This is probably going to be the lasting image of Ferguson, much like the man with the shopping bags in front of that tank in Tianamen Square. Or the cop with assault rifle in the face of Elian Gonzalez hiding in a closet. My problem is there is a much better image I saw a few days ago within a video. Four of these jackbooted thugs with their assault rifle barrels inside the window of a car with two black men in it. FOUR, with the rifles pointed at their heads from inches away. I spend two hours looking for that this morning with no luck.
What is this about, what is going with these little towns with mounted machine guns on armored vehicles and hundreds of cops marching forward with assault rifles shouldered and pointed at unarmed BLACK PEOPLE?
I was on that end of the stick a few times back when, the cops came at me with helmets, shields and STICKS, not frigging assault rifles and tanks. What has changed? Three things.
The success of Osama Bin Laden scaring our pants off that everywhere in America, from Ferguson to New York City, we need assault rifles and tanks do deal with 911, the Boston marathon and whatever. NONE OF WHICH would or will make one nanonit of difference in fighting terrorism.
Secondly the absurd Iraq War that has now created total chaos in that part of the world, ended with the US Military handing down for FREE all that WAR equipment any little police department wants. That has no real purpose but to machonize the police.
And lastly and perhaps most importantly, the LIBERTARIAN and NRA celebration of our American gun culture. The cops now have to have parity with the gun enthusiasts who are killing off 35 Americans a day. Double that if you want to count suicides. 70 a day!