Nuances of Law and Order

This year, urban protests and general unrest in society created a mixed reaction in the electorate. In some parts of the country, Trump’s rhetoric of liberal politicians “destroying the suburbs” fell on deaf ears. Elsewhere, it was a resounding success. I have a theory why: as we near the middle of the Suburban Century (summed up by Mark Clapson in 1992), what happens in the inner-city does not physically or vicariously affect the lives of citizens in diverse, self-contained and far-flung suburbs.

Virginia Beach, VA

The Virginia Beach Oceanfront serves as the quintessential, walkable downtown for a military-heavy suburb. This spring and summer, tensions were high as protestors called attention to longstanding law-and-order policing on the beach. Over the Labor Day weekend, local group BLM 757 held its “Shut Down the Oceanfront 3.0” protest. True to form, the police gave citations to protestors who drifted from the sidewalk into the street. As a result of afternoon and night-time activity, families chose alternative locations for rest and relaxation; combined with COVID, this proved harmful to the ecosystem of local beachfront businesses.

At election time, Virginia Beach voted for Joe Biden and Representative Elaine Luria, a Democrat. On the same ticket, incumbent mayor Bobby Dyer, a Republican, was re-elected with 57% of the vote; and “RK” Kowalewitch, a conservative whose campaign signs read: “Law and Order”, won another 5% of the electorate.     

 

Suburban Richmond, VA

The Virginia State Capitol and Supreme Court building in Richmond were targeted by protestors as symbols of conservative political leadership. With much of downtown boarded up, the city provided a backdrop for political advertising. The jarring images did not ‘tip the needle’ in nearby Henrico and Chesterfield counties, who chose Biden and Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) by large margins. Both counties are home to a mix of employment options; heavy industry, light industry, service and some professional work. Freeways criss-cross these suburbs, linking towards northern and southern markets, and the international airport and deep-sea port of Hampton roads. Richmond, home to state government, several universities, and museums, is somewhat irrelevant to new suburbanites. Overall, there was no partisan change in Virginia’s congressional representation this year.    

 

Suburban Atlanta, GA

The land that served as a springboard for one-time House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and other conservative Republicans, helped to tip Georgia for Joe Biden. For 20 years, the Greater Atlanta area has been the nexus of a New Great Migration of African-Americans from the North to the South; the impact in politics, seen by the flipping of congressional seats, is very recent. Atlanta is a city of the New South; sprawling development centers on its record-breaking international airport and its freeways. The firewall between city and suburbs may be crumbling: while decades ago, suburban Gwinnett County blocked subway construction, a referendum for a transit tax may have passed, pending recount.

 

Los Angeles, CA

California is no friend of Donald Trump. But recent years of excessive solicitude given to drug pushers, car thieves and vandals struck a nerve in working and middle-class communities across racial lines. Since the Rodney King riots of 1992, Asian-American small business owners have been concerned about inadequate police protection offered to their communities. Legislation to “defund the police” dug up old pain. Voters in the state narrowly reaffirmed limits on affirmative action in the state, which were first put into effect in 1996; and sent new Republican representatives to Congress.  

 

Long Island, NY

During the George W. Bush years, as war deaths mounted, these traditionalist, conservative-of-the-gut counties questioned its allegiance to the GOP. But this year, as in 2016, their hometown son, Donald J. Trump of Queens, NY, did not produce the electoral revulsion seen in other suburbs of similar educational and demographic profiles.

While it appears that North Shore Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) will retain his long-time seat, his Republican opponent led in early counting. On the blue-collared South Shore, Andrew Garbarino (R) is expected to succeed retiring Rep. Peter King. Lee Zeldin (R) holds his seat in affluent Suffolk County. Nichole Malliotakis (R) has unseated Max Rose (D) in representing Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. These latter three seats were considered toss-ups going into the election. The Long Island suburbs are home to well-paid public servants and tradespeople of a vibrant New York City; COVID shutdowns and Bill de Blasio’s social permissiveness cast a malaise across white-ethnic New York. Upward mobility of strivers, from immigrant grandparents to civil service to Wall Street, created an unwavering patriotism and belief in the institutions of America. This legacy was challenged in 2020 by politicians on the left, who maintain that this upward mobility was not fueled by grit, but by systemic racism and unchecked privilege.     

