"They are the tip of the spear of government..."

In the Ace of Spades blog, CBD writes in part,

Yes. We have a policing problem in this country. But contrary to the anarcho-fascists running wild in our streets (and the halls of academia, and lots of city halls...but I digress), it isn't a race problem. It is a government problem.

Our governments, in our names but without our explicit approval, have given law enforcement in this country far too much power over us. From confiscatory civil forfeiture laws to ridiculous speeding fines to $85 parking tickets to byzantine laws of every flavor; if the cops want to charge you with something that will cost you money and often your freedom, and sometimes your life, they can. Because that parking ticket can easily turn into hundreds of dollars, and then a failure-to-appear means a warrant, and a warrant may result in an arrest with guns drawn.

And with that ever-growing power has come ever-growing firepower, in the form of military hardware that should never be on American streets operated by civilian law enforcement. Heavy weapons, armored vehicles and the tactics with which to use them belong on the battlefield, not Main Street. As the police became ersatz soldiers, they began to see us as the enemy, not as their fellow Americans. They left their walking beats and climbed into patrol cars, which further insulated them from the concept that they were supposed to be policing their neighbors, and should treat them as they would wish to be treated.

Combine this with the heavy-handed behavior of our national police forces (the ATF and the FBI), and we have a perfect storm that has alienated some of law-enforcement's most ardent supporters...conservatives!

Read the whole thing here.