I Think They Snuck One By Me!

You can take it as a given, most governments do not want their citizens to know what they are doing. That is why it is important for reporters to do their job without regard to their own politics. Unfortunately, it seems today's journalists do not understand the virtue of being unbiased. As a blogger and a commentator, I am biased. Admittedly so. I watch the opposition and try to discern their plans.

Sometimes, while I am watching for mice, someone will walk an elephant right past me. Whoops, I didn't see that. That may have happened recently. Let me explain. I saw a news article where "Homeland Security Police" were monitoring and, it seems, pushing around a group of Tea Partiers on public property. Then it clicked. When did we acquire a national police force? 

I did remember, early on President Obama expressed a desire for a national police force equal in strength to the Army. I believe that a national police force is not provided for in the Constitution nor do I remember any bill going through Congress that would establish such an entity. But even worse,  as a person that lived through WWII, this hearkens back to the Gestatz Polizei of Nazi Germany. Is this really needed and how did we come by it? Are we to have national identity cards now?

So I did a little research. The Homeland Security Police started life as the Federal Protective Service. They were charged with guarding federally owned buildings and the people in them. In 2009, President Obama transferred the FPS to Homeland Security and they became the Homeland Security Police. That was a neat little sleight of hand. Take an existing entity, move it to another department, change the name, and you have a whole new critter without that bothersome Congress getting involved.

Now they get to carry guns both in uniform and in plain clothes. They can perform investigations both on and off of federal property. They can make arrests without a warrant. 
And best yet they can "carry out such other activities for the promotion of homeland security as the Secretary may prescribe. The Secretary, of course, is the administration compliant Janet Napolitano. 

Recently, Homeland Security has made some interesting purchases. Billions of rounds of pistol ammo in 9 mm and .40 cal. S&W. Both hollow point. They have purchased fully automatic assault rifles and the 5.56 NATO  military  ammunition to match. They have purchased 50 million dollars in new police uniforms. Here's the best one. They have purchased 2,500 military, armored, personnel carriers. Who do they plan to go to war with?

Does this have anything to do with that recent government report that listed conservatives, Christians, Tea Partiers, and military veterans as possible terrorists. Hopeless change. You betcha!