The Real Problem with Warrior Culture: a Cult of the Self

 In certain parts of the commentariat, it is now common to criticize the large presence of recently-returned veterans in the police force, which stands at 1-in-5. Supposedly, they bring home the rules of war: to occupy and to conquer. I do not see veterans in the police force as a problem in itself, since citizen-soldiers have routinely joined the blue line for generations. Where I see room for concern is in how the professional soldier-turned-policeman divorces themselves from life in the civilian world.

During the Cold War, military service- as a servicemember or family member- was a shared experience in every tier of society. The average enlistment was 2-3 years. A soldier would return to his community ties, and find employment with honor established through performing his national duty.  

Today, because of advanced military training requirements, a single enlistment lasts 4-6 years. The world moves faster, the average citizen more mobile, and social media divides geographic communities into tribes. The soldier, especially the combat vet who served multiple enlistments, becomes part of the Warrior Community, mentally separate from the civilian world. This identity applies whether on active duty, on disability pension, in the national security sector or local police. This virtual community has its memes, jokes, common understanding, and values. In contrast to warrior classes of past societies, the American warrior is somewhat detached from the real-politics of institutional power, a holdover from the age of the citizen-soldier.

There are veterans who eagerly reintegrate into civilian society. This has been a national priority since the demobilization after WWII. As a result of GI Bills in 1944 and 2005, the veteran today brings resources to the economy that few younger adults have. Their college education is paid in full, and they have access to good mortgages and business loans. Meanwhile, America's general workforce readiness is in decline: fewer citizens are ready, willing and able to perform in the workplace. Veterans today are hired for the right reasons: proven reliability, hardworking, fit, and with transferable skills. 

The Warrior Community is then one  for a sense of belonging. In previous conflicts, a two-week ocean voyage demarcated the return from the warzone to the homefront. Dislocation was first observed in Vietnam veterans, the first to return home alone on airplanes. Today, the distance is even shorter, as a veteran at home can Skype his friend on the frontlines; and he himself could be recalled to the war zone on 48-hour notice, as a contractor, expeditionary civilian, or reservist. While these post-deployment opportunities are often financially rewarding, the mostly invisible war comes home to the kitchen table. 

Beyond this reality is self-identification. I have curated small libraries onboard warships. Beside the yellowing dime novels were leadership titles with troubling themes.  

-There is the identity of the sheep-dog, protecting sheep (regular people) from wolves (terrorists abroad, street thugs at home). 

-Belonging to a "tribe" is characterized as a binary, all-or-nothing subscription: an 80% ally is nonetheless a traitor to the cause. 

-You are either a superstar or a mediocre failure. 

-One must have a brand of the self. 

- Glorification of lone Special Operations Forces

-"Agile Project Management", with a focus on small, high-performing teams, is taught in STEM colleges. 

Even the Army put out a short-lived campaign advertising "An Army of One", forgetting that only large-scale teamwork liberated Europe and Asia from tyranny. 

In reality, each person works within a larger system of society, and within which is an amalgamation of overlapping communities, tensions and motivators. The Warrior Community operates in a vacuumed ideal. Military housing today reflects the perfect but fictional Mayberry of yesteryear; and beliefs in spartan autonomy can only be practiced in unspoiled wilderness areas. The culture of the warrior must evolve away from the cult of the individual, but reflect the individual as part of the team as part of the whole.

How does this work into present day policing controversies? Many of the shocking misuses of authority, against suspects and innocents, were caused by individuals insulated from wider community interests. Neither were they team players within the police force, who would heed peer advice. As much as it is important for police departments to use community-based policing to integrate with the communities they serve; it is important for individual officers to truly join the community, whether they gained life experience in Baghdad or in Boston.   

     

Good Intentions versus Bad Actors

My eyes were fixated on the Crew Dragon spacecraft this weekend. This launch was the epitome of the prowess of scientists and industry. A successful space program is the sign of a healthy nation. The war in Iraq had derailed George W. Bush's early presidential ambitions for spaceflight, but not before NASA funded summer camps for youths like myself. So nothing said it better that we were a nation at peace again.

