Island Dweller has our guest post of the day. Enjoy! You know, you can write guest posts here, too. Just send ‘em in to any one of us and let us know you want it as a standalone piece or if you want us to reply to it.

Some time ago I wrote about how attitudes and job morality with law enforcement are changing, and not for the better. This is happening because the larger population pool from which law enforcement draws its applicants is changing as well, also not for the better. This is bound to have ramifications within Federal law enforcement and we are seeing more evidence of that as another Secret Service scandal involving many of their GS-1811s has been exposed and will now be dissected in public.

I do not know what is put into the heads of these young people when they go through their agent basic training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, or when they are working their probationary year – or two – with the Secret Service. I would venture a guess most of the young agents we are hearing about in this latest scandal have little or no prior law enforcement experience, and are highly impressionable, wanting desperately to fit in with the culture they find themselves immersed in when they arrive at their first new office, or during their training. I’m sure they are told they’re the “best of the best,” and all that other nonsense. I’ll expand on this shortly.

What particularly disturbs me are the actions of the supervisory personnel who should be taking a firm but fair hand with these people. If there is any misconduct by the street agents during these overseas trips, you look first at the older agents, part of a group that set up or inherited this culture of misconduct and undoubtedly participated in it in the past, perhaps a little more discreetly than the more recently-hired agents, but participants nonetheless. When something like this happens, you look hard at the leadership. In my world, as in Soviet Russia, scat rolls uphill and gets bigger as it does. This indicates there is an arrogant, self-indulgent culture within a part of that agency that reflects the personality of the individual they are meant to guard. Time to take down the field leadership a notch or two – some unpaid long-term leave and demotions are in order here.

As regards the younger people – as mentioned above – they need to be reminded there are 100 applicants for every one of their positions, and they can easily be replaced. If they go, it places a burden on those left behind to cover the work that should be done by those now missing, so those already there have a vested interest in making the “whipper-snappers” toe the line. They’ll self-police themselves if you take the right approach.

When you are on a detail as sensitive as that for POTUS, there is NO REPEAT NO drinking at any time, for any reason, by anyone carrying a firearm, for the duration of that detail until they are back on US soil. Apparently management has forgotten everyone on the detail is subject to being recalled instantly if a serious incident involving POTUS or his party occurs. With DL’s popularity around the world plunging, and more and more governments becoming either indifferent or openly hostile to this sorry excuse for a president, the risk of such an incident is increasing daily. Essentially, one must remain “combat-ready” at all times, not partying. You can’t do your job if you’re plowed under, or in the sack overseas with someone not your wife. You’re there to fight, if need be, at any time against any one. From personal experience, off-duty time was for getting off your feet (for once), a quiet meal alone or with a few friends, possibly a little sight-seeing (on foot, and not far from the personage to be guarded), then back to the control center to check in on possible changes to the upcoming schedule for the principal, then to one’s room and so to bed. Not very exciting, I admit, but adhering to the spirit of why you’re there, as well as the letter.

At any rate, there need to be some firings occurring, and within management as well the ranks. I have a suggestion for ensuring this never happens again. Canvass the agent corps within each SS office and find the most suspicious, obnoxious mother-in-law in the group. Cover her expenses and include her in the next POTUS trip for the office. Let her conduct bed-checks on all the agents, and ensure they are sober and sleeping – alone – in their assigned beds when they are supposed to be. I guarantee she’ll ensure everyone walks the straight and narrow.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.