“I always thought that suspicion of government power was an impeccably conservative POV.”
Do you include the military? Ate you a Rand Paul/Ron Paul Libertarian type?
Ate = are above. Getting tired typo.
You bet I’m suspicious of the military. That’s as conservative a position as exists.
Or have you never heard of the Federalist Papers? Our military has been largely a force for good in this country and the world because we as a people have been suspicious of it and kept it under control.
What, I’m supposed to think ordinary people become paragons of virtue when you put them in uniform and give them guns a legal authority, under proper circumstances, to kill people?
Isn’t it obvious that police and military attract disproportionately a personality type that likes to exercise [physical power over others? Not all, or even most, but certainly there are incentives for such types to join up.
To the credit of their organizations, many of these are weeded out, and the remainder are kept more or less under control most of the time.
BTW, I’ve been thinking about some of your previous posts, and I’m backing off somewhat. The thing that leads me to believe there MAY be more to the story is how calm the cop was, especially after he saw he was being taped. Doesn’t seem likely to me that would be the case if he believed he’d just murdered a man live on camera.
Unless he is really stupid or some kind of psychopath.
So I’m no longer at “he’s a murderer.” I’ve dropped back to leaning guilty, rather than guilty. Open to evidence on either side, of course.
Not a libertarian, though I lean that way.
I like libertarian theory, but have read enough history to know it won’t work in practice.
The government IS a necessary evil. So my suggestion is to keep it as small a necessary evil as possible.