Let me throw something out there regarding the Boston Marathon Bombing chase.
(Update: My wife says I’m being an A-Hole because I’m not recognizing the enormity, and severity, of the situation. She is always right.)
One of my observations, that being the observation of hundreds of law enforcement personnel standing around during the last few days of the pursuit, has sparked a side conversation.
The following may be offensive to many of you because I will be questioning Law Enforcement. While I am always skeptical of those in power I happen to have a very high regard for those who put their lives at risk on my behalf. Period. That being said….
My position, in its simplest form, is that an attitude of Money being No Object under “certain circumstances” leaves the determination of those circumstances to those whose mindset is truly based in that money not being yours. (This is a uniquely Socialist Progressive mindset whether those who exhibit it know it or not.)
The other side I was presented with earlier today was the argument of “What If?” In other words;
“What if it takes all those people standing around collecting overtime to apprehend a criminal? May be it does…”
“What if it takes an overwhelming show of Force to intimidate those who wish to do us harm, in this case a 19-year old kid? Or, would doing everything “under the radar” be more frightening to those Terrorists… which, I acknowledge, can be equally if not more expensive. It’s worth remembering we adopt this tactic abroad in our War on Terror, and it seems to work.” ”
“What if there were hundreds more assailants on the loose and we didn’t have enough personnel immediately available in Watertown when we needed them? You mean something like an Invasion? Hmmm…”
In truth, it has always been difficult for me to digest “What If” scenarios which is why I’m sticking to an argument of economics and ownership of production.
Money is private property… and this is where I find myself disturbed by the apparent overabundance of personnel and military gear which was on display during the hunt for the final Boston Marathon Bomber. (Bare in mind, I understand the need immediately after the bombing as there is an enormous amount of logistics required to secure the scene and account for the safety of the public. I’m talking about 3 to 5-days later… or longer.)
I’m having a bit of dissonance however. I also understand the “pull out all the stops” mentality associate with capturing or killing individuals who have committed terrorist acts upon this nation. I get it. I even sympathize with it.
But, It should be offered that we do not seem to apply the same kind of urgency in regard to the sky-rocketing level of criminally caused death in Chicago, L.A., Washington D.C. etc… so is it “consistency” I’m having trouble with? (I’m not sure I want to live in a police state… they never seem to be much fun. But slamming down the hammer when we are attacked is a method I approve of.)
I guess what concerns me is the prevailing mindset that all responsibility in managing public funds goes out the window when it comes to events such as these. It is closely related, in my opinion, to the mindset that promotes the idea of forfeiting personal liberties “as long as the government keeps us safe”. Both are destructive and work against the stated goal. Fiscal Oblivion is exactly what these terrorists want us to experience. That’s why they are “Terrorists” and not “just bombers”.
As you can see this is an argument which I’m having, to a large degree, with myself.
The person who brought this observation, and possible error in my thinking, to me is now also having to review carefully about how he see’s this…
Clearly Money should always be an Object, as it is the private property of the Individual and serves as a formal representation of his production.
Or should it be… “clearly”?
May be a bunch of guys standing around 5-days later getting time and a half from the taxpayer was exactly what was required to catch this guy. Really… may be it was. How would I know!? I mean “What If”!? But this is only what started the debate in my head and with my friend. Since there are myriad examples of such behavior throughout our government over decades, this could very well be the wrong one. I could easily concede that.
I’m arguing myself into circles. I wonder if it’s the current state of fiscal affairs in this country that has me overly sensitive. Could it be that I fail to understand why our local police forces need up-armored Humvee’s with Gun turrets? More likely, I might just be drunk. Or all of the above…
At the end of the day the FBI, Local and State police did a fantastic job. Thus far they have even been able to keep the bomber alive, which is above and beyond as far as I’m concerned. This could be extremely useful and might even prompt some words from our guy at DHS as well as John Kerry. We’ll see.
I also commend those private individuals who provided the authorities with the video footage, and leads, ultimately responsible for the delivery of these suspects… free of charge…
So…
My argument, in the grand scheme of things, is petty. But aren’t they always?
makeaneffort 
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