Written by There appears to be some confusion in the world about the nature of police work. Almost nobody doubts the necessity of police officers roaming the cities in which they “work,” seeking out anyone who would dare defy the edicts of their political masters. Very few would say, that roads should be privatized and controlled as the property owner saw fit. Even fewer would say that government as an institution is wholly unnecessary, and should thus be abolished. Yet, when the obvious result of these things occurs, everyone panics. So I figure this needs to be rehashed from the beginning.
So collectively “we” create an institution called government. There are some problems with that concept, but let’s run with it for now. “We the people” create an institution. Federal, state, municipal, what have you – but I will forthwith refer to these institutions collectively as the State.
The State is not so different from you and I. It is made up of people doing things, making decisions, making mistakes. What makes the State different from you and I is a singular feature – a supposed right, a supposed duty in fact, to initiate force. Us mere mortals, we don’t tend to engage in such behavior. When we do, it is rightly looked upon as inherently evil and heinous. The State on the other hand, is obliged to do this on our behalf. The most obvious example of this is police and military.
Were you or I to travel overseas and begin shooting at strangers, people would rightly see us as violent lunatics. The military on the other hand does this, and are hailed as heroes. Police roam the streets looking for people who drive too fast, have some problem with their vehicle, or otherwise disobey the legislative branch. Their job, the thing that they were hired to do, their very purpose is to threaten this person with violence. When people run from them or fight them, the situation escalates from a threat of force, to a use of force, and this force is often lethal in nature. For this they are given the title of protector.