Rand Paul Responds To Ferguson: 'We Must De-Militarize The Police'

[Capt. Obvious]

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Thursday in a Time magazine op-ed that the events in Ferguson, Mo., meant that it was time to "de-militarize the police."

"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," he wrote. "The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action."

Paul blamed in part the federal programs that allow local law enforcement to obtain military-style equipment.

....

He also touched on the racial component of the Ferguson protests, sparked when unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown was shot by police. The police force in Ferguson is almost entirely white, while the community is two-thirds black.

....

"Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention," he wrote. "Our prisons are full of black and brown men and women who are serving inappropriately long and harsh sentences for non-violent mistakes in their youth."

TPM

[Volaris]

1. This is what I hate about libertarians...

On the very few occasions and issues that I agree with them, they REALLY know how to put the hammer to the nails.
That statement could have been said by any one of us....or maybe Rand just hired himself some Democratic press people...

[AgingAmerican]

12. They are strangely silent when a Republican is in office

The Paul family has ties to white supremacist groups, so take anything they say with a grain of salt.

[sabrina 1]

14. Actually you are wrong, Ron Paul was very vocal when Bush was in office. He was the only Repub who

refused to support the Iraq War and consistently slammed Bush throughout those years. Working with Dems like Kucinich to try to end the funding eg, and opposed the bail outs by Bush of the corrupt bankers.

If we are going to criticize people let's at least do it with facts. It sure doesn't help this country to have people driven by their own biases.

I am more than happy to see any Republican finally wake up to the disaster Republican policies have created in this country, from the Drug Laws to our brutal FP. Because if the people are split, we get what have now.

Paul also slammed the Drug Laws just in case you think he 'remained silent' on that issue also.

Members of Congress on the Dem side worked with him and one or two other Republicans, to try to change these policies, but there just weren't enough of them.

[AgingAmerican]

19. He was also quite vocal

...in the 80s and 90s when his racist newsletters were in full swing.

[sabrina 1]

28. So was Sen. Byrd, at one time. That didn't diminish his later

awakening to how wrong he was back then.

Of course Right Wingers never let him forget that, hoping to diminish his influence on trying to stop Bush's horrendous war by ignoring what he was talking about and raising his past hoping we would then ignore the important points he was making.. But we Dems understood that a person can change and are generally grateful when they do. So the tactic didn't work, on Democrats. We are generally able to separate what is important and relevant to a particular topic from what is being done to distract.

Byrd was one of the most outspoken Democrats against Bush and made one of the most moving speeches to try to stop that murderous war on the day that vote was taken. He was also one of the only Senators who actually mentioned what would happen to the Iraq people IF we went ahead with it.

That speech will go down in history. But yes, he was a member of the KKK in his early years, something he addressed openly throughout his life, acknowledging that it would be 'part of my legacy'. He was an example to many people of how someone can change for the better.

Paul, who is now joined by Claire Mccaskill is 100% right on this, and THAT is the topic of this OP.

If you don't want to see an end to the militarization of our PD, then go right ahead and change the subject. Same as Repubs tried to do with Byrd.

As for me, I hope other Republicans join him AND Claire Mccaskill along with ALL Dems.

[AgingAmerican]

35. Ron Paul is an avowed racist

His associations with white supremacists are ongoing and well documented. Rand Paul supports use of drones domestically to vaporize 'suspects'. Believe nothing 'liberal' that emanates from their lying Tea Party mouths.


Ron Paul posing with Stormfront founder Don Black & and his son Derek at the 2007 'Values' Voter debate

[sabrina 1]

39. Is that Rand Paul in that photo? I thought this OP was about the demiliterization of our Civilian

PDs as advocated by RAND Paul.

RAND Paul has made a statement asking for this practice to end. Claire McCaskill has also asked for this.

Are you FOR the militarization of our PDs?

[AgingAmerican]

42. Rand Paul

...believes drones should be used to kill 'suspects' in residential neighborhoods. Demilitarization, my ass.

Believe nothing 'normal' that he utters.

[sabrina 1]

53. So you disagree with his statement about the militarization of Civilian PDs then. Okay

but I could not disagree with you more.

[AgingAmerican]

54. Given his (recent) previous statements to the contrary

I do not believe that he believes himself when he says it. Your attempts to turn it onto me are disingenuous at best.

[sabrina 1]

59. My question is, is he right on this? Was Byrd right on Iraq? Yes, is MY answer. You haven't said

what your position is so, considering how this tactic was used against Byrd by people who agreed with the War in Iraq, it is not at all disingenuous for those of us who have dealt with this since kind of distraction for more than a decade, to assume the obvious. It's called 'past experience'.

