So this post is a direct response to the horror in Uvalde. It has nothing to do with guns.
It has to do with the soul of America since 9/11.
After 9/11, there was a serious effort at the federal level to design a 'system' to respond to tragedies, of any variety: dam breaks, hurricanes, mass shootings, attacks using airplanes - you name it. As with most federal 'systems,' it was borne of an honest and well-meaning desire to "make things better," in the wake of the chaos on the ground after the attacks on the World Trade Center. For those of you unfamiliar with the system that emerged from that effort, it is called "Incident Command Management System." It is a system that has been implemented nationwide. If you are a police officer, fire fighter, local civil defense manager, national guardsman, red cross worker, or in any way considered a Responder, you have been through this training. I received mine as a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The idea of ICM is to designate "who's in charge," and what the action priorities should be in a given incident. The events, as they unfolded (or didn't) in Uvalde is a direct result of this system.
A primary focus of ICM is to designate a lead agency as "in charge" of a local incident. This means that all other agencies who arrive to assist at an emergency take their orders from the lead agency. In Uvalde, the lead agency was the local policing authority. Why did SWAT teams and first responders in Uvalde stand around doing nothing for an hour? Because they took their orders from the lead agency. They followed ICM protocols - until they finally broke ranks and entered the school.
Another focus of ICM is the prioritization of response. In the ICM hierarchy, *containing the problem* takes precedence over *assisting the victims.* In other words, in a hurricane where live wires are down, getting them shut off takes precedence over helping those on the scene who have been electrocuted. In a situation of a failing dam, preventing further collapse takes precedence over rescuing those trapped under water. In a school shooting, containing the shooter takes precedence over rendering aid to the wounded or endangered.
With that in mind, can you see how Uvalde unfolded?
There is a third priority, one that is more problematic than the first two. And that is the absolute prohibition on what is called "Self-Deployment." Self-deployment refers to individuals simply doing *what needs to be done* at that moment. NO ONE is permitted to "self-deploy;" an EMT (or any ordinary citizen) who is capable of rendering aid to a victim is *prohibited* from doing so unless they have received specific orders from the Lead Agency chain of command to do so.
Parents who were ready and willing to storm the school were prevented from doing so by the police. Why? *NO SELF-DEPLOYMENT.* The real heartbreak here is that we, the American public, actually conform to the orders issued by The State, time and time again. The parents who *did* ignore orders and rescued their own kids at the school engaged in precisely the behavior that we ALL need to engage in.
Putting the gun issue aside, the question here is the official response (or lack of it) and how it happened the way it did.
It happened *precisely* the way it is designed. Good, anguished, law-abiding parents questioned it, but ultimately conformed.
That conformity must END. The worship of the state must END. The blind belief in "authority" must END.
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