somehow throw a spanner in the works and cause a massive cost/delay to the government.
Are you asserting that congress would have actually gotten anything done during that time?
Yes. Congress is typically quite industrious at violating the Constitution and destroying civil rights.
I wish the partisans would STFU and realize this is a civil rights issue, not a partisan issue, for *everyone* regardless of political party, ideology, and/or religion (or lack thereof).
For those kool-ade drinkers defending the administration regarding domestic spying, do you want your political enemies to have this power to wield when they inevitably gain office?
Those that would mistake paranoia with basic observational skills referencing events over the last 60 years are likely be on some type of 'agenda'. What some call paranoid, others are calling it 'having a big mouth', but you don't see that part now do you?
Don't bother. Just check Dave420's post history. He's drank so much of Leftist/Social Justice kool-aid that California is considering sanctioning him for the amount of water he wastes.
Hot air, nothing compared to the US self imposed brain drain caused by fucked up policy, gamed and broken system. If they don't want to see things that are better in the hands of other countries then they should rethink the way things have been going in the US for the last 60+ years. The policy of 'keeping the people stupid' is not going to produce a superior product in any sector anyway so where are these idiots coming from on this?
An economic/social collapse is what those in power need to roll out martial law and complete the final stages of the "fundamental transformation of America" to a police state.
The rich live close while the poor have to commute
It's funny that those living way out in the suburbs are "the poor".
Have you seen housing rental rates in NYC, the location the OP was talking about? Granted, in many locations it's the reverse, but the OP's point re: NYC is generally accurate.
...We first teach them basic reading, writing, math, history, and critical-thinking/problem-solving skills that are sorely lacking among HS grads?
Oh wait, can't have that! The little bastards might figure out how screwed they are by the crony-capitalist fascist oligarchy and actually be able to change the status-quot!
Really?? Are you that stupid that you think the only way to change government is via violent revolution?
Not at all. The four boxes (soap, ballot, jury, ammo) are to be used in that order. So far we've tried soap, ballot, and jury.
Next, I would try peaceful non-compliance, but I'm not naive enough to believe that the government would not respond violently.
I think people like you are dangerous to any thriving society and downright deadly to any less than thriving society.
We do not live in a "thriving society", we live in a fascist oligarchy that is descending into collapse. You are delusional if you believe otherwise.
You will attract other idiots and eventually get them killed while justifying the jackboot tactics the government would use in response.
So, with heavily-armed domestic paramilitary units assaulting the homes of citizens for things like student loan debts and misdemeanors, just how much farther does the government need to go before you would justify self defense? After you've been rounded up and sent to a camp is a bit late.
Some twit in office will look at your writings and you will convince them that spying on citizens is just and reasonable.
News flash, Bunky. They have believed that for decades.
Let's just hope they think you are little more than a retarded monkey that doesn't need to get on the list.
Nice ad hominem. Down to the last resort of those who cannot defend their position, eh? Let's hope they don't believe that everyone will roll over and lick their boots as you seem adamant to do, as that guarantees they will proceed at full speed.
You will justify this by your own words.
Yeah just sit down, shut up, and comply, right? Attitudes like that are historically what have enabled tyranny to fester.
Let me translate it into a language you'll comprehend;
So let's be glad that the army we have ain't one where only people who really, really believe in the shit can join... oh wait.
Yes their indoctrination machine is infallible, that's why gangs in the US send gang members to join the US military for training, and why so many militia members are ex-military.
Wow, they don't need to send a jackbooted thug for you, do they? You're already in a gulag of your own making.
Won't happen in the US ever. Won't happen in the UK either. What might happen is an English version of Tiananmen square. Both governments will see it happening before it happens and it will be put down quickly. Thinking otherwise is little more than an invitation to be put down sooner than later.
Yes, abandon all hope.If we lick their boots convincingly, maybe we'll be the last into the gulag.
What army should we use to go up against their armies?
That very same military.
They are not all unquestioning robots. Many will desert and go over to the civilian's side, and take their training and all the equipment/resources/weapons they can manage with them, while destroying what they cannot take/use.
It's unclear from your post which you feel is worst, socialism or violence. Can't have ordinary people working together for the common good, now can we?
They are not mutually exclusive, and in most cases Socialism and violence go hand-in-hand. Socialism has never worked except in relatively small, homogenous cultures. In larger and more diverse cultures Socialism has always devolved into some form of communism or fascism with corruption, violence, and death aplenty, typically with extreme poverty for all but the 'connected' and powerful.
