Such was the popular rock song of the 50s and 60s – a time when those lyrics were accepted as a foregone conclusion. We've entered an era where we can't say that anymore.
Of course, there were times in the last millennium where a certain amount of crime became acceptable: anyone living at that time might remember the looting of appliance stores under the guise of "freedom to assemble." The old joke was, “they were protesting for a cause – 'cause I want a TV set or a washing machine.”
Recently, acceptable criminal behavior has been raised to a new level: "smash and grab" operations of high-value stores; individual shoplifters clearing store shelves while security observes from a safe distance; and train robbery is back in style with thieves climbing aboard stopped trains, breaking into containers and helping themselves. The foregoing can be put on the back burner when addressing the unacceptable assaults on citizens just walking on the street or, last but not least, the up tick in the murders of police officers.
Time was, even career criminals carried a rough costs/benefits analysis on the connection between burglary, armed robbery, and murder and the likely time they’d spend behind bars. Today, the violent or even nonviolent personal behavior is mindless, untethered and unhinged.
The primary culprits aren’t the perpetrators running wild through a society that has devalued accountability. The blame lies with the establishment elites, who explain away and validate such behavior. Their two-year campaign against police has created far more dangerous cities, where “repeat offenders” get sprung without bail to commit more crimes, progressive prosecutors refuse to prosecute, and police are treated as if they are the cause of public disorder. A measure of justice for the dead officers would be the lasting shame of these anti-police politicians.
The pervasive crime with which we now live, and for which no persuasive solutions are forthcoming, shows a society becoming unhinged. Something has to be done – but what? – the answer rests with the safety, and thereby the sanity, of the nation.
Enough said.
Anthony C. Powers
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