This is the perfect example of the halloween costume party that policing in America has become.

[LTX]

What in the living hell is chuckles dressed up as here?

He's wearing desert camouflage pants on the streets of a St. Louis suburb (presumably to blend in with the asphalt, fire hydrants, light poles, parked cars, and post office boxes);

He has a combat helmet on (as if someone, anyone, is going to be firing mortar rounds at him);

He has super-cool, high-lace tan boots as if he's going to be wading into quicksand or a jungle stream (for christ's sake, a pair of goddamn sneakers would be infinitely more logical);

He has those mean-ass looking black gloves (because you never know when desert sand-storms, rain-forest downpours, snakes or scorpions are going to interfere with your trigger finger);

He has the affected, squinty-eyed demeanor of Clint Eastwood in a 60's western;

And he has a sniper rifle and scope on a tripod (because, I guess, you never know when might have to pick off Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy in the next block over for jay-walking).

You have to figure it took this guy the better part of two hours to put on this dumb-ass costume (which, of course, included the half-hour in front of the mirror striking poses and muttering "yippee-kai-yay mother-fucker&quot .

Just put on a Captain America costume and be done with it.

[malaise]

1. They all watched too many fugging movies

if you ask me

[RKP5637]

26. And, listened to too much Fox News! n/t

[billhicks76]

31. WTF

No excuse. He's determined to be the enemy of US citizens. What a scumbag. He doesn't deserve to wear a uniform like that.

[RKP5637]

34. Yep, well said! n/t

[Amonester]

42. The only one missing (?maybe not?) is Robocop!

(?maybe not?) = I may be wrong on that too...

[leftstreet]

2. Police depts should get fed grants for Hollywood stuff instead

[ThoughtCriminal]

17. But no Red Shirts please

OK, I'll make that gut wear one.

[VanGoghRocks]

3. LOL! One of the few genuine laughs I've gotten out of this entire sad spectacle. I'd like

to think that Mike Brown, were he alive, would also be laughing at your awesome rant!

The take-away line:

"You have to figure it took this guy the better part of two hours to put on this dumb-ass costume (which, of course, included the half-hour in front of the mirror striking poses and muttering "yippee-kai-yay mother-fucker&quot ."

[NV Whino]

4. Perfect!

Excellent analysis!

All Napa got was 10 sets of doggy goggles.

[Scootaloo]

5. The people have always been "the enemy" to US police forces

They just don't bother to hide it anymore

We could take pointers from other nations.

[avebury]

6. Well said! nt

[ZX86]

7. They are being hoodwinked like every other

consumer in the weapons industry. Sell the fear and the products sell themselves. You can't have that way cool gun and not get all the accessories that go with it. When you buy the Barbie sooner or later you gonna want the doll house.

[arcane1]

8. Even the flag patch is in camouflage colors.

Seems appropriate somehow.

[newfie11]

9. Thank you, I needed to laugh at their stupid outfits

You listed it all perfectly!

[IDemo]

10. He's missing one critical piece of equipment:

[Newsjock]

18. I was thinking of a somewhat -different- critical piece of equipment

Down yonder way in the nether regions, if you get my drift.

[ybbor]

25. "Wipin' off boss"

Love me some cool hand Luke!

Same attitude as the prison guards in the film portrayed here in real life.

[HereSince1628]

51. I thought similar, but for a sniper, I expected yellow-shooting safety glasses.

Isn't that an OSHA violation?

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, LTX.

[Voice for Peace]

12. This OP deserves some kind of award. I hope you don't mind if it mysteriously

goes viral. It's just too excellent to be hidden away on DU.

[Fred Sanders]

13. America runs on fear, not just donuts, but that too.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. Just hope he knows the difference between "camo" and "commando".

Oh, I amuse myself so much.

[JEB]

15. Riot gear and camo has replaced hoods and robes.

[Moostache]

16. Where are the open carry asshats now?

Why are the militias standing down in the face of the jack-booted thuggery in Missouri????
WHERE ARE YOU AT NRA ACTIVISTS???

