• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police

Lord Tammerlain

DP Veteran
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
30,531
Reaction score
14,937
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Undisclosed
Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police
Senator Rand Paul on Ferguson: We Must Demilitarize the Police - TIME


I think this ends any chance of Rand Paul getting the Rep nomination for Pres

As it is I agree overall with the article

[h=2]Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention, Sen. Rand Paul writes for TIME, amid violence in Ferguson, Mo. over the police shooting death of Michael Brown[/h][h=6][/h][h=6][/h]
[h=3][/h]
If I had been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn’t have expected to be shot.
The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting. There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.
 
Perhaps rather than demilitarize the police, the police should just not have responded. Let them 'work **** out'. Win win. No...win, WIN, win.

Everyone wins.

Right?
 
Damn right we must. And we must end drug prohibition so that police can return to serving and protecting, rather than trying to find ways to search everyone for contraband. There is a lot about our police system that needs to be fixed, especially how we fund police departments. We cannot continue to fund them based on seized property. There should never be a monetary incentive to arrest people. We also must reinforce the fourth amendment and now allow most of the current exceptions for the need for a search or arrest warrant. Individual police discretion needs to be greatly kept in check. In addition, prisons should not be privatized and the harsh sentencing laws we use to fill those private prisons (at the behest of their lobby money) need to be removed.

There's really a whole lot wrong with our criminal justice system. The militarization of the police is only one piece of the problem.
 
I'm not in favor of "demilitarizing the police" whatever that means. I'm in favor of the police being brought to trial and judged by the same standards they bring others. Why is it that it sometimes takes years to investigate a case of police misconduct but it only takes months to investigate, convict and send to prison someone who kills a cop? Why did the Republican Governor in Missouri ask for automatic death penalty for those who kill cops and then complain about the police state? I'm far more interested in this being used to change the double standard used to judge and convict cops. It can also be used to expose the double standard of the "tough on crime" crowd when it comes to cops. If we can hamstring corrupt police unions, it's just a plus.
 
I agree with Rand Paul on this.

If you need more firepower in the streets, call out the National Guard.
 
Amen brother, make it happen! But why do you think this spoils his presidential ambitions?

The part of his article stating that race does play a part in how the laws and how the police enforce the laws of the nation.

That will not go over well with a significant number of tea party types in my opinion of course
 
The part of his article stating that race does play a part in how the laws and how the police enforce the laws of the nation.

That will not go over well with a significant number of tea party types in my opinion of course

Rand Paul has spent a significant part of his political career pissing off every voting block he has.

-He pissed off the libertarians with his comments about arming local enforcement with drones, and again when he started sucking up to the evangelicals and saying he doesn't want to end the war on drugs.

-He pissed off the neocons by talking about yanking aid from Israel.

-He pissed off the non-interventionists by suggesting we place sanctions on Russia.

-He pissed off the establishment types by combating the NSA.

-He pissed off the liberals/moderates by talking about repealing the civil rights act.

-And now, as you said, he is pissing off the Tea Party by admitting to racial biases in the criminal justice system.

Rand Paul is just having a bad time, and it's all because he chooses to flip-flop on issues rather than continue the path of his father. That path being a stable and concrete platform. I didn't agree with Ron on everything, but he was consistent. That consistency is what made Ron so popular...especially among young people. Rand Paul is trying to make himself more "likable" and all he is succeeding in doing is making everyone hate him.
 
I agree with Rand Paul on this.

If you need more firepower in the streets, call out the National Guard.

Yep! That's my take on it. Keep the police in their blue uniforms and lets let any need for unusual force be done by the NG that then get back off our streets when the situation has been neutralised.
 
The part of his article stating that race does play a part in how the laws and how the police enforce the laws of the nation.

That will not go over well with a significant number of tea party types in my opinion of course

I see, well then, those tea party individuals need to acknowledge that as well.
 
Damn right we must. And we must end drug prohibition so that police can return to serving and protecting, rather than trying to find ways to search everyone for contraband. There is a lot about our police system that needs to be fixed, especially how we fund police departments. We cannot continue to fund them based on seized property. There should never be a monetary incentive to arrest people. We also must reinforce the fourth amendment and now allow most of the current exceptions for the need for a search or arrest warrant. Individual police discretion needs to be greatly kept in check. In addition, prisons should not be privatized and the harsh sentencing laws we use to fill those private prisons (at the behest of their lobby money) need to be removed.

There's really a whole lot wrong with our criminal justice system. The militarization of the police is only one piece of the problem.

By "serve and protect" do you mean quelling riots? Oh, wait...we don't want that either...do we?
 
The part of his article stating that race does play a part in how the laws and how the police enforce the laws of the nation.

