James O’Gara, a resident of my adopted state of Florida, sent a postcard to Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia with the handwritten message “You lack values.” In response, officers from our state’s Department of Financial Services (which is overseen by Ingoglia) were sent to his house to question him. Ingoglia’s communication director Sydner Booker was asked about the incident but declined to explain why the postcard was considered a threat. She also declined to answer questions about how many other people had been investigated and how much it cost to send the agents. Mr. O’Gara and his wife Cathy have been critical of both the Trump and DeSantis administration.
A rational assessment of the postcard and O’Gara’s history (the agents expressed knowledge that he served in the infantry during the Vietnam war) would obviously reveal no threat. And, of course, while “you lack values” might sting a bit, it is clearly no threat. As such, there seems to be no justification for the visit, and the best explanation is that this was an effort at intimidation by the state. The media coverage in Florida is likely to serve an intended purpose of the visit: to spread the word that criticism and opposition to the regimes of Trump and DeSantis can, and will, result in a visit from agents of the state.
This is consistent with the current ruling ideology of “free speech” in Florida, in which free expression is protected when it is in accord with the values of the right and suppressed when the rulers of the state dislike it or see an opportunity for intimidation. In the past I might have said this was un-American, but now I will simply state that this is immoral. I’ve argued at length in defense of free expression (including for those on the right) and will not repeat my arguments here. In addition to the primary concern about free expression and the coercive power of the state being misused, there are other concerns.
As Republicans pretend to care about state spending and fighting crime, there is a reasonable concern about the cost of sending agents to, it seems, intimidate citizens. These resources would be better spent dealing with actual crimes in Florida. To be fair, while my home state of Maine has America’s lowest crime rate, Florida has a lower crime rate than many other states. But the rate is not low enough that officers have nothing better to do than “talk” to citizens about innocuous postcards.
Another concern is that while the interaction between the agents and O’Gara seemed cordial, there is always the possibility that interactions between police and citizens can go very badly. For example, from 2017 to 2023 at least 800 people were killed in traffic stops. One reason for this is the cultivation of the warrior mentality in police. “Under this warrior worldview, officers are locked in intermittent and unpredictable combat with unknown but highly lethal enemies. As a result, officers learn to be afraid.” Having taught critical thinking for decades, I am aware of the effects of fear on how a person perceives other people and situations. Put simply, while vigilance is wise, fear is unwise. Innocent actions can be seen as potential threats, items such as cell phones or wallets can be perceived as being guns, and any defiance or disrespect can be interpreted as evidence of violent intent. As such, even if an officer has good intentions, unnecessary violence can arise from fear. If, for example, O’Gara had gotten into a heated exchange with the agents then things could have turned out very differently. There is also obvious concern with race in the context of law enforcement.
Someone more cynical than I might claim that certain state officials might be pleased with a violent encounter for two reasons. One might be that the violence could be used as “evidence” that the investigation was justified (much how ICE seems to be trying to provoke violence to justify its violence). Another reason might be that fear of being killed by law enforcement sent to “investigate” threats would deter people from exercising their moral right to criticize the rulers of Florida.
Speaking of free expression, because the rulers of my adopted state of Florida hold it as so precious that they must decide who can exercise it and how one may do so, I must always state that I condemn the use of political violence between Americans
For forty years, or more(?), I saw the coming downfall of a British “royal”. He believed his royalty rendered him immune to world scrutiny. A fool’s game, that.
Oh well. Stuff happens…c’est la vie?
”….to spread the word that criticism and opposition to the regimes of Trump and DeSantis can, and will…”.
It all depends if you are a sycophant of Trump or you are someone who doesn’t like him for whatever reasons (most of them understandable, the list is long but it’s on Wikipedia, for those who wonder about it).
And, let’s not forget, the law is not equal for all: if I like Trump or am one of his sycophants, and I am an idiot who committed criminal damage (a punishable offense) to the Capitol, or are a fraudster who evaded tax, or stole the identity of 11 people, then I’ll be ‘pardoned’, released from jail, and therefore get away with my crimes (i.e. punishable offenses).
Then again, what can be expected from a president who rolls out a red carpet to a war criminal who killed hundreds of thousands of civilians for nothing and shakes hands with hands stained by their blood, and constantly writes dumb trash on social media instead of describing facts objectively?
Answer: nothing that makes much sense to reasonable people.
Droogs don’t like philosophers because philosophers encourage people to think. I THINK droogs are reptiles. That was short.
Well, Professor, your opening paragraph for this post states it clearly enough. For me, anyway. Anyone who can spell *police state* understands the ship they were on, and, the port to which they have arrived. Don’t think of returning to Ohio. There are no answers here. If you have followed news snippets concerning complicity with administration doctrine, you well know. Congressman Brown ought to have known that dipping his time-worn toes back into the political piranha pond would cause bleeding and pain. He could yet have a change of heart and mind…I guess. Look, I am neither political wog, nor philosophical genius. I know the meanings of dictator and oligarch. Roughly. I can read—including, between the lines. I feel badly that you reside where you do. But look, Doc: it ain’t no better here. OUAT, it may have been better, in say, Montana? If it is unclear at all, there is no escaping infections. A good friend and his wife left the USA many years ago: South America. Then, as far as they knew, there was no drug problem. Sigh…………That. Was. Then. Infections, see. Do you know Schwitzgabel? Is VanLeeuwin still at Georgia? You a may have crossed paths? or,not. Just asking. Sorry if this was tedious.