This weekend certainly had the flavor of turbulent 1968-1969. Had I posted this sooner, I would've spoken too soon. Many of the recent protests over Floyd George's death have been orderly, especially during the sunlight hours. Others have been disorderly, characterized by arrests and the use of tear gas, but nothing beyond the pale. However, during the cover of night, there has been arson and looting of boutique shops and liquor stores. Peaceful protest is a keystone of democracy. Rioting has an ugly history of suppressing the rights and security of marginalized groups, the destruction of Tulsa's Black Wall Street at the hands of white supremacists being one of many examples.

This last point is salient, because this week has seen many privileged individuals joining in the destruction of other peoples' property. These rioters truly believe they are advancing the goals of social justice, as they destroy minority-operated businesses. If history is any lesson, neighborhoods damaged in three hours by the bricks and gasoline of "social justice warriors" will stagnate for three decades. It is the underprivileged residents who will live among the burned-out buildings and lack of amenities. This was the case of Washington, DC in the aftermath of the 1968 riots.

Elected officials and community leaders, in both parties, are abdicating the responsibility to mediate in civil unrest, which requires both understanding the concern at hand, while demanding the rule of law and order. This was shown by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's successful handling of Baltimore's Freddie Gray riots in 2015. Minnesota, the generally harmonious Scandinavia of America, was ill-prepared to deal with urban riots, and the genie left the bottle.

Among intellectuals, moral relativism has taken precedence over absolute rights. "Arson does not cancel out a murder", or "this is justified", they say. When this thinking enters political philosophy, inaction prevails. Learned politicians vacillate over 'systemic injustice' and 'inclusiveness', instead of  building practical affirmative action plans that would get immediate results.  This weekend, looting was not confined to inner-city areas, but spread to affluent, educated suburbs like Bethesda, MD.

Which Superpredator?

Firstly, I’d like to order a pair of Joe Biden flip-flops. From abortion to crime policy to death penalty, it’s impossible to tell where he stands today. But thanks to YouTube, we know where he and his allies stood 25 years ago.

 That was the era of The Superpredator, juvenile delinquents who lacked remorse as they committed strings of heinous crimes, with no fear of authority. The Superpredator died by 2000 in face of falling crime rates. Some say he was terminated by electric chair or lethal injection, others say he was starved by elimination of lead paint and gasoline. Another explanation was that he lived off the anger created by an unjust society.

During his gangbanging heyday, he was one of the “predators on the streets...beyond the pale”, in Joe Biden’s words. Hillary Clinton specifies, “ they are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are...super predators. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel”. How does one bring them to heel? I’d love to know.

As I read more into the criminal sociology behind the now-proclaimed-dead Superpredator, a news flash came across my phone: “Mass Shooting at WalMart in El Paso, Texas; 20 dead”.

Crime fits a Punishment

Over the weekend, a boy who was unfortunately hacked by an ice pick managed to get on the train, and ride it to the next stop, get out, and flag down the cops, causing a CSI on the tracks. That amazed me. But that was not the only fantastic crime that happened recently. Ponzi scheme- worked for a long time. Apparently, you must have enough cash on hand to pay all creditors back, if you wanted to play that way. Then comes "Pay to Play", and then, the shoe. Wow.

All that and four of seven exams down.

It's called a retrocession

The Northwest Current is getting up and at the issue of DC statehood again. The main issue is voting rights. Currently, there is the proposal of the addition of new Congress seats- one for DC, and one for Utah. Whether it will pass or not, or if the Supreme Court approves, ?.
Other options do exist. There are the people who want a state of their own. That requires big stuff- constitutional and all that. Or, what may be the second option is retrocession- the Port Town of Alexandria did it over 150 years ago, so did Arlington. Everything except the National Capital Service Area (That's just The Mall) would be given back from Maryland. It's actually pretty simple- state-level approval and Congress. I mean, it's already been done before. Of course, Maryland could decide to take only the good stuff (Downtown, etc), and leave the rest behind, but I'm getting sleepy, so I'm not going to think too much about Amendment 23, which explains it all.

Or if you want to vote for Congress in 2010, just move to Virginia or Maryland, two self-sufficient, all-American states. Golly, the media is so biased.

Halloween Duties

So for last evening, I dressed like a plastic cop. No, not really, but I did make sure to take note of suspicious people who looked out of place. You see, Georgetown has a lot of rich people, and ones that aren't afraid about flashing their wealth. But the problem is that, people come across town on the bus, and take bags of candy away with them. So I noticed that the people who were in place (neighborhood kids and some friends from Arlington and up Northwest). They tended to have more success with candy-milling. But I tell everybody now, Georgetown people are getting tired of giving candy out to the whole city.

