Please tell me why the police need stuff like this.

[Brainonska511]

Polls mean nothing. Voting is just an illusion to make people feel like they have control. The government as a whole is a machine that is not going to be changed by a few elected people who end up being bribed and/or brainwashed into making decisions that only benefit the big corporations or whoever pays them the most.

And yeah I guess the knee pads actually get handed to the people they're about to violate. If you beg hard enough, they wont hurt you as much. You might want to bring some breath mints with you, you'll need them after the deed is done. :biggrin:

You don't even live here. Don't tell me that a revolution would be good. Based on histories of revolutions, it would be bloody and violent and with no guarantee of a good government coming out in the end. Plus, our populace can't agree on anything now, I highly doubt a revolution is going to be some magic wand to fix that.

People have plenty of power to elect who they want. For national office, individual power is limited, but if you want big changes, starting at the local and state levels are good places to challenge the status quo. And it's more than just voting. You can stay informed on issues, write letters, talk with neighbors, go to meetings, etc. The key is making the effort. Blaming things on corporations is rather pointless if you just sat around twiddling your thumbs.

And as much as I despise the Tea Party, they were able to organize and get people they wanted elected, unlike the disorganized, leaderless Occupy Wall Street movement.
----

To the topic at hand - military grade equipment to police forces. I can see why some transfers occur - surplus material that actually could be useful to states. But then there is tons of stuff that just doesn't belong in the hands of the police. Maybe now people are finally realizing that and will work to make changes - either stopping their local governments from acquiring this stuff or vote for representatives at the federal level that will work to stop this.

 

[DougK62]

If I was running a police department that is tight on budget (like they all are) I'd like to think that I'd happily welcome donated stuff that could be put to use.

 

[DCal430]

You don't even live here.

Congress authorized the passing down of this equipment during the drug war as a means to equip police for potentially violent encounters will heavily armed drug gangs.

Please, we don't need police in tanks with weapons of war on our streets. They can use a simple armoured truck, not a tank that can mow down the people

 

[Markbnj]

Power gathers more power unto itself. That's the bottom line. When a society grants power to an organized institution it has to set and actively enforce very sharp limits on it, otherwise that power attracts more power. From my pov this is entirely due to inherent characteristics of humans and in fact all animals to some extent. We're all primarily interested in our own security and well-being, and that of those close to us. If I'm a cop then the police gathering more power is all good to me. There's no downside. Every idea that comes across the table that makes my organization stronger is a good idea, and there is nobody inside the organization that will see it differently.

Probably the main issue right now is that the part of our society that is supposed to observe, direct, and control these institutions is no longer functional. Our elected officials have ceded nearly all power to unelected bureaucracies while they spend their days in constituent service work entirely designed to keep them in their jobs as long as possible. Leadership is, for most of them, not even on the map.

 

[alkemyst]

But it's free, we can't just not take free stuff, right?

I don't care about them getting sleeping bags, or even night vision gear, but when cops look like the military and have military-grade gear they start to think they are the military; it's a change in mindset from one who keeps the peace to one who conquers evil, which is really bad when the people they're interacting with are citizens. It probably doesn't help that we as Americans love to declare war on everything from poverty to terrorism. Moderation is anathema.

QFT, they are preparing for future riots which is where America is heading with it's poor blaming anyone with two nickles to rub as the tyrant.

 

[BoberFett]

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/22/6647955/defense-department-has-gifted.html?sp=/99/749/

Seriously WTF, this a college town with little to no crime. Who do they expect to use this against?

Because you touch yourself.


Not funny or appropriate in this setting.

Perknose
Forum Director

 

[alkemyst]

Because you touch yourself.

You should just take the extra two steps and walk to Canada.

Do you remember the Kent State Riots, bro?

Things are going to get worse for us soon.

The sad part is retards like yourself will say "Those kids had it coming!"

 

[BoberFett]

You should just take the extra two steps and walk to Canada.

