Copservatives
the worship must end
Like many Millennials, I grew up watching The Andy Griffith Show, comforted by visions of vintage Southern Appalachia familiar to a kid living up in declining Central Appalachia. A truly great show, it has unfortunately been swept up in (if not partially caused) conservatives’ unhealthy temperament towards law enforcement.
The unhealthy temperament I speak of is that of the “thin blue line”– the belief that we should support the police practically unconditionally. This belief has given conservatives in Americans blinders that only started to fall away after lockdowns, unchallenged rioters, and January 6th hit the headlines. "Just following orders” only works for so long.
I was reminded of this in the past week by two incidents. The first was my following up on and reading court documents from a case here in West Virginia where the 72-year-old barber (and combat vet) Les Jenkins was arrested (video) for daring to open his barbershop contrary to Governor Justice’ executive order. He was never even given an official notice. A harridan from the state cosmetology board heard he was open, confronted him, and called the police when he asked for documentation so that he could get the pandemic assistance he was previously denied. Deputy sheriffs showed up, and to my everlasting shame arrested him when he calmly refused to close. Since he violated no law, they charged him with obstruction. The court documents I read this week state that the deputies who committed violence against an elderly man at the behest of a bureaucrat bully have received qualified immunity, preventing them from being held liable for violating his rights.
The second incident was Pennsylvania officials raiding and stealing from an Amish man for daring to sell raw milk and other family farm products. Three PA state troopers escorted officials as they spent hours combing through the pacifist’s barns and facilities.
These incidents are unacceptable, and must continue to drive conservatives to rethink law enforcement.
To be clear, my purpose is not to advocate for the absolution of law enforcement. As a Christian, I believe that righteous violence exists. But we must not blindly do everything Caesar asks of us. Furthermore, we should see that righteous violence is the duty of righteous men, not just those who have been appointed by Democrat mayors and Republican governors.
Conservatives won’t like this, but there should have been righteous men stopping the deputies and state troopers threatening the small-town barber and Amish farmer. A neighbor soliciting the veteran’s hop at that moment would not have been wrong to use violence on the deputies arresting the barber. A man buying milk for his family would be right to barge in on the state troopers stealing food from the farmer. You may protest that it would only make the situation worse when backup arrives, but this is a secondary consideration. After all, intelligent people do not always become violent when it is justified. Violent ideals must be tempered with pragmatic concerns for the safety of innocents. But the truth remains.
These are not your grandfather’s policemen. They are often worldly men with lusts for power, domestic abusers, and women (who endanger civilians with their inability to execute violence effectively). They treat the people they come across not as fellow citizens as would Andy Griffith, but as an occupied population. Attempts to exercise your rights is met with hostility.
If conservatives want their neighborhood policemen back, reform must come before an expectation of total obedience from citizens. Ignoring the problem with indignant excuses for bad cops driven by nostalgic dreams will make the break only worse.