Sunday, April 25, 2010

National Guard to Chicago? R U Kidding me?

So, people are up in arms about Jan Brewer signing bill 1070 authorizing the police to verify legal status of the folks in the state of Arizona. Really! Imagine, the police enforcing law.

Yet, Chicago politicians want the National Guard to roll into town and 'enforce' the law because of the increase in violent crime. Can we spell P O S S E C O M I T A T U S?

Yes, according to the 'Chicago Tribune'. The article says: "Chicago Democrats John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford said they want Quinn, Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis to allow guardsmen to patrol streets and help quell violence. Weis said he did not support the idea because the military and police operate under different rules.

"Is this a drastic call to action? Of course it is," Fritchey said. "Is it warranted when we are losing residents to gun violence at such an alarming rate? Without question. We are not talking about rolling tanks down the street or having armed guards on each corner."

What he envisions, Fritchey said, is a "heightened presence on the streets," particularly on the roughly 9 percent of city blocks where most of the city's violent crimes occur."

Color me confused, but how does one have 'heightened presence on the streets' without there being armed guards on each corner?

Is this the same Chicago the President flew to Copenhagen to sell for the Olympic site?

What does the Police Superintendent have to say about this? "Alluding to the 1970 Kent State University incident where the National Guard was called in and protestors and students were shot, Weis said having guardsmen handle crime could be "disastrous." But he said if the Daley suggested it, he would consider the option.

"I'm open to anything that reduces violence. But I have concerns when you mix law enforcement and the military," Weis said." Ya think?

I was thinking the other day when AZ passed their law, will they wind up with the Nat'l Guard protecting the borders, which is supposed to be the Border Patrol's job, or will they just have the police do it all! Of course I'd not want to be a police person in a state with such a law and the increased kidnapping, murder and mayhem that has become AZ's reality, but until the turf war is finally decided, turf being...who is on first when it comes to enforcement of immigration laws, I guess the police will have the job.

Chicago is no stranger to gangland violence. It has quite a rich history [pun intended] with notorious gangsters from several eras who have used Chicago for their pistol practice and other sordid gangland activities/proclivities. I think the last time the 'crime level' was addressed in this area was when they sent in a Federal Law Enforcement agent in the person of Eliot Ness! Alas, those were the days.

There is no doubt, with the economy where it is, housing where it is, two wars going on for a decade, a government that seems bent on keeping the country off kilter never knowing what to expect next -- how much of their lives will be the next pound of flesh, times are tough. But is it practical to break the Posse Comitatus act to address crime?

This could escalate into a crisis with 'martial law'. What an incredible precedent to set. Oh wait! It was set back in 1970 at Kent University, as noted in the article!

We need to keep our eyes open to the insidious way this incident or another event or activity, all needing the National Guard or the Military to fix instead of law enforcement, lays the ground for routine use of soldiers with weapons walking the street, and curfews in place to force people to be in their homes by a certain time. It is more than a slippery slope. It is the pathway to a national nightmare where our military may be expected to marshall the citizens of this country.

Why hasn't anyone thought of organizing volunteer militias? Remember in the western movies and shows when the Sheriff would deputize a posse to clean up the town? It is provided for in the 2 amendment. Here it is: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Let's not press the martial law button. To the lawmakers of Chicago, why not think in terms of the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Work within the guidelines of the existing UBER law of the land and remember the Posse Comitatus act.

That's my opinion. What's yours?


1 comment:

Late night diner said...

I have seen the National Guard used at least 3 times in my life in Chicago. There aere no excessive uses of force. They calmed things down on the West Side in 1968, in Grant Park and at the Stadium for the Democaratic Convention. A few years later, I belive they were called out for the Black Panther trials just as a precaution.

I am sure there were other incidents that I do not recall.