Elian

[Don Crowley]

While the "militarization of domestic law enforcement" may well have gone
to far, the Ruby Ridge incident didn't occur in the Clinton administration
and the Elian case is hardly an example.  The "extended" Miami family and
their supporters had dropped enough hints to suggest that getting Elian
out wouldn't be easy and a 3 minute operation with no shots, no injuries,
and no arrests would seem to be the type of limited operation that should
be applauded.

Don
>
> I don't think government officials intentionally killed the Branch Davidians
> at Waco or the mother with a babe in arms at Ruby Ridge. But think about
> Waco, Ruby Ridge, and now the Elian seizure. The militarization of domestic
> law enforcement has gone too far under the Clinton Justice Department.
> Perhaps it is not just a federal phenomenon; in Ventura County, California,
> a few years ago, LAPD officers (and DEA agents?) burst into a ranch house
> unannounced, thinking there were drugs in the house. The homeowner (who was
> inebriated) was killed when he tried to defend his home against what he
> apparently thought was a home invasion robbery. The law enforcement goal
> seemed to be to obtain forfeiture of the ranch under the drug laws.
>
> Mark S. Scarberry
> Pepperdine University School of Law
> mailto:mark.scarberry at pepperdine.edu
>
>
>
>
> >Mark Scarberry (and others) make the mistake of believing that Tom DeLay is
> a reliable informant as to the circumstances of the raid.  It appears to be
> clear that the United States had in fact received a warrant, which was
> properly executed to retrieve a child from (well-intentioned) people who
> were, legally, no better than kidnappers.  I fail to see that they were
> deprived of any of their rights under the Constitution.  And, of course, I
> await with baited breath the next time that Tom DeLay, who wanted to impeach
> Judge Baer for his pro-Fourth Amendment (and anti-police) decision last
> year, bestirs himself in behalf of any other ordinary citizen who is the
> victim of police overreaching (unless it involves enforcement of the EPA or
> the enforcement of an anti-gun law).
> >
> >Sandy Levinson
> >
>