Posted on 10/23/2013 1:36:15 AM PDT by stevie_d_64
This month, more Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles (MRAPs) have found their way from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Main Streets of America. These are just the latest acquisitions in a growing practice by Pentagon that's militarizing America's municipal police forces.
Police departments in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, each acquired an MRAP, as did the force in High Springs, Florida. The offer of war-ready machinery, at practically no cost, has proven hard to resist for local police departments. Increasingly, they are looking like soldiers equipped for battle.
The growing similarity between our domestic police forces and the U.S. military is a result of the Pentagon's 1033 Program. This allows the Defense Department to donate surplus military equipment and weapons to law enforcement agencies. In addition to the frightening presence of paramilitary weapons in American towns, the program has led to rampant fraud and abuse.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
On the surface that is true, but behind the first responders are the second responders.
It was under Bush that the US Northern Command was established(by proclamation) and you need to know what their duties are. DHS was created (by Congress) and these DHS grants to local law enforcement are substantial.
The War on Drugs began with Nixon and Reagan was the first to give military surplus to local law enforcement.
There is lots written on this subject but Balko's book, "Rise of the Warrior Cop", published earlier this year is the most comprehensive
If a massive uprising is justification for the militarization of the nations civilian police forces, then maybe what we ougth to be focusing on is the reason behind the uprising, or, better yet, figure out why Joe Q. Citizen is upset, and not inflame the situation by confronting it with militarized law enforcement in MRAP’s, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, road blocks, etc etc etc...
They certainly didn’t do very much to quell the LA riots after the verdict was announced...Huh, you think that they’d have had some sort of cooling off period before such a public announcement...The public in that city was keyed up and ready to hit the streets regardless of the verdict...And the media was right there ready to record it all for posterity...
Strange how that all worked out for the people in those industries, and the people most efffected were the normal business owners and citizens going about their business for that day...
When given the orders to become jack booted thugs, the armed forces, reserves and state and local police will become jack booted thugs. The Park Service had no qualms about it.
People in paramilitary organizations follow orders.
“”The US military cannot be used for enforcement of civil order” “
____________________________________________________
It is usually the state’s national guard that is called up
when there is civil disobedience that is too much for local police. I remember it in Memphis.
Ok, I’ll bite...For the sake of argument, what is a “military police officer”???
Are those the guys they hire for the DoD for security and response at military installations around the country, or are you refereing to the specialists in the armed forces that handle investigations as commissioned officers in the military and the enlisted personnel providing support for those tasks???
Seems to me those DoD military police officers did a grat job “responding” to the Navy Yard shooting recently...
Keyword, “Respond”...
Words left out, “Prevent, protect...”
The latter being a high court opinion that police forces are not there to protect ordinary citizens, they are only there to respond, after the fact...
So, not that I’m trying to get under your skin, nothiung of the sort, I am only illustrating the futility of the effort and waste of money, just so that our local state and national governments can feel like they have the ability to control something...
After the fact...Meaning they failed to do a job in the right way...But then again, when in instances have they done jobs like this in the right way...
I’m jus sayin’...hehe
> Ok, I’ll bite...For the sake of argument, what is a “military police officer”???
Professional gatekeepers and fencewalkers...lol
For the most part anyway...: )
> Are you calling our US Army reserves “jack booted thugs?”
Only if they begin acting like them but since most are patriots and God fearing men and women in uniform I’d say nah. I think the recent purge of the officers may have had to do with their faith and feelings about the current leadership in office.
The police were not interested in quelling the riots of LA. The riots of la did not effect or threaten the power structure. The focus of the police now is directed to controlling the slave class, i.e. workers and producers that pay the taxes that support them, the parasites, and the power structure.
Well, I call a timeout here...
I for one would not mind a police force being totally overwhelming to a legitimate, crime prevention or reactionary necessity...
Justifying their up-armored vehicles, weapons, tactics for those types of responses in most traditional cases IS justified...
What is happening with a great many of us who can read between the lines, see the training, have been a part of it in some way, shape or form...Have seen the directives, memos, public policy etc etc etc, have been able to put it all together and have come up with, and I know you have as well, some very concerning summations...
Then to see the over simplistic excuses for the revelation that comes with these purchases, or “gifts”, from the government, in regards to one or two simple police functions, that used to be performed by “normal” uniformed, credentialed officers of the court,(i.e.: warrant services) etc etc etc...
None of which add up, nor do they justify, these aquisitions by the domestic civilian police departments...
I think we are all mostly on the same page, and know why these things are happening, I have seen some of your comments in the past, and feel we are on the same page, but I do not want to put words in your mouth...
I would not desire to insult anyone participating in this conversation at all...Not my intent...I just want to engage a little “out of the box” thought processes...
I believe some will, it kinda depends on where those officers work, live...That will be a big defining factor...
I also believe some will not...And I know we have a good idea where those folks hang their hats...
Very good comment...
You're forgetting The Bonus Army incident, in which the 12th Inf RGT and the 3rd Cavalry charged the veterans.
“.....at practically no cost.”
A thread on FR yesterday stated that it would cost $250,000 for a local police department to maintain a MRAP for one year. I’d say the cost is quite high, in more ways than one.
We bought our sheriff a WWII amphibious landing vehicle for use if the bridge to a peninsula went down. The sheriff can also draw on his 2,000 man volunteer auxiliary deputy battalion during “emergencies.”
Elect a constitutional sheriff and you don’t need to worry about rogue cops.
“When given the orders to become jack booted thugs, the armed forces, reserves and state and local police will become jack booted thugs.”
Yep, during infantry training we were instructed how to kill mom and pop while they sleep and eat babies. Our instructors were Himmler eisengruppen and we pledged fealty to Hitler. All soldiers and Marines are Nazis. All sailors fly the skull and bones and are really pirates who while away the day burying treasure on islands.
/johnny
I was born in this country; I'll die here.
If it's as a bullet-riddled corpse in a roadside ditch, so be it.
But if it does come down to that, hopefully it'll be next to a large pile of expended brass.
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