Do those scary black people make it too dangerous to support the gun rights movement?
Are there too many Negroes out there for you to feel strong and point your guns at the clown on the tank?
Or is that behavior just for show when Fox News has an aggrieved racist white man around?

[billhicks76]

32. NRA=KKK

Where are these cowards? Why aren't they defending Americans from tyranny?

[louis-t]

77. You don't understand...

This guy IS the NRA. Fully supported by the NRA, supplied by NRA funders, they are one and the same.

[Mr.Bill]

19. That's a very impressive outfit.

If you're nine years old.

[merrily]

65. Mort Sahl, is that you?

I can’t look at Petraeus — his uniform ornamented like a Christmas tree with honors, medals and ribbons — without thinking of the great Mort Sahl at the peak of his brilliance. He talked about meeting General Westmoreland in the Vietnam days. Mort, in a virtuoso display of his uncanny detailed knowledge — and memory — of such things, recited the lengthy list (”Distinguished Service Medal, Croix de Guerre with Chevron, Bronze Star, Pacific Campaign” and on and on), naming each of the half-acre of decorations, medals, ornaments, campaign ribbons and other fripperies festooning the general’s sternum in gaudy display. Finishing the detailed list, Mort observed, “Very impressive!” Adding, “If you’re twelve.”

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=210087.0;wap2

[Mr.Bill]

73. Good eye.

I met Mort Sahl once and I've always like his humor. He was also a really nice guy.

[yuiyoshida]

20. YOU know...that might even be

Cool...

[RoccoR5955]

50. They only get training on how to operate the surplus gear

They get no training on WHEN and WHERE to use it, so they use it at their "discretion."

[Spitfire of ATJ]

22. Take all of that stuff away and he'll feel all exposed and nasty....

[YOHABLO]

23. He's doing what he is told to do folks. I don't think he wants to be there either.

[Ino]

33. Oh, I think he does want to be there.

This is the job he's chosen.

From G.I. Jane...

Blondell: Lieutenant, why are you doing this?
Jordan: Do you ask the men the same question?
Blondell: As a matter of fact: yes, I do ask them.
Jordan: And what do they say?
Blondell: "Cause I get to blow shit up."
Jordan: Well, there you go.

[A HERETIC I AM]

36. Where's the god damned "like" button?

[SammyWinstonJack]

56. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. He looks pretty comfortable to be there.

Power trip inducing....

[Ikonoklast]

64. He is a sniper, snipers are SWAT.

SWAT members *want* to be there.

If he didn't want to be a SWAT team member he wouldn't have put in for the extra training to become one.

That guy volunteered to do what he does, no one pointed a finger at him and said, "You are now a sniper."

[tea and oranges]

24. k&r Thnx for a much needed laugh! Excellent observations.

[RKP5637]

27. Yep, a Halloween costume fetish! n/t

[riderinthestorm]

28. Jayzus, agreed 100%. K&R nt

[tulsakatz]

29. they forgot....

...that they are supposed to be protecting the people!! The message in this picture is very clear, they think the people are the enemy!!!!

[tclambert]

30. I can't see him. He's wearing camouflage.

Not sure how I know that. Just do.

[csziggy]

84. That's not camouflage - that's dress up

THIS is camouflage!

[tclambert]

85. Loved that scene. Didn't like the way the story ended.

Acting Director of the CIA shooting a machine gun at bad guys? He really needs to work on his delegation skills.

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. And a .338 Lapua from 1000 yards away through the tip of his nose before he hears the shot.

If only.

(In other words, we have the ability to give as good as he can, but we don't)

Fucking assholes disgust me and make me embarrassed to be an American.

[Half-Century Man]

37. Just sitting there so cocksure of himself.

Perfectly silhouetted against the blue sky behind him. The exquisite sharp contrast between the colors of his skin of his arms and face, and the drab hues of his uniform. You could not make it easier to calculate body position at a glance. His weapon stabilizer is bulky, difficult to reposition, and prone to falling over when he moves.

This guy is a counter sniper's wet dream.

[VanGoghRocks]

41. And he's most vulnerable from behind (the bane of any sniper's existence). So

who's covering his back?

