The Public Duty Doctrine.3

Stepping outside the box of what is commonly known as American Law Enforcement, you find two interesting groups: Eric Prince's Blackwater and Jim Gilchrist's The Minutemen Project.

Unbeknownst to the American public, I believe both groups consciously know of and operate under The Public Duty Doctrine premise: If government and its agents (law enforcement) have no legal duty to protect (PDD), and cannot be held legally liable for failing to protect (sovereign immunity), then private citizens can ban together and intervene when the agents of government are unable to do their job, as in the case of Hurricane Katrina, or fail to do their job, as in border security -- that is, protect society as a whole, but not the individual, unless promises are made to the contrary.

Blackwater is a corporation located in North Carolina, which provides security personnel --hired-guns and techno-warriors -- for hire, for profit, worldwide. Mainly for elites: corporate and government. They were thought of by conservatives to be corporate patriots that should be honored alongside our servicemen. See Jeremy Scahill's book: Blackwater -- The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" and see how these "patriots" operated in and around New Orleans post-Katrina.

The Minutemen Project, however, arose in response to illegal immigration and the ineffectiveness of border security, among other issues. It is my understanding that military veterans are mostly affiliated with this organization -- volunteers, as opposed to paid mercenaries. They would go down to the border, with their binoculars and walkie-talkies, and assist the border patrol. Their efforts were not to protect elites, but to assist America as a whole. The President (Bush), however, did not see them as patriots, but called them "vigilantes." Not-for-profit-vigilantes?

I think that these two organizations provide an interesting contrast when thinking outside the box of American Law Enforcement. I trust you find this interesting, as well.