Are any Americans disgusted with the possibility that much of the riot gear

[randr]

and anti-rioting equipment being used against the Egyptian freedom fighters may have come from our tax dollars?
I saw a figure of 1.3 billion dollars in military aid was handed over the this dictator last year alone. Are we subsidizing tyranny?
Will the Egyptian patriots fighting for their freedom hold us accountable for complicity if they win?
Will we hear anyone ask these questions tomorrow when the talking head parade commences?

[Uben]

1. Riot gear is a necessity....

....and there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't make it in the U.S. We don't wanna ship those jobs overseas, too.

[earth mom]

27. FYI-The OP said that the riot gear may have come from OUR tax dollars.

Not that the riot gear was made in the U.S.!

The point is that OUR tax dollars are being stolen and frittered away on everything BUT for the good of the people of this country!

[aquart]

2. You wanted it all to have a Made in China label?

Because we would still have been paying for it.

AND GET THIS STRAIGHT: Riot control equipment is the stuff that hurts but isn't intended to kill. Water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, metal batons....unpleasant. But without it, they'd have to go to live ammunition immediately. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?

Using that tear gas was GOOD NEWS. It meant they wanted everyone to go home alive. That's changed.

[xchrom]

5. Lots of dead protestors in the morgues because those

Tear gas canisters were aimed at their heads.

The Egyptian police are noted thugs in Egypt - and the Egyptian protestors are making a point
Out of the fact that the equipment used to harm them is from America.

So you want more Egyptians angry with America.

[Tejas]

15. "because tear gas canisters were aimed at their heads." uh huh, 100's, maybe 1,000's!!1!

drama much?

[xchrom]

17. they really were killed exactly that way.

human rights watch have seen the bodies in the morgue and are recording eyewitness accounts.

if you've been following this -- at all -- you would know this.

this link provides some limited evidence of how tear gas has been used on protesters in the ME and egypt.
and that a big deal is made of the fact they are produced in the U.S.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/28/egypt.us.tear.gas/

this report from perth, australia
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/world/egyptian-police-clash-with-opposition-protesters-in-cairo/story-e6frg1p3-1225996446437
'In the capital, protesters poured out of mosques after Friday prayers and ran rampant through the streets, throwing stones and torching two police stations. Police chased them with batons, firing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.'

you can actually target people with those things.

human rights watch is on the scene gathering information on police abuses
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/04/10/egypt-investigate-police-use-force-protests

and here
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/01/28/watching-new-beginning-egypt
'Almost immediately, the armored police van started shooting tear gas directly at the crowd, engulfing them in acrid smoke. Our eyes burned as we watched. Police viciously attacked the protesters, even though the overwhelming majority had clearly expressed the desire to rally peacefully. '

these canisters being fired directly at people.

[Tejas]

19. links to "out of a nozzle/hose" is not the topic.

This overwhelming slaughter with cannisters, is it the result of blunt force trauma by getting hit in the head?

Not endorsing the actions of the police in any way, but hyperbole that rivals some of the BS that the corporate MSM is putting out is irrelevant.

[xchrom]

22. yes. they were hit in the head with the cannisters.

more -- warnings are printed on the equipment about dangers of pointing these things directly at people -- with just that outcome in mind.

some hyperbole.

[Tejas]

24. Proof or GTFO

Maybe you have a reliable body count due to blunt-force trauma from someone else besides the drama-meisters at FOX?

[xchrom]

26. i linked to cnn, perth now, and 2 links to human rights watch.

no fox.

[Cid_B]

16. Out of curiousity...

Have you ever shot a tear gas canister?

[EFerrari]

12. The BBC reporter that was beaten and arrested said

that hundreds of people had been detained and what happens is, you are beaten, tossed like sardines into a truck, taken several dozen miles out into the desert, beaten and robbed and left there to walk back into town.

[cali]

3. no.

[gtar100]

4. That is disgusting. And unfortunately, not surprising.

Just another indicator that it's corporate interests that control our foreign policy, not any worthwhile ideology.

[MicaelS]

6. No, no, maybe, and no. n/t

[MicaelS]

7. No, no, maybe, and no. n/t

[Enrique]

8. I heard a few C-span callers bring it up

:thumbsup:

[Jester Messiah]

9. Ambivalent.

Much of that 1.3 billion probably came right back home when Egypt bought that gear from us, as I assume was stipulated in the agreement that resulted in the aid. Of course, it would have been better if the administration had just dropped that 1.3 billion here at home, but as it stands... call it a dark cloud with a silver lining.

[SoCalDem]

10. It's just a product we make & sell

In "civil society" there still must be law enforcement, and they need "tools" to protect the peace.

Certainly some will go beyond the limit, and use those tools in a bad way, but every police department in the US has similar tools...and we do sell them to others too.

The people in power buy those tools, and when an uprising occurs, they will use them...even against their own rightfully pissed off population:(

At some point the humanity of the police/military using them, will kick in (we hope) and they will stop using the tools against their neighbors..and join them..

[EFerrari]

11. Yes, we have been armng a brutal regme against their own citizens

for what, thirty years now? It's disgusting.

[Tejas]

20. Let's stop paying China too.

[seabeyond]

13. no. nt

[Tejas]

14. US.mil sold Mex.gov plenty of M-16's, cartels have them now.

"Will we hear anyone ask these questions tomorrow when the talking head parade commences?"


Haven't heard squat about that in the MSM, but the OMFG about tear gas canisters makes headlines. Imagine that!

[Chisox08]

18. The tear gas had made in America on it

At least something is still made in America.
USA USA we're number one. USA USA

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Spreading democracy canister by canister. And, making money doing it. USA!!

[Codeine]

23. There's nothing inherently evil about riot gear.

I hold the user responsible, not the manufacturer.

[toddaa]

25. Look on the bright side

At least we still make something in the USA.