Have you ever heard the classic song form the 1960s sung by Johnny Rivers called “Secret Agent Man?” It had a simple little chorus that went like this:
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They’ve given you a number and taken away your name
While the song was the theme song for a TV show about an undercover spy, the lyrics in the chorus could soon be a description of any and all police officers in the state of Virginia.
The proposal, Senate Bill 552, would classify the names of all police officers as “personnel records,” and would essentially create a type of “secret police” force that would allow officers to be “effectively immunized from wrong doing and able to act with impunity.”
This bill is in response to what one Virginia state senator called the “war on cops,” and while there have been recent news stories across America involving police officers shot in the line of duty, this “throw the baby out with the bath water” overreaction is quite troubling, and could lead to a serious violation of our constitutional rights.
In a letter from the Rutherford Institute to the chairman of the House Delegates’ Laws subcommittee, James LeMunyon, John Whitehead expressed his concerns if such a bill should become law:
“American citizens have a right to know when government agencies and government officials have engaged in wrongdoing. Whether those individuals occupy a public office or are employed by a law-enforcement agency is immaterial.”
Mr Whitehead has a point. The very basis of America’s creation was a call for government to be accountable to the people, not the other way around. Otherwise, we have tyranny and a loss of liberty.
One of the most troubling aspects of this bill is that it is sponsored by a Republican, which is proof positive that progressive, big government behavior exists in both political parties. That’s one reason why I oppose those who say to vote for the lesser of the two evils, particularly when it comes to voting for president. As I once wrote, a little poison will kill you just a thoroughly as a lot, it just takes a little longer.
Conservatives need to stand firm against efforts such as this one in Virginia. Liberty depends on it. By the way, Adolph Hitler created a secret police force… it was called the Gestapo.
Just sayin’.
David Leach is the owner and publisher of The Strident Conservative, your source for news and opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.”
His daily commentary is nationally syndicated via Salem Radio Network.
