Cranking Up The Police State

Hey, Smallville, USA: Wanna buy an 18-ton, 14-foot-high, heavily armored MRAP -- Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected -- vehicle for your police force? When your local cops are responding to complaints of family disputes or noise violations, keep them protected from AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and IEDs!

If so, man, have I got a deal for you! Although they originally cost taxpayers between $400,000 and $700,000, complete with gun turret and bullet-proof windows, how about FREE? The Pentagon happens to have about 11,000 of them sitting around unused, so all you have to do is come and pick them up, and pay for the gas. They get about 5 miles to the gallon, they can't go over or under most bridges, and they tend to tip over on rough terrain (how's your pothole situation, Smallville?).

Click here for an article at Crooks & Liars, apparently by Who.What.Why.com, entitled Police State 'Gears Up.'

At the time of the article, 165 of the vehicles had been delivered, with 731 more requested. "Customers" include the University of Ohio -- for a "police presence" at football games -- and the town of Hamburg Village, NY (pop. 9,500). A dozen or so of these impressive vehicles put on a great show when you're hunting a wounded, unarmed 19-year-old suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.



 

More and more, the U.S. is militarizing its police forces, even in small towns. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars, trained to regard the civilian population as the enemy, are eagerly scooped up by civilian police recruiters. The Mexican border has become a playground for defense contractors looking to utilize their fancy warmaking and surveillance technologies. When did you last read 1984?