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Leon Lott's Big Toy
When I first read that Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff Leon Lott was planning to pursue charges against Michael Phelps, I thought the sheriff's name looked familiar.
Then I remembered, I wrote about him in the Citings section of our December issue.
In March the sheriff and SWAT team of Richland County, South Carolina, posedfor a photo with an impressive new piece of equipment: an M113A1 armored personnel carrier. The vehicle, which moves on tank-like tracks, features a belt-fed, turreted machine gun that fires .50-caliber rounds.
The sheriff, Leon Lott, obtained the $300,000 vehicle through the 1033 program, named for a 1997 federal law streamlining the Defense Department’s transfer of surplus military equipment to local police departments...
Charles Earl Barnett, a U.S. Marines veteran and retired police major who has served on several United Nations and NATO military and peacekeeping missions, says a .50-caliber machine gun is “completely inappropriate” for domestic police work. It “causes mass death and destruction,” Barnett says. “It’s indiscriminate. I can’t think of a possible scenario where it would be appropriate.”
Sheriff Lott has named his new acquisition The Peacemaker, explaining in a press release that the name is fitting because “the bible refers to law enforcement in Matthew 5:9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ ”
Let's just hope God helps the next kid who lights up at a University of South Carolina frat party.
JCoke|2.5.09 @ 2:24PM|#
I don't know if that passage was referring to peacemakers in that retarded Texan way, or if it was actually referring to people who believe in and spread peace and love.
Elemenope|2.5.09 @ 2:24PM|#
Sheriff Lott has named his new acquisition The Peacemaker,
explaining in a press release that the name is fitting because "the
bible refers to law enforcement in Matthew 5:9 'Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.'
"
I'm pretty damn sure Jesus wasn't talking about the Roman
constabulary, and he *definitely* wasn't talking about peace being
made at the point of a sword/barrel of a gun.
What an ass.
Kolohe|2.5.09 @ 2:30PM|#
Sheriff Lott has named his new acquisition The
Peacemaker,
Because M113A1 Armored Personal Carrier is too hard to say in
conversation, son.
Also, as has been said, most out of context bible quotation,
ever.
EJM|2.5.09 @ 2:32PM|#
Not only that, but there's a related September H&R post featuring a photo (to which Wikipedia's entry on the county happens to link).
Elemenope|2.5.09 @ 2:33PM|#
I bet that thing could kill a lot of dogs!
[Laughs weakly.]
...
[sounds of retching]
|2.5.09 @ 2:33PM|#
Hey, look, Phelps is a big dude, and he's fast. They need that .50 cal in case he makes a break for it in a nearby body of water.
|2.5.09 @ 2:38PM|#
Texan? Is Sherrif Lott from Texas? I assumed he was born in South Carolina (although his comments remind me of a certain yankee born in Milton, Massachusetts in 1946).
EJM|2.5.09 @ 2:45PM|#
Is [Sheriff] Lott from Texas? I assumed he was born in South
Carolina[...]
It looks like he was born in
Aiken.
|2.5.09 @ 2:45PM|#
Barnett says: "It's indiscriminate. I can't think of a possible
scenario where it would be appropriate."
Well Barnett, what if you have to serve a warrant on a GUN
OWNER?
SIV|2.5.09 @ 2:48PM|#
In a free society the military would give me an equal chance at obtaining a de-accessioned APC with a .50 BMG machine gun. I bid $300,001.
|2.5.09 @ 2:49PM|#
#2, Would this be the same Jesus who said he came not to bring
peace but the sword?
no hugs for thugs,
Shirley Knott
|2.5.09 @ 2:52PM|#
Why are fundies so fucking hypocritical? I remember it being a central theme of the gospels.
Elemenope|2.5.09 @ 2:57PM|#
Would this be the same Jesus who said he came not to bring
peace but the sword?
That would make him, roughly, not a peacemaker. Therefore, the
Matthew 5 passage does not apply to him.
Kolohe|2.5.09 @ 2:58PM|#
SIV-
$40K.
And AUD to boot. The post says they had 62 of them 4 years ago, may
still have some left. Got to go to New Zealand though. (which I'm
guessing is quite nice this time of year).
LarryA|2.5.09 @ 3:03PM|#
When President Obama talks about my M-1A semiauto "assault
weapon" he says "such military weapons belong only on foreign
battlefields."
Who knew that included South Carolina?
EJM|2.5.09 @ 3:07PM|#
Would this be the same Jesus who said he came not to bring
peace but the sword?
