To have and to want more that is life.
F. Nietzsche
Chart of the Day
 |
| Via Mercatus Center |
 |
| Via Economic Freedom |
 |
| Via We the People |
Ferguson, MO
The people are not the enemy. Rand Paul, in his excellent recent post on the ongoing protests following the police-shooting death of black teen Michael Brown, points out that the State has militarized police and the racially disparate outcomes in our criminal justice system (particularly in the dysfunctional War on Drugs). Goodman also notes that liberal policies have exacerbated problems faced by poor black communities:
If you started out with the goal of ensuring that our prisons are going to be filled with thousands of young black men, it’s hard to think of anything more effective that trapping poor black children in rotten public schools and then imposing labor market restrictions that prevent them from obtaining entry level jobs.From Reynolds:
Abetting this trend was the federal government's willingness to make surplus military equipment available to police and sheriffs' departments. All sorts of hardware is available, from M-16s to body armor to armored personnel carriers and even helicopters. Lots of police departments grabbed the gear and started SWAT teams, even if they had no real need for them. The materiel was free...Lawsuits against police and supervisors face strict legal limits in the form of "qualified immunity," and prosecutors, who work with the police on a regular basis, are unlikely to bring criminal charges against officers who negligently kill people.About the Michael Brown confrontation with the policeman (the police claim that Brown reached for the officer's weapon): I am bothered by evidence of no gunpowder residue on Brown (indicating shots were fired with Brown apart from the officer) and the nature and extent of shots which seem excessive and dubious (particularly a shot at the top of Brown's head).
More Proposals
Political Cartoon
Police look inward. They're supposed to protect their fellow citizens from criminals, and to maintain order with a minimum of force. It's the difference between Audie Murphy and Andy Griffith.
 |
| Courtesy of Eric Allie via Townhall |
Billy Joel, "A Matter of Trust"
