Worrisome news item

[kengr]

Caught an item on the news last night that does *not* bode well for the country.

Bush & co are pushing to get posse commitatus repealed. In other words, they want to use the slow response to Katrina as an excuse to repeal the law that forbids using the military in a "police"/"law enforcement" role.

Even the media is scratching their heads on what the hell this would have done to help.

But my cynical side notes that it'd work really well for sending in troops to "put down" activities the administration objects to. Like demonstrations against the war.

Comments

[polydad.livejournal.com]

Oooh, *yuuuuck*. Bush the bullying frat boy wants to play with guns at home, now. I look forward to this the way an abused wife looks forward to her redneck hubby coming home with a brand-new cattle-prod.

It'd be easier if Georgie were the actual root of the problem, instead of the mouthpiece.

[kengr]

He's a rallying point, figurehead, etc.

MSGOP has the story

[morgan-gw.livejournal.com]

or at least one take on it: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9492009/

Be sure to vote.

Re: MSGOP has the story

[kengr]

Yeah, thing is they only need to change the law for the law enforcement part, which the military isn't trained for, nor very suitable for.

But Bush seems to think that part is what needs changing.

This makes me extremely suspicious. Hell, my paranoid side wonders if the poor response to Katrina was on purpose...

[aurictech.livejournal.com]

Here's a link to an AP story on the idea of having the military be the lead response agency under certain disaster conditions. It doesn't look as if a full repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act is on the table. I also noticed in the story that neither support for nor opposition to this idea break along party lines.

In general, I believe that, when deciding whether to support any increase in government power, one should imagine the worst possible ways that one's political opponents could abuse that power. That principle is why I normally oppose any increase in government power, regardless of which party proposes it.

It's been done before...

[murbin.livejournal.com]

The use of federal troops to break up the peacefully protesting WWI veterans in D.C. A dark period in American military history that included soliders such as McArthur and Patton.

Re: It's been done before...

[kengr]

Pity the President at the time dithered too longf. If he hadn't, he'd have been able to tell the truth (that MacArthur violated *specific* orders) and have been believed.

And I think we'd have managed just fine in WWII and Koreas without "Dugout Doug".