RobertNashville

Purely my impression here (I claim not "special" insight or training) but I see two big factors at play here when it comes to the militarization of government agencies including federal, State and local law enforcement.   One factor is simply a gradual and perhaps inevitable move toward a totalitarian state; it happens with every new law and every new set of politicians who enters office - government grows as surely as a weed grows from tiny plant to an ugly, large growth in your otherwise perfect front yard.  After all, except for a handful of true believers, no one really wants government to shrink because that ultimately means less power for the ruling class.  Giving military or military style weapons to agencies like DHS or the IRS or the EPA is just an extension of that inevitable growth.   The other factor going on, and this one is more "local" I believe (or at least seen more locally) is that older cops who have been on the job for 15 or 20 or 30 years grew up in a very different time (and different educational system)...most of them simply have never thought that "guns" in the hands of mere citizens was a threat or was not the "norm"...even in Ohio where I grew up, it was not at all unusual for a high school kid to go to school with his rifle or shotgun in the trunk of his car because he was either coming from an early morning hunt or was going to go hunting after school...in grade school we played cops and robbers and cowboys and indians with "fingers" and arms for guns and bows/arrows and no one got expelled from school.  Today if you even have a cookie in the shape of a "gun" or draw one on a piece of paper you'll get expelled and psychological counseling...and guess what!  The cops on the force today that are just coming on or have only been on the job a few years; they grew up in that "guns are bad" environment and likely don't even like guns at all themselves.   So yes...I see some real problems from State and local law enforcement toward normal citizens that I don't believe was there before and I don't think it's going to get better any time soon. That's why, I believe, what we saw happen in Boston is the new norm...everybody, including most citizens, seem willing to throw "rights" right out of the window because it's for the "greater good".   Now, if a LEO comes to my door under the circumstances we had in Boston and asked politely if they could search my home/property I'd probably let them but I'd do so, at least believing, that I had the right to say NO unless they had a good warrant...I'd do that because I wouldn't want to impede a search for an obviously dangerous person unless there was really good reason for me to do so.   Back to DHS...are they arming for war?  I don't really think so but if they are, they may well find one.

Many times each year!

No...didn't take it that way at all.  It's just that one of the things I've never trained for is fighting without a weapon...closest thing I've ever done was high school wrestling!  :)

Yeah...the Tea Party...I've been to I don't know how many rallies including the March on Washington in '09...did a lot of good didn't it!  We still got Obamacare and Obama got a second term and most of the Republicans currently in the Senate and the house are just as corrupt as the Democrats. Even Tea Party darlings like Rubio have proven they aren't worth s**t and are willing to commit treason to give amnesty to 20Million criminals.   I'll keep voting...probably keep donating to specific candidates but at this point I absolutely believe that this country will have a complete economic collapse...I don't need any of my degrees to figure out that inflating the money supply with trillions of completely worthless dollars and spending 140% of what you take in wont end well.   I just hope I can be as prepared for it as possible before it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

I fully expect that if the verdict comes down as anything other than guilty the riots will be almost instantaneous.

Wow...maybe I need to be training with you!  :)

I only allow young, beautiful women in my vehicles.   I rarely have young, beautiful women in my life.   So I wind up with very few passengers.   Hence, I don't really need a lot of rules. ;)

I wonder...assuming DHS is preparing for "war" against our citizenry; what exactly can we do about and when I say do about it I mean something that is truly effective...will "stop the threat"?   If we/you/I don't know what we can do to stop it then how is worrying about it going to help anything???   A long time ago I head a statistic that has stuck with me for years now which goes something like this..."95% of what people worry about will NEVER happen. Of the 5% that does or could happen to them, less than half of that is something they can actually do something about/to prevent. That means that 97.5% of what we worry about is a complete waste of our time".   All that to say, I try to concentrate my "worry time" on things I might actually be able to do something about....this thing sounds like it belongs firmly in the 97.5% category. ;)  Now, that doesn't mean I'm just sitting in a corner hoping for the best; I just chose to use whatever time I have left, before I assume room temperature, on issues and actions that are productive and not a waste of my time. 

We have nothing to gain by this...NOTHING at all but that won't stop us from stepping into it. We have NO allies in Syria and whoever eventually takes over wont' be our ally either but thanks to us, they'll have some nice U.S. weapons.

Maybe DAVES this will shed some light on your "question"...this is from Zimmerman's statement to police the night it happened...does is sound like we should automatically assume he "should" have had defensive wounds or maybe, he was too busy just trying to stay alive he didn't have time to get his "licks in" like you would have done...     A few lines later he recalled:   Quote

Could there possibly be an option for a long weekend for those of us who don't have that much free time? ;)

Yeah...me too.

Yeah...well...most of us aren't the bad ass you "obviously" are ;)

Why don't you tell us DAVES...you seem to have all the info warped up in a pretty box with a bow on top. ;) Do you know with certainty that Zimmerman had no defensive wounds???   Are you somehow privy to all the evidence that us mere mortals don't have access to??? 

I really thought "One Second After" was a great read; can't say I liked all that happened int the book but even just looking at it from the standpoint of capturing my attention and wanting to read it I thought it was really good.  That said, I did read these in the opposite order from you, I read "One Second After" first and then "Lights Out" so perhaps that had something to do with my opinion???  :)

What's baffling about it?  I presume he reported that to the police that Trayvon was running away because at that time he was running away. :shrug:   Nothing would prevent Trayvon from "coming back" which he obviously did since had he not, there couldn't have been a confrontation.

I'm kind of surprised DaveTN raised this question at all...I'm a big guy but I've been tossed around a gym by guys not half my size. Just being heavy or having lot's of muscles or even being twice the size of your opponent does not mean you'll win a fight or even be able to push someone off of you.

You can and the TFA is advocating both Constitutional and the HCP process.  One does not need to preclude the other.  I would never get rid of my HCP because it allows me to carry legally in some 37 other states. The point of Constitutional carry is that a person shouldn't need the state's permission to bear arms; at least not if he stays withing that state's borders. :)   As I understand TN law, if you are carrying, even without a permit and you use deadly force to defend yourself, you will not be charged with illegally going armed (assuming you were justified in using deadly force).

Funny...I wasn't aware that "standing your ground" and violently attacking someone was the same thing.  :shrug:   Also, last I heard, having the legal right to stand your ground didn't entail any requirement to actually do so and it certainly isn't always the smartest thing to do.

Gee...I'm basking in the warmth of so much love....

Gee...that one may have been my best post ever! ROTFLMAO

Yeah...calling someone a name violates their civil rights...ain't that wonderful.  Of course, it's only a violation for some special groups of people...Tea Party folks can be called every disgusting name in the books but our civil rights aren't being violated...no sir...we'er just supposed to hold our tough or if we speak, say "thank you sir may I have another". ;)

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Probably nothing...he would just likely be dead or would have spent a good while in the hospital after getting beaten up by Trayvon. 

How is it you are so intimately familiar with Zimmerman's physical capabilities that you "can't buy" that Zimmerman couldn't push Martin off of him?    I really don't see why that would be hard to believe or at least I don't see why anyone would assume Zimmerman could.