Has no one

[asheris]

explained to this moron about the Posse Comitatus Act?

Sure, there have been exceptions made over the years, but always very, very strictly declared. Not this blanket use Bush is requesting. (Note that this is the second time in a few weeks he's asked for this in relation to different things.)


Bush wants Congress to give him the power to use the nation's military in law enforcement roles in the United States.

TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 67 > § 1385
§ 1385. Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus
(notes)

Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

TITLE 6 > CHAPTER 1 > SUBCHAPTER VIII > Part H > § 466
Sense of Congress reaffirming the continued importance and applicability of the Posse Comitatus Act
(notes)

Comments

[altonwings.livejournal.com]

That'd be what... three people? Maybe four? Everyone else is serving in countries outside the US, and unless he wants to be known as the pullout president, they'll be there for a long time still.

Sounds like the machinations of a desperate man.

[asheris.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Starting to sound like the final days of Nixon's presidency, when he was talking about having the 82nd Airborne surround the White House and not let anyone take him out. His own Chief of Staff had meetings with the Pentagon about it, and orders were sent down the chain of command that no direct orders from the White House were to be obeyed; only orders that came through normal, military channels.

Freaky.

[keith-london.livejournal.com]

You can't have it both ways. People complained like hell when the federal response was said to be "slow" in relation to Katrina and the aftermath of total anarchy on the streets.

Of course Bush is right on this one. If there is any doubts about the President's powers on this issue, then of course it is right to open it up to discussion. That's good leadership, in my book.

It's a government's duty to maintain security and law and order. It's a ridiculous system to have to get a permission slip form local government in order to maintain law and order, when they obviously cannot cope locally. Bureaucracy obviously got in the way as far as Katrina was concerned.

That's how it appears to me anyway.

Quick review

[asheris.livejournal.com]

The governor of Louisiana requested help three days before the hurricane hit. She requested an emergency declaration for all of southern and much of central LA.

Bush signed an emergency declaration order two days before the hurricane hit, BUT - the parishes Bush included in his emergency declaraton were the wrong parishes! His list is exactly opposite from the counties the declaration was requested for! (Here's the the White House press release with his list.)

And of course, he then DID NOTHING with the permission he'd been given by Blanco to send in more help. (It's really no wonder, when he finally got around to deciding to "take control", Blanco and others said no way! He'd already screwed up some MAJOR steps on his end; why were they supposed to trust him to do better then?)


The President is also busily handing out no-bid contracts to his old pals: Kellogg Root & Brown (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton; Kenyon International Emergency Services, a subsidiary of scandal-ridden Service Corporation International (This site about the SCI scandal has many links to major news sources); Bechtel; and the Shaw Group, among others.


Bush has ALSO issued an Executive Order suspending provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act for the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. (Davis-Bacon requires that federal contractors on federally funded projects pay workers prevailing wages in the area where the work is conducted. With Davis-Bacon suspended, companies can get away with paying minimum wage ($5.35/hr) to anyone they hire.)

Blanco has requested at least twice now that the President remove Louisiana from the Executive Order suspending Davis-Bacon, AND give priority to Louisiana firms for cleanup within Louisiana.


Bush is now asking Congress to give him what amounts to a blanket exception to the Posse Comitatus Act. Would you feel safe with this man ordering the military in to take over from local law enforcement - for whatever reason he cared to come up with, pretty much whenever he liked?

That's not far off from being allowed to declare martial law without any confirmation.

I'm not too big on that power in the hands of Bush - or any president, for that matter!