“We intend to walk into Lansing after the summer break and ask the Republicans who have been so eagerly screwing us, ‘who’s next?’ If we cannot earn their respect we will do what we have always done; hit it with a flashlight until we gain compliance.”
That’s a Michigan cop speaking (H/T to Ellendra). Or rather emailing. And what a perfect example of a joke that isn’t funny. Yes, after being caught, John Barnes, president of the Warren Police Officer’s Association, claimed he was just joking when he threatened to bash legislative heads.
Then — if his original statement didn’t already scream, “NO JOKE!” — the estimable Officer Barnes added, “I will refrain from using inflammatory language as soon as those attacking me and my fellow police officers refrain from using the same.”
Now, I admit I don’t follow Michigan politics day-by-day. But I do believe that if Republican politicians anywhere had threatened to hammer police officers with flashlights until they “gained compliance” (or made any equivalent threats), the national media would have gleefully reported the fact.
Much though I hesitate to defend Republicans (or Democrats) it’s important to note that this violent example of copitude comes because — get this — Republican legislators in bankrupt Michigan think maybe cops should pay into their own health care and retirement funds just like most private sector working stiffs. And unlike those of us in the non-elite who can’t even have health insurance or retirement plans.
Of course, Barnes and his fellow thugs had no actual intention of walking into any actual legislature and smashing any actual politicians’ heads. So in that sense, yes, he was “joking.” But oh my, what he’s revealing about cop attitude! Do cops really believe that concussions — or death — are proper responses to every form of “non-compliance”? Do cops really consider themselves empowered to do violence to anybody who disagrees with them, even when the disagreement is polite? Do cops consider any form of opposition as a violent “attack” deserving a violent response?
Oh, what a host of unintentional truths you revealed about yourself and your profession, Officer Barnes! A gore-besmeared parade of the dead, disabled, disarmed, disfigured, and demoralized testifies that you mean precisely what you say.
I don’t want to see cops beating their nominal masters any more than I want to see them beating gentle schizophrenics, epileptics, grandmothers, political protestors, dancers, or any of the other non-violent folk they like to pound on. But if mucky-mucks ever got a taste of how cops increasingly treat those Will Grigg calls mere “mundanes,” there might be some chance their political masters would eventually leash these vicious mutts, well and truly.
At this point, I’m supposed to say that thugs like Barnes (and the hordes of other thugs Grigg, Radley Balko, and others report on every day) are just “rogues” or “bad apples.” Yeah. Right.
On the day that cops around the country rush to join organizations like Oathkeepers and crusade passionately to drive the gangsters, thieves, puppy killers, graft-takers, crazed control freaks, bullies, sexual predators, and other — there is no word for it but — pigs out of their own ranks, I might buy that the Barneses of the world aren’t representative. But the silence from the law-enforcement community gets more deafening all the time.
I guess Mr. Barnes would find it funny as hell if he woke up to find out the Michigan legislature had activated the Michigan National Guard to protcet themselves from the local Thuggery Compliance Agencey. He might also find it really amusing if he found out he official thuggery certification (license to steal, commit violence etc) had been revoked by the state for threatening insurrection.
And yet so many people seem to continue to believe that whole “serve and protect” line…
As much as I dislike politicians, I will point out that they too have the absolute right to employ deadly force in self-defense against any person or group of persons who have threatened to do them physical harm.
And I’d love to see it in action.
I’ve been to Warren. I’ve interacted with the Warren police department. Officer Barnes is not an abberration or an outlier in his department. As far as I’m concerned, if the reaction to him and any who would join him is a hail of bullets from the National Guard, the Michigan State Police, or even just the local Lansing cops, it’d be justice well-served. State servants or not, anyone who takes up arms against them after reading this threat gets a round of drinks on me.
Can we just lock all politicians and cops in the nearest capitol building and let them “work out” their differences? Then after they have killed each other off, we can turn the building into a Museum of Government to show the stupidity of ever having a State.
Speaking of the police and resilient communities, I thought you might enjoy this. Picked up from Global Guerillas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/05/world/europe/05village.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all?src=tp
As a former law enforcement officer (retired 1979) I have sadly witnessed the descent into “copitude” for some time. I have written about it here.
