June 3, 2020
“While the department respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated. We will control the situation and protect the American people and the homeland at any cost.” Chad Wolf – acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
How, exactly, does Chad plan to distinguish between “protest” (every American’s right) and “civil unrest” (which will not be tolerated)? Would “peacefully” mean something like “restrained” – as in a man lying on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back? Or would more paralysis be required of the citizenry? And would “at any cost” include the extinguishment of the Republic as a democracy?
Love the invocation of “homeland.” Again, Chad, would that be “homeland” as in the “Vaterland” of 1930’s Germany, or more like the “Motherland” of Russia circa 1917? It’s important for would-be dictators to keep their genders straight.
The above quote comes from a New York Times article this morning. The article concerns deployment of all sorts of police, from different federal agencies, in cities around the nation but especially in the capital.
As noted in a post last year, this has a special nuance, or lack thereof, when it comes to Washington, D.C.
This is because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives governance of the District to Congress – pointedly not to the Executive branch. Law and order within its borders would therefore seem to be the purvue of Congress unless they say otherwise. And this means the Metro Police.
The Founding Fathers wrote the document the way they did because they were familiar with Roman history. Trump is effectively trying to bring his legions into Rome – a bad thing.
MOE
M.I.C.H. – Modernity, Intelligence, Complexity, Humanity