28 Oct 2006
Bush Signs Bill Enabling Martial Law

Holy shit - they've revised the Insurrection Act! This is the de-facto repeal of the Posse Comitatus statue - enacted after the Civil War to insure that troops could not be used domestically except with the consent of Congress. Executive privilege, indeed...

If you ever wondered why the Founding Fathers put in that pesky 2nd Amendment, this should clarify the situation.

An anonymous reader writes to point us to an article on the meaning of a new law that President Bush signed on Oct. 17. It seems to allow the President to impose martial law on any state or territory, using federal troops and/or the state's own, or other states', National Guard troops.

(link) [Slashdot]

20:02 /Politics | 2 comments | permanent link