Quote:
Originally Posted by wet dog
And what if the US Constitution ceases to protect protect US citizens? LE does not prevent crime, LE reports crime. LE is effective as a deterrent as long as citizens respect the law, criminals tend not too.
And what about the 'wild west'? Civil authority was in the hands of civil citizens. Criminals feared armed citizens much more than US Marshals. A rope and a tall tree was the biggest deterrent of all.
WD
p.s., I am welcoming debate.
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WD, thanks for your welcome.
Here's the deal. We have a failed state - a narco state - on our border. It is a threat to national security, a clear and present danger.
(Just like the movie!)
We must target and execute operations with the intent of deterring the threat. That will get the attention of transnational narco-terrorists. They will learn to respect the law if it is enforced or they will be annihilated. Eventually they will acquiesce.
We've come a long way since the rough justice of a rope and tall tree for US citizens within the US. Except in extreme cases, the public does not support vigilantes so there is a lack of legitimacy. As imperfectly as it may sometimes be interpreted or enforced, the Constitution still protects due process.
I think LE prevents crime and works over time with the community as an effective deterrent. But in the case of Mexico, the threat requires a national security response.
In the meantime, as others have said, de-criminalize drug use. That is the surest way to decrease the revenue stream to narco kingpins and their illicit networks.