Your Big Boss in the News

It turns out that our host was in some pretty bad news today. Some briefing; the company runs three sites; the one on Wisconsin, one on 16th, and the other in Southeast. The Southeast site was in the news. According to inside sources, the site did nothing for 4 weeks or so; that's what they said in the papers as well. The paper went on to mention pay issues; my site seemed not to have the problem too much- they managed to get the pay for those whose pay fell through by Western Union. I guess our managers- our instructors, as they have themselves known by us as, cared more about us than the other site managers.

The Geek Squad staff would call back later...

COPS!

Today was another day of work. A Pennsylvania businessman talked to us about entrepreneurship. Something bad happened recently with a few of the supposed co-workers; intelligence reports that police were involved, but that might just be a rumor. I'll watch the crime reports in the Current to see if this rumor was true or not. Nevertheless, as a result, we all had to eat in. It was crowded. The bus ride home was crowded. But I did not get off and go home; I had to go to the H street office- for the fifth time. The X2 was again, crowded, and it was a mess at the site. Well, half an hour later, I was out with a badge-card, but no debit card yet. Home, and get ready for violin lesson. I had a good night there. NOW I was tired, and now as well.

As I said, I have 60 cans of soda in the storage room.
I'm seeing to see if I can vendor them without paying licensing fees. I don't think so.

Discovery

I never knew that DC had a trolley museum, until I was fooling around with a map this afternoon. However, I don't think you're able to ride them like you can in the Baltimore Streetcar museum. Trolleys and streetcars are just so cute. I wish DC would just build the platforms, and bring their already-purchased streetcar from Czechoslovakia (The first DC streetcar is planned to run along a railroad right-of-way from Bolling Air Force Base, past Anacostia Station, and terminate above Pennsylvania Avenue, for a junction with the, ohh...30-series!)

But, this morning, I went to the Supreme Court, again, fortunately, by insider's access. Today was like our final exam days to them. In June (simplified), there are brief reading sessions, on Mondays, that well, are when the decisions are read, and then an admittance to the bar. Not exactly sure what it means yet, but it sounds important. I'll come back to you on that.

Way home, nice, 1st class N22 ride, then Circulator has door problem, get home soon though.
Rest of day, blur.

National Capital Streetcar Museum
www.dctrolley.org

Must keep this brief

Two reasons- I have to go out and get my haircut, and I just had my braces tightened, so I can't stay still for long.


I started my day with the orthodontist appointment. I should be getting these braces off before this summer, which was what today's 73 degree weather felt like. Then we went off to Mount Vernon. The driving was fine until a half mile from the estate, where there was a jam because of the incompetent policeman, who could not functionally direct traffic. In the overflow lot, we had to wait half an hour for the shuttle bus to the estate. There were, in fact, three of them running the short route, but the drivers kept running into the congested circle. So there, it took an hour from the lot to the estate. Mount Vernon was free today, the only day of the year it is so, and therefore it was uber-crowded. The new exhibit building really took a lot of the history away. However, the little IMAX film was pretty cool.

The rest of the day will come later...

The whole thing

I just finished doing my Bio cards. That is after I came home from DCYO and got supplies for my History project. (I will be writing more on this when I start building my model.) I feel so good getting homework out of the way! And so I wish to get along to connecting my industries in Locomotion.
BTW, how did we do on television today? Unfortunately I was busy with orchestra and therefore could not make it :(

Who do you call a crook?

Stuck in a residual delay, with the whole train's A/C system broken, and fog condensing on the windows. That's what happened just to save one crook's life. Now imagine a group so inspired as to do that in 10 strategic points in the Metro system. Likewise would we be accomplices to the crime by shutting down the entire system? So apparently the Metro is a popular way to go, and a bus doesn't hold that many people, American style (Reverse Tokyo Style) and a riot started. Option A: Hit the crook, Option B: Leave many injured as they cause a rush for the shuttle buses, as well as harm the American money and the enviroment (the buses). I got some feedback. "Who cares (about the dude)", was the most common.
What happened that harmed the American economy .