Au contrair, mon frere...
That argument was the initial thrust of this discussion.
Although getting beaten repeatedly with the Nevada State Constitution seems to have quelled that branch of the debate...Many... several here...
Agreed. Pretty much anyone with a brain and a soap box has figured out that Bundy's legal arguments are complete fantasy.
If the fundamental relationship of federal vs state land were to be revisited (as many Bundy supporters would like) then, maybe. But, that is a different argument, and one which is far from being decided. The fact that Bundy has jumped the gun and acted as if the changes were a done deal does not do his cause much good.
Over reaction is bad. I agree that we have too many anti-personnel assets in the hands of agencies who only deal with US citizens.
Bundy is justification for those agencies to claim they need such equipment.
All that db has done is up the budget for new gear...
Can't argue with that. If a situation arises where they need heavy equipment, then maybe these agencies should be asking the army or national guard, and involving a potentially more stable command structure.

If they showed up once and I chased 'em off, then I should as heck would excpect that they would show back up heavily armed....;)

Now I wonder where Ted Nugent and Wayne LaPierre have been . . . :D

A rising tide lifts all boats.

If a bunch of yahoos can easily bring an armory to a standoff that they have engineered, shouldn't law enforcement types be able to have sufficient firepower to protect themselves?

Are you implying that if I fail to report a few hundred dollars of 1099 income, the first response of the IRS will be to send a few helicopter gunships to my neighborhood? Not very cost-effective if you ask me.

Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne.

Do we really want a paramilitary national police force? I beg you to consider the wider ramifications of that.

Yes, that's exactly what I am suggesting. Keep police, police. Keep the military, military.

If there's an insurrection send in the military.

Different tools for different jobs. If we give police the training that the military gets then expect a big body count because military training is most definitely not about restraint.

For way too many people on here, I think the answer is, " It all depends on your political POV".
It should NEVER come down to political POV. THAT, my friends is TYRANNY.

I have not seen the deployment of what you describe in "typical" law enforcement situations. What is a typical situation? I do think that law enforcement should be trained and equipped for modern day situations that law enforcement is finding themselves in, particularly at a federal level. I don't believe that a tank or APC is necessary for basic law enforcement, but I don't harbor any resentment for an officer wearing tactical body armor or being certified on a weapon larger than a 9mm when serving a warrant in a high risk situation or affecting an arrest where the risk of the use of deadly force is high.

Whatever support Bundy has received here has been extremely tepid and the focus has been on the federal gov's strategy and/or the federal gov's management of land in the western states.

In my experience, people in the eastern and coastal states have no clue how their western brothers view federal land management. Usually the words, "arrogant", "ignorant", "stupid" and the phrases "heavy-handed" and "power-mad" soon enter the conversation.

Most of the time those western folks are probably wrong and/or over-reacting. But there is sufficient truth to it that the resentment never dissipates and suspicions are constant such that even a goofball like Bundy gets support from people who ordinarily wouldn't think much of him because he's taking advantage of the goodwill of his neighbors. However, the hate for the feds is greater than the contempt for Bundy.

Increasing the firepower and sending in paramilitary law enforcement is unlikely to improve relationships. Sure, Bundy has earned the federal attention through his own actions. Now the feds have made him a local celebrity and an emerging national hero.

Is this the outcome we want?

"Bonus Army", the slaughter of protesting citizens by the government is unfortunate nothing new.

Sorry, but increasing the capability of law enforcement will surely create rancor among the Yosemite Sam militia-types drawn to such situations. At best, the most reasonable law enforcement response that I can recommend at this time is...

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazin...un-150x150.jpg

I generally agree with that, but that is not the argument I made.

False choice. It isn't Delta Force or Barney Fife. There is a continuum between those extremes.

If there is no difference, why do you refer to the 'far left' and radical right'?

If there is no difference, they must both be radical at equal ends of the window.

Its not so easy to tell with you. Besides I can't ever stop from answering questions even when I know they are sarcastic.