Quote:The militarization of equipment is not the only cause of this, but I think it plays a factor. When the police think that they are warriors based on the stuff they are getting to use, they begin to look at the society as being the enemy. This can corrupt the relationship between the community and the police...

You must not know many, if any, police officers. While there are some who have a warrior or God complex, the majority do not. Sweeping generalizations of groups of people is one of the reasons this nation, and this messageboard, is so divided. That, and the need for people to feel as if they have to compartmentalize themselves and others into groups that do nothing but cause strife. 

 

When did we stop looking at and treating each other as people? As human beings? With respect and courtesy? It seems anymore we have negative reactions to anything and everything instead of taking a breath and forming a rational thought and coming up with a solution. Everything now is about who is right, who is better, who is smarter, who is more persecuted. We are all in this together. No man is an island. What happens to one of us happens to all of us. It may not affect us all in the same way but it affects us all the same. Everything has a cause and effect. Consequences are not punishment for our actions, they are the effect. 

 

Everyone here is intelligent and knowledgeable in different ways from their life experiences which I think is fantastic. What's sad is when differing opinions on matters cause breakdown in communication and people start name calling and throwing insults and acting like petulant children who aren't getting their way. That's the road society is taking and no one is noticing it because it's been a slow boil for a long time. The bad thing is, in our society horrific things are happening. It's not just a CoC warning or an all out ban. It's death and destruction to and of humanity and we are all the problem because we are all allowing it with how we use our words and actions. And how we don't. If things keep going as they are we won't need ISIS or the Taliban or any terrorist group to dismantle this nation. We're going to do it all by ourselves.

---