The War on “Fill in Blank” Gives Rise to a Military Police State

In clear violation of the Posse Comitatus the National Guard of New York state is now being used in a domestic law enforcement capacity. 

The NY National Guard’s Counterdrug task force, providing not only the people, but the equipment law enforcement may need to make drug arrests, seizures.

SSG. Brian Gillis says, “we can go on the scene and sniff or take a swab with this and it can tell you what it is.”

Using ionization, counterdrug’s machines can detect chemicals, explosives, narcotics on money, weapons, even fabric. A simple swab can tell you if that surface had contact with those substances.

 http://www.fox23news.com/mostpopular/story/War-on-Drugs-Part-One/v_FIsrVrCUuqFzYFnTH2AQ.cspx 

What is most frighteningly Orwellian about the use of these tactics is the randomness and potential for rampant abuse.  What will be the cause to allow for such scans?  Could it be the imaginations of a law enforcement officers or state officials? 

The Schenectady Police Department just one agency that has called in the guard for help.  In 2009, a driver was arrested, his car brought to the station and scanned after an officer smelled marijuana coming from the car.   No drugs were found, but that traffic stop and scan part of an investigation against the suspect.

Mentioned in the article above on this new initiative is the possibility of the National Guard to sweep money and fabric for trace narcotics residue.   Considering nearly all paper money in the U.S. has residual cocaine embedded in the fibers, does this mean innocent citizens can have their property seized and rights completely trampled on trumped up drug charges simply for engaging in commerce using Federal Reserve Notes?  Abuses around the country of civil forfeiture are well known and this new tool and pretext is exceptionally dangerous to the liberty and property of every individual in this country.  There is always some new danger or War on “Fill in Blank” to necessitate the rise of new police state powers.  The War on Drugs has long been a failure and it always will be a failure.  The objective is not as much about cleaning up the streets as it is to give the central autocrats another excuse in their arsenal to further monitor, intimidate and control the population.  The irony of course is that while we are imprisoning and intimidating low level users we are protecting and facilitating drug king pins and suppliers around the globe.  After all, one of the biggest drug trafficking organizations on the planet is our own CIA.  Thankfully though, you are once again going to be saved from freedom and risks by the most deadly powerful entity known to man, the U.S. government.

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Posted by Andrew McCleese on Jul 8 2010. Filed under Web-Only Content. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.