If at first you watch this video recorded in Ferguson, MO, last night and want to give cops the benefit of the doubt, their actions afterward back up the suspicion that the teargas canister was in fact meant to disburse the Al Jazeera camera crew.
We don’t know the full context of what was going on around the scene, but watching police officers dressed in military gear dismantle camera equipment would seem to contradict any excuse that the situation was dangerous. If there’s an immediate threat somewhere off-camera, it’s hard to believe the cops would take the time to tear down video equipment.
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The last 24 hours have been a fascinating exercise, as we’ve watched the media rediscover the Constitution and the fact that the government the media empowers, protects, and adores frequently does abuse its power and our rights.
After a federal organization called the IRS was caught endlessly harassing President Obama’s political enemies in the Tea Party, the media’s only been interested in protecting the IRS.
Maybe Ferguson will be a wake-up call to what happens after five years of excusing and defending endless government abuses during the Obama era.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC