The entirely justified national — even international — protests against the death of George Floyd, and ongoing police brutality, has generated an idea as radical as Russian Roulette.
And as deadly.
The insanity can be found along the left edge of the progressive movement that now shouts three words: Defund the police. Or abolish the police. That’s because they hate all cops, not just the bad ones who deserve it.
The defund idea is so stunning, so contrary to reason, so opposed to public safety, that I am almost at a loss for words. How do you even begin to put forth a rational argument against something so fundamentally irrational? It’s like arguing thermonuclear dynamics with a kangaroo.
And yet the insanity is gaining traction, as noted in a compelling story in the Guardian.
At its least crazy, some Americans are calling for some money spent on law enforcement to be transferred to social services. That is a discussion of resources that we can have.
At its most crazy, they want no police departments. Proponents have this utopian notion that communities can be self-policing.
Interesting idea. Let’s take a look at a society not located in the jungles of New Guinea that has no police.
I can’t think of one.
The neutral Swiss have police. Native Americans on tribal lands have police. The Vatican has police.
But, somehow, Chicago, for example — which racks up several dozen shootings each week — will regulate itself. If you believe that, you also believe unicorns fart Chanel No. 5.
Police budgets, along with prison budgets, have risen sharply in the past quarter century. It is also true that major crime has dropped by about half in the same period of time.
You think that is a coincidence?
Generally speaking, more cops = less crime. The reverse is true. Fewer cops = more crime.
Need an example? Remember New Orleans during and after Katrina? For one reason or another, half the cops didn’t show up and the city was mercilessly looted, down to its Sazerac glassware.
Too far back and too far away? One week ago, even with hundreds of cops in the area, Walnut and Chestnut street stores were stripped bare. On Germantown Avenue in North Philly, on 52nd Street in West Philly, on Aramingo Avenue in Fishtown, stores were ravaged, while police raced from call to call.
No more cops and that’s what you’d see every night until Philadelphia was nothing more than a corpse.
But before the city dies, something else would happen.
With the police gone the vacuum would be filled by the 100 million Americans who own firearms.
You don’t doubt that, do you?
When the government can’t or won’t protect the people, the people will protect themselves. It may be individuals, it may be town watches, it may be private security hired by neighborhoods, but it will happen.
The people with the biggest guns, and the most guns, will emerge on top.
That doesn’t seem to occur to those who want to defund the police, such as the Black Lives Matters organization, which is circulating a petition to defund the police.
There’s even a #DefundPolice hash tag.
I can hear a few of you saying, “They don’t mean actually getting rid of police.”
Except they do, some of them. Others just want to strip police of their power and arms, expecting them to talk armed robbers into submission.
#DefundPolice is stupidity squared.
Far more helpful, and sane, are ideas for reform, such as better training, body cameras on all the time, citizen review boards with teeth, independent review of all shootings.
That makes sense. Sending social workers instead of cops does not.
This is an idea — and I use that word advisedly — that comes from the Left. It is ironic that Left countries — Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela — have huge police forces and internal intelligence agencies.
I have a new hashtag: #IgnoreStupidity
Stu,
This is spot on. You’ve rendered me speechless (and that doesn’t happen too often) because I can’t think of anything to say. Ok, I lied. This defund nonsense is irrational rhetoric from people who engage in stimulus-response thinking rather than those who are actually capable of deep thought. And that is all I have to say, because you’ve said it all. Wanda
The anarchists of Antifa and related far left groups are behind all of this. My kids studied anarchist and socialist theory in 11th grade homeschool as a way of “know thy enemy”. They see the anarchist theory behind everything from blowing up ATMs to robbing stores to the anarchist graffiti to the calls to defund or even end police forces. Its a definite strategy designed to cause societal/governmental collapse. The anarchists don’t really care about minorities either, they’re just their tool for pushing the “racism” canard, which comes right out of the Frankfurt School teachings as well.
(Oh, and btw my kids don’t have green hair, 60 tattoos, anger/rage/depression, or gender confusion either.😉
Defund Comcast
Someone got a big cable bill. 😃
Great article Stu. But I would have summed it up slightly differently: “You can’t fix stupid.”
Oh – you did say that!
“Never argue with a stupid person. They will drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.”
Stu, Stu, Stu…why do you rise to their bait like a trout on opening day of the fishing season? The idiots who hold up such signs as ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ do so because….well, …. they’re idiots. They’ve never lived without police protection, so they have no concept of what foolishness they propose. Let them hold up their signs… they’ll be the first to call 911 when someone bashes in their front door in the middle of the night.
