I have long suspected that those who desire coercive power over others, as opposed to those who are content to rely upon free value-for-value exchange and/or non-coercive persuasion to get what they want, have some sort of mental illness. In this category I include the great majority of politicians, bureaucrats and, unfortunately, policemen. The American ideal of the 'Peace Officer' has been largely discarded in favor of authoritarian 'law enforcement', to the detriment of Liberty.

I am not 'cop bashing' here, I am merely pointing out that those who are certified by the state as 'Peace Officers' should act as such instead of as petty tyrants. Our cops and sheriffs' deputies should be the first line of ordered Liberty's defense, not its enemies.