Oh, no one is covering his back?

Well, as Custer famously said at Little Big Horn with his dying breath, "Where the fuck did all those Indians come from?"

[eppur_se_muova]

69. Not familiar with gun tech, but ... isn't that a fully automatic (repeating) rifle ?

If not, why all the ventilation on the barrel ? I figured he was up there to spray the rabble with rapid fire at short range from high ground. The scope looks out of place.

[Half-Century Man]

87. Semi auto most likely. 1 Round per trigger pull.

Receiver looks to be based on Stoner's design (M-16 internals) but the upper receiver looks too large for chambering a 223 cal. round (standard M-16 round). I'm guessing something in 30 caliber.
The safety switch is under his right thumb, so the position marks are obscured. But just ahead of the scope is a flashlight and quick sight mounted on the barrel shroud, which kind of makes me have to say maybe it can go full auto (many rounds per single trigger pull).

[lastlib]

38. "Tin soldiers and [Cheney] coming"?

Last edited Mon Aug 18, 2014, 11:38 PM - Edit history (1)

"We're finally on our own,
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in O-hi-o."

(And one dead in Missouri)

"Gotta get down to it,
Soldiers are gunning us down;
'Shoulda been done long ago'
What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?...."

[SammyWinstonJack]

57. Yep.

[dixiegrrrrl]

90. Your post and the sig line.....absolutely perfect.

I well remember that day....and all the days before it, all the days after.
Our government killed 4 students, no one was ever charged.

[gordianot]

39. I find it interesting he has a St. Louis County patch.

St. Louis City, County, and the multitude of jurisdictions are a mess.

[toddwv]

40. It's an intimidation tactic.

He is highly visible on top of that truck that is usually parked within eyesight of protestors. The dumbest possible place for a true sniper.


Such a tactic serves no purpose other than to terrorize the "enemy" into complying, plain and simple.

[onethatcares]

43. "what did you do in the war, daddy?"

what explanation does he give his kids that might be learning about American history and the Bill of Rights?

[demmiblue]

44. K&R

[Blue_Adept]

45. Almost, but not quite

Captain America would be ashamed of all of that. That's been dealt with in the comics many times over the years and it had its own tangent in the recent movie which was hugely critical of the surveillance state as well.

No besmirching of Cap!

[LTX]

48. You're right. The more appropriate costume would be "Bullseye." n/t

[Shankapotomus]

46. Costume is exactly right

He's playing a role mostly in his own head.

[Tom Ripley]

47. Roided up and dressed up

Murderous playtime

[woo me with science]

49. It would be a costume if he weren't actually armed.

This is authoritarian fascism.

[leeroysphitz]

52. Very good question and very good rant. Perfectly on-point.

I was in the Army and never believed that the U.S. Army could be used to oppress American citizens on American soil. At least not the guys I served with. But local police? Oh yeah.

It seems that municipalities across the country have allowed their police departments to embrace some sort of Para-military style of policing and if I know cops they would like nothing better than to be "let off the leash" so to speak and be free to crack a few heads playing with all of their shiny new toys.

And now that they have these toys you KNOW they aren't just going to give them back just because of a little public outrage.

[AndreaCG]

53. Great post

That is a rant worthy of the Rude Pundit

[SammyWinstonJack]

54. Not too mention the huge ego/power trip that comes with wearing costume.

[davekriss]

55. Laughing. Stock. Of. America.

The Ferguson PD. the I only thing that would make them more clownish is if Rick Perry assumed the role of Police Chief.



Of course, recall where/how "clown faces" came in to being. It comes from Roman times when, after a Gladiator fell in the Coliseum, a clown would peel his face off and put it over his own, then go clowning about with it for the enjoyment of the elite laughing it up in their luxury seats. Sick. Perverse. Tragic. And so fitting for the clownish Ferguson PD.

Blood drips down from around their sick masks, too.

[tooeyeten]

58. "Guns down, damn it"

Was the cry of the intervenor after the failed Federal response by the Bush administration following the Katrina disaster.

