The latest occupy exercise, culminating in the Finicum Shooting appears to winding down. The latest “anti” antics came this time from the right. Finicum had been functioning as the spokesman for the ranchers that had taken over a government facility. Prior to the shooting he had pretty much indicated that he would not be taken alive, or go to prison.
He was traveling in convoy with other like minded individuals when they ran into a road block. The occupants of one vehicle surrendered while the vehicle Finicum was traveling in avoided the roadblock, only to run into a second one. The vehicle tried to avoid this roadblock by driving around it, but was stopped by deep snow. Finicum is seen leaving the vehicle from the driver’s side with his hands over his head. He is also seen reaching into his coat pocket. Like we used to say on patrol, “You better be reaching for your favorite chocolate bar, because you’re fixing too eat it.” Finicum died, “very suddenly.” All of this was captured by an orbiting FBI surveillance aircraft.
Pick a site, any site and read the comments and see what passes for wisdom. The first thing that jumps out at me, is that if you strip off the political posturing the comments are more in agreement that in opposition to one another.
There is a deep resentment and distrust of law enforcement across the spectrum. They may disagree about why they dislike the FBI but strip the why away and both sides are united.
This distrust extends to the media. Critics from both sides are calling for video of the incident. Yeah, that is a check on what the government is saying, but it is also a check on the spin the media may choose to put on the incident. “Who you gonna believe me, or your lying eyes?”
The other thing reading the comments does is demonstrates the tortured logic one side or the other uses to support their position. Some of my favorites:
The FBI didn’t have individual videos. As far as I know no Feds are equipped with individual videos, at least where they will admit it. In San Antonio, Bexar County, Sheriff’s deputies and police officers equipped with video cameras and assigned to the United States Marshal’s Fugitive task force were told to leave their cameras at home. The explanation was simple.
USMS headquarters has not formulated a policy to be applied nationwide. Ineptitude is not conspiracy, conspiracy requires the ability to plan and implement those plans. It is real easy for the Justice Department to arbitrarily mandate a city, county or state agency to get cameras, consequences and expenses be damned. It becomes more problematic when applying that mandate to agencies under DOJ control.
Many writers were incensed that the FBI was engaged in a traffic stop. I saw vehicles, and I saw a road but I didn’t see a traffic stop in the Finicum tape. I saw a roadblock directed specifically at two vehicles containing armed, individuals who officers had probable cause and reason to believe were engaged in ongoing felony activity. That one person was killed and one injured shows that the FBI has learned a lot about felons, guns and cars since the Miami shootout.
The ranchers were exercising the First Amendment and Second Amendment Rights to protest and carry arms. Taking over a government facility, announcing an intent to stay and displaying firearms to reinforce that intent, let’s change the context a little. I have the right to possess panty hose. I can wear panty hose on my face, if I choose. I have the right to carry a pistol. If I choose to wear the panty hose on my face while waving my pistol in the face of a 7-11 clerk and demanding money I am merely exercising my right to free expression. Yeah, no don’t think it works in either case.
These incidents illustrate to me that government is messing up in two arenas. First, it is too big. Second, government is hiring the wrong type of people. That government is hiring the wrong type of people is easily proved. Golf courses across the country have experienced a down turn in business. Prior to the millennium all sorts of useless people got hired by the government. When they found out that their job was meaningless and didn’t require any effort on their part, they took up golf.
Something happened with the millennium, could be those damned video games. New government employees were physically inept and couldn’t handle golf. They had the Internet and in between surfing for porn and playing video games these new employees accidentally discovered all sorts of rules and regulations. Nobody told them that these rules and regulations were never intended to be enforced, that they were make work artifacts from a prior generation. People like to feel useful, they don’t actually have to be, just give the appearance.
These millennials dusted off these obscure rules and regulations and started enforcing them. You just killed ten coal miners? I ain’t going in that hole, people die in there. Here is a citation, pay a $10,000 fine because you didn’t have this sign posted in the lunch room. The effect of under employed millennials is now seen throughout government.
You burned 100 acres of government grassland nobody gives a shit about? Sounds like arson. What if we bulldoze this section of the dike? What’s the worse that can happen? Madame Secretary this e-mail app is so much more user friendly than that government system, all the neat kids are using it….