Trenton activist Daryl Brooks and
Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Are you aware that police forces are only a recent
invention?
Are you are also aware the SCOTUS has determined that your
police force is under no obligation to protect you?
Both are true facts. According to Wikipedia only Philadelphia had
police force during the colonial era. The
Philadelphia officers were positioned in watch boxes stationed throughout the
city. In the 1800’s other Eastern cities
began to follow suit – Richmond (1807), Boston (1838) and New York (1845). Wikipedia points out that, “After the civil war, policing became more
para-military in character, with the increased use of uniforms and military
ranks. Before this, sheriff's offices had been non-uniformed organizations
without a para-military hierarchy.”
Prior to that, laws were enforced by elected Sheriffs who
called upon local militias when extra muscle was required. Militias in the U.S. were generally
understood to be voluntary organizations of local citizens who banded together for
the common defense. Militia’s were so
vitally important that they were enshrined as an essential American institution
in the Second Amendment: “A well
regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,
shall not be infringed." In the
West, local Sheriffs also deputized the armed local citizens as the need arose.
Like most other things, government overtook and
professionalized law enforcement. Has it
made America any safer? I think not and
for the following reasons:
1.
The arming of professional police has coincided with
vigorous government efforts to disarm its citizens. The rationale being that an armed citizenry
was no longer necessary as law enforcement professionals were sufficient to
protect us.
2.
However, experience over time has shown that
Americans often need protection from the police. So numerous are the cases police brutality,
corruption and rogue unconstitutional behavior that the “protected” often
become the persecuted.
3.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that that local
police are under no
obligation to protect individuals.
4.
Even if the police were entirely virtuous and
were constitutionally obliged to protect us, prevailing economic conditions are
such that many cities can no longer afford effective police protection. In Detroit, it now takes police over an hour
to respond to a call. In that time, an efficient
criminal could rob, rape, murder and bury his victim before the cops
arrived. Where’s the protection?
So why am I picking on the cops? I'm really not.
Earlier this week, the Trenton political gadfly, Daryl
Brooks was attacked for no good reason by local hoods. When I spoke with him on the morning
afterward, Daryl mused about how likely these thugs would have been to tangle
with him if they feared that he might be armed.
He’s right. Every New
Jerseyan, every American deserves to able to protect themselves. It is a fundamental human right.
Sure there are plenty of brave, honest and dedicated men in
blue who will do whatever it takes to protect and serve their communities. But it is simply impossible for them to look
after our personal well being. They are
not body guards.
It is time that New Jersey lawmakers reconcile themselves to
the Founders’ wisdom that an armed citizenry is the best defense alien
invaders, common criminals and the incursions of a repressive government.
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- Paul Simon
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