OPINION:
The Pentagon’s recent demand is the height of political correctness run amok, and it will cost more lives (“Pentagon orders Ferguson to return Humvees,” Web, Aug. 12). In August of last year, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, police confronted protesters with snipers atop armored vehicles because they had intelligence there was going to be violence. That show of force prevented the violence. The media and political left became livid, however, saying the officers were overreacting. So the officers backed down. The next day the looters went wild, just as the intelligence had predicted. In the recent riots in Baltimore the police were held back by the mayor because she did not want to upset the protesters and escalate matters. This let the looters run wild for an entire night.
Now, a year after Brown’s death, with Ferguson on the cusp of even more violence, the Pentagon wants to take away the Ferguson Police Department’s Humvees. This at a time when supposedly “law-abiding” protesters are blocking streets with large barricades.
The Pentagon should be giving Ferguson more Humvees in the face of all this protesting. Instead it is disarming the town. This will of course encourage more thugs like Brown to attack the police, riot and loot. “The lives of those in blue matter, too” should be the new slogan.
COMM. WAYNE L. JOHNSON
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy (retired)
Alexandria
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