Pity.
Put aside personal objections and think about a power grab from state and local authorities.
Pity.
So they just have the bullseye gear now. Of course this all leads to a Federal police force.
Much as I hate Obama I agree with this. What do we need cops to be equipped as if they were the 82nd. Airborne?
I would endorse this decision if a conservative president made it, therefore I must endorse it as an Obama decision.
This is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
In some towns the local police can be lightly armed Peace Officers. But in places like Oakland, Baltimore, Chicago and New York they are outnumbered soldiers in a war zone.
This smells more like a standard Obama power grab - taking advantage of a crisis - than concern over the quality and suitability of local police departments.
Leftists like Obama and Hillary do not want power to reside anywhere other than the federal government.
First they dictated the size of our toilets, then came federal directives on the way our cars are built, then what we can do with mud puddles and ponds on our land, next was the strong arming of the school system, then federal control of our medical care, followed by forced homosexualization of the military, now comes the movement to intimidate, overpower and control local police forces.
What is becoming more and more painfully clear here is that Obama wants a National Police Force. He is using racist rioters and looters in Ferguson and Baltimore as an excuse to send in Federal Authorities and officials.
Then there’s Jade Helm. If anyone thinks this is just another harmless military exercise then they will be the first in line at the Walmart/FEMA camps to get their free Kool-Aid.
He has the power as commander and chief to keep the military from selling surplus military equipment at all if he wishes.
He could order all surplus equipment to be melted down if he wanted.
I admit to mixed feeling about this.
More info here:
The President, as Commander in Chief, would seem to me to have authority over the disposition of surplus DOD military equipment. Deciding that it shall not be distributed, gratis, to police departments would seem, to me, to be within the President's authority.
Whether that is a wise decision is a separate question.
Didn't bother him in Boston where white folks were "threatened" by an well armed Police force.
But this new "power grab" is for areas that are dominated by Obama's sons.
Bet the Muzzies are chomping at the bit.
Put aside personal objections and think about a power grab from state and local authorities.
I think all this EO does is prohibit the federal government from providing certain military equipment to state and local government agencies. I suspect that is within his power. If your city or county wished to contract with suppliers of military hardware to purchase same with their own taxpayer-provided funding, and Obama tried to prevent the sale, that then might be a different matter. He'd probably try anyway, of course.
This is not necessarily restricting the police forces, but just refusing to give them all kinds of free military goodies for their no-knock "let's play soldier" raids, which most of us have been complaining about for years.
So, yeah, I'm OK with Obama's order here. Cruz would do the same thing.
I actually agree that police departments don’t need all this military type gear....they also don’t need to send a swat team to serve warrants!!!
More tax dollars down the tubes.
Wow. I actually agree with Obama on something.
What the hell?
First, it’s practically given away for free to local police in exchange for certain promises and controls by the federal government, and now he thinks that banning it is an acceptable alternative?
This gets more alarming by the day...
Barrack, the King of obfuscation, obstruction and the destruction of the Constitution wants police transparency?
spare me
Gotta give the planned riots some paid-for rioters and their ‘space to destroy’