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Posted on 03/20/2009 8:33:35 AM PDT by bamahead
ping...
This idiot has no idea about the concept of Possee Comitatus, and that for federal troops to be activated for what he asked for requires a formal request to the President by the governor, with concurrence from the Secretary of Defense and Attorney General.
This moron is not going to be telling the Army anything. In fact, the unit's commander and immediate subordinates are now the one's that have to answer for agreeing to his request without regard to the law or the formal legal requirements for sending their troops into the town.
Did somebody say its about to be suspended soon anyway?
oh yeah, </sarc>
Further update on the Army soldiers in Samson...
The Ft. Rucker, AL, Colonel who allegedly offered the assistance is either brain dead, a demrat or some combination of the two. Perhaps this very bright Colonel was not aware that the AL governor has the National Guard at his disposal. I can assure you they have plenty of lights and generators.
As for the sheriff not understanding his chain of command runs from his town/county to the AL governor—I just don’t know what to say. I’m not sure where in AL these murders occured, but local officials affected by recent hurricanes sure as heck knew how to go about requesting disaster assistance—and it wasn’t straight to the Federal Government.
It will be interesting to see what the Pentagon does with this bozo Colonel—assuming what the sheriff says is true.
Fort Rucker and the citizens of that area have very good relations, the people there are proud to have that base there.
What is curious to me is that the article states that it was the Army that initiated the contact with an offer of help if needed, and not the Sheriff.
Given that he was dealing with a department with 13 deputies (not all of whom will be on duty simultaneously; they work in shifts) and nine high-profile crime scenes, I'm not surprised he accepted whatever help was offered.
As long as it remained the civillian police in charge of the operation I don’t care if the deputized the town drunk, the mps, etc.
John Wayne would not have sat idly by as Sheriff he’d have grabbed hisself a possee and fast.
Please cite the article and section of the United States Constitution in which the words "Posse Comitatus" appear.
“. . . may have violated federal law?”
Get a clue a$$ hole, you want to prosecute me on the battle field here in Afghanistan if I shoot at an “unarmed” terrorist, oops, insurgent, yet a civilian sheriff in a small town can call in Federal troops whenever he or she believes they need assistance? What next, another WACO type mass murder because they believe the guy thinks he is “Jesus?”
Give me a break!@
I think you and most others know what he meant, that although it is actually an Act most think it part of the Constitution (I think it is, although not specifically spelled out).
The founders did not like government and wrote in many ways the limitations on the government/military when it comes to the rights of The People.
"Posse Comitatus" has been weakened over the years by multiple administrations, but Federal troops are for external threats, the National Guard are for internal matters, that is the way it has always been and that is the way it should be... IMHO
Then the Sherrif would also have to arrange to pay, feed and house them. They’d have to bring their own clothes or have them paid for by the county. And they could not be under any active Army command authority and would likely have to do it as leave.
But, that didn’t seem to stop anyone at WACO.....
...it had to be an Alabama crime and an ignorant Alabama lawman.
We never get a break.
There are no municipal police departments in the sheriff's county?
Posse Comitatus is statute law, not a part of the constituion. The Act was triggered by the use of Federal troops to enforce Civil Law and to protect the civil rights of newly freed slaves during Reconstruction. Before the Act, it was not uncommon to use Federal troops to enforce civil law.
The Act specifically names only units of the Army and Air Force. The Navy is governed by POTUS executive order and naval regulations. The USCG is a part of the Treasury Dept normally and of course it senforce maritime and customs law, along with drug interdiction.
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