Going to war against the Police [Updated for 2017]

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 20, 2014, a man traveled from Baltimore to Brooklyn, where he shot dead two police officers. My condolences went out to the families of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

Some of the mixed responses I saw to this double homicide sickened me almost as much as the news itself. Many of you reading this were sickened by the news of the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, as was the shooter in Brooklyn, Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

Given police speculation that Brinsley had committed another homicide back in Baltimore, planned for killing police, and that he killed himself after the incident, I concluded the shooter was crazy and disturbed similar to the Columbine shooters.

This murderous violence, motivated partly by politics and partly by insanity, only prolonged the stalemated gun control debate. It will also continue the discussion on civil liberties and the militarization of police in America.

Many in the liberty movement not only oppose the State institution of the police, or the State’s monopoly on security (which is reasonable).  They actually take it farther and hate the police, as a group and as individuals. I had the misfortune of arguing with a handful of people who were actually glad these officers were ambushed and murdered.

If you’re one of these people who celebrated their deaths, and who celebrates the deaths of police officers, I’m ashamed of you.

This is horrible. Furthermore, the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner expressed outraged by these killings, and their outrage was more than justifiable. After all, the families didn’t lose their sons violently so that their memory could be used to justify more violence and death. It’s one hell of a slippery slope.

By no means should libertarians, who value the right to life and individual self-determination more than any other ideological group, celebrate the murder of any human beings. That’s exactly what this ambush was. It wasn’t a rebel military operation, nor was it any kind of revolutionary action, despite being partly motivated by politics. The shooter was mentally unbalanced.

I remind you all that libertarians view people first and foremost... Read more

Going to war against the Police

Saturday afternoon, a man traveled from Baltimore to Brooklyn, where he shot dead two police officers.  My condolences go to the families of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

Some of the mixed responses I’ve seen to this double homicide sicken me almost as much as the news itself.  Many of you reading this were sickened by the news of the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, as was the shooter in Brooklyn, Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

Given police speculation that Brinsley had committed another homicide back in Baltimore, planned for killing police, and that he killed himself after the incident, we can conclude that the shooter was crazy and disturbed similar to the Columbine shooters.

This murderous violence, motivated partly by politics and partly by insanity, will undoubtedly prolong the stalemated gun control debate.  It will also continue the discussion on civil liberties and the militarization of police in America.

Many in the liberty movement not only oppose the State institution of the police, or the State’s monopoly on security, but actually hate the police as a group and as individuals.  I’ve actually dealt with a handful of people who are actually glad these officers were ambushed and murdered.

If you're one of these people who celebrated their deaths, I'm ashamed of you.

This is horrible.  Furthermore, the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner are outraged by these killings, and their outrage is justifiable.  After all, the families didn’t lose their sons violently so that their memory could be used to justify further violence.  That’s one hell of a slippery slope.  So ask yourself: are you one of those people who will politicize their sons’ deaths?  Will you reduce their deaths to a rallying cry for political violence?

By no means should libertarians, who value the right to life and individual self-determination more than any other ideological group, celebrate the murder of any human beings.  That’s exactly what this ambush was.  It wasn’t a rebel military operation, nor was it any kind of revolutionary action, despite being partly motivated by politics.  The guy was mentally unbalanced.

I remind you all that libertarians view people first and foremost as individuals.  This means one mentally unbalanced individual was angry that specific uniformed individuals killed another individual in Staten Island, New York, and that yet another individual killed another individual in Ferguson, Missouri—therefore, he as an individual chose to murder yet other individuals in the Bronx who wore uniforms, but had nothing to do with the other slayings.  It was as if these killings were supposed to “even the score” between civilians and police.

In the end, all it did was raise the overall body count, leaving police and civilians equally appalled.

Katie Rucke of Mint Press News claims that over 5,000 U.S. civilians have been killed by police since 9/11.  We have no way of knowing at this time which “civilians” were unarmed and oppressed, and which were actually violent creeps caught in the act, who happened to be legally innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  Nonetheless, the statistic is staggering.

However, violence in America is NOT one-sided.

2014 saw 66 police officers die from assault, vehicular assault, gunshot wounds, and other hostile actions (Officer Down Memorial Page counts the death toll for this year at 113 including non-hostile deaths).  At least 972 American police officers have been killed by hostile actions since the day after 9/11—the toll rises 1,106 if we count the terrorist attacks and slow death from 9/11-related illness.  Worse yet, over 16,300 homicides took place in America in 2014 alone.

I don’t deny that America has a problem with militarized police.  I also acknowledge the issues raised by the gun control debate—I think we need psycho control, not gun control, but I haven’t ignored the opposition’s arguments.

I also take heat on a regular basis from within the liberty movement because I don’t jump on the Let’s-Hate-Cops bandwagon.  I was raised by two police officers (both of whom respect civil rights and voted for Ron Paul). I still see cops—civilians as well—as individuals before I see them as members of a group.  I also see that 93% of homicides committed in America were not committed by police.