[AgingAmerican]

74. There is no comparing the Pauls to Byrd

Byrd admitted his racist past. Ron Paul has denied his. He offered a half baked 'apology' for the 'ghost writers' that wrote his newsletter that he claims he never bothered reading. I just do not buy it, sorry.

My position is that the Paul's (Especially RON Paul) are unrepentant racists who will say anything to gain power. That is my position.

[sabrina 1]

78. I think you are in the wrong thread. This thread is not about Ron Paul. I believe I already

pointed that out to you.

As for Byrd, I totally agree, I spent many years defending him against right wingers desperately trying to silence him by calling him a racist. What they REALLY wanted to do was to discredit him as he was speaking out against BAD POLICIES and THEY were trying to stop him.

I don't care who is demanding that this anti-Constitutional threat to the safety and well-being of the American people. And if it is a Senator that is even better. Now let's hope all of them join him in this demand. So far, Claire McCaskill agrees.

[AgingAmerican]

81. I agree with you except...

I just do not believe that Rand "Domestic Police Drones®" Paul is sincere. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say. Besides that we are pretty much on the same page.

Much respect,

A.A.

[Luminous Animal]

77. No he doesn't. Like Sabrina, I prefer to keep my criticism based on the facts.

I dislike Rand Paul's politics but I'm not about to spread misinformation to defeat him at the ballot box.

[AgingAmerican]

83. Don't believe me

Believe Rand Paul's own mouth instead

Have a nice day!

[Reter]

34. The father was far from silent when Bush was in office

He did not vote for him in 2004 (or McCain in 2008), and I believe Rand did not either.

[Blue_Tires]

60. Please...Paul is running for president

and because all of his other outreaches to voters of color have been abject disasters so far, he's going to milk every drop out of this gift-wrapped opportunity to show how much he cares for black folks...

[sabrina 1]

69. Great, so we'll be hearing the same thing from all of our Presidential candidates. Has Hillary

said anything yet?

[Blue_Tires]

70. Not sure...

But I know Hillary is no longer in the Senate but Paul is, so I'm very interested in seeing how much action is behind his words

[sabrina 1]

79. Well he's got one other Senator on board, Democrat Claire McCaskill, so far. Let's hope all of them

can finally see the danger this presents to this country's freedom and the constitutional rights of its citizens.

[HooptieWagon]

2. I agree with those statements. nt

[PowerToThePeople]

3. So

Now that Rand said it, no one on this board will support it any more?

[Capt. Obvious]

8. FUCK RAND PAUL

[PowerToThePeople]

11. I hate right wing libertarians

Extreme capitalism with no societal accountability.

I may be a left wing libertarian, though I have not really thought much on the subject. I believe that in a true socialist system, where all citizens have equal voice and equal share of the fruits of labor and industry, that each individual has maximum liberty. They are not suppressed via economics, class, mobility, or other imposed methods of suppression. They would be truly free to exercise their liberty as an individual within a society of equal individuals.

[conservaphobe]

46. We have Democratic leaders speaking out on this now.

We can rally behind them instead of Rand Paul now.

[PowerToThePeople]

48. It's the message that matters

Just glad that we have Democratic messengers saying it too.

[conservaphobe]

49. Absolutely. nt

[sabrina 1]

82. Two so far. McCaskill and Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia. So that makes 3 so far. One

Repub, one Dem in the Senate, and one Dem in Congress. Time to start calling because this will go away as soon as they feel they 'have calmed the situation down'.

[sabrina 1]

15. I support it and I don't care who says it. I hope we'll hear more elected officials saying it also.

[PowerToThePeople]

50. I am in agreement. n/t

[NutmegYankee]

57. Given that many on the board are Left-Libertarian on the political compass...

We are bound to agree from time to time with Right libertarians on social liberty matters. It's an overlap.

[conservaphobe]

4. Yeah, but libertarians want to privatize the police.

That would be an even worse solution.

[former9thward]

25. Rand Paul is not a libertarian.

He is not his father. I think he is closer to that than a traditional conservative but there is a difference.

[bullwinkle428]

5. CLASSIC example of the "5-minute rule" regarding anything uttered

by the Paul family. Charlie Pierce is a god among men!

[Tikki]

76. ^^^^^^^ this....

[Sherman A1]

6. I agree with the Senator

on this issue and hope that he will work towards that happening.

[hifiguy]

7. Even a blind squirrel

finds a nut now and then. He's still a pinheaded, braying jackass.

[old guy]

9. What you said.

[Dems to Win]

10. Wow. Agree completely

Wish this statement had come from Obama.