Your “taking the bait” is my “straightening out the idiots.”
Defund police efforts?……they had better hold off on that at least until the verdicts are rendered in the cases involving the 4 Minnesota policemen……as the state attorney general noted, it is a tough road and task to obtain convictions in trials against law enforcement personnel.
Should the outcome(s) in the cases be unfavorable to those who rightfully and legitimately protest now, it might just be wise and prudent to INCREASE police funding to anticipate the resultant outrage and protest that will occur.
It’s time to support our police, even in small ways as I suggested in previous blogs’ last comment and the NG…..water, energy drinks.
This is just the beginning
These people wouldn’t be very happy if the looters showed up at their doorstep and a cop was nowhere to be found
https://thegrio.com/2020/05/28/amy-klobuchar-police-minneapolis-charges-cop-george-floyd/
Maybe if the NYT endorsed candidate for Dem nomination Klobuchar had charged the cop who killed Floyd he would still be alive.
HAPPY FRIDAY !!!
Stu, Stu, Stu. Not one argument for the other side. What am I going to do with you ?!?
I caught a partial of FOP Pres John M & saw a blip about a councilman (?) from Minneapolis. Always interesting to hear McNesby dance around political correctness. Stu, you knowing me, would absolutely keep me away from a microphone, except for entertainment value. It has been said about Tony Clark; “you never have to wonder what’s on his mind, you’re gonna hear it”! The councilman would like to completely rebuild the public service department of the city. Very smart idea. I’m sure that he’s in the minority.
Of all of the replys, Vince was most entertaining. He gave me that never….line after the fact, BUT, he forgot to use it himself. Now, he wants to pawn it off on Stu. Ya gotta wonder/worry about these old people and their keyboards. Imagine if Vince was driving a car………………………
Tony
The looters and rioters calling to defund police have their strings pulled by the left and are brain washed in colleges, if they got that far in education. My friend read what his daughter’s college wrote in a paper about the college, it was sorry for white privilege. This is what is being taught in colleges, and the young people who have not worked a day in their lives, have no idea what the real world is about. I believe they are paid to participate in these affairs by the left, George Soros being a prime donator. One world order. Get rid of the police, let the left control us by fear of mayhem. It is all orchestrated, don’t be fooled. Saul Olinsky, “Rules for radicals”, never let a crisis go to waste, is the philosophy. Project Veritas has a utube showing how the violent are trained.No police goes with it. Check it out. I used to disbelieve these ideas. I am a believer now. Our country is under assault by these left ideas. My dad didn’t fight on Iwo Jima, Saipan and Tinian to see his country torn apart by these ideas. Neither did the soliders climbing the cliff of Normandy in WWII.
HAPPY FRIDAY almost gone !!!
First: Sandra, my thanks to your Father and every other Vet that stormed Iwo. With tomorrow being 6June 1944 times 76 , we will never forget the courage that those men had to storm that wall of death !
Police Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna also has been charged with reckless endangerment and possession of an instrument of crime. The latest possible victim of the establishment ! D.A. krasner has charged the Inspector, saying that everyone will meet swift justice. ARE YOU SH**ING ME ?!?
Tony
The arrest of S/I Joseph Bologna sounds like something I’ve read before. (a) D. A. Krasner just scared the shit out of the entire command staff of the Police Department who are paid to abide by and enforce the law. (b) The arrest made every progressive extremist in his voter base think of Krasner as our wonderful District Attorney and likely guaranteed his re-election. It is right out of Machiavelli’s The Prince, Chapter 7.
Just a little of Laura Ingraham tonight FNC:
WEATHER UNDERGROUND STRATEGY
Systemic racism and police racism (which Stu has just recently pointed out)
Identify the victim classes
Organize the victim classes
Voila!!
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Stu,
Absurdist rhetoric functions to engage those startled and dumbfounded by the novel idiocy. Such seems to be the case with “Defund the police!” This is a propaganda technique borrowed from “progressive” Europe, via globalization. (Of course, our advertising folks know all about such things, when selling soap powder, & etc. Advertising and propaganda are closely akin.)
Debate on the supposedly “new” idea is then used to go back over notions, say “No justice, no peace,” already refuted.
Boil this down, and what you find underneath is simply, “We don’t feel safe, so you dare not feel safe either.”
It is perhaps interesting in this connection that the rioters in Atlanta attacked the CNN headquarters. Just a target of opportunity?
H.G. Callaway