Seriously, WTF?
A report issued this month by American Transparency, a nonpartisan watchdog that compiles data on public expenditures, chronicles the explosive — and expensive — trend toward militarizing federal agencies, most of which have no military responsibilities. Between 2006 and 2014, the report shows, 67 federal bureaus, departments, offices, and services spent at least $1.48 billion on ammunition and materiel one might expect to find in the hands of SWAT teams, Special Forces soldiers — or terrorists. ...
Incredibly, there are now fewer US Marines than there are officers at federal administrative agencies with the authority to carry weapons and make arrests.
The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service(!) alone spent $4.8 million in arms and equipment from 2006 to 2014!
I've complained about the militarization of our federal government's so-called civilian agencies. And this is a trend that pre-dates the Obama administration, so this could be a bipartisan discussion.
Why do federal agencies see enemies all around them? Who are those enemies? Perhaps other Americans should know about those threats, eh?
And why can't these civilian administrative agencies dial 911 like any other American when faced with a threat to their safety or work with local law enforcement agencies if a little protection is needed for a particular foray into the field?
And in light of federal efforts to curb firearms ownership, I suggest it start with itself before it infringes on the rights of law-abiding Americans to choose to protect themselves.
On the bright side, if the shrinking American Army has too few troops to fight the war on Islamist terrorists, we could deploy APHIS (I'd pay good money for that to be a "Division" rather than a "Service"), IRS, Smithsonian Institution, and Social Security Administration SWAT teams to Iraq.
Let the national conversation on the para-militarization of the federal government's administrative agencies begin.