[MisterP]

13. it's the same MO as we see with conservadems--they float an uncontroversial statement

to get on the frontpage ("Warren skis with puppies--pic-heavy!&quot and then they turn around with "Warren courageously says anyone against TISA should be burned alive--blue links inside!&quot

[sabrina 1]

18. Uncontroversial? Lol, in HIS Party, are you kidding us?

[AgingAmerican]

21. "Mainstream" is the proper term

nt

[MisterP]

23. true, but what counts as "uncontroversial" in the GOP changes overnight: remember in the 80s

when they said you were a Commie if you were against backing the Taliban or the Contras (whose MO was literally rape-murder) or Pol Pot?

[sabrina 1]

30. Then it's a good thing when one of them leads the way. Because we are going to need BOTH parties

to end these unconstitutional policies. We can't do it with just Dems. I personally do not care what the motivation of Paul or any other Republican may be, so long as they join Dems, McCaskill has already stated the same thing, in ENDING them.

Unless we'd rather continue to say 'fuck them' and wait another fifty years before something gets done. I'm ready to end it all now, so I'll take any Repub. who, for whatever reason gets on board with this.

[MisterP]

52. fractures are very important in getting things done, but also in overall party shifts

Reagan welded together all the right-wing factions and they took over the GOP, sending both parties streaking across the spectrum (I can think of only like 10 senators to the left of, say, Lowell Weicker today)

[FiveGoodMen]

16. EVERYONE should be saying that

[cyberswede]

40. Yep. nt

[4now]

17. I agree with Rand Paul

I wish some of our Democratic politicians would take such a bold stand.
Has Clinton had any comment on Ferguson.

[sabrina 1]

31. Claire McCaskill has addressed the militarization of the police also. Hopefully more will join both

of them.

[woo me with science]

20. He is correct.

Now, where are the Democrats saying this?

[kcr]

22. Sounds great until you hear his solution

A private force would be much worse. No love for Rand Paul, here.

[mwrguy]

24. fuck Rand paul and his entire racist family and party

[AgingAmerican]

26. Rand Paul said

That he has no problem using drones to vaporize robbery 'suspects' on the streets of America. Don't believe anything spewed from his lying mouth.

"I’ve never argued against any technology being used when you have an imminent threat, an active crime going on. If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash, I don’t care if a drone kills him or a policeman kills him…

If there’s a killer on the loose in a neighborhood, I’m not against drones being used to search them out, heat-seeking devices being used, I’m all for law enforcement. I’m just not for surveillance when there’s not probable cause that there’s a crime being committed."

http://americablog.com/2013/04/rand-paul-drones-american-soil-liquor-store.html

[redqueen]

36. Shhhh you're ruining the love fest.

Lyin ass libertarians are so adored by too many on the left.

[zappaman]

43. Fuck Rand Paul.

[ancianita]

27. Oh for fuck's sake. More political posturing. Let me mark this on my calendar.

[FiveGoodMen]

41. Don't you wish a few Democrats would adopt the same 'posture'?

[ancianita]

45. I wish ALL Democrats would adopt it as policy. Rescind the Patriot Act and NDAA amendment

that name this country a "battleground;" rescind the 1994 law that has the Pentagon distribute surplus weaponry and gear to police departments, and defund the entire DHS grant program that distributes funds for the ongoing militarization, training and equipment of police for "state" and "national preparedeness."

The Democratic Party as a whole should campaign on eliminating the military from civilian law enforcement altogether.

[Orsino]

29. Would Paul be just fine with corporations militarizing instead?

Is he just peeved that Ferguson isn't Robocop *enough*?

[sabrina 1]

37. That IS what we have. Which Dems, other McCaskill today, have addressed this 'militarization of the

police'. Were you around during the OWS protests? Did you see the exact same tactics used against those protesters, the Militarized Police, the weapons, the brutalization by 'forces' looking more like the Military than any police dept? And did you know that most of the mayors in the towns where these Military morons were brought in WERE DEMOCRATS??

Did you watch what happened in Oakland Ca eg? In Oregan, SF? So let's not pretend that Dems have been up front standing up for our Constitutional Rights. We learned in fact, that one of our Dem mayors was in consultation to use these brutal tactics with the Feds, while mouthing how she wanted 'peace' which btw, she had, until she brought in the Private Mercs.

Please, this 'look over there' tactic won't erase the memory of what we have learned about both parties regarding these issues.

I'm just thrilled that it is now reaching the front pages of the media, FINALLY. And that at least one Democrat and one Republican are asking for an end to the militarization of our civillian police.

You may prefer to go back to the 'theiir team' v 'our team'. I prefer to face facts now that we have them.

[Orsino]

44. If I thought Rand Paul were more than a lying weasel...

...I would applaud the sentiment he might be groping for.

However, I am absolutely sure that Paul will never act to stem the rise of corpirate power that militarized our police in the first place, and that whatever solutions he proposes will be terrible ones that are worse than the problems he says he wants to address.

