The killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., has produced a rare and surprisingly unified response across the ideological spectrum, with Republicans and Democrats joining to decry the tactics of the city’s police force in the face of escalating protests.
Most notably, the reactions reflect a shift away from the usual support and sympathy conservatives typically show for law enforcement in such situations. Although possibly unique to the circumstances of the events in Missouri this week, the changing reaction on the right is clear evidence of a rising and more vocal libertarian wing within the Republican Party.
No better sign of that came Thursday than in an article by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) published on Time’s Web site.
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Paul also bluntly pointed to the role that race continues to play in law enforcement. “Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention,” he wrote.
Stuart Stevens, a Republican strategist, said, “It’s an interesting left-meets-right dynamic, and probably Rand Paul is at the center of it.”
Those people alarmed by the militarization of local police, he said, are the same people troubled by the widespread surveillance programs of the National Security Agency or the increasing use of drones as military weapons.
http://quizilla.teennick.com/my/journal/2884824/buy-backlinks-retain-the-services-of-search-engine-marketing-specialist-regarding-large-page-rank
Most notably, the reactions reflect a shift away from the usual support and sympathy conservatives typically show for law enforcement in such situations. Although possibly unique to the circumstances of the events in Missouri this week, the changing reaction on the right is clear evidence of a rising and more vocal libertarian wing within the Republican Party.
No better sign of that came Thursday than in an article by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) published on Time’s Web site.
http://my.cheng-tsui.com/user/229758
Paul also bluntly pointed to the role that race continues to play in law enforcement. “Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention,” he wrote.
Stuart Stevens, a Republican strategist, said, “It’s an interesting left-meets-right dynamic, and probably Rand Paul is at the center of it.”
Those people alarmed by the militarization of local police, he said, are the same people troubled by the widespread surveillance programs of the National Security Agency or the increasing use of drones as military weapons.
http://quizilla.teennick.com/my/journal/2884824/buy-backlinks-retain-the-services-of-search-engine-marketing-specialist-regarding-large-page-rank
What’s more, Ferguson police have used armored vehicles to show force and control crowds. In one riot gear-clad officers are standing in front of a mine-resistant
ambush protected vehicle, barking commands and launching tear gas into
groups of demonstrators and journalists.
This would be one thing if Ferguson were in a war zone, or if
protesters were violent—although, it’s hard to imagine a situation in
which American police would need a mine-resistant vehicle. But
an episode of looting aside, Ferguson police aren’t dealing with any
particular danger. Nonetheless, they’re treating demonstrators—and
Ferguson residents writ large—as a population to occupy, not citizens to
protect.
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