Ever wonder where supervillains find their henchmen?
In the early James Bond films Dr. No and Auric Goldfinger employ hordes of Asians. (The xenophobia is even more pronounced in the novels.) In the first Die Hard movies, as in many other flicks, the henchmen traded military or terrorism in for for-profit work. And, then in Despicable Me, Gru’s minions really are Minions who do it because…
Meanwhile, in the real world, hiring scores of workers to assist in evil doing is probably an impossible chore. After all, moral people tend to not do immoral things, and, if they are immoral how can they be trusted to follow orders? Or, if they’re motivated by just money, what keeps the villain from being outbid?
Donald Trump found an answer: he called Missouri’s accidental governor.
Yes, Missouri and a few other states have sent their state-controlled National Guard troops to “protect” Washington – and especially the White House – from dangerous clergy, college students and concerned citizens holding signs.
Like other supervillains, the Orange One has made his hide-out even more formidable with extra fencing, lights and a lot more armed guards. Of course, Trump lives in what used to be called “the people’s house.”
Back to Governor Mike Parson: our National Guard is a Missouri resource, men and women to be called-out, as they are now, to handle local issues. Most often they help after floods and tornadoes. Yes, they do help when civility is perceived to be threatened, but, as learned in Ferguson, they serve best as security guards not police.
The word ‘serve’ is critical. Citizens join the National Guard to serve their state and country, just like members of the federal armed forces. They swear an oath to follow orders. The pay ain’t great, the work conditions can suck and the drudgery of drill doesn’t offer any glamour.
Yet, they follow orders well. So, when the accidental governor sends our guard to Washington they go. The only justification I’ve heard from Parson is that the federal government, not Missouri taxpayers, are footing the bill for this expedition. STL Today article:
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Three Missouri National Guard Humvees are parked outside St. Louis Fire Department Engine House No. 2 on Tucker Boulevard on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
www.stltoday.com
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When asked to send Missouri troops to point guns at other Americans, Mike Parson should have said “No.”
Of course, he didn’t say no because he long ago hitched his wagon to Trump. What the president wants, he always gets from Missouri’s governor.
So, now we face the possibility that Missouri’s guard will slap their bayonets on their M-16’s, fire tear gas into peaceful protesters and attack the First Amendment.
And they would do that because they swore to follow orders. They have become Parson’s minions and Trump’s henchmen in a bad, a horrible story playing out.
Glenn