Despotism
Despotism refers to an absolute political power that is vested in a single authority, which can be a person or a tightly knit group. The term "absolute despotism" refers to the actions of a government that is failing to protect the rights of citizens. This type of government is extremely controlling and does not consider the rights/needs of the individual. The term also now implies tyrannical rule. It can refer to any absolutist or dictatorial regime or leader that uses their power in a cruel manner
"Protect and Serve" are the words we see on the side of many police cars and is the motto of most police forces. The words define the mission of the police, which is to "protect" citizens and "serve" the public.
However, too often they appear to mean, "to protect officers and serve the police force”. Or seem to be” to protect those in power and to serve their interests”!
While, “To Serve and to Protect” or “We Serve with Pride and Care” are nothing more than slogans for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for Police and Security Forces use.
Albeit, law enforcement officials play a key role in society, serving and protecting the people and upholding the law. That role is valid at all times, including during armed conflicts and other situations of violence.
Generally, state and local police officers take the 'Law Enforcement Oath of Honor' at the beginning of their careers. The oath affirms their standards of integrity, bravery, commitment to the community, and honoring of laws. The oath can vary slightly. For example, in some states, the words "...so help me God" are added at the end.
Law enforcement is any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. Law enforcement is especially important when the law seeks to protect the people belonging to the weaker sector from those who strong and powerful.
Police is nothing more than the civil force of a state, in a nutshell responsible for assisting, upkeep of peace, prevention of crime, and the maintenance of public order. In other words “a knight in shining armour.”
Historically, a knight was a man granted an honorary title of knighthood by a ruler, monarch, bishop or other political or religious leader for their service, especially in a martial capacity, thereby granting them the necessary power to discharge their duties over the public. Traditionally the noun knight means someone born of the nobility and trained to fight, usually in heavy metal armor.
Whereas, a gladiator was an ancient professional fighter who specialized with particular weapons and armor and assumed Imperial authority over the public. They fought before the public in organised games held in large purpose-built arenas throughout the Roman Empire from 105 BCE to 404 CE (official contests) as part of their provision as a civic and religious duty to save the Roman elite from bankruptcies. For the poor, enrollment in a gladiator school offered a trade, regular food, housing of sorts and a fighting chance of fame and perhaps fortune.
Law enforcement has always been one of three major components of any criminal justice system, along with courts and corrections. Although each component operates semi-independently, the three collectively have continuously formed a chain leading from an investigation of suspected criminal activity to the administration of criminal punishment.
Such enforcement operates primarily through governmental police agencies. The purposes of these agencies are the investigation of suspected criminal activity, referral of the results of investigations to the courts, and the temporary detention of suspected criminals pending judicial action.
Law enforcement agencies, to varying degrees at different levels of government and in different agencies, are also commonly charged with the responsibilities of deterring criminal activity and preventing the successful commission of crimes in progress. Other duties may include the service and enforcement of warrants, writs, and other orders of the courts.
They are also involved in providing first response to emergencies and other threats to public safety; the protection of certain public facilities and infrastructure; the maintenance of public order; the protection of public officials; and the operation of some correctional facilities (usually at the local level).
Dealing with riots is often a difficult task for police forces. They may use tear gas or CS gas to control rioters. Riot police may use less-than-lethal methods of control, such as shotguns that fire flexible baton rounds to injure or otherwise incapacitate rioters for easier arrest.
Today, some rioters have an improved understanding of the tactics used by police in riot situations. Manuals for successful rioting are available on the internet, with tips such as encouraging rioters to get the press involved, as there is more safety and attention with the cameras rolling. Civilians with video cameras may also have an effect on both rioters and police.
Riots are typically dealt with by the police, although methods differ from country to country. Tactics and weapons used can include attack dogs, water cannons, plastic bullets, rubber bullets, pepper spray, flexible baton rounds, and snatch squads. Many police forces have dedicated divisions to deal with public order situations.
The policing of riots has been marred by incidents in which police have been accused of provoking rioting or crowd violence. While the weapons described above are officially designated as non-lethal, a number of people have died or been injured as a result of their use.