This points out a sickening new angle to the problem of violence in America: Poorly trained/indoctrinated cops kill civilians, other civilians kill cops, and while Americans are ranting and debating this issue, civilian criminals kill 15,000 other civilians without America batting an eye.

Folks, going to war against the police will not help save civilians, nor will it secure our civil liberties.  This will only raise the body count and justify the paranoia of trigger-happy police officers while the State cracks down on freedom.

Rather than adopt the insane  crusade of encouraging Christopher Dorner-style campaigns against the police, we in the liberty movement need to be shining examples of humility, respect for the sanctity of life, and respectful towards the fallen and their mourning families.

We have a lot of work to do in reforming policing in America.  Better yet, we have the doubly difficult task of not only suggesting reforms, but also innovative ways to minimize the State’s monopoly on security and transfer part of that burden to citizen volunteers and private industry.  However, to change people’s thinking and get them to think the way we do, we have to display strong character.

The opposition will only take time to listen to us if they respect us, and most people’s respect is earned, not given.  This means that we command respect not only through being fluent in our talking points and arguments, but we earn respect by showing nothing but respect for those who disagree with us.

Framingham, MA memorial to fallen police

Being kind and respectful begins with the way we approach the dead.  I’m very sorry that the two NYPD officers were murdered, as I’m sorry another officer in Florida was murdered yesterday.

As a human being with compassion, my heart is heavy to know that children are going to grow up without fathers.  The same goes for the children of people killed by police.  The same also goes for the children of the 15,000+ people who were killed by fellow civilians in 2014.

In the meantime, let’s not advocate violence against the police, or against the state, or against anyone.  We need to formulate liberty-based solutions for public safety.  Violence as self-defense is acceptable, but ex-post facto retaliation borders on violating the non-aggression principle.  Furthermore, a war against the government is something to be avoided.  I’d rather bring libertarian change through fifty years of activism and reform rather than 50 days of civil war.

Everyone will lose that war.

The now-iconic image

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Sirens and lights photo by Junior Libby and is in the public domain.  Sheriff SWAT photo by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Framingham Police Memorial photo by "Daderot" and released into the public domain. Ferguson Hug photo courtesy of CBS News and used in accordance with Fair Use laws.

Criminal Insurgency: Gang Members as Warfighters, Libertarian Solutions

The war in Mexico between paramilitary drug-trafficking organizations and the government has shown the world how warfare is evolving.  With market-oriented technological advances, it’s possible for wealthy players to raise private armies.  It’s equally possible, and easy, for individuals to wage terrorist campaigns.

Jalisco New Generations Cartel declares war on the Knights Templar Cartel.

Nowadays, all it requires to be an insurgent is an AK-47, some explosives, and a laptop or tablet.  The words “terrorist” and “insurgent” are becoming synonymous as various “rebel” groups adopt both tactics at will.  Wars are being increasingly fought by non-state groups. Two examples are the separatist and nationalist militias in Ukraine, and the Kurdish guerrillas fighting ISIS in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan. Furthermore, the line between street gangs and organized crime syndicates is blurring.

The Mexican Drug War and other recent conflicts in show that gangs and highly organized criminal groups can also be rebel soldiers.

Take the Mexican cartels—commonly called drug gangs—once merely organized crime groups with street gang enforcers, now evolved into paramilitary organizations fighting the state and fighting rival paramilitary groups.  Their war has killed over 140,000 people in a decade.  This is called criminal insurgency.

Gang violence and organized crime activities have skyrocketed across Latin America, especially in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.  The main combatants in the Central American gang wars are Mara Salvatrucha [MS-13] and Barrio 18 [18^th Street or M-18].  Both transnational gangs serve as auxiliaries for opposing Mexican cartels. Their hired services include distribution, shipping, and armed enforcement operations.  Street gangs all over Mexico also work for one or another paramilitary drug-trafficking organization.

The ongoing civil war in Mexico—including its spillover across Latin America—is not the first instance of gangs and organized criminal groups fighting in modern wars.  Take the following examples:

• In Mexico, 1910, Pancho Villa turned his bandit gang into a guerrilla army.
• In China, bandit and warlord armies were absorbed into the Peoples Liberation Army in their fight against the Nanjing government.
• The Vietnamese organized crime network Bin Xuyen openly fought the Saigon government and was absorbed into the Viet Cong.
• Bandits and pirates joined demobilized anti-communist armies who formed paramilitary drug-trafficking organizations in Asia’s Golden Triangle.
• Neighborhood gangs in Lebanon became overnight militias engaged in sectarian fighting.
• In Colombia, the drug cartels partnered with the communist guerrillas to traffic drugs and fight the government.
• The Iraqi insurgency in Fallujah included organized crime groups.
• Today, the Taliban is financed in part by Afghan drug lords.

MS-13 foot soldier with a machine pistol

The United States has its own gang problem. Hundreds of thousands of people are members of local, regional, and national gangs.  According to Bunker and Sullivan, third-generation gangs (founded two generations ago) have the membership and logistical capability to resist the state.  Rather than battle over petty turf like first-generation local gangs, third-generation gangs have built up international trading networks, corporate-like hierarchies, and armed foot soldiers adequate for sustainable criminal insurgency.