Do you remember the Kent State Riots, bro?

Things are going to get worse for us soon.

The sad part is retards like yourself will say "Those kids had it coming!"

Fail. Try again, sparky.

I'm about as anti-cop as they come, but if you haven't seen the insane ramblings of the OP, go search them out sometime.

 

[DCal430]

Fail. Try again, sparky.

I'm about as anti-cop as they come, but if you haven't seen the insane ramblings of the OP, go search them out sometime.

Please, there is nothing insane about attacking the militarization of the police. Which is all this topic is about. There is no need to thread crap.

 

[alkemyst]

Fail. Try again, sparky.

I'm about as anti-cop as they come, but if you haven't seen the insane ramblings of the OP, go search them out sometime.

This is where you and your ILK need to focus on the topic and not the poster.

Are you denying Kent State didn't happen?

 

[MomentsofSanity]

This is where you and your ILK need to focus on the topic and not the poster.

Are you denying Kent State didn't happen?

I think we would all deny that Kent State didn't happen...

 

[MongGrel]

This is where you and your ILK need to focus on the topic and not the poster.

Are you denying Kent State didn't happen?

That was the National Guard to begin with, not your local police.

???

Isn't even what the topic relates to.

I'd say educate yourself on what you post a bit, but the facts appear to negate that will ever happen.

To be polite about it.

To quote you, I won't look for it specifically *I'm never hostile*

*cough*

 

[MongGrel]

Power gathers more power unto itself. That's the bottom line. When a society grants power to an organized institution it has to set and actively enforce very sharp limits on it, otherwise that power attracts more power. From my pov this is entirely due to inherent characteristics of humans and in fact all animals to some extent. We're all primarily interested in our own security and well-being, and that of those close to us. If I'm a cop then the police gathering more power is all good to me. There's no downside. Every idea that comes across the table that makes my organization stronger is a good idea, and there is nobody inside the organization that will see it differently.

Probably the main issue right now is that the part of our society that is supposed to observe, direct, and control these institutions is no longer functional. Our elected officials have ceded nearly all power to unelected bureaucracies while they spend their days in constituent service work entirely designed to keep them in their jobs as long as possible. Leadership is, for most of them, not even on the map.

Well stated.

 

[BoberFett]

Please, there is nothing insane about attacking the militarization of the police. Which is all this topic is about. There is no need to thread crap.

This is where you and your ILK need to focus on the topic and not the poster.

Are you denying Kent State didn't happen?

LOL @ both of you

Try the correct forum. There's a P&N forum just down the road, with a thread on this very topic, where my "ilk" and I have discussed this at length.

Both of you need to wake up before you post.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You don't even live here.

Congress authorized the passing down of this equipment during the drug war as a means to equip police for potentially violent encounters will heavily armed drug gangs.

Sometimes you need a second set of eyes. It seems lot of people in the US are blinded by the oppression that's going on and don't realize just how bad it's getting. Either way I'm just glad I don't live there, but my fear is that this kind of crap starts to happen here too because our government is copy cats and they tend to do what the US does.

Also just because congress authorizes something, or because police get a warrant, or any other legal process happens, does not make something right. I'm speaking more in general here about all the corruption and bad things the government and police does, not just this specific incident. Consider all the cases where police raid people's homes over the most idiotic thing like drugs, kills a few people and pets and gives grandma a heart attack and leaves the family devastated. Just because they had a warrant does not make it right. With the increase in police militarization these incidents are going to get worse I think. If you don't answer on the first knock you're getting a mortar in the living room.

 

[Rage187]

No. If things have gotten that bad, we need to tear this shit down and start over.

The Feds taught them how to fight. I remember them using military grade hardware almost 20 years ago to burn down a compound full of women and children. It was all rumors that helped get the warrants filed. No one was arrested for that except every witness to the crime.

 

[Jay5]

You don't even live here.