Since it's now the "People's Network" I guess AT&T, CenturyLink, and USTelecom should just power down all their gear and put employees on leave for a a couple of weeks, and tell the government to go pound sand.
Let's see how the "People's Network" gets along without them.
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Kudos on being well-read. I believe posting the entire piece worthwhile and relevant.
---- The Gods Of The Copybook Headings - Rudyard Kipling
AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.
We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn: But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind, So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.
We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace, Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place, But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.
With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch, They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch; They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings; So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace. They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease. But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life (Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife) Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man There are only four things certain since Social Progress began. That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire, And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins, As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn, The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return! ----
Congress will continue to fall over themselves ever expanding the H1B program
Why aren't these traitorous bastards strung up by their balls and used as piñatas?
Because the ones on one side say "We gotta *get* those evil people who disagree with us! The ends justify the means!" and the ones on the other side say "We gotta *get* those evil people who disagree with us! The ends justify the means!"
And the low-info morons treat ideologies like sports teams instead of educating themselves with some history and making choices based on principles, reason, & logic.
How about coming together on things we can agree on? That always seems to fall by the wayside. For the vast majority, we have far more moral/ideological values and principles in common than we do differences.
And our squabbling over teams...err...political parties and labels, along with making choices based on interests rather than principles, is precisely why things keep getting worse.
I have a US Army recruit training manual that disagrees with you. All recruits out of basic training were expected to know how to operate a grenade launcher, anti-tank missile launcher, and claymore mines precisely because they are common infantry weapons.
Knowing how to operate a weapon system =/= each soldier being issued said weapon system, as in being a standard-issue infantry battle weapon. Such weapons systems are squad level weapons. A unit on foot patrol will have one or 2 soldiers assigned to carry a couple anti-tank rockets or MANPADS as the likely threats determine.
An M4 battle rifle, M249 light machine gun, or their equivalents are perfectly reasonable, however.
How is a citizen supposed to go toe to toe against foreign battleships unless private citizens were also allowed to own battleships?
You can argue that even in the time the US Constitution was ratified no one owned a true battleship, they are a specific purpose vessel that would be much to expensive for any entity short of a government to possess and man.
It was standard practice for nearly all sea-going vessels of the time to carry at least some armament. Many trade vessels carried significant cannon, as piracy was common.
Most of the enemy ships targeted were lightly-armed cargo/transport ships, as it's true that something like one of the common ships used for such attacks, like a converted schooner with some extra cannon, was no match for a Man 'O War style full military vessel.
If you want to argue that the citizens of this federation should have access to the same weapons as the common infantry soldier then I can go with that. That means I can get grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, select fire rifles,.50 caliber rifles, hand grenades (high explosive and tear gas), pistols, and mines.
Grenade launchers, rockets, missiles, mines, etc are not a standard-issue weapon provided every soldier, as are things like crew-served weapons like mortars
Hand grenades are a tricky issue, as they are a mass-casualty area-weapon, but *are* a pretty standard-issue infantry weapon. For hand grenades, I'd go with sort of the same kind of system now in place for ownership of fully-automatic weapons; ie licensed, registered, and with conditions on safe storage and extreme penalties for misuse.
The rest of your list (short-barreled/fully-automatic weapons) I have no problem with allowing civilian ownership of. As a matter of fact, some of the weapons you list are already legal, like.50BMG rifles, and I would strongly be in favor of loosening restrictions on the other weapons, like select-fire rifles.
SO, because my right to own a ground to air missile has been violated then it's okay that my right to own a machine gun is also violated? If my right to own a machine gun is denied then it's okay to take my pistol?
The NRA was right, if they can ban one weapon then they can ban them all.
According to the authors of the 2nd Amendment as they discussed it in the Federalist Papers (might want to give those a read some time), the intention was for an individual citizen to be roughly equal in firepower to an individual military infantryman.
MANPADS, anti-tank rockets, and the like, although carried by many infantry units, are not a standard-issue infantry weapon given to every soldier. The same with missiles, artillery, crew-served weapons like mortars, high-explosives, landmines, etc.
I wish people would stop with this ridiculous and wrong hyperbole that either we must embrace gun control or every idiot will have nukes.
Small arms are not an effective weapon against armored heavy weaponry. This is just a fact.
