Thank You Mayor Mubarak Bloomberg and the HS-MIC

We have recently suggested that in the aftermath of 9-11, police departments are losing their "protect-and-serve" civilian orientation in favor of a military/ counter-terrorism posture that is nurtured by the Homeland Security Military Industrial Complex (HSMIC) and led by civilians that defer to national military advisors.

We have received feedback that our claim is far-fetched, over-reaching, and myopic. Fortunately, New York City's Mayor Mubarak Bloomberg has weighed in to support our position.

From the NY Post:

NYC is ready to go to war.

Mayor Bloomberg boasted yesterday that "I have my own army" in the NYPD and, if that wasn't enough to establish the city as a worldwide power, added "I have my own state department" as well.

The comments came during a speech the mayor delivered at MIT describing how he was managing the city. Trying to offer some idea of the scope of New York's workforce, Bloomberg got a bit carried away with himself.

"I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh largest army in the world," he said. "I have my own state department, to Foggy Bottom's annoyance. We have the UN in New York, so we have entree into the diplomatic world that Washington does not have. I don't listen to Washington very much, which is something they're not thrilled about."

We look forward to learning about his army's perspective on the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners, the Geneva Protocol to the Hague Convention on the use of gas/biochemical weapons such as pepper spray, and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We remain intrigued about the Rules of Engagement the Mayor has established for the NYPD's claimed capability to shoot down civilian aircraft on their own authority.

What's amazing is that Bloomberg, who both promotes a domestic military presence and is himself a product of the culture of Homeland Security, manages to make Rudy Guliani seem rational, and manages to make uber-mensch Ed Koch seem a milquetoast.

What do we expect when we give police military equipment, training, and orders?

We must point out that for all the discussion of the militarization of civilian police forces and the depiction of civilians as the enemy, we do not intend to criticize the policemen themselves.

We do intend to criticize their training, equipment, expanded mission, and the lack of accountability among the leaders authorities who give them their orders. We are putting these good people (police) into terrible situations with unrealistic expectations, the political leadership expects special-forces capabilities in civilian settings, and the military-industrial complex sees the Mayberry Police Dept. as a profit center.



This criticism is not about the good men and women who put on the uniform. When authorities put a squad of highly trained men with assault weapons into a crowd of 2000 fully enabled college students with impractical orders, what do we expect to happen other than another Kent State? It's the authorities who are bungling this. At one time, they were called The Establishment.

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Post-9/11 Trends in Children's Dolls

Toy manufacturers are eerily good at presenting military hardware and military dolls action figures. Admiral Rickover condemned Ravell for producing a model of the Polaris submarine that he claimed provided the Soviet Union with classified information.

The toymaking industry's affinity with soldiers and weapons may be that they share a seminal root; maybe the guns and gear are just very expensive and very dangerous toys for older little boys.

The various incarnations of Hasbro's GI Joe presents a chronicle of the changing role, definition, and kit of the modern military. They've followed our post-911 lead and expanded the production line to include policemen. It's kind of interesting to see the progression.

The earliest common point of military figures and police figures is, inevitably, the military police (MP) figure.

legacy Military Police

United Nations peacekeeper MP

These are the legacy civilian Police GI Joe's:

classic NYPD patrolman

NYPD SWAT Sniper

NYPD Riot Squad

This is the 2011 Police Officer GI Joe, equipped with helmet, ballistic safety glasses, 9mm Semi-automatic pistol with utility belt, MP-5 tactical assault rifle with 2 clips, gas grenade and police dog with spring-loaded jaws (to maintain the essential "Selma" capability):


From Hasbro:

This 12-inch G.I. JOE figure is a real American hero with the real firepower he needs to prevail against the enemies of the country he serves! In his authentic police uniform and safety glasses, he’ll look like the warrior he is whether he’s fighting the battles you send him into or standing in your collection. Put his pistol or gas grenade in one hand, leaving the other hand free for his K-9 companion’s leash! Order will be restored with your G.I. JOE figure on patrol!

