She was speaking in the context of trying to get someone to intervene in Syria, but she articulated the principle as a universal truth: "All attacks on civilians are an outrage that should shock the conscience."
The point blank execution of a jaywalker in Ferguson on August 9 shocked a lot of consciences. But not many shocked consciences belonged to the local leadership, least of all to police and prosecutors. As a result, the country (and the world) got a good look at what militarization of the police looks like in the U.S. Now this decades-old process or arming police to the teeth is a hot button of the moment. Even the New York Times all of a sudden takes notices and has an interactive map showing how well armed your local police have become (the map shows St. Louis County getting 12 assault rifles, 6 pistols and 3 helicopters from the feds, but no MRAP armored vehicles are listed, even though they've shown up on the streets of Ferguson).
Will enough consciences remain shocked to keep this hot button hot? Will the political will to protect civilians and prevent atrocities actually emerge? Or will the permanent government in Washington be able to continue its bipartisan building of what looks and acts like an occupying army in its own country?
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