As the #OWS police confrontations have graphically show, American police forces now appear to be outfitted in near-military grade armor. This diagram vividly illustrates the evolution our police state has taken, over the years, towards an increasingly gnarly, intimidating and confrontational stance. It’s sad. It’s also related, you can be sure, to the post-9/11 move towards “anti-terrorism” outlook inside our national borders. When your police force is preparing for (basically non-existant) Al-Qaeda-level threats, but only encounters people camping in public spaces, they still rock the gear and tools that they came to the party with: riot helmets, kevlar body armor, 12-gauge shotguns, “flash-bangs” and gas masks.

How far we’ve fallen.