Audio By Carbonatix
Mother Lode
Laugh and a half: Your cover story about the quest to find pyramids in the Everglades (“Raiders of the Lost Swamp, Nathaniel Sandler, August 28) was a good read. If there is an afterlife, those two dead treasure hunters are probably laughing their asses off. It is 40 years later, and they’re still messing with people’s minds. That Forte guy sounds like a modern-day version of them. Harry the Handyman
Bomb the Bastards
Party like there’s no tomorrow: Regarding your article about local towns stocking military weapons (“Big Weapons, Small Towns,” Michael E. Miller, August 28): Nothing to see here, folks. Keep partying. It could never happen to you, right? Because you are such an upstanding citizen. This is only to protect us against those bad, bad criminals and terrorists. Too bad the definition of “terrorist” now includes American citizens, but yeah, it’s all gonna be OK. Keep partying, keep taking selfies and getting drunk while the nation becomes a nightmare. After all, other people will do the work for you, right? Other people will stand up to this. Other people will say something. Right? Muse TD
The government is gonna get us: For years conspiracy theorists have been saying this and have been laughed at. Today it’s a reality. Should we have listened to them? Or should we listen to them now? Enzo Bogani
Or the terrorists will: Does ISIS really need 50 more M16s? No. That’s our property, so our government should keep it. Anything that remains in those war zones will get snatched up by the enemy. And MRAPs are not mine-resistant. They may find bombs, but they are not resistant. Soldiers still get hurt or die when they blow up. Asüka Bazüka
And those terrorists will shoot at us: So active shooters don’t come to South Florida? Not a matter of if, but when. It’s better to have weapons like these and not need them than to need them and not have them. Jen L. Bee
Posse Comitatus and martial law: The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the use of U.S. military forces to perform the tasks of civilian law enforcement, such as arrest, apprehension, interrogation, and detention, unless explicitly authorized by Congress. The act was enacted due to the feeling of many members of Congress at the time that President Abraham Lincoln had exceeded his authority during the Civil War by suspending habeas corpus and creating military courts with jurisdiction over civilians. Therefore, we get this: militarization of local police forces in strategic places. Peter Behety
The boogeyman is coming too: This might just be one step in a bigger agenda. If you think about it now, the pieces are in place in many states. All of these weapons will greatly facilitate the implementation of martial law. Bryan Alexander Velez
And he’s coming to school: Well, considering they’re prepping for a case of major terrorism at schools, then yes, they need the weaponry. The other option is to let the citizens defend themselves. Oh, wait, that’s right — law-abiding citizens with concealed-carry permits can’t carry in schools. Well, guess it’s up to the mighty police to be the first and last line of defense. Draekus Dar
And you will say thank you: If it is your kid being saved, you won’t be complaining. Government grants pay for this. Eric Sunderlin
Sarcasm wins again: Who cares? There’s an old saying: “Power doesn’t corrupt, and absolute power doesn’t corrupt absolutely.” The police should be heavily armed, and citizens should be completely disarmed, because if history has taught us anything, it’s that government never abuses its power. Nathan Johnson
So does paranoia: Maybe they are preparing for something bigger that we are unaware of. It wouldn’t be the first time a government attempts to take complete control of a country. Mayren Ocana
And so do the cops: Maybe because we live in a police state. No wonder after all. Galo R. Nuñez
We love literary references: This reminds me of the original 1960s Batman movie — where the government sold a nuclear-powered attack submarine to arch-criminals the Joker, Catwoman, and the Riddler, and how Batman and Robin had a meeting with the general who sold it. How foolish that was! Richard Depaulo
Revolution now!: People are getting tired of the authorities. That’s why they are afraid of people rising up against government. Stop the abuse of working-class people! Richard A. Guerrero
The skeptics know: Well, I guess since the Pentagon is refusing to buy, the military contractors need to sell their overstock. Shayla Walsh
So do the criminals: You ignorant morons don’t know what y’all are talking about. The tanks aren’t making things worse. I’d rather have cops with the weapons to fight criminals than have them try to do it unarmed. gregory.7222