Cops are not the problem; cops are a symptom.
That doesn't mean it's OK to celebrate symptoms. They still need to be addressed (and eliminated*, ideally).
Often it's not the disease that kills you, it's the symptoms. That's even the case with something like Rabies. This is also true of statism.
It's already clear statism is a fatal disease, not so much because of the statism itself, but because of the symptoms. They are what kills. And cops, along with troops and other terrorists, are the most deadly symptom.
If not for people depraved enough to enforce The State against others, the disease of statism wouldn't be as likely to be fatal.
The symptoms need to be addressed.
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*If you believe killing them is the only way to eliminate cops, you seem to be saying cops can't reason their way out of evil, that they have no ethical principles worth anything, and nothing will stop people from continuing to show up and do the nasty, scummy "job" of policing.
This is like an autoimmune disorder.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is people who prey upon others. Cops and soldiers are the immune system. One for hostile persons inside our communities, one for hostile persons outside of our communities.
Crime and war are like infections. They set off the immune system. The longer the infection persists or more frequently it attacks, the stronger the immune system's response. Under some circumstances, the immune system attacks its host.
That's where we're at now. The general lawlessness of society and hostility of other nations is creating an overreaction.
Ideally, cultures would emphasize lawfulness, self-reliance, and mutual respect. As crime drops, the need for cops and military, and government itself, would no longer be particularly relevant or necessary and would fade away like the symptoms of an infection that has been defeated.
Yet, as we have seen, as crime drops (and it has been dropping steadily for a long time) the "immune system" has less legitimate protecting to do, so it has turned on the healthy tissue so as to continue to have a "purpose". Now it is the main cause of problems.
DeleteThe drop in crime is not uniform. There are areas where violent crime is almost non-existent and property crime is very rare, and there are areas where it is very common. So, while the aggregate rate is dropping, some areas have a persistent issue.
ReplyDeleteJust like an autoimmune disorder, police have become dangerous to the host because of overreaction to the persistent problems. The host communities keep voting for stronger policing due to the persistent issues.
I see a police cruiser in my area about once a year. There is almost no police presence there. Five miles away in a different part of town, there's a heavy police presence.
Doesn't it seem clear that the persistent issues are in places which violate the right of self-defense and defense of property? Policing isn't a good solution, but make matters worse. It's easier and less dangerous to molest people for defending than to catch the actual bad guys.
DeleteThis town (population around 1,400) went from not even having a police department to having 3 cops (not including the sheriff department). There has never really been any actual crime here. So the cops spend most of their time harassing and robbing people passing through, or cruising around the school-- which is next door to my house-- trying to rob people for driving the exact same way the cops drive. I don't even know what excuse there is for having cops here.
The perception of a problem is what causes the overreaction. Someone probably got folks all worked up over a minor bout of crime. Then someone promised to get tough on crime. Then, BAM! Police force.
DeletePeople want police because they don't think that they are qualified to uphold the law. They've constantly been told that they can't do it as well as the cops.
That's possible, but my family has been here since long before there was a police department here. I haven't heard of any (even minor) bouts of crime. I suspect it has more to do with "everyone else has them; we should, too".
DeleteThat's very possible. As in all things, perception and belief often differ from reality.
ReplyDeleteLike putting streetlights everywhere, or illuminating parking lots. The perception is that there have been illicit activities in some dark streets or lots, the belief becomes that dark streets or lots prone to crime. The result is ridiculous and unnecessary spending on streetlights and illumination.
Same thing.