I’m beginning to think that the path the government has taken is not only irresponsible, but unconstitutional, unpatriotic and most scary, irrevocable.
While on the surface, using the National Guard as law enforcement might seem like a good idea, since in many places, particularly the megacities like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, crime is rampant. Even the local law enforcement agencies are trying to tap out, or seemingly so, by not prosecuting small crimes like shoplifting and traffic and such.
(A case could be made for those same folks ignoring felony crimes, since things keep getting worse.)
President Trump had some results in D.C. by deploying troops to fight the growing crime, and while that certainly is a benefit for the people living there, it wasn’t necessarily legal or constitutional. The Insurrection Act was used as the lynchpin for the move, but it was designed for domestic emergencies.
So I’m wondering here whether the out-of-control crime qualifies as a national emergency, one the rises to the level of setting aside Posse Comitatus.
Following Reconstruction, the government approved the Posse Comitatus Act, designed to severely limit the military, under the auspices of the federal government, as a police force. Obviously, having been not too long after the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, it was a really good idea not to send the military to quell domestic issues.
Seriously, a domestic issue rose up and King George sent troops, followed by Lincoln using troops to get the South in line, and wiser heads felt that using the might of the military against citizens really was more like communist countries than a republic based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Fast forward to today, and Trump is looking to dump troops into Chicago, ostensibly for immigration enforcement and to protect ICE agents operating in the area. The rhetoric about the Chicago murder rate even has the president suggesting that Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker be jailed for interfering with Trump’s bid to end the lawlessness.
Trump recently activated troops in Oregon after DHS personnel were complaining about attacks from domestic terrorists; there’s also talk about activating troops in Memphis.
Also recently, a federal judge has stopped the deployment for a couple of weeks in both places.
Having grown up the son of a man would enforced the law both federally through the military and locally through a police department, I have nothing but respect for law, and nothing but sympathy for crime victims. But I also believe it is not now nor has it ever been up to the federal government to solve all the problems in the country.
As sad as it may be, the residents of those areas elected representatives at the city and state level to handle their problems, and that’s the level at which things should remain. If there is an issue with the quality of law enforcement, it is for the local municipalities to solve. If that isn’t happening, then there are elections to replace ineffective representation. There also is the ability to leave an area for a safer place.
I realize that isn’t quite the response that was expected, but I’ve always said that once a government takes over anything, it never returns it. If the federal government takes over law enforcement at every level, then we’ve lost our liberty.
It’s sad that people have to live in fear, but we can’t leave it to Washington to solve.
Tony Farkas is editor of the Trinity County News-Standard and the San Jacinto News-Times. He can be reached at tony@polkcountypublishing.com.
