An insecure sense of security

It’s difficult to know what to make of the report that new Apple Valley mayor Barb Stanton views public safety as one of her top priorities in the wake of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino (“Barb Stanton makes Apple Valley history,” Daily Press, December 10, 2015). Some of Stanton’s previous top priorities have been voting against the Town purchase of the Apple Valley Country Club (for which she voted in favor), keeping government out of business (except where the animal shelter and Ranchos Water Company are involved), transparency in government (except where the Ranchos takeover is concerned), etc.

Now the Daily Press quotes Stanton as saying, “I would like to see measures taken in council chambers. The simplest step would be a metal detector as you come into council chambers. I believe that will create a sense of security for everyone, not just (the) council.” If Stanton follows her established pattern of saying one thing and doing another, we have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, having already decided that Apple Valley residents need not be consulted through the voting process regarding the Town Council’s proposed expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s equally likely that she’ll continue in her apparent quest to treat residents as subjects and not citizens by further isolating herself and her fellow council members from the hoi polloi.

Perhaps Stanton is unaware that 92 percent of mass shootings since 2009 occurred in gun-free zones (Crime Prevention Research Center, October 9, 2014). Perhaps she is unaware that the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino had thick polycarbonate panels in the lobby. Perhaps she’s even unaware that it wasn’t a member of the public who was responsible for the attack, but an employee.

However, Stanton cannot be unaware that the Town has erected signs inviting riff-raff to settle here. Nor can she be unaware of the fact that between 1988 and 2013 while the population increased 67 percent, the size of the police force increased 750 percent.

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To top it off, as a public official who has sworn an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, Stanton should be aware of the Second Amendment, which as a reminder states in part, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Thomas Jefferson is quoted as having said, “When the people fear their government there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Echoing that, Jeffrey R. Snyder once said, “Laws disarming honest citizens proclaim that the government is the master, not the servant, of the people.”

When you put it all together, it becomes clear that Stanton’s goal is not one of public security, but rather one of government superiority. As long as she feels secure, she doesn’t really care about the public.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Author: Greg Raven

I am deeply concerned about quality of life issues.