-lethal” weapons like tasers?
Why are our police officers taught to use a persons’ ignorance of their rights against them?
What if these aren’t just “rogue” officers misbehaving, but a result of administrative changes in the function and role or our police?
.
The police officer is a public servant, whose motto has long been “to serve and to protect.” Yet, who are they to serve, and who are they to protect? You? The criminals? Civilians? Government officials? The State? The federal government?
Most local police departments require their officers to repeat an oath of office similar to this:
“I swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of _____ and support the Constitution and laws thereof; and that I will, to the best of my skill and judgment diligently and faithfully, without partiality or prejudice, execute the office of police officer according to the Constitution and laws of this State.”
In fact, this oath is very similar to the oaths of office that most public officials take (e.g. the President, Vice-President, Supreme Court Justices, etc.). What is important is the part about the Constitution – you know that thing that most people seem to think we don’t need anymore. The police officer swears a duty to support the Constitution.
Why, then, are more and more precincts and departments being taught by the Federal government to consistently step over the boundary lines of individual rights? Why are our police officers being taught to profile citizens and be wary of those that talk repeatedly of the Constitution and about common law rights of man? Traditionally, these ideals are exactly what peace officers were to serve and to protect. Over the last few decades, however, we see that being turned on its head. Do you ever feel intimidation or anxiety when being pulled over by a police officer, even if you’ve done nothing wrong? Does the picture below frighten you, or would it deter you from protesting a cause you believed in?
.
Police officers at democratic convention.
.
It is enough to make most people think twice and not get involved with public assemblies for protests. In short, it curtails your First Amendment rights – especially when they utilize these storm troopers to corral American citizens into “free speech zones” in NYC and D.C. Last time I checked, the First Amendment didn’t say “you can have freedom of speech, but only in free speech zones under surveillance by men with automatic weapons.”
Fear is not a natural response towards a public servant who is there to serve and protect you. So why do so many of us feel this way? I have my own ideas about why our local police departments are being federalized and militarized and it isn’t about protecting us and is all about squelching dissent and the ideals of liberty. I’d love to hear your thoughts, though!
The following two pictures show an FBI pamphlet given to the Phoenix police department’s anti-terrorism task force. Please notice the marked sections:
Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff's Department Pamphlet, exterior
Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff's Department Pamphlet, Interior
.
According to the above, Constitutionalists and Common Law advocates are grouped in with hate groups, terrorists, extremists and weapons of mass destruction. Ask yourself why this is so. Why is the Constitution a threat? To whom?
We have a crisis in American, but most are not willing to look at it. The crisis taking place is not being televised, because our media thinks that Americans are more interested in Britney Spears and Heath Ledger than they are about their own liberties. The crisis is the reformation of our government and the abolishment of our constitutional Republic. Do you know what the difference is between a Republic and a Democracy? Which one is our government? Why, then, do our elected officials and media people constantly tell us we live in a democracy? The answer is that in a democracy, it’s mob rule. And it’s easier to control the mob than it is a few hundred million sovereign citizens. It is about control, and in this country NO ONE has authority or control over you – plain and simple. Your power lies in your individual sovereignty and protected by the Republic. YOUR FOUNDING FATHERS ESTABLISHED THE CONSTITUTION AND THE REPUBLIC SO THAT EVERY CITIZEN WOULD BE AS A KING OR QUEEN OVER THEIR OWN DESTINY. Take awhile and let that sink in. Then think about how much government has taken control over every aspect of your life.
The militarization and federalization of our local peace officers is, in my opinion, detrimental to our free Republic and to our safety as sovereign citizens. Sacrificing a little liberty for security doesn’t make you safer. It makes you a slave. Benjamin Franklin knew this, and so did the rest of our founding fathers. In fact, Franklin stated in no uncertain terms, “Those that would sacrifice Freedom for Security deserve neither.” I wonder why, then, our government is trying to push through all sorts of gun laws to restrict American citizens from exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Is this to make us safe from terrorists? Or is this to disarm America so she can’t fight back against the totalitarian government that is forming?
.
New York City police donning automatic weapons and tactical vests.
.
One thing is clear: our founding fathers recognized our NEED to be protected from the abuses of government. This is why the Constitution was written! Government has not changed. Our focus has changed, however, and we no longer recognize nor value our heritage. After all, the immediate threat of terrorism should require us to give up our rights without question so that big brother Homeland Security can makes us safe! This is called the politics of fear and we are being played the fool. We are constantly being distracted by corporate controlled news to make us think about other things and not the destruction of our Constitution.
But don’t take my word for it. Below is a retired state trooper and former U.S. Secret Service Agent’s view on what is happening in America:
.
THE MILITARIZATION OF THE AMERICAN POLICE
By Greg Evensen
As a former state police trooper, I can state emphatically, that I oppose the move away from local policing to a heavily armed “national” quasi-military police force policy. You need look no further than New Orleans after Katrina. You could watch California Highway Patrol officers and many out of state police agencies going door to door, disarming innocent civilians. Police officers were on a mission to confiscate firearms from people trying to protect themselves. Observing this was to incite a first class riot in my home.
It was bad enough to watch these poor, helpless, but courageous civilians, trying to defend themselves against criminals who spoke “Ebonics” and Spanish. It was horrendous to watch the suffering of old men and women abandoned by families or simply unable to leave before the storm hit. But it was absolutely heartbreaking to see beefy, skin-headed officers prying shotguns out of the hands of men and women whose only “crime” was that they tried to keep themselves alive while the “officers” could not be found.
We have become accustomed to standing quietly on the sidelines while our local police Chiefs and Sheriffs have accepted huge amounts of federal dollars and military equipment for their special response units. They are all under a variety of mission specific names and classified standing orders. Once they take the cash however, they are handcuffed to the Feds for whatever future “mission” they may be assigned. It could come from some whacked out Special Agent from the ABC Bureau who dreamed up a little publicity (like Waco) and/or a “show of force” to keep the natives in line. This is to soften up the American public in case they held thoughts of fending for themselves or decisively telling these servants that they weren’t needed, thank you. But then, a well armed citizenry doesn’t fit the UN model of a disarmed nation bowing before the machine-gun toting black clad soldiers of the Omaha, Atlanta or Dayton police departments. Let’s see, black uniforms, coal bucket style helmets, machine-guns at every corner. Hmm, looks like Berlin in 1942?
Peruvian anti-riot police, unarmed. Is this where we are heading towards interior local government armies?
Remember the stormtroopers in Star Wars, who ran around doing the bidding of the emperor?
Filed under: Current Political News, government, politics , Constitution, control, evensen, force, maricopa county, martial law, militarization, pamphlet, police, riot, sheriff, terrorist
[...] read my previous post, The Militarization of American Police + Arizona Counter-Terrorism Pamphlet, which provides an article written by a former policeman against what he sees as the federalization [...]
[...] #4 Search term: “march on Washington” (referring to, “Militarization of American Police + Arizona Counter-terrorism Pamphlet“) [...]
This article is incredibly wrong in so many ways. I honestly don’t know where to start to point out the inaccuracies and misconceptions written.
It would be helpful if you did know where to start.