SWAT Team Enforces DoE Raid On Wrong Person

The state knows no limits -

A father was dragged from his home and handcuffed in front of his children by a SWAT team looking for his estranged wife - to collect her unpaid student loans.

A stunned Kenneth Wright had his front door kicked in by the raiding party at 6 am yesterday before being dragged onto his front porch, handcuffed and led to a police car with his three children.

He says he was then detained for six hours while officers looked for his wife - who no longer lives at the house.

Mr Wright was later told by Stockton police that the order to send in the SWAT team came from The U.S. Department of Education who were looking for his estranged wife to collect defaulted loan payments.

The Real Effect

America has become infatuated with power and authority and subsequently fails to define and restrain it properly. I like to use the analogy of a librarian usurping authority because most individuals are familiar with what a librarian does and the extent of her limited authority.

Let's assume that the librarian is hired by the town board to have control over the local branch of the town library. She is empowered, by the town board to oversee that particular library and assess fines to patrons of the library that use the services they provide.

At this point, we should note the extent and limitations of her powers/authority:

• She has the power to levy fines, but not to forcibly collect them.(She cannot raid your bank account)
• She has control over her branch, but if another branch opens, she cannot control the branch unless authorized to. 
• Despite the overwhelming evil of a local corporation stealing from its clients, she has no authority to raid the facility and "set things right" no matter how much it drives her batty.

In today's age, Americans view authority as being all-encompassing and pervasive. For instance, the Executive branch of the U.S. government has long run amuck via shoddily defined Departments of which the Department of Education is one. (The U.S government should have just about as much authority to have an educational department as one on the proper branding of shoes.) Yet America refuses to recognize any limits on authority because somewhere once there was an official decree. What is infinitely less important to people is whether or not said law was actually legal.

For instance, in our above example of the librarian, she could argue that with the opening of a new local branch, that under her sworn duty as a protector of the people's books, that not only does she think she should be in charge of said branch, but that she is compelled to take up such a role by virtue of her previous duty. What most people miss in this is that her authority was given to her by another and is not unlimited, else what is to prohibit her from setting up local checkpoints with her shiny new GTOs acquired by the Department of Book Enforcement and Revenue Generation. (Of course such things are necessary, why if such a Department didn't exist we would have Tanks In the Streets what with people trying to figure out just how to return their books and all that.)

Such is the nature of authority. It tends to continue until challenged, most times forcefully. Back to the raid.

As Vox points out in his column today -

1. Why is the U.S. Department of Education permitted to issue warrants or call SWAT teams?
2. Why would the SWAT team assault an individual who is not responsible for the debts?
3. Upon which specific date was America pronounced dead?

This leads us to our logical conclusions. Unchecked authority will continue to run wild until it runs smack dab into the jurisdiction of another tyrant. It is usually at this point that cordial diplomacy gives way to war. (Funny how these petty thugs always tend to end up fighting.) It is doubtless that countless hours and swaths of rain forest will be dedicated to convincing the people that not only is such a war is just, what with historical precedent and all that, but that rest assured the god of the Departments is On Their Side.