So I've heard of them before, but just going with reading this article I have to ask: Sure some of their members no doubt have some nutty beliefs, prior conservative blinders when it came to Bush, belief in some unproven conspiracy theories like FEMA camps, and almost religious veneration for "the Constitution", is it REALLY a bad thing or a problem if some police officers, military personnel, national guardsmen etc. feel motivated to swear an oath saying something like "I will not fire upon American citizens if ordered" (that's not a direct quote--just a paraphrase)?
Even if you think the notion that the scenarios they fear would happen is silly, pre-WW2 Germans probably would have told you the same thing if you told them exactly what was going to happen with the rise of Hiter and the Nazi Party and the atrocities and shame Germany would commit under them. They would have thought "It Could Never Happen Here". It's a typical thought
So regardless of the veracity of those fears, is it really a bad thing if these people in these authority groups (police, military etc.), which have a history of misconduct and getting away with what many feel to be are abuses, have thought about such scenarios and decided, "I will not take part in that if ordered to down the road"?
Even if if you feel they would realistically be powerless to stop it, I fail to understand why one would see this as something that should be stopped (such as the suggestion to fire them all).
Maybe this would lead to more accountability or exposure by the police. That would be nice.
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Date: 1/5/13 22:06 (UTC)Even if you think the notion that the scenarios they fear would happen is silly, pre-WW2 Germans probably would have told you the same thing if you told them exactly what was going to happen with the rise of Hiter and the Nazi Party and the atrocities and shame Germany would commit under them. They would have thought "It Could Never Happen Here". It's a typical thought
So regardless of the veracity of those fears, is it really a bad thing if these people in these authority groups (police, military etc.), which have a history of misconduct and getting away with what many feel to be are abuses, have thought about such scenarios and decided, "I will not take part in that if ordered to down the road"?
Even if if you feel they would realistically be powerless to stop it, I fail to understand why one would see this as something that should be stopped (such as the suggestion to fire them all).
Maybe this would lead to more accountability or exposure by the police. That would be nice.