Move Over Marines

One of the enduring stories of the last two decades is the slow but steady build-up of federal employees who carry guns as part of their regular daily routines.  Obama tried to accelerate that increase in number during his first term when he placed 80,000 federal “constables” into his first budget request.  That was not approved.

However, the idea here is to create a “national police force” that is answerable to and under the control of the federal government.  Local accountability and control of law enforcement would be eroded and eventually vanish.  This idea continues to be pursued by those in Washington who want the ability direct law enforcement from Washington.

During the Obama administration the approach was to sue local police departments for “racial bias.”  Arrest numbers were used to “show bias.”  Most police departments are not biased.  However, the local governments do not have unlimited funds to contest such actions.  Eventually most agreed to a consent decree to modify how policing was done in order to end such expensive litigation.

The result?  Crime went up significantly in all jurisdictions where such actions were taken.  Significantly meant 20-30-40% increases in various violent crime statistics.  This is all part of the plan towards creating a national police force.

The other part of the plan is to jump on every report of a racial minority being killed by police to orchestrate a narrative that local law enforcements should be reformed.  Washington is attempting to insert themselves into local law enforcement at every turn.

Denigrating all law enforcement when one miscreant officer is involved in some evil doing has made it a lot more difficult to recruit quality people to this job.  This is especially true in areas where there is a constant drumbeat of negativity directed at police.  Long term, good, law enforcement officers in some “woke” areas have left for jobs in areas where there is a better appreciation for the quality of life that good policing provides.

Remember the ultimate goal is to have local law enforcement accountable not to local authorities but rather to the federal government.

The Libertarian Institute brings us this bit of disturbing information: There are now more bureaucratic (non-military) government agents armed with weapons than U.S. Marines.

“According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of federal agents armed with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment, authorized to make arrests and trained in military tactics has nearly tripled over the past several decades. As Adam Andrzejewski writes for Forbes, ‘the Federal government has become one never-ending gun show.’”

“Add in the Biden Administration’s plans to grow the nation’s police forces by 100,000 more cops and swell the ranks of the IRS by 87,000 new employees (some of whom will have arrest-and-firearm authority) and you’ve got a nation in the throes of Martial Law.

“The militarization of America’s police forces in recent decades has merely sped up the timeline by which the nation is transformed into an authoritarian regime.”

The Republican House majority has rescinded the 87,000 new IRS agents.  This would be a good first step. However, the bill will never see the light of day in the Senate.

The House GOP can take another tact.  The GOP is requiring a regular budget process.  This is part of the House’s constitutional duties.  Now there has not been a budget via this process since the year Obama won the presidency.  This was deliberate so that “continuing resolutions” would help to obscrue where money was going.

A regular budget process means that the House can direct how money is spent.  They can deny the new agents budget money in this way.  This could be a step that would allow some leverage to return to the House to control some aspects of this attempt to solidify control of all law enforcement in the country.

We shall have to watch how this plays out.