CBP's extra-cosplay combat cops: BORder TACtical.

We obv should do the same at the state level, and greatly scale back the ability of local police to deploy combat cops as often as they do.

But Congress likely can only do this for the Feds, and the Feds are the issue at this exact moment in this extreme way.

I feel like even the camo makes a big difference. Like, I walk by NYPD combat cops all the time; they're often hanging out near my office.

Weapons-wise, maybe not THAT much different (minus the intentionally-provocative tear gas can). But camo makes it extra nasty.

Congress could fix that.

We need to nerf federal law enforcement and stick the un-nerfed guys on a desk until some specific crisis arises, which will likely make most of the BORTAC cosplayers quit or do something else.

But POLICE dressed like this is absolutely inconsistent with democracy.

3. It's fine to say you feel the tradeoffs here don't balance out strongly enough to justify this. But that doesn't mean the tradeoffs don't exist.

4. If there's another way to cut ICE funding that can actually pass, I'm all for hearing about it. But that "actually" is key.

Now, the ever-growing list of disclaimers I annoyingly find I have to add #onhere these days:

1. I'm not in favor of giving police more money. This is not the first thing I would do, and it's a janky way to fund social programs.

2. But: second- and third-best options are likely what's doable.

I don't see any other cuts to ICE getting thru with GOP support. I don't see any other way that the GOP will expand social spending. A Dem capture of both houses in the midterms would help, but still be a struggle.

Even this seems like a long-shot, but ... it's not nothing.

The GOP is going to keep slashing social programs to the bone. They only want to fund punishment.

But using Fed #$S to fund local policing will free up LOCAL money for social services--not 1-1, but still some.

So this would, indirectly, cut ICE to fund, say, local healthcare.

Those first two never get 3/4 of state legislatures, ever. VT and SD won’t surrender that power. The path away from the EC is the National Popular Vote compact.

Besides the senility-dementia issue, probably not a bad idea for Presidents to always know that they’ll be around for at least ~20 yrs after they leave office: forced to watch history really judge what they do.

(And avoid any sort of “my dying legacy!” BS.)

Besides the senility-dementia issue, probably not a bad idea for Presidents to always know that they’ll be around for at least ~20 yrs after they leave office: forced to watch history really judge what they do.

(And avoid any sort of “my dying legacy!” BS.)

Set it at 65, the mandatory retirement age for pilots.

If you’re too old to manage a plane, you’re too old to manage a country.

Term limits are bad. But age limits appear to be an absolute necessity.

Not every encounter will end like this. Renee Good is proof of that.

The path back from this will not be clean.

But these moments of transparent weakness amidst cosplay efforts to project strength matter as well.

Tells her to stay an arms-length away, then later races to get within that distance from her, accuses her of violating his rule, clearly aching for the chance to hurl her to the ground and violently arrest her … and then backs off when she calls out his bullshit.

So weak in the presence of a spine.

I don’t really know the history. The original law was an anti-Klan law aimed at the states, but I don’t know if they didn’t think abt the Feds or had some more substantive reason for excluding them (like didn’t want the Klan hauling THEM into court).

As for later intransigence on this, no clue.

Also, every social media post posted by an official govt account must include a unique, publicly-available ID number for the govt employee posting it.

Full transparency and accountability.