Posted on 08/15/2014 12:21:32 PM PDT by bestintxas
After another night of violent confrontations between police and demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) argued Thursday that big government has gone too far in militarizing local police forces.
Ahead of a potential 2016 presidential run, it was another chance for Paul's liberty-centered philosophy to appeal to libertarians and black voters.
After police shot and killed an unarmed black teenager over the weekend, Ferguson residents rioted, looted, and protested this week. The police response has escalated each day, with police on Wednesday firing pepper spray and tear gas and arresting two D.C. journalists.
"Americans must never sacrifice their liberty for an illusive and dangerous, or false, security," he wrote in a Thursday op-ed for Time. "The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting. There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response. The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action."
Paul noted that he has championed the cause of more liberty for years and said that "not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem" because "Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
"Paul said that had he "been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn’t have expected to be shot.""
It a message felt by a growing number of Americans.
Hey Rand... STFU already.
I wouldn’t have smarted off. I’d have gotten out of the street.
That's crazy talk...laws are for crackers - E. Holder
The target of the “militarized police” is any group that would resist the upcoming “crackdown” from the fedgov on any that oppose it.
Rand Paul - disgustingly blind pandering
‘Hey Rand... STFU already.’
Beg to differ: Keeping talking, Rand! Display your idiocy for all to see so we never further your political career!
Just say’n.
Amen. It’s a shame that we get nervous when we see a cop when we haven’t done a damned thing but breath in public.
Rand, the stopped clock, is right again!
Let me knock over liquor stores in peace man, stop treating me like a criminal or something
Reality check for Randy Paul: “More Policemen were injured in Ferguson, Mo. last night, than in all the last 4 previous nights.” Quote from a St. Louis DJ on FOX’s Gretchen show today.
Body armor protects the Police, - - - - DUH!
Amen
Leave bo doubt
Let it all hang out!
What supporter of small government could possibly disagree with this?!
Some people won’t get it until it’s their door that is begin kicked in. And probably not even then.
Good heavens! Surely he doesn’t include things like Forest Service and HUD swat teams in this! Or the EPA? Or Dept of Education? Or, or, or ...
Whew! Re-read article and realize he’s talking about LOCAL police, not the various (and very, very numbers) Federal swat teams (or, “Special Weapons ASSAULT Teams” as they were originally called). So, Cliven Bundy can still expect a visit from the Feds, during which visit his dogs will be killed, his gold fish will be flushed and perhaps he and family members gunned down...
Feel much better now!
Message To Rand Paul: If black thugs were threatening to torch your car or your business — maybe with you in it — you might appreciate the presence of some scary looking cops nearby. While some cop-hating reporters might have gotten pushed around more than necessary, the main threat to freedom in the USA is from the leftist politicians that the black hoodlems are supporting, not from cops overloaded with weapons.
The main threat to freedom is the politicians who control the militarized police.
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