Said the Soviet general right before they invaded Afghanistan. Then left humiliated.
Afghans were living in stove hovels and caves without access to the materiel available in a 1st-world nation, and they also were not occupying the very heart of the Soviet industrial complex and source of logistic supply.
The only way the military could assure "victory" over the civilian population would be to nuke the overwhelming majority of them in the first hours.
The US military would at the least fragment if not outright side with citizens if given such orders, so there would be a not-insignificant amount of heavy/modern weaponry operated by trained personnel on the side of citizens.
Just sayin'. Don't those guys know that you don't antagonize the mighty and powerful, especially when they have armies of gun-toting thugs at their disposal, the ability to utterly destroy anyone's life financially, the power to detain anyone for an indefinite amount of time, suspend all of your rights without even needing to tell you why and abosolute immunity for any wrongdoing? And should I mention that they have shown no fear at all about using those powers? And that the vast majority of the populace and the media supports them? There's bravery and there is stupidity. This is just stupidity.
That's what has been said to those intent on change right before every sea-change in government/leadership.
It's a numbers game a government cannot win without first destroying the people's will to resist. If it were a matter of simple firepower, practically no revolution or rebellion from history would ever have succeeded.
Any single individual can hurt, be it ever so slight, an entire government of many thousands (Snowden), but that government of many thousands can only hurt that single individual, and can only kill him/her once.
If even just a significant fraction of the population decided "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness....was their new mission statement, the government would fall. The military, being composed of volunteers from the same population, would at the very least fracture, and possibly refuse for the most part to engage US citizens on the civilian leaders' behalf.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes. Congress is typically quite industrious at violating the Constitution and destroying civil rights.
I wish the partisans would STFU and realize this is a civil rights issue, not a partisan issue, for *everyone* regardless of political party, ideology, and/or religion (or lack thereof).
For those kool-ade drinkers defending the administration regarding domestic spying, do you want your political enemies to have this power to wield when they inevitably gain office?
Strat
Don't bother. Just check Dave420's post history. He's drank so much of Leftist/Social Justice kool-aid that California is considering sanctioning him for the amount of water he wastes.
Strat
i never seen anything come out of israel that wasnt backdoored.. Icq skype etc
i think showden files had things about this also
I'd be far more likely to trust Israeli-produced tools as opposed to anything from the Five Eyes.
Strat
Paranoid, much?
Head in the sand, much?
Hot air, nothing compared to the US self imposed brain drain caused by fucked up policy, gamed and broken system. If they don't want to see things that are better in the hands of other countries then they should rethink the way things have been going in the US for the last 60+ years. The policy of 'keeping the people stupid' is not going to produce a superior product in any sector anyway so where are these idiots coming from on this?
An economic/social collapse is what those in power need to roll out martial law and complete the final stages of the "fundamental transformation of America" to a police state.
Strat
...What they mean by "export" is posting downloads or links to downloads of source code or binaries on the 'net.
Just another restriction on the communication of knowledge & free speech in the "Land of the Free".
The US I grew up in during the 1960s/'70s is dead.
Strat
You haven't laid out anything other than a bunch of baseless accusations. You should write a book about it, I'm sure it'll sell.
Bwaahahaha!
"I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything"
It's the Bart Simpson defense!
[Beetlejuice voice] And it just keeps getting funnier *every* *single* *time* I see it! [/Beetlejuice voice]
How about you just stick your fingers in your ears and go; "Lalalala, I can't hear you! Lalalala!".
Too funny!
Strat
Have you seen housing rental rates in NYC, the location the OP was talking about? Granted, in many locations it's the reverse, but the OP's point re: NYC is generally accurate.
Strat
...We first teach them basic reading, writing, math, history, and critical-thinking/problem-solving skills that are sorely lacking among HS grads?
Oh wait, can't have that! The little bastards might figure out how screwed they are by the crony-capitalist fascist oligarchy and actually be able to change the status-quot!
Strat
Really?? Are you that stupid that you think the only way to change government is via violent revolution?
Not at all. The four boxes (soap, ballot, jury, ammo) are to be used in that order. So far we've tried soap, ballot, and jury.
Next, I would try peaceful non-compliance, but I'm not naive enough to believe that the government would not respond violently.
I think people like you are dangerous to any thriving society and downright deadly to any less than thriving society.
We do not live in a "thriving society", we live in a fascist oligarchy that is descending into collapse. You are delusional if you believe otherwise.