Given the growing numbers, logistical capabilities, and sophistication of transnational gangs and local affiliates in the United States, alongside the growing numbers and militarization of America’s law enforcement agencies, it’s not unreasonable to suppose that a low-level armed conflict might arise between gangs and law enforcement agencies.  If a low-level armed conflict ensues, there is always the possibility of escalation.

There are libertarian solutions to alleviate a credible threat to national security like the one described above.

First, the Second Amendment must be respected by all levels of government in the United States.

Statistics have repeatedly shown areas with less restricted gun laws average less violent crime than areas under strict gun control.  The police can’t be everywhere, nor would free people want them everywhere, so the only solution for self-defense against gang violence is the right for citizens to bear arms.

Take Chicago, for example.  The city with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country is also the city with the highest murder rate in the country.  The majority of the 2014 Chicago murders were gang shootings.  Too many of those killed were bystanders, not participants in the violence.  The people of Chicago deserve to protect their persons, families, and communities.

Second, America’s prison system must shrink.

Prisons are illicit trading centers and recruiting centers for gangs at all levels.  As of 2008, 90.7% of federal prisoners were incarcerated for non-violent offenses.  As of 2011, 50% of federal prisoners were in for drug-related convictions.  Such a high level of non-violent offenders would prompt expanded parole, with a work-reparations plan if necessary.  Otherwise, non-violent offenders become “criminalized” by the violent prison culture.

Third, drug crimes constitute nearly half of federal inmates, the majority of them nonviolent; this points to one solution: end the federal war on drugs.

Better yet, legalize the victimless “crimes” for which nonviolent offenders are incarcerated.  Drugs, gambling, and prostitution are booming industries, and their illegality guarantees their domination by organized crime.  Rather than enabling racketeering for criminals, why not turn these industries over to law-abiding entrepreneurs?  Especially when their success must come from quality products and customer service, not coercion or monopoly through violence.

Homeland Security agents disembark from a MRAP vehicle

Fourth, law enforcement agencies must be demilitarized. There is no reason compatible with liberty for the Department of Agriculture to have submachine guns, nor is there any reason for local police departments to have armored personnel carriers.  If the public is faced with a military-grade threat, the states have National Guards who can respond appropriately .

Demilitarization of law enforcement reduces the chances of confrontation between law enforcement and criminal networks. Through legalizing drugs and other outlawed vices, major income sources leave the criminal underground for the free market.  By shrinking the prison system, gangs have far fewer recruit for their networks as non-violent offenders are paroled.

Criminal insurgency is a credible future threat to America's national security.  Through abiding by free market principles nationwide, and strict self-defense in times of emergency, this threat can be avoided and neutralized peacefully.

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JNGC image taken from a YouTube screenshot from Wikimedia Commons via Fair Use.  MS-13 photo courtesy of the "Shooting From the Lip" Wordpress blog. Homeland Security paramilitary agents photo by DHS, obtained from "Stripers Online" forum, and in the public domain.

Five Libertarian Ideas #23 - Libertarian national defense, Part II

See Libertarian national defense Part I

President Obama calls for “peace”

President Obama has said about the rioting and police response in Ferguson, MO: "Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson. Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done." Which is exactly why he allows the Pentagon to distribute military arsenals to local police departments like Ferguson PD... -8/15

The Pentagon

From the Pentagon to the police station

I am NOT okay with the Pentagon giving military arsenals to local police departments. I can see the use for a SWAT team but not a SWAT army. The Pentagon should be issuing surplus goods to the National Guards. If there is a genuine military-grade threat at home, the Governor should call up the state militia, NOT militarized police. -8/15

When statist academics command armies

One of the things I like best about Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko's books is that he tells it like it is. There are always politicos in Washington--some idealistic to the point of self-righteous, some totally corrupt--who constantly screw with the military.

Despite their naivety and outright arrogance, none of these pencil-pushing idiots have ever served or knows how to lead troops in battle. Yet they use the military to push their personal agendas and it always gets people killed. -8/17

Private military/security contractors

Citizen militias vs. private military companies

Libertarians are often undecided on whether the ideal military organization is the citizens' militia or the private military company. Both entities can align with libertarian ideas, depending on the morality and objectives of the operators.

The citizens' militia predates the US Army by over 150 years, but the first English colonial warriors were private sector troops, as Plymouth and Jamestown colonies were corporate endeavors. Just as both entities can be effective tools for communal self-defense, both types of entities can throw away morality and become instruments of oppression for states, quasi-states, warlords, and private sector despots. -8/18

Libertarians, anarchists, and voting

For those who believe that the state is violence and that even voting is ultimately participation in such violence, consider this: voting for libertarians, or libertarian ballot measures, is self-defense. -8/14

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Private military contractors photo courtesy of Private Military Contractors Facebook page. Pentagon aerial photo Camila Ferreira and Mario Duran used via CC BY-SA 3.0 license, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.