Posted on 02/20/2014 7:51:31 AM PST by Altariel
Residents in some towns have begun standing up to the large armored vehicles that local police departments are receiving from the federal government.
Six-figure grants from the Department of Homeland Security have been funding BearCats and other heavily fortified vehicles in towns and cities nationwide since soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Beginning last summer, the government also has handed out 200 surplus vehicles built to withstand mines and bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is considering requests from 750 more communities.
Most police and citizens welcome the extra protection, saying recent mass shootings show any local force could find itself facing an extremely violent or dangerous situation. But antipathy has grown in some pockets of the country—from New York to Ohio to California—which see the machines as symbols of government waste and a militarization of law enforcement, including the growth of SWAT teams and high-tech gadgets in recent decades.
In libertarian-leaning New Hampshire, a state lawmaker just introduced a bill that would ban municipalities from accepting military-style vehicles without approval from voters. That came in response to the Concord City Council's vote in the fall to accept a $258,000 federal grant to buy a BearCat, despite intense opposition from citizens who submitted a 1,500-signature petition and rallied outside City Hall holding signs that said, "More Mayberry, Less Fallujah" and "Thanks But No Tanks!"
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
This is just specious bullsh!t. Most of the types of 'mass shootings' this 'writer' tries to ascribe to this stupid statement were OVER before the police got there, or before they even had time to get a lumbering MRAP on scene.
In reality, she has no basis for the statement save the Democrat Dogma that says "Democrat government (police) good, Conservative (police) bad."
Burn them.
Somebody needs to send that Utube of the burning APC to every police chief in the country. So far there has not been a single incident since 911 that really required the police to have an APC.
I don’t have an issue with military surplus vehicles being gifted to localities. I remember growing up in rural New England where the small towns all had various combinations of surplus deuce and a halfs, halftracks, DUKWs and Dodge 3/4 ton weapons carriers. Which were gifted under the auspices of “civil defense” and proved pretty useful in things like weather related emergencies.
These vehicles are paid for and have good capabilities in the “heavy rescue” area. However they SHOULDNT go to the PDs so that local cops can swagger around in black fatigues/ tac gear thinking that they’re suddenly SWAT. They should be painted Red or yellow or dayglo green and handed to local FDs/emergency rescue orgs.
Obama’s civilian army, as well equipped as the real army and commanded by sycophants who are happy to surrender your freedom for their promotions. AKA Hitler’s Brown Shirts morphing into the SS.
We will.
Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...
Then you are a Gute Deutschland Volk! This is really a bad Idea. Millions of Americans do not trust the police now. This just adds to the apprehension. We are not in Baghdad. We are in American cities.. It is like the Germans rolling into Warsaw in their Sdkfzs during World War two.. And to many millions of us that are American Citizens and have done nothing wrong which most Police killings have show lately it really bothers us..
I believe I made it clear that I don’t think these things should be going to the cops. Sorry you missed that part of my post.
However, they are free, and are a heck of a lot more capable than a Tahoe or Suburban when it comes to accessing remote areas impacted by things like bad storms.
I counted about a dozen Molotov cocktails on that vid of the APC being taken out in the Ukraine yesterday. Now, (breaking out calculator, buttons clicking), I figure that's about 8 gallons of gas if they were wine bottles, maybe a buck or two for the cloth, and they you have to buy a lighter...call it 30 bucks, tops. Don't know what the APC cost but I'm willing to bet they'd let it go for real cheap right now...
I am going to tell you why I think it is a mistake to turn down military gear for police departments.
That gear is as close to being in the hands of the people as it could possibly be without giving it directly to the people.
Not all cops and people woking for the cops are fans of slavery.
Folks the three choices are:
1. Do nothing and resolve yourself and your families to being slaves or maybe serfs of the empire and the emperor.
2. SECEDE.
3. And if this is your choice then you will want that military gear within arms reach, Revolution aka civil war.
Choices one and three are not options for me.
[ I am going to tell you why I think it is a mistake to turn down military gear for police departments.
That gear is as close to being in the hands of the people as it could possibly be without giving it directly to the people.
Not all cops and people woking for the cops are fans of slavery.
Folks the three choices are:
1. Do nothing and resolve yourself and your families to being slaves or maybe serfs of the empire and the emperor.
2. SECEDE.
3. And if this is your choice then you will want that military gear within arms reach, Revolution aka civil war.
Choices one and three are not options for me. ]
Excellent Point!
The problem with military gear is that it requires too much rear area support. If the tires aren’t a common tires then one flat and you have a pile of scrap metal. If the engine isn’t a common one then same thing if any part fails. When it comes time to change the oil and air filters if you can’t get replacements at the NAPA auto parts store then you’re in trouble once more.
If the vehicle is top heavy, how many drivers in your town are fully capable of knowing just what side incline will the vehicle safely traverse? Have you ever driven a two ton truck that weighs as much as a ten ton truck? With armor plating that’s what these things are like.
If we ever do have CWll (and I pray we don’t) let the military operate the military equipment and let us civilians determine how to mess with their supply lines.
That was the picture I had in mind. Expensive vehicle. Cheap kill.
just say NO (to quote a former first lady)
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