Thanks to JPMassar for the image below-
Call me a coward, but I'm afraid of pepper-spray & tanks. I've been pepper-sprayed, but I've never been rolled over by a tank. Don't want to be.
I hope the UC Davis pepper-spraying forces the MSM to examine why violence is being used against peaceful protestors, but a Yahoo "news" article from last Friday entitled Police 'Tank' Spurs Wild Speculation at Occupy Tampa Rally points in another direction.
Of course the appearance of a "tank" at a peaceful protest "spurs wild speculation." What do you think it would spur...calm reflection?
The world is rightly recoiling in disgust from the pepper-spraying in UCDavis. Law enforcement agencies will hopefully get the message and step back from the employment of violence to quell, or castigate, non-violent protestors. Hopefully, they will also not follow Tampa's example of rolling out tanks, armored personnel carriers, to intimidate or crush non-violent protest.
Photo of the "tank" (APC) rolled out in Tampa as posted by Anonymous to Twitter.
Technically it is an APC, armored personnel carrier, & strongly resembles the
command version of the M113 so often used in Vietnam.
Let's give Yahoo credit, they sure know how to protect the rights of tanks who are slandered by anonymous posters online.
I have to admit that when I first saw the tank, it felt ominous and an extreme measure.
But then I took a closer look.
Oh, I guess it turned out to not be so "extreme" after all, kind of like it isn't "extreme" when you it is someone else getting pepper-sprayed?.
"Rescue 2" and it goes by the nickname "High-Top Shoe." Despite its somewhat menacing appearance, it is just a vehicle that's built tough for transporting people in extreme conditions and circumstances.
You might think the focus of the Yahoo news story would be why such an amored tracked vehicle of the type used to penetrate the jungles of Vietnam, would be needed in the paved streets of Tampa, Florida against 2 dozen un-armed protestors. You'd be wrong.
(Below photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/...)
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The author was obsessed because a handful of people online were exaggerating the significance of the "tank." Clearly the fact that such a tactic would be used against unarmed protestors was of far less import than not mis-representing the intent behind the tanks use.
protestors are still jumping to wild conclusions about the vehicle...a handful of people have left comments that liken the presence of the vehicle to the events that took place at Tiananmen Square. Considering that Tiananmen Square was an all-out blood bath that involved armed soldiers, Type 59 battle tanks, and resulted in the deaths of possibly thousands, I would call the comparison far-off and extreme.
Use of the tank isn't extreme, but comparing its use to other situations is! Let's not malign the use of tanks against unarmed peaceful citizens. Tanks are people too, just as much as pepper-spray or corporations, & we should respect their rights.
An armored rescue vehicle parked next to otherwise lackluster and uneventful protest can in no way be compared to what might be one of the most horrible events to take place in the past 100 years.
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Unfortunately, I was unable to get any comments from any TPD officers on the "Rescue 2" and why they felt the need to bring out to the protest.
Perhaps what the author of the news story should be focused on is less why a "handful" over-react & more on the question for police authorities of "why they felt the need to bring" the "tank" out at all.
Here's hoping law enforcement agencies stop acting like Yahoos. And, if they don't, that the MSM start asking the important questions.