Congress authorized the passing down of this equipment during the drug war as a means to equip police for potentially violent encounters will heavily armed drug gangs.

haha,right "heavily armed drug gangs"


this is just america seeing the result of what they voted for

 

[Red Squirrel]

haha,right "heavily armed drug gangs"


this is just america seeing the result of what they voted for

While there are some heavily armed drug gangs, these are not the people police even go after. They go after the guy in his own home who decides to light up a joint. He's not hurting anyone but in the eyes of the law he deserves to go to jail for 20 years. Or the guy who decides to download a few MP3s to add to his ipod, JAIL FOR LIFE! Meanwhile you have banksters committing crimes against humanity and it's considered legal. It's pretty sad really.

 

[Jay5]

While there are some heavily armed drug gangs, these are not the people police even go after.

well,maybe things are different in canada then

 

[Mai72]

Does anyone remember the crack wars when Ronald Reagan was president? The LA police were rolling in armored vehicles so they could destroy houses of expected crack dealers.

Today, cops are just taking it to another lever. What is it going to be like in another 30 years? Scary stuff.

 

[bbhaag]

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/22/6647955/defense-department-has-gifted.html?sp=/99/749/

Seriously WTF, this a college town with little to no crime. Who do they expect to use this against?

Why don't you ask the kids at Tiananmen Square. They were college kids.

 

[John Connor]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...cal-police-to-get-military/?intcmp=latestnews

Published August 24, 2014FoxNews.com


Never autoplay videos

President Obama has directed a review of federal programs and funding that allow state and local law-enforcement agencies to acquire surplus military equipment, a senior administration official said Saturday.
The review will include whether the programs are appropriate, if the agencies are getting enough training and guidance to use the equipment and whether the federal government is sufficiently auditing the use of the equipment.

 

[boomerang]

Seriously WTF, this a college town with little to no crime. Who do they expect to use this against?

Dangerous situations such as this.

SWAT team responds to college staff member carrying umbrella

 

[Triumph]

Dangerous situations such as this.

SWAT team responds to college staff member carrying umbrella

Look, it's quite simple. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Case in point right here. If they didn't have all this fancy schmancy tough guy wannabe soldier equipment, this situation could have been resolved by, I don't know, a patrol car simply driving by and taking a look at the "suspect"?

Actually, how in the hell does a guy carrying an umbrella even elicit this sort of response? Not from the police, but from the person who called it in? What kind of idiot...

 

[unokitty]

CS Monitor:

“These guys are idiots – riding around on the top of armored trucks looking like rednecks on a country drive, pointing their weapons at unarmed Americans,” said one Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his opinion on the matter.

“Don’t tell me that’s militarization – our troops would never do that stuff, even in a war zone,” he says. “And why are they riding around in woodlands camo in a city? That kills me.”

The War on Christmas is imaginary. The War on Poverty was metaphorical -- not to mention inadequately funded and quickly abandoned. But the War on Drugs is real...

Russel Honore, the retired Army lieutenant general who brought calm to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, was right when he told CNN Thursday morning, "Any time we have policemen pointing weapons at American citizens, they need to go through retraining."

But why do they have military weapons and equipment in the first place?

The drug war, that's why...

"Drug arrests," the Cato report notes, "made cities and counties eligible for federal money. And federal money and equipment allowed for the creation of SWAT teams. Non-drug-related policing brought no federal dollars, even for violent crime."

Remember the warning "This is your brain on drugs" with that picture of a frying egg? Replace it with a picture of American police brandishing their weapons at civilians. "This is your country - hooked on a drug war."

Seems like the Pentagon thinks that SWAT Teams like Ferguson's are giving the term 'militarization' a bad name. And, of course, they are right. Giving amateurs military weapons without any training doesn't make them soldiers.

Of course, SWAT is primarily used as an arm of the failing Drug War.

After the citizens vote to end the Drug War, anyone think these wanna be Warrior Cops are going to give up their military toys voluntarily?

Uno