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I would say that the ex-cops (or even current cops, if there were any) who had shown up in support of Bundy were fulfilling their duties as “oath keepers,” ie, “protection against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” That is the mission of the OathKeepers organization, and that is who was called upon during the Bundy standoff. So to answer your question, no, I don’t think those who showed up to defend the constitutional rights of an American citizen would be considered “Jack Booted Thugs,” &c…. I would say they took their oath seriously.

I am assuming from your nom de plume that you are a current or former LEO. I see the posts here on FR that are extremely critical, bordering on fixation, with regards to LEOs, and that concerns me. It must concern you a lot, since you would be the one walking around in uniform, which basically puts a target on you everywhere you go. I am just curious whether the training being received has changed recently and how that has affected those in the profession. I don’t know any cops, so I was just recounting my one experience with one which was not good. Something about the training changed that guy’s personality – it was obvious, because it happened while he was in training. Does the current training actually weed out some people who would have previously been considered good police officers, but now aren’t ones to stick around and wait to get canned or even imprisoned because he dared pull over and question a Hispanic person? That’s the kind of stuff they are dealing with in Phoenix – all the new limitations they are imposing on police because of La Raza targeting Sheriff Arpaio. I’m curious your take on all of that. And what do you think of the guys who showed up to defend Bundy? Would you consider them to have “gone rogue?”

"So to answer your question, no, I don’t think those who showed up to defend the constitutional rights of an American citizen would be considered “Jack Booted Thugs,” I would say they took their oath seriously."

My opinion is that the cops who showed up to defend Bundy were not men who went "rogue." They were oathkeepers.

Pony, if I were fixated on cop issues, I would be on ALL cop related threads. I skip the overwhelming majority of them. And for being extremely critical, I can't hold a candle to those who say that all cops are crooks, liars, paid murderers, and jack booted thugs.

The rest of your post is interesting, but as you can see, although I wanted to stay within a very narrow area regarding the ex-cops at the Bundy ranch, it tended to expand to cops not involved in the standoff. And once that happens, the discussion gets out of control. So please understand that I'm not going to address the rest of your post. It is beyond what is necessary to this thread.

I know you may not believe this but 15 years ago I was pro LEO’s. The militarization of our police forces, IMO, has resulted in the change in behavior and attitude towards citizens. Today, I simply do not trust any of them. I am still close friends with three men who long ago retired (all of them are now in their 70’s) and they are the same way. They do not make friends with these new cops, never mention they were a former officer unless directly asked. I’ve been retired for fifteen years and I am saddened by what I see.