You will attract other idiots and eventually get them killed while justifying the jackboot tactics the government would use in response.
So, with heavily-armed domestic paramilitary units assaulting the homes of citizens for things like student loan debts and misdemeanors, just how much farther does the government need to go before you would justify self defense? After you've been rounded up and sent to a camp is a bit late.
Some twit in office will look at your writings and you will convince them that spying on citizens is just and reasonable.
News flash, Bunky. They have believed that for decades.
Let's just hope they think you are little more than a retarded monkey that doesn't need to get on the list.
Nice ad hominem. Down to the last resort of those who cannot defend their position, eh? Let's hope they don't believe that everyone will roll over and lick their boots as you seem adamant to do, as that guarantees they will proceed at full speed.
You will justify this by your own words.
Yeah just sit down, shut up, and comply, right? Attitudes like that are historically what have enabled tyranny to fester.
Let me translate it into a language you'll comprehend;
"Baa-aaa-aaahhhh!"
Strat
So let's be glad that the army we have ain't one where only people who really, really believe in the shit can join... oh wait.
Yes their indoctrination machine is infallible, that's why gangs in the US send gang members to join the US military for training, and why so many militia members are ex-military.
Wow, they don't need to send a jackbooted thug for you, do they? You're already in a gulag of your own making.
Strat
Won't happen in the US ever. Won't happen in the UK either. What might happen is an English version of Tiananmen square. Both governments will see it happening before it happens and it will be put down quickly. Thinking otherwise is little more than an invitation to be put down sooner than later.
Yes, abandon all hope.If we lick their boots convincingly, maybe we'll be the last into the gulag.
Strat
What army should we use to go up against their armies?
That very same military.
They are not all unquestioning robots. Many will desert and go over to the civilian's side, and take their training and all the equipment/resources/weapons they can manage with them, while destroying what they cannot take/use.
Strat
What the UK is doing really frightens me, for the people that live there, and for the rest of the world.
That's not the future I want.
Then kill the fascist bastards and form a new government. That's what's going to happen very soon in the US if things don't change.
Strat
It's unclear from your post which you feel is worst, socialism or violence. Can't have ordinary people working together for the common good, now can we?
They are not mutually exclusive, and in most cases Socialism and violence go hand-in-hand. Socialism has never worked except in relatively small, homogenous cultures. In larger and more diverse cultures Socialism has always devolved into some form of communism or fascism with corruption, violence, and death aplenty, typically with extreme poverty for all but the 'connected' and powerful.
Strat
Are these stars passing through relatively dense gas and/or dust clouds? Is it possible that is what is triggering/fueling these events?
If that is the case, is Sol on a path that takes it through similar gas/dust clouds at some point in the future, and if so, how far in the future?
Strat
A victory for THE PEOPLE'S network
Since it's now the "People's Network" I guess AT&T, CenturyLink, and USTelecom should just power down all their gear and put employees on leave for a a couple of weeks, and tell the government to go pound sand.
Let's see how the "People's Network" gets along without them.
Strat
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Kudos on being well-read. I believe posting the entire piece worthwhile and relevant.
----
The Gods Of The Copybook Headings - Rudyard Kipling
AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.
We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.
We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.
With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.
When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."
On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."
In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!
----
Kipling sent us a warning. Will we heed it?
Strat
Because the ones on one side say "We gotta *get* those evil people who disagree with us! The ends justify the means!" and the ones on the other side say "We gotta *get* those evil people who disagree with us! The ends justify the means!"
And the low-info morons treat ideologies like sports teams instead of educating themselves with some history and making choices based on principles, reason, & logic.
How about coming together on things we can agree on? That always seems to fall by the wayside. For the vast majority, we have far more moral/ideological values and principles in common than we do differences.
And our squabbling over teams...err...political parties and labels, along with making choices based on interests rather than principles, is precisely why things keep getting worse.
Strat
I have a US Army recruit training manual that disagrees with you. All recruits out of basic training were expected to know how to operate a grenade launcher, anti-tank missile launcher, and claymore mines precisely because they are common infantry weapons.
Knowing how to operate a weapon system =/= each soldier being issued said weapon system, as in being a standard-issue infantry battle weapon. Such weapons systems are squad level weapons. A unit on foot patrol will have one or 2 soldiers assigned to carry a couple anti-tank rockets or MANPADS as the likely threats determine.
