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There have been incidents like the Oaksterdam raid where the DEA took up all SWAT resources for a raid of a civillian, unarmed (and legal state-wise) marijuana

There have been incidents like the Oaksterdam raid where the DEA took up all SWAT resources for a raid of a civillian, unarmed (and legal state-wise) marijuana cooperative. Meanwhile, there was a school shooting minutes away. [1] The reality is that crime is falling in the United States and has been for a while (Freakanomics has a decent piece about the relationship of crime and the availability of abortion, with a time lag in the former that showed a correlation with the latter) and I think this paramilitarization is an attempt to fill up budgets and give reasons so that they aren't reduced in the future. [1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/oakland-school-shooting-oaksterdam-university-and-occupy-san-francisco-morning-roundup/2012/04/03/gIQAvWyrsS_blog.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/oakland-sc...

jleader 13y ago
There's debate about whether increased availability of abortion really accounts for the decline in crime; one alternative hypothesis is that reduced rates of childhood exposure to lead (mostly from leaded gasoline and the resultant exhaust) is at least as responsible.
- sneak 13y ago
  I remember reading a fantastic article on that topic, have you got a link?
  - gromy 13y ago
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701073.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07...