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Police Chief: Turn in Friends & Neighbors Who Are ‘Gun Enthusiasts’ So Cops Can ‘Vet’ Them
FreeThought Project ^ | December 5, 2014 | Jay Syrmopoulos

Posted on 12/07/2014 5:52:35 PM PST by Altariel

Austin, Texas – In what sounds like something out of the Cold War Soviet Union playbook, Austin Police Chief, Art Acevedo urged the community to turn in neighbors and friends who are “gun enthusiasts” or who have “extreme” views, just days after Larry McQuilliams shot-up buildings in Austin.

Acevedo, in a press conference, stated that he is fearful of “homegrown” terrorists like McQuilliams who harbor “hate” and have access to firearms.

But what Americans should be fearful about isn’t the likes of McQuilliams, but rather the response by Acevedo on how to go about countering these perceived threats.

While obviously no rational or sane person supports mass killings and violence, when you look deeper at the statements made by Acevedo, his words are frightening, invoke images of the former Soviet Union’s KGB and are extremely un-American.

The statements made by Acevedo sound like something straight out of George Orwell’s 1984.

“And that’s why it’s important for us as Americans to know our neighbors, know our families- tell somebody. If you know somebody that is acting with a lot of hatred towards any particular group- especially if it’s somebody you know is a gun enthusiast or is armed with these type of firearms and they’re showing any kind of propensity for hatred- it doesn’t mean we’re going to take them to jail, but we might want to vet these people.”

To take the exercising of civil rights, protected by the First and Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, and turn them into something that makes someone a suspect, or person of interest for law enforcement, is disingenuous to every principle of freedom the U.S. was founded upon and a very dangerous precedent to set.

The First Amendment specifically covers people holding “extreme” views, even if these views are unpopular or perhaps repugnant and vulgar. The unpopular or “extreme” opinions held by individuals are protected under the U.S. Constitution, and specifically the Bill of Rights.

Those with unpopular political ideas have always borne the brunt of governmental repression, hence the Founding Fathers creating a Constitution to protect this type of speech in the first place.

Acevedo’s statements seem like a continuation of a narrative that has been all too common in recent years, as seen in the MIAC report, which claimed that potential terrorists include people who own gold, Ron Paul supporters, libertarians, and even people who fly the U.S. flag.

Then in 2012 there was a leaked Homeland Security study that claimed Americans who are “reverent of individual liberty,” and “suspicious of centralized federal authority” are possible “extreme right-wing” terrorists.

More recently, Senator Harry Reid labeled those who supported rancher Cliven Bundy, in his standoff with the Bureau of Land Management, as domestic terrorists.

The idea that holding beliefs outside the mainstream is suspicious and warrants investigation by law enforcement should raise red flags for all Americans about the increasingly totalitarian/fascist nature of our government.

Why does being angry about the injustices seen daily across our country and owning legal firearms make you suspicious or a potential criminal/terrorist?

These ideas being forwarded by Acevedo and the federal government are offensive, repugnant and fly in the face of liberty, justice and freedom, and are more closely aligned to a modern day Gestapo than a government “for the people, by the people.”

Why should people engaging in constitutionally protected activities be under increased scrutiny from their government and its law enforcement apparatus in what is proclaimed to be a free society?


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 1984; acevedo; artacevedo; austin; banglist; domesticterrorists; donutwatch; larrymcquilliams; leo; leosoutofcontrol; policechief; texas; turninfriends; tx
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To: null and void

Well it certainly ain’t Ponch and John.


61 posted on 12/07/2014 8:56:20 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: null and void
At no point in history has any government ever wanted its people to be defenseless for any good reason ~ nully's son

Worth repeating from a brilliant son, nully. Thanks.

62 posted on 12/07/2014 9:04:27 PM PST by PGalt
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To: smokingfrog

Yep! ;)


63 posted on 12/07/2014 9:05:09 PM PST by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris, Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!)
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To: LevinFan
Yet every time I turn around, Texas sounds like USSR.

That's because it is, in some ways. Texas has a serious nanny state problem.

64 posted on 12/07/2014 9:19:41 PM PST by Spirochete (GOP: Give Obama Power)
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To: null and void

65 posted on 12/07/2014 9:26:56 PM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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Nanny Bloomberg's puppet.


66 posted on 12/07/2014 9:35:01 PM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: tanknetter

Just call the local TIPS line. Regularly. From a variety of public phones. Swamp the bastards.


67 posted on 12/07/2014 9:39:37 PM PST by Don W (When blacks riot, neighborhoods burn. When whites riot, nations and CONTINENTS burn))
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To: txnativegop

Texans should wall Austin in and do occasional food drops if they behave and lose the Nazi Overlord garbage.


68 posted on 12/08/2014 2:28:52 AM PST by TheOldLady
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To: Don W

I don’t see many public phones these days.


