NRO Addresses Police Militarization

Today, National Review has this article on the increasing militarization of the police. I'm happy to see this getting publicity in what's essentially the party rag of the GOP. As you may discern from other posts, I think the GOP has a lot to offer and is closer to the Constitution on most issues than the DNC, but one lingering demon possessing that party is the hypocrisy in advocating expansive powers for the federal government under the guise of "security", the war on drugs and various social issues.

Parties naturally line up against each other for the sake of being against the other party. This regrettably leads them into the compromising positions of having changed their stance on issues from one decade to the next, or violating their core principles simply for the sake of polemics. It's hard for a party to argue for a constrained central government on some issues and be taken seriously when they disavow that principle entirely on others. The problem isn't the opinion or stance seeding the desire to change social behavior or the environment - most people honestly have the best of intentions - the problem is the means by which they try to affect their ends. As a great man once said, "There is a better way", and it doesn't have to involve more government force or endowing organizations like the Railroad Retirement Board with its own militarized SWAT team. It's a creeping trend towards effectively using a military force for local law enforcement, expressly against the guidance of the Constitution. Just because you call them 'neighborhood police' doesn't mean jack when they roll over your house with a tank. By their actions you shall know them.