Unfortunately, the emerging motto of many law enforcement agencies is: “To harass and collect”.
I haven’t really interacted with cops(other than a couple speeding tickets) for almost 20 years-in the small town I used to live in, the local cops were decent and approachable(I used to ask questions all the time),would help stranded motorists,and generally do helpful things. No “copitude” at all..but, I’ve heard from more than just a few folks that such is becoming rare..from what I hear, urban cops have way more “copitude” than their rural and small town equivalents.
I beleive some, only some, of the rural and small town police officers/deputies understand that their survival ultimately depends on the good will of the local residents. In large sparsely inhabited areas, back up, might be hours away. Same way with medical treatment, if dispatch can be reached. The back up that saves that officer might have to come from the locals who saw a bad situation and moved to assist. At the same time and officer that treats everyone badly wil have to watch his back any time he is off the pavement.
Matt,another-I think you pretty much got it. The small town cops I knew were all decent-none of the Hollywood stereotype Buford T. Justice types. If you ask me, one sign of a honest cop is that they will look into a situation, and not just make a across-the-board judgement. The guy driving the vastly overloaded truck may have no choice(been there). A good cop might stop the guy,but also ask what’s going on, not just yank out the ticket book and lay a few hundred dollars worth on you. Some years ago, I was in a procession of vastly overloaded vehicles(had to get a friend moved in one day,and this was the only day all of us were off at the same time),and got stopped. After listening to the story, we got a police escort to the new location(about a 6 mile trip-a 1971 Ford truck, a 1958 Willys Jeep(me)with trailer,and a 1984 Thunderbird…all loaded Clampett style.
Maybe now, all we’d get would be a few hundred dollars worth of tickets..or towed off and left standing(in urban areas-yeah,that’s probably likely).
Shhh, don’t let mas discover this post…he might call you a cop hater!
Claire,
I wonder if Masaad Ayoob ever reads your blog? It would be interesting to hear his take on your point of view or your take on his.
-Dave
Dave, it would be interesting indeed. But I don’t think your namesake (Mr. Duffy, the publisher) would approve of that exchange at all. It’s probably best if, on this issue, Mas Ayoob and I just quietly agree to disagree. And call it good that one site offers such varied opinions on the subject.
Steve, you may be right. Wouldn’t be the first time somebody called me that. I always answer that I’m not at all a cop hater — that I gratefully honor and respect every officer who spends his or her career preventing aggressive violence, protecting private property, and honoring the rights of fellow citizens.
Yeah, Steve, You beat me to it. hahaha
I was going to say, Claire, that if you keep writing articles like this one you are going to make Masaad Ayoob cross you off his Christmas card list…..cop hater indeed!
(yes…THAT Phssthpok Claire 😉 )
Never forget folks….'[URL=”http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cooperation”]Cooperation[/URL]’ is cop speak for ‘[URL=”http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/capitulation”]Capitulation[/URL]’.
(no way to preview…hope it’s not a URL salad)
*tonk* *tonk* *tonk* “Stop resisting! Stop Resisting! *tonk* *tonk* *tonk* “Stop resisting! *tonk* “Stop resisting! *tonk* *bzzzzzzzzzzzrrrrt*
Steve Says:
August 5th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Shhh, don’t let mas discover this post…he might call you a cop hater!
Dave Says:
August 5th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Claire,
I wonder if Masaad Ayoob ever reads your blog? It would be interesting to hear his take on your point of view or your take on his.
-Dave
This was exactly what I was thinking!!
More than 50 years ago, a high school chemistry teacher (decent guy), who was also a sheriff’s reserve deputy, told me and a few other students (with some chagrin) that he had read a detailed psychological study of police officers and criminal gang members, which concluded that the primary motivations to join, for most members of both groups (gangs), were the same: easily identifiable group membership, insignia, and weapons, group loyalty to the point of lying to protect each other, and the opportunity to terrorize and dominate other, “lesser,” people. The only significant “distinction” was which side of the official law the individual had chosen to side with.