Still, as far as it goes, his statement is nice. I would challenge any Democrat to say as much, then to *do*much more.

[Inkfreak]

32. *He's 100% correct.

*but that doesn't mean I'd vote for him.

[trumad]

33. Funk Rand Paul

And the motherfuckers who support him.

[Tarheel_Dem]

38. Salon: "Rand Paul’s team has another white supremacist"

A top staffer is exposed as a pro-secessionist radical, but it's not the first neo-Confederate on staff



"And the worst part for Paul-land is that it’s hardly the first time something like this has come up. In late 2009, Rand Paul’s campaign spokesperson was forced to resign after Kentucky blogger Joe Sonka discovered the MySpace page for Chris Hightower’s heavy metal band, which was a fan of KKK gear and wishing people a “HAPPY N***ER DAY!!!” on Martin Luther King Day (that post was accompanied by a photo of a lynching). There was also, of course, Paul’s momentary opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/09/rand_pauls_team_has_another_white_supremacist/



I don't give a shit how many pictures this bad-wig wearing asshole takes with Corey Booker, he & his "supporters" can kiss my black ass.

[Comrade Grumpy]

47. He is absolutely correct. More Democrats should join the call.

[cui bono]

51. He's absolutely right. Every politician who claims to be representing the people shoule be yelling

this.

[HuckleB]

55. Let's acknowledge that some Libertarians agree with us some of the time.

However, let's acknowledge that where they disagree with us often is the trigger for what happens that leads to situations like this.

Libertarians are disconnected from reality. They are the ultimate ivory tower individuals.

[AgingAmerican]

56. Just convert all the police forces

...to drones, right Rand?

[Rex]

58. Wait wait wait...wasn't this asshole calling for DRONE STRIKES on shoplifters?

Anyone that believes a single WORD from Rand Paul, should learn right now how to be disappointed 100% of the time!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/04/23/rand-paul-shockingly-now-supports-the-use-of-drones-on-us-soil-to-kill-americans-so-what-was-that-filibuster-thing-all-about/

[Tikki]

61. These statements are throw-a-ways to the Randios...They know that the police officer will walk..

and because of that any statement they make now will be forgotten by all cons by the time the elections role around.

Paul is a bigot just like his daddy.
He is, also, a clown.


Tikki

[Autumn]

62. Oh my. What a dilemma. To rec or not to rec?

If I rec am I a randronpaulbot or a good for nothing Greenwaldlibtratarian? I just agree with him 100% on this and I always rec things that I agree with so strongly.

Maybe the militarization isn't as bad as I thought. Damn him!!!!!!


Fuck it. Recommended, he's 100% right.

[Capt. Obvious]

80. The rec list will used for our upcoming progrom

[Metric System]

63. Ready for Rand

[joeybee12]

64. Yup, he's an asshole BUT he's right and are there any Dems saying this?

No, I'm not voting for him, but where are the Dems out front on this issue????

[Comrade Grumpy]

66. Yes, a Georgia Dem, Hank Somebody, has just filed a bill. It's in LBN now.

[joeybee12]

67. Thanks...I'll go check it out...nt

[JI7]

65. RAnd Paul would just be Fine with Private Security and Individuals who wanted to target Blacks

and anyone else they wanted to.

[Tarheel_Dem]

72. And Paul's minions are pretty deeply embedded here. Libertarians are cult members.

"Take a look on Democratic Underground

They have the gov't paid trolls out, trying to limit the outrage & rebellion on there.

If that is the reaction of hard core Dems to the news stories on the NSA, I want to stoke up some more of it.

Lots of traffic on DU.

It's the most popular Dem internet site, except for Huffy Po - where everything meaningful gets censored.

http://www.dailypaul.com/288556/clapper-and-feinstein-get-caught-lying-big-time#comment-3103138

[DefenseLawyer]

68. Rand Paul is an opportunist and by most accounts an idiot

But I can't disagree with anything he said there.

[JaneyVee]

71. Snake oil salesman.

[jmowreader]

73. I read the article. It's an attack on the federal government, nothing more

If (insert current name of Blackwater) was on the ground in Ferguson, doing the same shit the Ferguson cops are, Rand Paul would be celebrating the "bold public-private partnership providing security to the besieged town of Ferguson." Even though that "bold public-private partnership" would be doing all the besieging.

Remember, y'all: Rand Paul comes out of the woodwork for one purpose only - to attack the government.

[TheKentuckian]

75. It is always scary to be in that place where a dissembling con artist is incontrovertible

I came across him on CSPAN discussing the NSA and a judicial appointment and in 30 minutes or so I could only disagree with like one sentence, stopped clock stuff but when he stops even if it is kinda with his fingers crossed behind his back knowing his "how" would make a mockery of the idea discussed but he does randomly make sense he really hits it pretty good.