Sunday, December 11, 2011

Posse Comitatus Bludgeoned to Death by Drones

Well, well.

...Fearful of an armed standoff, he called in reinforcements from the state Highway Patrol, a regional SWAT team, a bomb squad, ambulances and deputy sheriffs from three other counties.

He also called in a Predator B drone.

That would be a USAF drone used in North Dakota.

The USAF claims that there is "legislative authority" for using military equipment for domestic police activities.

...former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), who sat on the House homeland security intelligence subcommittee at the time and served as its chairwoman from 2007 until early this year, said no one ever discussed using Predators to help local police serve warrants or do other basic work.

Using Predators for routine law enforcement without public debate or clear legal authority is a mistake, Harman said.

Harman is a pretty conservative Democrat, by the way.

The Sheriff uses very nice language (prevent shootings, bloodshed, etc.) to justify his request.  We're sympathetic.  But the principle didn't change because of the example.

4 comments:

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

A horrible precedent. Glad to see there is a reasonable Democrat on this issue. (I'm not confident the GOP is all reasonable on this either.)

Saint Revolution said...

Government, in its present circumstance (NOT form, but circumstance), is an enemy of WE THE PEOPLE.

Government is 100% self-serving, financially and otherwise.

Government is ALL-INTRUSIVE.

With its present ~9% approval rated status, where, oh where, are WE THE PEOPLE?!?!

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

it is 9% for two reasons. We Conservatives think there is too much. The Liberals think there is too little.

I fear for the Republic.

Anonymous said...

Hey, that 9% approval rated status is significant,

Well Here is another election by WE THE PEOPLE that matters significantly in fly over country and that Govt ignores at there own risk.

Black Friday was the single largest NICS-check day in US history.