I never fell for that “counter-culture” trope of referring to all police as “pigs” because I thought it was unfair. An old Dave Berg cartoon in MAD Magazine encapsulated my opinion perfectly:
Protesting hippies: “Off the Pigs!” “Pigs Off Campus!” etc. etc., all screaming at a tubby police officer standing in front of them. Suddenly, a bunch of hard-hat construction workers dive into the group and start kicking the shit out of them.
Hippies: “Help! Police!”
Policeman (smiling): “Ain’t nobody here but us pigs…”
However, it is an undeniable fact that under this lockdown insanity, many police forces have let their enforcement mandate get out of control (arresting lone paddleboarders, snooping into people’s shopping bags for evidence of “non-essential” purchases, and so on). Then we have bullshit like this:
The New Jersey woman who helped organize and film a protest in the state capitol of Trenton against Governor Phil Murphy’s stay-at-home orders was charged by the state police with violating the emergency decrees.
…not to mention this little injustice:
Artur Pawlowski was feeding homeless people in downtown Calgary when over half a dozen police officers surrounded him and issued him a cool $1,200 fine.
Apparently this gathering was in contravention of new coronavirus lockdown laws, but there were more police officers attending this “crime” than there were alleged offenders.
…not to mention this excellent use of state resources:
A skate park in San Clemente, CA, was filled with 37 tons of sand by local authorities to block skaters from using it during the coronavirus outbreak.
I would go on and on, but as Insty would put it, I’d probably need a bigger blog.
What worries me most about all this is not just that the (mostly Democrat) state governors are going apeshit over this golden opportunity to oppress and control the people who voted them into power. That’s what socialists do, all the time.
What depresses me is that so many police forces are jumping right in and enforcing — in many cases over-stringently — the stupid and ineffective regulations. Even stories like this depress me rather than inspire me:
Wisconsin’s Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling indicated in a statement on Friday he will not enforce the state’s stay-at-home order, which Gov. Tony Evers (D) extended through May 26.
…
While Wisconsin law gives both the governor and Wisconsin DHS “the authority to develop emergency measures and enforce rules and order to protect the public during a health crisis,” Schmaling emphasized that state law “does not have the power to supersede or suspend the Constitutional rights of American citizens.”
Good for him, say I; what saddens me is that every sheriff should be saying and doing this kind of thing, but most aren’t.
So to all my law enforcement friends out there: take your foot off the gas pedal, because at some point you’re going to start encountering increasing backlash from the people you’re supposed to be protecting — and nobody wants that to happen.
Nobody, that is, except the socialist politicians who will respond, as statist authoritarians always do, by increasing the level of oppression (e.g. by trying to pass more gun-control laws and imposing curfews) instead of ameliorating it.
Don’t make us start thinking of calling you “pigs”.