Again,
Wikipedia is our friend.
|2.5.09 @ 3:15PM|#
Anyone who tows the lion for the Drug Was as hard as Sheriff Lott does, needs a big ass gun.
Kreel Sarloo|2.5.09 @ 3:41PM|#
There was another Leon guy that was big on terrorizing the
citizenry to bring them into line.
He ended up with an icepick in his skull on orders from a regular
joe that was even bigger into terror.
creech|2.5.09 @ 3:54PM|#
Right, Ed. Let's hope the whole Clemson student body gets out in front, a la Tank Guy in Tianemen Square, and foils this dipshit sheriff's plans.
robc|2.5.09 @ 3:59PM|#
It pisses me off that no one wore a tank guy tee shirt on the medal stand at the last olympics.
Hormonal Redhead|2.5.09 @ 4:03PM|#
Hey, don't blame all Texans for the rotten ones. Some of us
actually care about our civil liberties.
And I'm not a Christian, but even I know Matthew 5:9 refers to
those who peacefully settle conflicts between warring parties, not
to law enforcement.
ed|2.5.09 @ 4:12PM|#
Let's hope the whole Clemson student body gets out in front,
a la Tank Guy in Tianemen Square
An American who could get himself videotaped doing it would become
an instant hero.
The Medic|2.5.09 @ 4:13PM|#
I'm a wee bit concerned about civilian Police personnel armed
with an APC and a .50 cal turret. What on earth could cops possibly
need a weapon of tha mass destruction in a city?
I don't think these yokels understand the significant damage that a
.50 cal can inflict!
JFC
A .50 cal round can obliterate human flesh. I had to pull countless
amounts of shrapnel out of Iraqi civilians that got caught in the
cross fire of American troops and Iraqi rebels. Its not pretty.
Quite literally a pound of flesh is lost when someone is hit with
one of these rounds. If it dosn't kill them. I've seen what happens
when a Marine walks infront of one that is firing. we had to use a
turkey baster to pick up most of his face.
I removed 4 rolls of curlex, and I was forearm deep in a guys
backside pulling out dead tissue and chunks of flesh.
The guy took a .50 cal round to the thigh, it wrapped around to his
buttocks. He was lucky he didn't tear an artery.
These weapons do not belong in American streets, much less in the
hands of hard core Drug busting, dog shooting yokels.
I don't care if he was a Marine, that doesn't qualify him to
terrorize civilians.
disgusting.
Doc
"The idea of achieving security through national armament is, at
the present state of military technique, a disastrous illusion."
-Albert Einstein
The Medic|2.5.09 @ 4:18PM|#
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not
come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against
his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will
be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more
than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more
than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and
follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will
lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."
(Matthew 10:34-39 NASB)
Sounds a bit full of himself?
This is why I am an Atheist.
Warty|2.5.09 @ 4:24PM|#
Leon Lott? Did Don Boobe knock the football out of his hand as he was just about to score?
Xeones|2.5.09 @ 4:30PM|#
Come on. Who here wouldn't get an M113 for driving to the grocery, or just generally around, if given the chance to buy one? Plus there's the allure of being able to drive your enemy before you, shoot his dogs, hear the lamentations of his women, etc.
|2.5.09 @ 4:34PM|#
"""I'm pretty damn sure Jesus wasn't talking about the Roman
constabulary, and he *definitely* wasn't talking about peace being
made at the point of a sword/barrel of a gun."""
I've had some people, mostly christian right-wingers, argure that
Jesus is pro-torture and pro-war. I kid you not.
I guess I should expect that from people who want to marry religion
with politics.
Hormonal Redhead|2.5.09 @ 4:35PM|#
Medic:
Unfortunately, lots of yahoos (in TX and elsewhere) think they need
big guns, big trucks, big whatever to prove they are "real men." As
a woman, I look at guys like that as needing to compensate for a
certain inadequacy.
I can only imagine the horrific damage you describe, and I'm sure
my imagination does it no justice. Let's hope this jerk never
actually decides to use that thing.
|2.5.09 @ 4:40PM|#
I can only imagine the horrific damage you describe, and I'm
sure my imagination does it no justice. Let's hope this jerk never
actually decides to use that thing.
I don't like the odds on that. "Why have if you're not going to use
it?" seem to be the prevailing attitude in regards to such things.
That's how we'll wind up with SWAT teams doing dynamic entry
warrant service on delinquent parking tickets and housing code
violations, if that isn't happening already.
Warty|2.5.09 @ 4:46PM|#
I've often thought that if I had enough money, I would collect
tanks and APCs and drive them around on my gigantic ranch. I could
use them to hunt elephants, or something. That would be rad.
