Concerning news out of Cleveland for those invested in the future of American democracy: city police have begun to stockpile riot gear in advance of hosting the Republican National Convention in July. The news bodes ill not only for those interested in maintaining a civil discourse both within, and between, political parties, but also for those distressed by the increasing militarization of municipal police forces across the country.
You may be familiar with that latter issue thanks to John Oliver. Back before he became famous for making Donald Drumpf again, the comedian slash investigative journalist put together a segment on the latter phenomenon, poking fun at Keene, NH, in particular for having purchased a “Bearcat”, which looks like this:
(In case it is not immediately apparent, the pictured Bearcat is the behemoth in the background, not the doggie in the foreground.)
It is easy to understand why the deployment of military-grade hardware against American civilians is an upsetting possibility.
But a bright spot for those concerned about efficient practices by big government: Cleveland, OH, won’t have to go very far to find a ready supply of Bearcats of its own.
Happy Belated, Chuck. (Look at you, still without a wall. Believe me, it just got ten feet taller.)
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