On the other-hand, a police riot is a term for the disproportionate and unlawful use of force by a group of police against a group of civilians. This term is commonly used to describe a police attack on civilians, or provoking civilians into violence.
Police brutality is one of several forms of police misconduct which involves undue violence by police members. Widespread police brutality exists in many countries and territories, even those that prosecute it. Although illegal, it can be performed under the color of law.
The use of excessive force can be seen as "legal boundaries/ duty" in the eyes of policing agencies. Police misconduct is regarded as illegal in many countries; it can be hidden when performed under the 'color of law.
Portions of the populations may perceive the police to be oppressors. In addition, there is a perception that victims of police brutality often belong to relatively powerless groups, such as minorities, the disabled, the young, and the poor. Not without reason!
Meanwhile, 'Secret Police' (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Used to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian regime, secret police often operate outside the law and are used to repress dissidents and weaken the political opposition, frequently with violence,
High policing is a form of intelligence-led policing that serves to protect the national government or a conglomerate of national governments from internal threats; that is, any policing operations integrated into domestic intelligence gathering, national security, or international security operations for the purpose of protecting government.
“Only in a police state is the job of a policeman easy.” Orson Welles
A police state is a government that exercises power arbitrarily through the power of the police force. Originally, a police state was a state regulated by a civil administration, but since the beginning of the 20th century it has "taken on an emotional and derogatory meaning" by describing an undesirable state of living characterized by the overbearing presence of the civil authorities. The inhabitants of a police state may experience restrictions on their mobility, or on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force that operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state.
An electronic police state is a state in which the government aggressively uses electronic technologies to record, collect, store, organize, analyze, search, and distribute information about its citizens. Electronic police states also engage in mass government surveillance of landline and cellular telephone traffic, mail, email, web surfing, Internet searches, radio, and other forms of electronic communication as well as widespread use of video surveillance. The information is usually collected in secret.
The crucial elements are not politically based, so long as the government can afford the technology and the populace will permit it to be used, an electronic police state can form. The continual use of electronic mass surveillance can result in constant low-level fear within the population, which can lead to self-censorship and exerts a powerful coercive force upon the populace.
Science-fiction or not, the concept of being monitored by our government collects a large audience of curious citizens. Mass surveillance has been prominently featured in a wide array of books, films, and other media. Advances in technology over the last century have led to possible social control through the Internet and the conditions of late capitalism. Many directors and writers have been enthralled with the potential stories that could come from mass surveillance, depicting dystopian surveillance states is here.
"The nothing to hide" argument states that government surveillance programs do not threaten privacy unless they uncover illegal activities, and that if they do uncover illegal activities, the person committing these activities does not have the right to keep them private.
A person who favors this argument may state "I've got nothing to hide" and therefore does not express opposition to government surveillance. An individual using this argument may say that a person should not worry about government or surveillance if they've got "nothing to hide.”
Increasingly, the general public is coming to the very unpleasant realization that they live in a corporate oligarchy in which they are subjects rather than citizens. The more they are pushed into a corner, the sooner they will lash out in all sorts of ways.
The generational level revolts has been a long time coming and will emanate from both rural, largely white America, as well from inner city communities populated mostly by minorities. The key thing we must all bear in mind going into the turbulent times ahead is that we are all in this together.
The other key variable as to whether the forthcoming rebellions result in any positive change will revolve around what form they take. When we say civil unrest, we're well aware that this likely means some degree of violence, vandalism, and looting; however, such expressions of frustration will do far more harm than good.
We must recognize that as it stands the status-quo has no actual legitimacy, and therefore can only succeed if it’s able to portray the abused public as the bad guys, and sell us on the idea that the government is the only thing standing between us and violent mobs.
If you want to win this battle, you need to be smart. Winning the hearts and minds of the general public is absolutely critical, and shouldn’t be difficult in an environment in which the establishment is left to discredit itself on a daily basis…
Food for thought!