For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost,
for want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
So a kingdom was lost—all for want of a nail.

That observation in various forms goes back roughly a millennium at least. Seemingly insignificant things may have grave consequences.

I’m of mixed minds about the “authoritarian” use of force against rioters tearing down barricades and setting fires, including setting fire to a federal courts building, in Portland. I’m very outraged that the federal government, apparently, has scores of special incident law enforcement units. I don’t think it should have any. Law enforcement including the enforcement of federal law is up to state and local governments. But that, apparently, is no longer how our system works and it hasn’t worked that way since before I was born.

I’m very outraged that state and local officials refuse to enforce federal law. That will inevitably lead to many other outrages. I’m very outraged the state and local officials are not exercising their most basic responsibility of protecting public and private property and lives.

I’m very outraged at mass demonstrations since I believe they’re inherently authoritarian. The demonstrators should be organizing politically. That is how things are done in a representative democracy governed by laws. And before you bring up the Boston Tea Party that was against an authoritarian government not against a representative liberal democratic one. The demonstrators in the pre-civil rights South had no other alternative—they were being denied their voting rights. When you take to the streets, destroying property and generally imposing your will on other people, in opposition to a representative liberal democratic government, how can it be other than authoritarian?

I’m very outraged that as many of the demonstrators are prepared to fight and setting fires, setting off fireworks illegal under Oregon law, throwing bottles, tearing down barricades, and injuring law enforcement officers by shining lasers into their eyes. Does anyone really doubt the federal courts building in Portland would be destroyed without protection? And then when destroyed there would be complaints that the lack of availability of a federal courts building placed an undue burden on the poor?

I’m outraged that people are claiming that there’s no way of identifying the federal law enforcement officers in Portland when there clearly is—identifying numbers. Chicago police officers don’t wear their names on their uniforms, either.

I’m outraged that people are more concerned about the putative rights of people engaging in unlawful demonstrations while ignoring the rights of ordinary law-abiding citizens. I’m outraged that people are willing to let those law-abiding citizens who, literally, have no recourse, “stew in their own juices”.

So you can see my conundrum. There are so very many things about which to be outraged.