[clamper1797]

Police state in the making. In the world of bad mistakes ... this would set a record

[Spruce]

Now refresh my memory. Isn't there some sort of document that enumerates the powers granted to government by the people? And If I'm not mistaken, doesn't that document leave this sort of thing in the hands of the individual states? What was that thing called, again?

[JoJo Gunn]

In a sense, it bothers me too, on levels I can't quite put into words at the moment. But when I think of Nagin telling the cops to go to Vegas on the taxpayer's dime during a crisis....

[AdamSelene235]

However, the bill does have flaws. Certain provisions present serious constitutional concerns....I believe individual freedom to participate in elections should be expanded, not diminished; and when individual freedoms are restricted, questions arise under the First Amendment. I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising, which restrains the speech of a wide variety of groups on issues of public import in the months closest to an election. I expect that the courts will resolve these legitimate legal questions as appropriate under the law.

GEORGE W. BUSH THE WHITE HOUSE, March 27, 2002.

Here we go again.

[roaddog727]

The first step down that VERY slippery slope....

[konaice]

I agree. Texas proves that you don't need to militarize the situation. Gaurd troops under governors control and assets loaned to the guard or requersted by the state are sufficient.

Just be cause a corrupt state government in LA was screwed up does not mean we need to screw up the rest of the country.

The only thing texas could have done better was to open the other lanes of the freeway sooner (20 hours sooner), and federalizing the situation would not have helped that.

[Spktyr]

Well, if you assumed that all state and local govs were as incompetent as what we saw in Louisiana, then yes, it was "clear" that something had to be done.


Thanks to Texas, it is no longer clear - the MSM was desperately hoping we'd fail in our mission to get everyone out. We didn't, and thanks to their wishful thinking and continuous coverage, we've just shown the world that incompetence isn't a defining characteristic of all state and local governments.

We accomplished the impossible in 72 hours with little to no Federal help. The onus is back on Louisiana to explain themselves. A quick glance at TXCN shows that Louisiana is dropping the ball again - they're apparently keeping aid out of some parish "to get people to leave".

The idea of weakening posse commitatus may just end up getting tossed onto the "bad idea" pile.

[Morgan in Denver]

Not just NO, but HELL NO!!!

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

*

[layman]

Maybe we should put the military in charge of protecting our borders while we're at it. Congress has demonstrated that they sure as hell aren't up to the task.

[mylife]

This is a very bad idea that threatens the federal nature of out GoV

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

As the civilian authorities(Federal, State and Local) increasingly prove their incompetency there will come a time in the future when some military leader will say "Who needs you!"

[King Prout]

yoo-hoo

[ZOOKER]

I resist the idea of Federal troops blowing into town and taking over without the consent of local authorities.

That said, how many mouths does the Federal Gov't feed who ARE NOT in the armed forces? Can looting be considered a federal crime, such that the FBI can "investigate"?

Can mitigating a flood fall into the purview of the Bureau of Land Management?

Can an evacuated city be considered a "Wilderness Area", subject to Federal Parks authority?

Can IRS agents fill sandbags?

[norton]

Terrific,
Now I might have to put lincoln and Bush 2 in the same bucket I have reserved for presidents who completely redefine, to their detriment, both the constitution and the states that signed up to it.

Bucket used to hold only one candidate.

(C'mon George, we already have mexico and that little border thing to disagree over, don't make it SO much worse.)

[decimon]

Bush: It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces--the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice.

Healy: The Posse Comitatus Act is no barrier to federal troops providing logistical support during natural disasters.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita called Posse Comitatus a "very archaic" law that hampers the president's ability to respond to a crisis.

With nothing more to go on, isn't the problem with Di Rita's comment and not Bush's?

[mysterio]

This administration is laying the foundation for tyranny faster than Clinton.

[hosepipe]

[ Domestic Militarization: A Disaster in the Making ]

Aw.. President Hillabeast Clinton with Bubba as chief consort with the entire Federal and State military as her "goons"..

Makes the mind race, dont it.. < / Barney Fife dream >