Your opinion on the "police state" or "militarization of law enforcement"?

[JeffT]

Right. One of the intended effects of the act was that the functions of the constabulary should not be performed by a fighting force such as an army; that is, the police power should not be an overwhelming force to the citizenry.

Also, I have concerns about the care and attention to detail that were put into the writing of the quoted article; I'd be willing to bet large sums of money that the 1880 act made no reference to the Air Force. Call it a hunch.

The quote was the first one I found that had the actual verbiage of the act. The Air Force part made me laugh too, but it got the point correct that the president did not agree and vetoed it.
In my opinion it all goes back to liberty and responsibility. If we want liberty in our country we need to take responsibility for our actions. Whether that is being responsible for what we do, or taking responsibility for what needs doing.


Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly, Shoot Well, Leave the Rest to God.

 

[furlong222]

scrambling SWAT teams for traffic stops (training purposes)....4 AM - crash goes the door...bang, bang, dog is dead...entire family subdued in a minute....if in fact they got the right house and the subject of the warrant was there - other, less violent, means of arrest would seem to be available....

its about complete dominance of the civilians.....the government is our supreme and righteous ruler.... I see parallels with the early stages of the III Reich....not happening as fast but moving in that direction....IMHO....

 

[Dave70968]

The quote was the first one I found that had the actual verbiage of the act. The Air Force part made me laugh too, but it got the point correct that the president did not agree and vetoed it.
In my opinion it all goes back to liberty and responsibility. If we want liberty in our country we need to take responsibility for our actions. Whether that is being responsible for what we do, or taking responsibility for what needs doing.

Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly, Shoot Well, Leave the Rest to God.

I'm not at all surprised that the president vetoed it; he was the one busy sending the military to do the constabulary's job. It limited his authority.

Fortunately, the Congress overrode his veto, so it doesn't matter anyway. It's the law (along with its amendments, such as extension to the Air Force.)

As SoonerP226 noted, I too am curious as to why it doesn't also extend to the navy. Without doing any research, I suspect it has to do with appropriations: the act was attached to an appropriations bill, and the Army can't have an appropriation for longer than two years under the Constitution (the navy is not so restricted).

 

[SoonerP226]

As SoonerP226 noted, I too am curious as to why it doesn't also extend to the navy. Without doing any research, I suspect it has to do with appropriations: the act was attached to an appropriations bill, and the Army can't have an appropriation for longer than two years under the Constitution (the navy is not so restricted).

My suspicion is that the Navy was not originally included because it was relatively weak at the time and not really capable of affecting much outside the coastal areas and along the Mississippi (as opposed to the Army, which was busily projecting DC's power throughout the nation under Manifest Destiny). We also had agitation for building up the Navy, as it was seen as a necessary step for America's evolution as a world power, and the PCA could've been seen as counterproductive to that goal.

It wasn't really until relatively recently that the Navy would've been able to project power into the inland states, and they still can't project the sort of power necessary for law enforcement activities. Obviously, a boomer can threaten to rain destruction on pretty much any city in the world, but that's not particularly useful if you're trying to quell a riot...or break a strike...

My coincident guess is that the Air Force was included because of its origination within the Army.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

An army was foreseen as a possible threat to the people whereas a navy was not.

Woody

 

[dennishoddy]

they still can't project the sort of power necessary for law enforcement activities.

They have Tomahawk's and Predator drone capabilities.

That being said, would the big MO fit in the Navigation channel locks?

 

[SoonerP226]

They have Tomahawk's and Predator drone capabilities.

Tomahawks are good for making people dead, but not so much for getting them to comply. You really need a visible threat for that, not a stand-off weapon.

And I'm thinkin' the Big Mo is like an 800lb gorilla--she can go wherever she wants.

 

[OKNewshawk]

And I'm thinkin' the Big Mo is like an 800lb gorilla--she can go wherever she wants.

Not quite--she can't go anywhere now, since she's a museum ship, and even when she could, there were limits.

 

[furlong222]

They have Tomahawk's and Predator drone capabilities.

That being said, would the big MO fit in the Navigation channel locks?

lets not forget the USMC...

 

[dennishoddy]

lets not forget the USMC...

Marines will not be forgotten!