However, redneck cops are better off without such toys.
Trey Garrison|2.5.09 @ 4:49PM|#
Hormonal Redhead,
A lot of cities in North Texas want the same toys Sheriff Lott
has.
http://www.treygarrison.com/2009/02/stimulating-the-militarization-of-north-texas-police/
And some nice landscaping, too.
Hormonal Redhead|2.5.09 @ 4:49PM|#
David: "I don't like the odds on that. "Why have if you're not
going to use it?" seem to be the prevailing attitude in regards to
such things."
Unfortunately, you're probably right. Though I doubt anyone's going
to take Lott's new toy away from him. Of course, if he did use it
and the end result was horrible enough, it might get him ousted as
sheriff. But I don't wish that kind of damage on anyone. That would
be the ends justifying the means, which is the kind of thinking
that got us the whole War on Freedom to begin with.
Hormonal Redhead|2.5.09 @ 4:54PM|#
Trey:
Oh, joy. Wish they'd all take nice landscaping and leave the
military toys to the military. Arlington does have some gang
troubles, not sure about Irving, but Frisco??? Geez!
Thanks for something else to worry about. :-)
*reaches for the Midol*
|2.5.09 @ 5:04PM|#
Coming from someone who has a sister, brother-in-law, 6-year old niece and 3-year old nephew in Richland County, I hope this moronic excuse for a "peace" officer, is quickly tossed from office. I can't imagine in what fever dream this foolish, foolish man imagined the necessity of such a powerful weapon. We're not all a bunch of yahoo's down here and I will certainly do everything I can to toss this idiot out of office.
Brian Sorgatz|2.5.09 @ 5:16PM|#
Richland County, South Carolina, is thousands of miles away, but I can detect the odor of bacon from all the way over there.
Hormonal Redhead|2.5.09 @ 5:26PM|#
McDizzle: "We're not all a bunch of yahoo's down here and I will
certainly do everything I can to toss this idiot out of
office."
I'll be rooting for ya. If I could vote against him, I would. May
your family be safe.
Btw, my "yahoo" comment at 4:35 wasn't intended to call most people
from SC (or TX, my home state) "yahoos," just to imply that there
are a lot of them around making life difficult for the rest of
us.
|2.5.09 @ 5:26PM|#
Wanna bet Arpaio is jealous? I'd wager Lott is just waiting for a biker rally to pop up in his county, gotta limber up that .50 once in a while.
Anonymo the Anonymous|2.5.09 @ 5:30PM|#
Anyone who wants to wear a badge should be required to first
watch every episode* of The Andy Griffith Show and write
5,000 words on Sheriff Taylor as a model for conflict resolution
and professional disposition.
*-the color ones don't count
T|2.5.09 @ 6:09PM|#
To echo The Medic's comment above, there is no earthly use for a .50 cal machine gun in domestic law enforcement. A .50 round will go completely through just about every building within a mile of you. The certainty of collateral damage should discourage anybody with a brain from using one.
highnumber|2.5.09 @ 6:40PM|#
I believe it was a .50 gun on the APC that my Pops rode in Viet Nam. One anecdote had him and the crew test firing the gun until they got word on the radio that an Army Corps of Engineers unit was pinned down by machine gun fire about a mile away. Powerful machine guns make for some powerful hijinks!
Clemsonuee|2.5.09 @ 6:47PM|#
Richland County holds the University of South Carolina not
Clemson University. I consider it an unconscionable statement to
compare the beautiful idyllic setting of Clemson University to the
ugly hellhole that is the city of Columbia, South Carolina.
The joke in the state is that the only thing that separates
Columbia from Hell is a screen door.
The cops in Clemson are more into busting underage drinking than
doing anything hard like drug busts.
|2.5.09 @ 6:50PM|#
I look at guys like that as needing to compensate for a
certain inadequacy.
That's only because you, like most women, don't understand men.
Cool toys don't make our cocks seem any bigger to us. Driving four
wheel drive trucks through mud is fun (driving them on clean
highways is expensive and wasteful). Shooting guns is fun. Riding
motorcycles or ATVs is fun. Even the most pacifist left-wing
non-macho-type men will admit they like doing these things - once
you get them out to try it.
I have an ultra-left buddy (thinks NPR is conservative) who after
going shooting with me said, "shooting guns is pretty fun". His
penis didn't feel any bigger...as far as I know. Well, maybe it
did. I didn't ask.
Famous Mortimer|2.5.09 @ 8:09PM|#
"Shooting guns is fun. Riding motorcycles or ATVs is fun. Even
the most pacifist left-wing non-macho-type men will admit they like
doing these things - once you get them out to try it."