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2014/08/ferguson_unrest_prompts_lt_gen.html

Ferguson begs the question why are police acting like they are military storming the cities in 2014 America, while looking like they are Russia taking over the Ukraine?

[Helen Borg]

59. The camouflage part is ludicrous!

Camouflage is very environment-specific... Urban camouflage should look very different!

[alphafemale]

61. Urban Camouflage?

[MineralMan]

60. But, see...that's how "warriors" are supposed to look.

It's in all the movies and stuff. It's in the magazines, too. You gotta have all that cool gear to be in fashion in the warrior world. {smiley included out of an abundance of caution}

You can shop online for it all. Here's one spiffy online store that has the latest fashions in cop gear:

http://www.galls.com/

[packman]

62. I want to know

where I can purchase a poster of him to put up on my wall. He's my hero. I expect his picture is going to be in every police locker room or on every military recruiting wall with the caption of "Job Skills you can carry over to civilian life."

That picture really pisses me off , but I am reminded that several years back they asked men/women in the military if they would be willing to fire on civilians if so ordered and the over whelming response was,"Yes".

[whereisjustice]

63. meanwhile, we can't afford text books for our kids, the price of our police state

[world wide wally]

66. My first thought on 9/11 was "this changes everything"

It did

[Chimeradog]

86. agree

+10000

This militarization is proof that sadism is an American cops dream, and now with DHS funding and equipment, its potential for abuse is unlimited.

Yeah, its "cool" to kill with impunity, seems to be the meme. In Walmart they sell pink camo rifles for girls (Tennessee of course)

[kath]

67. This really needs to go viral somehow.

[Generic Other]

68. Our freaking forefathers revolted against the British for less provocation

This is reminiscent of Baghdad, Gaza, Northern Ireland...Occupation forces look and act the same everywhere.

You are so right about the ridiculousness of the gear. A FX show of force and power by our military industrial complex. Fascism comes to mainstreet America. There's your poster boy. How long before our country breaks down in to armed factions with streets patrolled by heavily armed thugs? Oh. That's right. We crossed that police state line long ago.

[jimmil]

70. oh yes..... yesss.... Ohh OHHH YESSS YESS...

Every wanna be flag waving, I look so cool in camo, Obama is a Kenyan, let's send more troops everywhere, redneck, is getting a boner just looking at that picture.

[Liberal_in_LA]

71. plus 1000

[JDPriestly]

72. That would appeal a lot to a three-year-olld. Superman with a supergun.

Wow! Won't that amaze the kids in day care. I'll be so powerful. They won't dare take my toys ever again.

That's the mentality of it. A grown up would be embarrassed to wear that much military gear other than in the military or on Halloween.

Grow up, police of America. Grow up. Americans just aren't that dangerous.

[Oilwellian]

74. ROFL...I like the way you think n/t

[shaayecanaan]

75. what kind of idiot

sets up a rifle like that to aim at people thirty yards away was my initial response.

If I had a megaphone I would have given it to that guy long and hard.

[kairos12]

76. I prefer the Police Academy dude with the sound effects.

[indepat]

79. TPTB are funding the militarization of local police to the hilt in case the locals get restless and

tired of how their government treats then and operates at home and around the world and express their constitutional right to dissent. You would not believe the magnificent kill ratios a militarized police force with sophisticated and advanced weaponry could rack up on the streets of towns, hamlets, and cities across the good ole USofA.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

80. Looking for a good clean kill.

[johnnyreb]

81. CLASSIC DU post!!

DAYumn!

[csziggy]

82. But when Bruce Willis said "yippee-kai-yay mother-fucker"

He was in an undershirt, suit pants, and barefoot!

GREAT commentary on our dressed to go to combat police!

[Number23]

83. That's the thing I've been saying this all got started. Just how freaking stupid these

people look.

How needlessly and utterly foolish, like steroided little boys all dressed up. He may as well be sitting up there wearing a Buzz Lightyear costume.

[Heidi]

88. Kick, kick, kick!!!

[Paper Roses]

89. This makes me sick. Can I scream any louder?

What the heck have we become?

[ctsnowman]

91. Excellent!

[doxydad]

92. +1,000