Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police

[tangent4ronpaul]

I've heard that also. But the dominant story is looting and rioting.

I'm all for demilitarizing the police. But calling for it during looting and rioting is abysmally bad timing.

Stop watching the liberal lamestream media. Try AJAmerica, BBC America, RT, OANN and onine sources.

Especially stay away from FOX News, but Fox business is OK.

-t

 

[Crashland]

How many stores did the cops prevent from getting looted. NONE!! That's right NONE!

And if the police prevented 100 stores from getting looted, you wouldn't know it because they WEREN'T LOOTED!!!

How many stores didn't get looted because the owners and employees were standing in front of them with AR's and shotguns. LOTS!

Absolutely agree

I'm all for completely disarming the cops. Give um a taser and a rubber billy club like the UK. THe number of people and pets murdered by cops would drop to zero overnight. If you really need more there is this thing called the national guard....

It is the business of private citizens to protect their own property. It is the business of law enforcement to enforce the law. The two things overlap, but the private citizen is concerned with their property, and law enforcement is concerned with what to do with the lawbreakers.

 

[Smitty]

OK, day 3... and the cops have now shot 2 people. The people are now throwing rocks and firebombs at the cops. Now who is driving this response.

-t

It drove itself for 3 days. Who can say how long it would continue with no response?

At some point, the innocents on the receiving end of the riots deserve consideration and protection.

That doesn't mean that I agree with every method used to control the rioters, but after 3 days, a response is called for.

Rand picked a bad time to broach the subject of militarized police.

 

[Smitty]

Stop watching the liberal lamestream media. Try AJAmerica, BBC America, RT, OANN and onine sources.

Especially stay away from FOX News, but Fox business is OK.

-t

I don't rely on the propaganda box for anything except college basketball games. Occasionally, I'll catch an episode of Antiques Road Show.

 

[Crashland]

I've heard that also. But the dominant story is looting and rioting.

I'm all for demilitarizing the police. But calling for it during looting and rioting is abysmally bad timing.

The "dominant story" depends on what TV station you watch. Looting and rioting happens all the time when you have breakdowns like this. I think over time as the riots settle down, the police abuse of power on innocent civilians and the possible coverup story might dominate the coverage, even on FOX. Social media seems somewhat divided at the moment

 

[Smitty]

. Looting and rioting happens all the time when you have breakdowns like this.

No,...not really.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

Bump...

MSNBC is going to have a heart attack... A tea party conservatarian leading the way on issues of race, civil liberties, and police brutality???? What ever will the liberals do??

(a) Call him a racist for pandering to black people

(b) Call him a racist for not paying enough attention to black people

(c) All of the above, simultaneously, while emitting smoke from their ears

 

[r3volution 3.0]

I guess I agree with Rand here? He is not very clear what he actually supports or doesn't support. Where do you draw the line between the gear that might be appropriate for riot/mob control, vs. "military" gear which is supposedly inappropriate? What equipment specifically is being abused by police? How should the police have handled situations x, y, and z differently than they actually did in reality? Rand is cleverly at least engaging in the conversation about the situation in MO but I'm not seeing a whole lot of substance in his op ed.

IMO, the problem isn't really the gear, it's the federal control.

 

[MRK]

I guess I agree with Rand here? He is not very clear what he actually supports or doesn't support. Where do you draw the line between the gear that might be appropriate for riot/mob control, vs. "military" gear which is supposedly inappropriate? What equipment specifically is being abused by police? How should the police have handled situations x, y, and z differently than they actually did in reality? Rand is cleverly at least engaging in the conversation about the situation in MO but I'm not seeing a whole lot of substance in his op ed.

Sounds like he's running to win; appealing to a constituency in spirit and not explicitly pissing off another constituency with the details. Lol

 

[orenbus]

I don't think so either but that is the vibe I am getting here from others on the forum. I am trying to pin down where people draw the line between equipment that is appropriate vs. inappropriate.

