US Shootings

Obama is already calling for "meaningful action" against gun crime. But [iwhat kind[/i of meaningful action?

The wise choice would be to conduct a well-financed, independent enquiry which, rather than focusing narrowly on technicalities such as this or that particular caliber or semi-automatic vs fully automatic etc., instead looks at gun violence as a [iproduct of its socio-economic context.[/i

Unfortunately, my guess is Obama means pouring more of the state's money into the burgeoning commercial market for domestic militarization. Since the election of Ronald Reagan the dividing line between the police and the military blurred increasingly (and, more importantly, worryingly). Post 9/11, George W. Bush's Patriot Act and perhaps, worst of all, Obama it no longer exists. In cities such as New York, Orlando and Los Angeles the police are now equipped with the very same technologies as those employed by the US Marines on the streets of Kabul. Congressmen bankrolled by defence contractors such as Lockheed and even BAE are lobbying for multi-billion dollar contracts to purchase unmanned drones, armoured vehicles and assault weapons under the specious rubric of "urban pacification". The investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill noted that the first people into New Orleans immediately after hurricane Katrina were the highly-controversial mercenary army, Blackwater (now absurdly titled, "Academi"icon_wink.gif. When California was recently threatened by a spate of brush fires it wasn't FEMA which was called out to manage the situation but the US Army. The FBI now has sufficient weapons and materiel to start a war against several small nations [iat once[/i with the expectation of victory. The CIA, which is constitutionally forbidden from actions within the United States now no longer even operates under a pretense. In the last decade over 70 so-called "Fusion Centres" have been set up domestically (with at least one in each state) to collate, organise and interpret intelligence gathered on US citizens. Recently, an alarming case came to light where a 20 year old woman who had done nothing more than work as a volunteer on Ron Paul's election campaign discovered she had been blacklisted as a potential threat to national security. Attempts by activists to clarify this decision were met by an overwhelming shield of secrecy. Then there are the newly created internment camps designed not just for terrorists but anyone the state deems a threat. Observers note that these camps are uniformly identified in an innocuous fashion in order to mislead the public, but it's pretty difficult to argue such a purpose when you see triple barbed-wire fences pointing inwards, guard towers etc. Even more alarming is their positioning adjacent to rail lines which has caused more than one commentator to make the obvious connection to German concentration camps.

It would be wrong to claim Americans are now living in a police state. But post 9/11 I think it is reasonable to suggest they are closer today than at any point in history. Moreover, it wouldn't take an enormous effort to push it over the precipice. I think there are more than a few parallels with the Wiemar Republic which ultimately dissolved into fascism when the same kind of debt bubble that exists in America today collapsed. If I lived stateside I'd be hoping the stars don't converge to juxtapose the inevitable financial meltdown with another domestic terrorist attack. Where THAT might lead I'd be too worried to contemplate.