From Mayberry to Martial Law: The Transfer of Military Surplus to Domestic Police (w/infographic)

The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home. – James Madison

Many of us find ourselves asking this question. What happened?

The state of police brutality and militarization in the United States is literally off the charts. When you realize that you are 9 times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist, you know something is severely wrong.

It happened in the way that it has happened in many other countries throughout history – an external threat, real or manufactured, ushers in a boomerang effect where an increasingly violent foreign policy comes home to roost. It goes right back to the maxim that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This is why imperial excursions that violate basic rules of law cannot be tolerated. Regardless of compassion and common decency toward others, this must be so in order to protect yourself and your family from similar violations endured “over there.”

We now have SWAT teams breaking down doors – many times in error. Police torturing teens over smoking marijuana – again, many times in error. And the new trend of arming small-town America and even universities with military surplus. The infographic below does an exemplary job of showing just how quickly we have spiraled out of control, turning Mayberry into a full-scale militarized police state within several decades. Thought it couldn’t happen here?

Source: CriminalJusticeDegreeHub.com