69 posted on 12/08/2014 4:16:15 AM PST by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: OKSooner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting


70 posted on 12/08/2014 5:26:40 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: Altariel

If he wants to find the ‘bad guys’ with guns, just check out Face Book...( I am NOT on FB) (I don’t think - I supposedly erased myself<: <:)

Anyway we always see the ‘Hoods’ showing off their gold teeth while holding a weapon and a wad of money or a joint.

If I hit the lottery for a few hundred mill, I don’t believe I would be showing my mug on FB - even without the money, I just don’t see myself posing - now if I were a hunter and ‘bagged a bigun’ MAYBE.

OTOH good thing for FB, without it WE would still be being told Trayvon was a 12 yo skipping down the sidewalk on the way to Grandmas house and M Brown was an aspiring College student who was always reading and doing his homework - maybe even a ‘Gentle Giant’.....So FB does have SOME social value.....


71 posted on 12/08/2014 5:54:48 AM PST by xrmusn ((6/98) Would love to buy BO for what he is worth, then sell him for what he thinks he is worth.)
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To: Altariel

For General Interest and especially Virginia people in and around Alexandria, the Police there have been going into businesses handing out fliers that say businesses have a ‘right’ to not allow Open Carry in their establishments.
When they were called on it by VCDL, the backtracked and said the reason they did it was two fold, informing the business owners of their ‘right’ AND informing them that it is ‘OK’ for Open Carry so don’t get alarmed and call the Police.

The following is off the VCDL newsletter and has a link to the order from Alexandria PD

VCDL will be having an ‘open carry’ this coming Sat(13) at the Council Meeting at City Hall... more ‘info’ at www.vcdl.org

Think the ‘other’ crowd will be in DC same day...Sharpton has ‘adopted’ THe guy in NY’s wife and had her a M Barry’s Funeral yesterday......

= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
BTW, here is a link to a copy of the incendiary flyer directly from the Alexandria Police Department’s web site (thanks to member Charles Winkler for the link):

http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/police/info/OPEN%20CARRY%20VA.pdf

The Alexandria PD responded with an attempt to cover their exposed derrière:

“This flyer was provided to businesses in the area of a possible open carry demonstration to inform people of Virginia Law regarding open carry, and it summaries (sic) open carry in the Commonwealth. The flyer actually widens the number of people who now know about Virginia open carry so they are not alarmed about the sight of firearms in public. APD advocates that if anyone is concerned about any situation they call the non-emergency number.”

NO. Thanks to those flyers, the number of people who are now MISINFORMED about Virginia gun laws has INCREASED! Those who read it are now less knowledgeable for having done so.

And what did open carry education have to do with shooting guns into a building?

Oh, and we have another issue which is now being pursued: the Alexandria Police Department’s headquarters has an illegal “no guns” sign! Stay tuned...


72 posted on 12/08/2014 6:27:09 AM PST by xrmusn ((6/98) Would love to buy BO for what he is worth, then sell him for what he thinks he is worth.)
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To: Altariel

Support your local Stasi. Coming to everyone sooner then you think.


73 posted on 12/08/2014 6:33:03 AM PST by JayAr36 (Old enough to remember when this was a free country.)
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To: null and void

stupid is as stupid does


74 posted on 12/08/2014 7:05:40 AM PST by Nifster
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To: TheOldLady

Sounds good to me.


75 posted on 12/08/2014 7:18:47 AM PST by txnativegop (Tired of liberals, even a few in my own family.)
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To: JayAr36
Back around the 1990's, during the Waco debacle, I remember hearing about a formerly-obscure Eric Holder, and my immediate impression was that this guy was perfectly-possessed by evil, and that he would be a real problem for America someday.

I was right.

I get the same impression about Art Acevedo. Someday he will be the head of Caucasian Extermination Camps or something.

76 posted on 12/08/2014 7:28:38 AM PST by Lazamataz (It's insanity to support those who hate us, no matter they call themselves Democrats or Republicans.)
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To: TheOldLady
Texans should wall Austin in and do occasional food drops if they behave and lose the Nazi Overlord garbage.


77 posted on 12/08/2014 7:30:07 AM PST by Lazamataz (It's insanity to support those who hate us, no matter they call themselves Democrats or Republicans.)
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To: Altariel

Armed Customer Takes On Armed Robber At Las Vegas Red Lobster
...benefit from the presence of a law-abiding gun owner.

http://www.westernjournalism.com/armed-customer-takes-armed-robber-las-vegas-red-lobster/


78 posted on 12/08/2014 8:32:58 AM PST by KeyLargo
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To: Lazamataz

And, what we have today is only the tip of the iceberg. How much is going on that we don’t see?


79 posted on 12/08/2014 9:52:24 AM PST by JayAr36 (Old enough to remember when this was a free country.)
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To: LevinFan

Every place has a few fruits and nuts. Most of Texas (outside the portions of the big cities) is staunchly conservative. Just avoid certain areas of high ethnic concentrations and you will avoid liberalism.


80 posted on 12/08/2014 12:07:19 PM PST by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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