Radley Balko Speaking at University of Virginia on Wednesday

Here are the details:

The Militarization of Main Street

A Talk by Radley Balko

Radley Balko, a senior editor of Reason magazine, will discuss how the drug war has turned our cops into soldiers, and America's streets into battlefields.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009 7:30 p.m.
Wilson Hall, Room 301

Sponsored by Students for Individual Liberty and ACLU at UVA

Comments

[roc]

Radley, we think you are a swell guy, but please don't start typing posts in third person.

[High Every Body]

Radley, we think you are a swell guy, but please don't start typing posts in third person.

But it adds a SWAT noticing quality, dontchathink?

[The Widow White]

Radley is such a wonderful boy! His mother must be so proud!

[Jeff P]

Not only will Radley continue refering to himself in the third person, but both his first and last names will become verbs, and uttering any anagram of his name (such as "adorably elk") will cost 12 cents per usage.

[Episiarch]

But does Radley like spicy chicken? Hands off Radley! Don't touch Radley!

[Jeff P, spending his federal r]

A Lardy Bloke!
Baked Orally!
Obey Lark Lad!

[Andrew Lynch]

"cops into soldiers, and America's streets into battlefields"

Nothing like a little hyperbole to put asses in seats. In Balko's teeny tiny world, Senator Palpatine will start creating armies of the republic, and then it's all downhill from there.

[Deep Lurker]

What hyperbole? If the cops were a militia, armed only with those weapons available to ordinary private citizens, that would be one thing. But since they're uniformed and better armed than us peons are allowed, they're troops, and come under the "No State shall, without Consent of Congress... keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace" clause. Has Congress given consent? (They probably have, the bastards.)

Or maybe it is time of War. But in that case the cops are making war against the citizens of the United States. Isn't that treason? (Now there's hyperbole for you.)