How Did We Miss This?
We’re all for giving local law enforcement pretty much whatever they want.
After all, these are the guys who willingly stand between us and crazy people, and we owe it to them to make sure they’re well-equipped with all the guns, bullets and souped-up cars they need to do their jobs.
Having said that, we were more than a little surprised to see that the Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office went out and bought themselves a tank the other day - an honest-to-God armor-plated personnel carrier with a friggin’ .50-caliber turreted machine gun on it that Sheriff Leon Lott is calling “The Peacemaker.”
Not to diminish the daily challenges these brave men and women face in protecting our lives and property, the last time we checked Richland County was not the Western Front. Nobody’s asking Lott to fight the Battle of the Bulge, nor do we remember the “Gangs of Midlands South Carolina” having Panzer formations and Luftwaffe support.
Seriously, what’s next? Intermediate range ballistic missiles and U-boats for the community swimming pools?
We don’t claim to know more about law enforcement than Sheriff Lott, but we do know you can probably buy a lot of guns, bullets, bullet-proof vests, squad cars and other needed front-line items with the money you spend on a tank.
Comments
By James D Beebe Jr on September 4th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2008/07/cops-effect.html#links
By rYaN S on September 4th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Hey im from ms. Paynes class. This is bizare. why get a tank? i know there is some violence in Richland but we dont need to blow them up and take a part of the city with them! that makes me wonder what life will be like when i grow up if things are this bad now.
By Scribbler on September 4th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
What you are looking at is the ongoing militarization of police departments. Soon enough they will be called on to enforce more government edicts brought about by FEMA and Homeland Security and citizens will find themselves resting in detention camps. Freedom in the US???? Don’t worry folks - it won’t happen to you….or maybe??????
By -- on September 4th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
~~~Peace~~~
It’s a many-splendored thing.
You go Sheriff Lott!!!
By If you can read this...you're in range on September 5th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Peace through superior firepower!!! The best deterrent to crime is knowing that you will be caught, punished, and maybe cut in half by a fifty-cal round!!
Seriously, there used to be a small amount of fear of messing with the police. Not anymore…hell, it’s a badge of honor to talk trash, fight, and even shoot cops.
Level playing fields don’t work when cops are the only ones following the rules…stack the deck and roll in the hood with a freakin’ APC…let the punks and thugs know they’ve been in a fight…
By Nick on September 5th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Wow…they look so ready to “protect and SERVE”….I wonder who they will be serving? By the looks in the picture they seem to be doing some community outreach….you know…being approachable and friendly.
I have to laugh my ass off at the name “The Peacekeeper”…it’s just like calling and gov’t dept a “service”….what an oxymoron.
Want to take bets on how long it will take to find a real use for it? Oh well, it’s just taxpayer money…there’s more where than came from.
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