That will not go over well with a significant number of tea party types in my opinion of course

Where are you from?
 
I'm not in favor of "demilitarizing the police" whatever that means. I'm in favor of the police being brought to trial and judged by the same standards they bring others. Why is it that it sometimes takes years to investigate a case of police misconduct but it only takes months to investigate, convict and send to prison someone who kills a cop? Why did the Republican Governor in Missouri ask for automatic death penalty for those who kill cops and then complain about the police state? I'm far more interested in this being used to change the double standard used to judge and convict cops. It can also be used to expose the double standard of the "tough on crime" crowd when it comes to cops. If we can hamstring corrupt police unions, it's just a plus.

I'm with you! Government employees should be held to the same standard as the rest of us...cops...IRS agents...etc.
 
By "serve and protect" do you mean quelling riots? Oh, wait...we don't want that either...do we?

You deal with looters by shooting them. Not the cops shooting looters, the shop keepers shooting looters.
 
I'm not in favor of "demilitarizing the police" whatever that means.

It means demilitarizing a militarized police force who have gotten hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment from the DOD. You know what a militarized police force is, right?

Well, this is what a normal police officer looks like:
Police-Officer.jpg


This is what militarized police look like:
militarization.jpg


Notice the difference?
 
I'm not in favor of "demilitarizing the police" whatever that means. I'm in favor of the police being brought to trial and judged by the same standards they bring others. Why is it that it sometimes takes years to investigate a case of police misconduct but it only takes months to investigate, convict and send to prison someone who kills a cop? Why did the Republican Governor in Missouri ask for automatic death penalty for those who kill cops and then complain about the police state? I'm far more interested in this being used to change the double standard used to judge and convict cops. It can also be used to expose the double standard of the "tough on crime" crowd when it comes to cops. If we can hamstring corrupt police unions, it's just a plus.

Because the police in our society have a dangerous job. They are faced with encountering criminals daily and putting their lives on the line in the course of their job duties. So most, if not all, states have SPECIAL laws that pertain to the killing of law enforcement. It sends a message. It apparently works to some extent because any bad guy will tell you that he
knows his number is up if he kills a cop.

It doesn't take years to investigate a police shooting of a citizen. There are set procedures for such investigations (different for investigations of citizens for crimes), so those procedures move along according to a schedule.

The police have bad apples. Some police are corrupt. Some police are good apples and not corrupt. It's like within any occupation. They are not the enemies of the public. Without the police we'd have anarchy. We see it now in Missouri. What do you think would happen in your city if one day all the police disappeared?
 
Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police
Senator Rand Paul on Ferguson: We Must Demilitarize the Police - TIME


I think this ends any chance of Rand Paul getting the Rep nomination for Pres

As it is I agree overall with the article

Well, he's a libertarian, so.... he doesn't like the idea of anyone with the authority of government telling anyone what to do.

I'm surprised by his statements on race, since he also believes that businesses have the right to discriminate based on race, on the theory that it's their own private business.
 
The police have bad apples. Some police are corrupt. Some police are good apples and not corrupt. It's like within any occupation. They are not the enemies of the public. Without the police we'd have anarchy. We see it now in Missouri. What do you think would happen in your city if one day all the police disappeared?
Yeah! The police in the UK don't even carry guns. So the bad apples can't shoot and kill anyone! That's why society has completely broken down and it's COMPLETE anarchy over there.

[/sarcasm]
 
The part of his article stating that race does play a part in how the laws and how the police enforce the laws of the nation.

That will not go over well with a significant number of tea party types in my opinion of course

Reality often does not go over well with a significant number of tea party types.... i.e..... many believe we fail to raise the debt ceiling and nothing will happen except the government with spend less....
 
What the hell is wrong with the Pauls ?

Pula Sr is off his friken rocker and Jr is not far behind.

And Sr is my Rep !
 
-And now, as you said, he is pissing off the Tea Party by admitting to racial biases in the criminal justice system.


Can you show me where the Tea Party, a low tax, small government movement, makes any broad claim as to the fairness of the justice system?
 
Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police
Senator Rand Paul on Ferguson: We Must Demilitarize the Police - TIME


I think this ends any chance of Rand Paul getting the Rep nomination for Pres

As it is I agree overall with the article

There's a lot of work to be done with our current police forces. Demilitarization is just the first part, but they must be held accountable for their actions as well, abuse of power and crime must be severely punished. Power and law need to be curtailed and limited. This aggressive, authoritarian, Big Brother BS didn't start with the militarization of our police, that's just one piece of it. Thus we have to address the full of the problem to combat the problem.
 
Would you label the pictures so we know which is which...

The ones on the bottom picture have "POLICE" printed on them in bold letters. The ones on the top are wearing desert camouflage gear.
 
Back
Top Bottom