Contrary to what most conservative profess to believe, they are vociferously supporting a group of government employees with a very strong union who enjoy incredible job security while earning extremely comfortable salaries and rather cushy retirement pensions, all funded by taxpayers. This same group of public servants is rarely held accountable for actions that would result in a lengthy term of imprisonment for an ordinary citizen.
Somehow, even legitimate oversight and accountability of law enforcement is recast as "hatred of the police." New York City Patrolman's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch is among the most vociferous of those demanding blind worship of law enforcement. In Lynch's worldview, police are never wrong, critics are haters and even the most outrageous police misconduct must be unquestioningly defended. One of his favorite retorts to allegations of police wrongdoing is "Police officers have civil rights, too."
Despite the blind support given police from most conservative circles, there are those who have begun to question the propriety of this position. John Whitehead of the staunchly conservative Rutherford Institute has written extensively on the dangers of militarized police that place themselves above the law. Whitehead, author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People, writes that "'We the people'" have now come full circle, from being held captive by the British police state to being held captive by the American police state." The overarching theme of Whitehead's writings is that the State, through the police, are seeking complete obedience and compliance.
Indeed, many reflexive police worshipers subscribe to the theory of "comply or die." This line of reasoning holds that those who suffer at the hands of the police caused their injuries by failing to fully submit. Proponents of this canard claim that the victims of police violence and misconduct are they themselves to blame for in some way "angering" the police.
Manifestations of this were seen after the tragic murder of Eric Garner at the hands of New York City police in various "I can breathe" shirts and signs. The message that "I can breathe because I obey the law" is anecdotal and absurd on many levels. The idea that being allowed to breath is contingent on one's obedience is not only insulting, but distinctly un-American.
Aside from being patently offensive, it supposes that everyone victimized by police violence was in some way breaking the law. The fact that Freddie Gray committed no crime and was at worst only running (arguably away from Baltimore police who have a long and sordid history of committing violence against area residents) does not seem to impact those whose blind worship of law enforcement acts as an impenetrable barrier to logic and reason.
But perhaps most offensive is the notion that in order to avoid injury and extra-judicial killing, one must obey the State through its police agents. Adherents to this belief may claim to be conservatives, but in reality can be better identified as statist. Their unyielding worship of the State and those in its employ reveal a totalitarian bent that threatens those in society who still place a value on individual freedom.
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