The Republican right has called for the defunding of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The extreme left has called for defunding of police. Both are wrong. And this comes from a member of Gay Liberation Front who, in 1969-71 at meetings, used to joke, “speak into the coffee can so the FBI can hear you clearly.” (Turns out that we were indeed under surveillance back then.) It also comes from someone who has been arrested numerous times and been treated, let’s just say not kindly by those police.
Simplicity here is best. Defunding both local and national policing would lead to anarchy, and that would be crazy. That said, now let’s get even more serious.
Those seriously calling for defunding on either side are not rational. There are bad actors in both local and national policing, but like any community, and in this case it’s the security community, you should not stereotype all individuals for the sins of some.
The ultimate goal of politics is (for most people) to bring about change to make us all feel included and secure. Republican politicians who contribute to the harmful and false rhetoric about the FBI are not making anyone feel secure.
Doing anything to harm security individuals or entire police departments by posting their family names and addresses or suggesting dirty bombs is not just crazy, but criminal. Someone who does that has no humanity. And that is what has happened this week.
It should be obvious that this was prompted by those radical right wing REPUBLICAN elected officials who, due to the legal search (it was not a raid) of Trump’s property, are up in arms. That includes Republican members of Congress calling to defund or destroy the FBI. Who’s the party of national security now?
To my fair minded readers, we already know those in the Republican party are irresponsible and trolling for campaign dollars with no regard for the security of the country, but we should also know that the crazies they reach out to are a base that has been rapidly minimized by rational Republicans who have left the disgraced GOP. That remaining Trump supporters are leaving mainstream Republican elected officials (if there are any remaining) in fear of their own base. Therefore, they feel compelled to rush blindly to the defense of Trump.
The Republican party lost the White House, Congress, and Senate two years ago. There was a reason for that. Americans had enough of Donald Trump and his craziness. Up until this week with Trump out of the headlines they thought they had a red wave happening in the midterms. So they wish to bring him back? It’s questionable whether the result will be good for Democrats or Republicans in the November midterms. But what isn’t questionable is our safety. While the Republicans might try and use the FBI’s search of Mar A Lago in the midterms, and they might call for lawlessness which creates a safety issue, well, voters always vote for the safety of their family first.
Some media are suggesting that all of this might lead to another January 6th. Personally I don’t believe that scenario. But what I do worry about are individuals who have smaller targets in mind. That already happened this week in Ohio, where a Trump supporter attempted to kill members of the FBI. If Republicans keep stoking those flames, security will be the issue in November, and that won’t be good for any of us.