An M4 battle rifle, M249 light machine gun, or their equivalents are perfectly reasonable, however.
Strat
How is a citizen supposed to go toe to toe against foreign battleships unless private citizens were also allowed to own battleships?
You can argue that even in the time the US Constitution was ratified no one owned a true battleship, they are a specific purpose vessel that would be much to expensive for any entity short of a government to possess and man.
It was standard practice for nearly all sea-going vessels of the time to carry at least some armament. Many trade vessels carried significant cannon, as piracy was common.
Most of the enemy ships targeted were lightly-armed cargo/transport ships, as it's true that something like one of the common ships used for such attacks, like a converted schooner with some extra cannon, was no match for a Man 'O War style full military vessel.
If you want to argue that the citizens of this federation should have access to the same weapons as the common infantry soldier then I can go with that. That means I can get grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, select fire rifles, .50 caliber rifles, hand grenades (high explosive and tear gas), pistols, and mines.
Grenade launchers, rockets, missiles, mines, etc are not a standard-issue weapon provided every soldier, as are things like crew-served weapons like mortars
Hand grenades are a tricky issue, as they are a mass-casualty area-weapon, but *are* a pretty standard-issue infantry weapon. For hand grenades, I'd go with sort of the same kind of system now in place for ownership of fully-automatic weapons; ie licensed, registered, and with conditions on safe storage and extreme penalties for misuse.
The rest of your list (short-barreled/fully-automatic weapons) I have no problem with allowing civilian ownership of. As a matter of fact, some of the weapons you list are already legal, like .50BMG rifles, and I would strongly be in favor of loosening restrictions on the other weapons, like select-fire rifles.
Strat
SO, because my right to own a ground to air missile has been violated then it's okay that my right to own a machine gun is also violated? If my right to own a machine gun is denied then it's okay to take my pistol?
The NRA was right, if they can ban one weapon then they can ban them all.
According to the authors of the 2nd Amendment as they discussed it in the Federalist Papers (might want to give those a read some time), the intention was for an individual citizen to be roughly equal in firepower to an individual military infantryman.
MANPADS, anti-tank rockets, and the like, although carried by many infantry units, are not a standard-issue infantry weapon given to every soldier. The same with missiles, artillery, crew-served weapons like mortars, high-explosives, landmines, etc.
I wish people would stop with this ridiculous and wrong hyperbole that either we must embrace gun control or every idiot will have nukes.
Strat
Small arms are not an effective weapon against armored heavy weaponry. This is just a fact.
Said the Soviet general right before they invaded Afghanistan. Then left humiliated.
Afghans were living in stove hovels and caves without access to the materiel available in a 1st-world nation, and they also were not occupying the very heart of the Soviet industrial complex and source of logistic supply.
The only way the military could assure "victory" over the civilian population would be to nuke the overwhelming majority of them in the first hours.
The US military would at the least fragment if not outright side with citizens if given such orders, so there would be a not-insignificant amount of heavy/modern weaponry operated by trained personnel on the side of citizens.
Strat
Police, whether you or anyone likes it, must be held to a higher standard, because with great power comes great responsibility.
Ah, I see from where your confusion stems!
You've mistaken domestic militarized occupation/suppression/internment troops for the old-style "police", now all but extinct.
Once correctly identified, their past and future actions are more easily and logically explained & predicted.
Strat
Just sayin'. Don't those guys know that you don't antagonize the mighty and powerful, especially when they have armies of gun-toting thugs at their disposal, the ability to utterly destroy anyone's life financially, the power to detain anyone for an indefinite amount of time, suspend all of your rights without even needing to tell you why and abosolute immunity for any wrongdoing? And should I mention that they have shown no fear at all about using those powers? And that the vast majority of the populace and the media supports them? There's bravery and there is stupidity. This is just stupidity.
That's what has been said to those intent on change right before every sea-change in government/leadership.
It's a numbers game a government cannot win without first destroying the people's will to resist. If it were a matter of simple firepower, practically no revolution or rebellion from history would ever have succeeded.
Any single individual can hurt, be it ever so slight, an entire government of many thousands (Snowden), but that government of many thousands can only hurt that single individual, and can only kill him/her once.
If even just a significant fraction of the population decided "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ...was their new mission statement, the government would fall. The military, being composed of volunteers from the same population, would at the very least fracture, and possibly refuse for the most part to engage US citizens on the civilian leaders' behalf.
Strat