Well I can tell you a few pieces of equipment that should be universally considered inappropriate, two off the top of my head would be .50 Caliber Machine Guns and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Why in God's green earth would any police department in this country need a .50 Cal machine gun?

http://www.rcsd.net/dept/specops-tactical.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/war-gear-flows-to-police-departments.html


Edit: Just for those that don't know what a .50 Cal can do here is an example basically it can turn any car into swiss cheese in a matter of seconds.

 

[Matt Collins]

Nailed it indeed. Best op ed yet. I thought Rand would sit this one out. So I'm really pleased that he jumped into the fray.

Well it makes sense politically.... the conservatives don't trust the government under Obama, and the people who are getting abused by the police in MO don't trust the government either.

 

[PaleoPaul]

BTW, the people bashing Rand on his FB page belong to the "OMG I CANT BELIEVE MY PRESIDENT IS A NEGRO!!!" crowd. In other words, an extreme minority.

 

[devil21]

Look at the reaction in Boston last year when the SWAT team/FBI "caught" the bomber. The public basically threw a parade for the police. They may not like the term "police state" but the American public (outside of the inner cities) loves the false sense of security the police provide, even if it comes at a cost to their civil liberties.

There were also a lot of people unhappy with the response but did you really expect the media to cover that reaction extensively? Most of the "parade" you were witnessing through media was college kids using the event as an excuse to go outside and have an impromptu party on the street. Review the pictures of those gatherings again and you'll see this to be true. Don't be misled by the media picking and choosing what to cover.

Why is practically every news article about DUI checkpoints full of negative comments about a police state and a loss of liberty? Why does practically every comment on an article about a weed arrest say that the laws are stupid and should be repealed? Most articles I've read about the STL shooting are full of negative comments about police conduct, that day and in general. People are starting to awaken to the realities of being in a police state and opinions are shifting as it becomes more invasive.

eta: the fact that Rand is receiving so much praise over this op/ed demonstrates the shift. Also, we (RPFers and associated libertarians) have been ahead of the curve warning about the police state so I think we're jaded on the topic. Most people just aren't as involved and vocal as we are.

 

[CPUd]

Why is practically every news article about DUI checkpoints full of negative comments about a police state and a loss of liberty? Why does practically every comment on an article about a weed arrest say that the laws are stupid and should be repealed? Most articles I've read about the STL shooting are full of negative comments about police conduct, that day and in general. People are starting to awaken to the realities of being in a police state and opinions are shifting as it becomes more invasive.

Maybe they are paid internet shills.

 

[thoughtomator]

BTW, the people bashing Rand on his FB page belong to the "OMG I CANT BELIEVE MY PRESIDENT IS A NEGRO!!!" crowd. In other words, an extreme minority.

The more extreme half of the neocons are pissed big time from what I am seeing... in part because the less extreme half doesn't seem to agree!

 

[devil21]

Maybe they are paid internet shills.

You would know, wouldn't ya.

 

[Smitty]

More today.

7000+ comments attached to the article at the time of this posting.

http://news.yahoo.com/police-protesters-clash-again-ferguson-085511380.html

 

[presence]

I think the best solution to this dilemma is mandatory castration to join a police force.

 

[francisco]

Bump...

MSNBC is going to have a heart attack... A tea party conservatarian leading the way on issues of race, civil liberties, and police brutality???? What ever will the liberals do??

(a) Call him a racist for pandering to black people

(b) Call him a racist for not paying enough attention to black people

(c) All of the above, simultaneously, while emitting smoke from their ears

You have to admit, it's entertaining to watch their reactions. Talk about cognitive dissonance! Bring popcorn.

Also: The individual reactions of those both on the left, and those on the "mainstream" right, are showing in sharp relief: who is willing to think independently and objectively, and who is just a sameoldsameold partisan hack on either side.

Once again, Rand is demonstrating, in a very concrete way, the noble thought that our member Deborah K put forth in her signature line: "Diversity finds Unity in the Message of Freedom"

 

[GunnyFreedom]

here the facebook link, at least vote up some positive comments if you don't have time to post your own.

https://www.facebook.com/RandPaul/posts/10152436787001107

I just raised a little hell on that thread. Effectively, I believe.