Washington DC sure is special. There is stupid.. and then there is that special kind of DC stupid. The DC City Council is a perfect example. The DC City government needs to pave their streets, run their schools and arrest violent criminals. Unfortunately, DC is busy doing anything except their job. The Palmer decision from the US District court is simply the latest example of DC Stupid. The judge ruled that DC really is part of America and has to abide by our constitution. The judge said citizens in DC have the right of armed self-defense outside their home. Of course, DC disagrees.
DC argued that it is special and shouldn’t have to obey the judge’s ruling. DC claims our nation’s capital is filled with special people who need special rules. DC hosts special events. DC draws special crowds and is filled with special buildings. The DC police claim they are really special police and need special “common sense” restriction applied in special areas.
Well ain’t.. they.. special.
We can help the district with a little special education right now. Maybe we can mainstream the special needs politicians and coax them off the short bus they have been riding for years.
Politicians are not special. They are the easiest of people to replace. It is true their personal lobbyists and dealers will feel short-changed if a politician suddenly leaves office. Fortunately, there are clear lines of succession. Replacements are already chosen and standing by for most political offices and senior staff. It is easy, shockingly easy, to replace a senior elected official who is sentenced to jail. In contrast, it is far harder for a family to replace the average mom or dad living out on the edge of DC, earning a living and taking care of their family. Those are the same citizens that DC wants defenseless.
A few thousand voters put these politicians in office. Politicians are not royalty despite what they say about themselves in their press releases.
DC hosts some special events.. like DC beer week (August 17 through the 24.) That event certainly demands special attention, as does the bicentennial celebration of the end of the war of 1812. Don’t forget The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America hosting the Jane Austen Film Festival. I’m sure the security concerns and historic significance are truly mind boggling.. or not.
Most towns manage their home-team football games without demanding everyone surrender their civil rights. Don’t be confused. The large events on the National Mall are managed by the US Park Service and US Park Police, not the DC police.
DC is our capital so many foreign countries have an embassy there. Many countries also have diplomatic missions in other major US cities. I’ve seen foreign dignitaries all around the US, and they don’t use the DC police for their security detail.
In fact, DC is overrun with overlapping and conflicting law enforcement agencies. Many of the oh-so-special federal agencies in DC have their own security. At one time there were 85 different law enforcement entities with a presence in the district. That doesn’t include the Special Police officers who are metro rent a cops. The DEA, FBI, and even the EPA have their own security staff. Capital Hill Police patrol the Hill. US Park Police patrol some of the monuments and parks in DC. So does the US Park and Planning Police. The US Supreme Court has its own police force. So does the Smithsonian Museums and the DC Zoo. The Federal protective service secures government buildings that don’t have their own cops. They are not the DC police.
The DC police do not protect the President or the Vice president. The DC police don’t even protect Obama’s dog. Obama and Biden are protected by the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service.
The DC city council has its job to do; to protect and serve the citizens in the district. This is the same DC government where crime soars, school scores fall, and streets go unrepaired. DC should stop pretending to manage an arms control agreement aimed at disarming honest citizens and leaving the criminals armed. Instead, DC should protect the rights of DC citizens and get the hell out of the way so DC citizens can live their lives and protect themselves.
While DC is simplifying its operations, they need to stop spending money and manpower regulating pepper spray as a firearm. That is more of DC’s special stuck on stupid.
The only thing special about DC is that the government thinks it is special. Sure, the DC politicians are special.. just like every other small town politician. DC should come join the rest of America. Join us, and DC might find that the ordinary ol’ US of A is a nice place to live and work.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeflood/3207571017/
