posse comitatus

There is something within every man that rejects having armed, uniformed troops patrolling the streets. I don't think it's just an American thing. I suspect that it's a universal reaction, with a deep and abiding psychological basis behind it.

Looking back as far as the Declaration of Independence, you will find protestation to the armed occupation of the colonies by troops and mercenaries of King George III.

Some folks are even troubled by civilian police forces, especially when they are armed and in, for instance, anti-riot formation.

Police training emphasizes non-use of weapons and force when possible. Each and every case where police officers use force is reviewed to assure that force was used appropriately. Citizens are quick to protest any action which seems too brutal for the situation.

Nations where law enforcement is carried out by the military are very often viewed as brutal states. Public resentment within such places has never been far beneath the surface, and the government that rules with force often finds that force is met with resistant force.

Only infrequently have American troops been used against our own people. There is even a law, Posse Comitatus which places strong restriction against such action. In practically every case, law enforcement within our borders is carried out by civilian police agencies.

Even in Waco, Texas, in the standoff against the Branch Davidians, the military presence was under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department.

While troops are often called upon to assist during major disasters, they are very seldom allowed to carry weapons or to otherwise exercise police powers.

On any occasion when troops have been brought against the people (Kent State, the Pullman Strike, the Bonus Army) severe criticism has always followed.

OK, I have beaten this horse until it's dead.

What's my point?

One reason given why US troops cannot be withdrawn from Iraq is that they can't be removed until Iraqi troops are trained and ready to replace coalition forces.

Not building infrastructure.

Patrolling streets, arresting insurgents, carrying out military actions within the country.

If WE don't like having armed troops in our streets, how do you think the Iraqi people like it?

I think that if troops were in the streets of OUR country as they are in Iraq, they would meet strong resistance from a similar insurgence.

But what can we do? How can civilian contractors do the job of restoring the water and power needed throughout Iraq without the protection of armed troops? Obviously the emergency dictates the need for a military presence. And when such a need exists, I can find no other way to describe what's happening other than to call it a civil war in progress.

Some observations on immigration

1. Making illegal immigrants felons seems like a really bad idea. Facing a prison sentence, some of those illegals will undoubtedly prefer shooting it out with enforcement agents. Convicted felons will have no chance at US citizenship. Keeping them in prison will be expensive, as will transporting them back and forth to deportation hearings, etc.

2. It stinks to think that children of aliens who gained citizenship through US birth could be separated from their illegal alien parents, who can be legally deported. Are we going to build orphanages for these kids? What kind of services will need to be provided for hundreds of thousands of kids who are legal by birth, but the children of imprisoned or deported parents? Is this the same administration that screams for family values?

3. The illegals are not all from Mexico. They are from Canada, China, Ireland, the Caribbean, every country on earth. I heard it stated that the majority of illegals arrive by air, with student visas, work visas, or as tourists and then just blend into the underground, fail to leave when their time is through.

4. All workers, regardless of how they arrived in this country, deserve similar job benefits. Similar pay, similar protection afforded by all the labor laws, worker's compensation and disability insurance. They should also be paying income taxes on their work.

6. If Nafta sent so many American jobs to Mexico, why are so many Mexicans coming here for jobs???

7. At least one of our presidents, Ronald Reagan, was the descendent of an illegal alien who snuck over the border from Canada.

8. Speaking of Reagan, he was the guy who demanded that the Berlin Wall come down. Twenty years later, the plan is to build our own wall across the borders with Canada and Mexico. East Germany's wall was meant to keep people in. Ours is meant to keep people out. We've never had a problem with people wanting to leave. Since the beginning, people have lined up to come into our country. There's something inherently wrong with trying to stop them.

9. That said, our immigration laws have almost always been meant to keep out undesirables. At one time that meant criminals, as well as those with mental or physical ailments. If we did such a good job of stopping criminals at the border, where did all the criminals come from??? And stopping those with mental or physical illness did not leave our nation free of those infirmities either. This isn't Harvard. The admission process needn't be so strenuous. A great country has a way of making great people.

10. We are all descended from immigrants.