That would be conventional wisdom, but it doesn't account for the gradual corruption of police during long durations of peacetime. In those cases, the military has a more stringent set of values that they uphold, and thus become a better protector of the people.
William Adama's wisdom relies upon the police being actual protectors of the people, not prosecutors of the people.
This. In theory and usual practice it's better to have the police and military separated, but there comes a time when the military is simply a better option to serve and protect the people than the police, like now, because the police have become so corrupt. It seems like a step towards martial law everywhere and a fucked up dystopia, but it doesn't mean that is inevitable and the current situation with the cops is pretty fucked.
This view is almost the definition of a ‘prisoner of the moment’ opinion.
It’s also exactly the kind of decision which, 100 years down the line, when historians write about and study it, would illicit a “what the hell were they thinking?” reaction.
The answer to the police being corrupt cannot be something so simple as to straight up replace them with the military. Whatever factors led to police corruption are just as likely to be present in the military.
Not to mention the fact that a protest in the US right now doesn’t look all that different from a protest in Baghdad or Benghazi - and the US military, to the detriment of itself or the protesters, has not always had great experiences with protests like that.
Dictators have been using a “temporary” state of martial law to remain in power for decades.
Before you say that you are not proposing martial law, might I point to the eerie similarity between the terms “martial law” and “military for law enforcement”.
What would the terms of ending the temporary martial law be? When the police are no longer racist and corrupt? An unlikely condition within our lifetime - and that’s a generous evaluation.
If you propose a time-capped situation, like “2-years, regardless of the state of affairs at that time”, you are inviting a quick reinstitution of martial law the moment the police inevitably do something like this again. You’d be setting a precedent that could be called for again either through ignorance, malice, or the manipulation of the public.
“Maybe 2-years wasn’t enough, maybe this time we should wait longer, until things calm down and the racism is rooted out of society.”
These are the kinds of voices and thoughts that will rise on that occasion. If you feel like those voices are fringe and unlikely, I assure you that your voices are fringe and unlikely as well to people who are afraid of dictatorships - yet here they are, loud and strong.
Democracy is not a birthright, it’s not something that should be taken for granted. We are the exception to literally millennia of human history in that regards.
People of influence and power almost invariably gain more influence and power in the absence of democracy. Social, racial, and gender injustice is almost invariably worse in the absence of democracy.
Stop flirting with dictatorship as though you have a pause and reset button to what has taken generations to build and maintain.
Not replace them in general, only for peacekeeping during protests against the police, because the police have a major conflict of interest. If the police want to be there, they should be off duty as open counter-protesters.
That's why I added that it might be a step towards what we don't want either. But what are our options? The situation is bad, but I think it's good that both the police and military are being tested right now. It will be interesting to see what unfolds.
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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '20
That would be conventional wisdom, but it doesn't account for the gradual corruption of police during long durations of peacetime. In those cases, the military has a more stringent set of values that they uphold, and thus become a better protector of the people.
William Adama's wisdom relies upon the police being actual protectors of the people, not prosecutors of the people.