Maybe it's just me. That's not a police officer, that's a soldier wearing fatigues with a gas grenade and an assault rifle. This is not the guy who should be giving a ticket to college kids for camping without a permit.

Finally, toy collectors are expecting the doll action figure depicted below to be introduced as the first "Homeland Security GI Joe", also known as "Need-to-Know Joe".


His uniform doesn't need any insignia or identification of agency. You don't need to know.

The local police vs federal agents distinction is irrelevant.

The civilian vs military distinction is irrelevant. You don't need to know.

The government vs contractor distinction is irrelevant.

When Need-to-Know Joe tells you to do something, you just Obey.

Questioning is Resistance.
Hesitation is Resistance.
Resistance is futile.

NYPD: Macing Girls, Taking Down Planes, Whatever

A protest against the current economic situation, economic injustice, and economic priorities that emphasize the top 1% over the 99% (as they would describe it) has focused on congesting and interfering with Wall Street and New York's Financial District.

It has been a peaceful protest, organized along anarchic practices: no figureheads, no permits, no clear hierarchy; Critical Mass without the bicycles.

America has a tradition of peaceful protest and civil disobedience. The way it works is the activists protest and block passage; police arrest and remove them; there is a contest of attrition to see who blinks first. Nobody should get hurt.


Unfortunately, that's a 9/10 mindset. Nowadays any protest in New York (other than over the Prospect Park bike lane) is seen as a re-enactment of 9/11. They will not tolerate disturbances. They will use military tactics on peaceful citizens. There are no civil rights if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Protesters = Enemy.

Here are two news stories about the New York Police Department. The juxtaposition of them is mind-boggling.

Exhibit One: NYPD Macing Non-Violent, Kettled Girl Protesters

From the New York Times:

The above video, posted by USLaw.com, captures a confrontation on Saturday between the police and several protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement.

In slow motion, and with annotation explaining what is happening, the video seems to show a high-ranking member of the New York Police Department spraying a substance — the video says it is Mace or pepper spray — toward several women who were standing behind a wall of orange netting. After the spraying, one woman can be seen dropping to the ground, screaming in apparent pain.

More than 80 people were arrested on Saturday as they marched from the financial district, where many have been encamped for over a week, north toward Union Square.

Can it be true that an American city government will spray chemicals on peaceful protesting civilians in order to keep business running?

Exhibit Two: NYPD Can Take Down Planes, Too!

NEW YORK (AP) --

The chief of the New York Police Department says city police could take down a plane if necessary.

Commissioner Ray Kelly tells CBS' "60 Minutes" that after the Sept. 11 attacks, he decided the city couldn't rely on the federal government alone. He set about creating the NYPD's own counter-terrorism unit. He says the department is prepared for multiple scenarios and could even take down a plane.

Kelly didn't divulge details but said "obviously this would be in a very extreme situation."

We note that any civilian talking about taking down a plane would be taken into custody. We also note that Kelly is still a civilian. He is, right?

Juxtaposition: Macing Girls & Taking Down Planes

It shouldn't need to be said, but: Shooting down planes is something best left to the military. It requires judgement, experience, and command-and-control.

People with the "judgment" that leads to macing penned-in, non-violent girls should not be carrying guns, let alone have the capability of shooting down planes on their own assumption of authority.

Something is rotten in the Big Apple.

Closing thought: What would the 60's have been like if the kids all had videocameras and they could communicate instantly with each other?

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Don't Get Mad, Make A Viral YouTube Video

At one time, the civilized response to certain frustrating situations was to send a strongly worded letter to the responsible authority, and to disseminate the news of your dissatisfaction to your friends and colleagues.


Among those without literary inclination, the accepted wisdom was, Don't Get Mad. Get Even.

Then teh Interweb was discovered and people had new ways to communicate their displeasure and to solicit tribal support: Don't Get Mad, Mention it on UseNet.

Next we moved to Interweb 2.0, and the understanding became: Don't Get Mad, Blog It.

In the latest development, the shibboleth is: Don't Get Mad, Take it Viral.