Since a woman's life predominantly revolves around the size her
tits, and the size of other women's tits, they attempt to apply
that same type of Freudian logic to men who simply want to have
fun.
Things like the pursuit of adventure and tinkering, and the tools
that typically come with them are based in evolutionary psychology,
not feminist daydreaming.
|2.5.09 @ 8:25PM|#
Next month, Drug Warrior Leon Lott will request high speed boats, submarines, and jet skis to help his fight against fast swimmers doing something less harmful than alcohol. You know, in the name of economic stimulus to create jobs.
BT6|2.5.09 @ 10:31PM|#
"Let's hope the whole Clemson student body gets out in front, a
la Tank Guy in Tianemen Square
An American who could get himself videotaped doing it would become
an instant hero."
Or, more likely, Instant Cream of Wheat.
zoltan|2.6.09 @ 11:12AM|#
Sure, bigbigslacker, these cops who are using weapons that far outstrip what is necessary are just having "fun". There is an obvious element of satisfaction--which comes from having power one didn't have before such a weapon. There's a huge difference between an ATV and a 50-cal.
|2.6.09 @ 11:53AM|#
Jesus H Christ. There are times when I'm glad I live in the United Commonwealth of Australia.
|2.12.09 @ 11:03AM|#
I wonder if Leon would mow down Jesus with his new toy if he
knew that Jesus smoked peyote.....?
Baptists!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Tobin|2.12.09 @ 11:57AM|#
Just a look at this guy's web page http://www.rcsd.net/bio.html
is a look at someone that is pretty pathetic. His "I love me wall"
is amazing, the only thing that I didn't see there was his
certificate for not wetting himself for a whole week in
kindergarten.
Richmond County has a website that includes tourism. I think that
one would have a better time vacationing in Gaza.
|2.12.09 @ 12:41PM|#
Back when the good Sheriff was still working Narcotics, he dressed like Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice and drove a confiscated Porsche-why does his aquisition of an armored personnel carrier not surprise me-corrupt and indiscriminate law enforcement is nothing new for the South
|2.12.09 @ 12:48PM|#
Leon Lott is a whack job. He advances his own selfish desires as
he "steals" from taxpayers for his twisted kinks. Look into his
life, his taxpayer paid purchases as sheriff, and his routine abuse
of power.
Leon Lott should be locked up. One example - Lott is a habitual
speeder. The "act of speeding" is dangerous, it kills and it
terrorizes. His continual, unabashed speeding is a willful act that
destroys other people for personal emotional gain. Lott is a
dangerous terrorist. However, the "act of smoking pot" does not
kill - ever. Acts performed while high might be dangerous, but, the
act of taking a bong hit is a benign act. Acts of speeding cause
other people to die, when performed deliberately as in Lott's case,
and therefore, is terrorist behavior.
Jail Leon Lott and Save the world.
eMail Leon Lott at: sheriff@rcsd.net
|2.12.09 @ 8:44PM|#
Leon Lott sounds like he has been smoking crack cocaine! Is he just doingthis for the publicity? If this were in Canada or other civilized countries it would have barely been mentioned. Leon go and catch some real criminals
wildcat4ever|2.12.09 @ 10:40PM|#
I've lived 50 years now and thought I'd seen some pretty petty and stupid shit in my life. But this crazed vendetta that Lott seems to have for a kid that hit a bong at a frat party is just mind-blowing to say the least. I've been paying taxes that support assholes like this for over 35 years now and it's really starting to piss me off. This self centered, holier than though nut-job needs to step back and take a long look at himself. Fucking Corruption with a capital C. With all the real violence and hard crime we have going on in the world today this is so meaningless and not to mention costly to all taxpayers. The best he could get even in a conviction is a misdemeanor possession charge,.. WOW.. let's spend a few hundred thousand on extradition and court costs to bust this kid that smoke five dollars worth of weed. IDIOT!
wildcat4ever|2.12.09 @ 10:44PM|#
BTW.. I've also been smoking weed for 35 years while holding a job, paying my taxes, raising a family, and being a responsible citizen. I've never robbed, killed, cheated, raped, pillaged...etc. GET A FUCKING LIFE LEON!!!!
|2.13.09 @ 12:42PM|#
Leon is just another dumb hick in a starched clown suit on a fast power trip to nowhere. Thankfully, egos like his usually blow a tire from over-inflation right before they crash and burn. He'll be in the news again, and it'll be entertaining, I'm sure.
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