Comments on: Continuing to Extend the Use of SWAT Teams http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/ Life. Liberty. Property. Defending individual freedom and liberty, one post at a time. Wed, 22 May 2013 18:26:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5313 Adam Selene Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:35:08 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5313 Like I said somewhere else, the Rambo insinuations are really sad. And indicative that we are returning to a view of soldiers similar to the one in the 1970′s. And, of course, the use of a SWAT team created a violent confrontation where none existed. CPL Dean could have been left inside that house, a psychologist could have tried to talk with him, etc. But bringing in SWAT teams and armored vehicles escalated the situation to the point where Dean was killed by police rather than being allowed his own choices.

]]> By: Brian Wolovich http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5307 Brian Wolovich Tue, 02 Jan 2007 03:28:30 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5307 Further research on this will find the victim, Cpl James Dean, was a decorated sharpshooter who spent 12 months in the forgotten war, Afghanistan. He returned to the states in 2005, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and went into depression. Spending the last year and a half getting his life back in order, and was making progress.

He recently received a letter for him to report to Ft.Benning, Georgia by January 15th, and this sent him to drinking and rages according to his wife, Muriel. She also reports that he was refusing to return to fight in the middle east.

The state sponsored use of the SWAT team against a man who barricaded himself into his father’s home, and was a threat to nobody but himself…is a complete waste, and over application of paramilitary units. What happened to self-responsibility? If this man is going to kill himself, then he is going to kill himself. May he now be at peace from the torments he was experiencing.

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5302 Adam Selene Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:21:40 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5302 Clark, to whom are you speaking? If you think that I believe that SWAT is all about the TV show, you’re wrong. I simply point out that the show, correctly, showed the original purpose of SWAT teams. That purpose was to quickly control violent situations that ordinary police could not handle. It was not to serve drug and gambling warrants in non-violent situations. Nor was it to deal with people intending to commit suicide who did not threaten anyone else because there was no one else present.

This key point is completely ignored by everyone. As is the subtle Rambo insinuations of the police in the news article linked to.

Even worse is that so many citizens now seem to think that it is perfectly fine to use para-military police units in a very wide variety of situations. They appear to believe that a few broken eggs is just a sad result.

As far as the track backs comments about “libertarian distrust of government agencies” goes, two thoughts. First, as I seem to continually have to remind people, I am not a libertarian. The supposedly “true libertarians” agree with me on this point. Second, the only way to guard my liberty is to distrust everyone who has the power to violate my liberty. There is nothing paranoid about this, it is simply reality, reinforced by the examples of thousands of years of history.

]]> By: Clark Baker http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5301 Clark Baker Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:48:40 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5301 The LAPD, local politicians, and the media have done a miserable job explaining the tactics used to take suspects into custody. As a result, HOLLYWOOD has taken up the vacuum and, after a while, people start to believe what they see on TV, and start to distrust reality.

If you’ve been weaned on Hollywood crime shows like CSI, you’ll be confused. If you’re a real cop who has responded to real events, you’ll think comments like yours are imbicilic.

]]> By: http://www.tfsternsrantings.blogspot.com/ http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5299 http://www.tfsternsrantings.blogspot.com/ Mon, 01 Jan 2007 20:47:39 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/01/continuing-to-extend-the-use-of-swat-teams/#comment-5299 Kick in that door

The police officer is not permitted the luxury of inaction and I sure wouldn?t want any armchair soda sucking nincompoop to make the call based on paranoia and libertarian distrust of governmental agencies.

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