Who knew that Donald Trump was going to give us the full seven seasons worth of bad West Wing fan fiction? The latest is a little skit about why we have the posse comitatus laws on the books. Basically the idea is that the military can’t be involved in civil action. Yanno, the thing that would define a literal Civil War? Anyway, Mad King Donald is at the Constitution bending again.
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The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was designed to end the practice of the military enforcing civil law.
Posse comitatus means "the power or force of the county." The term refers to a doctrine of ancient English common law authorizing a sheriff to summon the assistance of the able-bodied male population above the age of 15.
Appointed special deputies, these men would aid the sheriff in keeping the peace, executing writs, quelling riots, capturing felons, and otherwise enforcing the laws.
Unlike the organized militia, a posse was usually gathered as needed. The practice continued in the United States, as the posse became a necessary American colonial and frontier tradition.
The whole piece is well worth a read for the history of the law as it relates to frontier justice and Reconstruction. In many ways this law signalled the end of that particular effort and set the stage for voting rights in the South as they stand today.
The reason for all of this madness? Mad King Donald wants to send the US military to the Southern US Border to assist in what are technically law enforcement capacities. Regardless of how they explain/justify the concept it is blatantly illegal. But the current residents of 1600 Penn don’t give a rat’s ass about laws.
And that’s the part that gets me. This administration is the Constitutionalists’ worst nightmare yet the party of “law and order” and “strict scrutiny” is aiding and abetting an administration hell bent on demonstrating the absolute worst in us every day in every way.
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Highlighted by first-time Daily Kos commenter HellKnow:
Is this commentby wvg, the exact kind of thing that drives that individual less than 1 NUTS! (Could one of our Twittermasters try to see that he becomes aware of it?!)
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picture redacted Barr got here first — sorry
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