Remember Patricia Konie? She was the lady the news cameras caught being forcibly removed from her home during the state-mandated “evacuation” of New Orleans following the horrible mismanagement of the Katrina debacle.
Well, as it turns out, she was injured during the scuffle when she was body-slammed by a man three times her weight, and according to the U.S. Newswire:
“(…)Konie was greeting a reporter and photographer from a San Francisco TV station and a journalist from the London Times when police unexpectedly entered her home. When she refused to leave as ordered, they confiscated a firearm used for defense and according to Konie, “slammed” her to the ground, both displacing and fracturing her left shoulder.
“After remaining in custody for several hours without charges being filed against her by authorities, she was flown alone to South Carolina where she remained for more than a month before returning to her native New Orleans.”
I hope she wins, and I hope it costs the government dearly. There are hundreds of such lawsuits pending against the state and local police departments and various government agencies over this kind of treatment, which included warrantless home invasions, looting by law enforcement, assault, and illegal seizure of personal property (much of which has been conveniently “lost” by now). Notice that we haven’t heard word one about this in the news lately.
Katrina has been quietly buried by the media, but the problems haven’t gone away. Nor should we forget just what a horrific mess the response was, or the number of abuses that were tolerated in the name of “maintaining order.” This is where we are going as a nation, folks. If the government can impose martial law without even declaring it or getting approval, they’ll do it again, perhaps on a national scale following the next major disaster or terrorist action.
Remember, we still have a Bill of Rights, but it means NOTHING if we stand by and let it be marginalized in the name of “security.” Repeat after me:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
No part of that says, “except in cases of national emergency,” or, “when suspended by the police in the name of security.” Ben Franklin once wrote that those willing to sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.