S.W.A.T.

Radley Balco, with more on SWAT team overkill, here,here, and here.

The story remains the same: SWAT team utilized to arrest gamblers, minor drug dealers, and medical marijuana users. Forget about how this is an inefficient use of government resources. And forget about the civil liberty issues raised by the War on Drugs generally. Regardless of your views on drugs, just think of the facts presented in all these SWAT team stories told by Radley Balco.

You have peoples homes being stormed in the middle of the night. You have confusion as to who these SWAT team members actually are. You have raids on the wrong address. You have cops getting killed. You have innocent security guards killed. And there always seems to be dogs getting shot as well. And for what?

Going back to the Cory Maye story, you have an individual (Cory Maye) who was not named in the original warrant who shot a police officer in what he claimed was self-defense. The middle of the night SWAT team raid was supposedly because of drugs. No drug charges were ever filed against Maye, a man with no criminal record. The only charges filed were for the murder of a police officer in what logically seems to have been self defense.

Once again, all the wasted resources the loss of life. Regardless of your views on drugs, government or politics, ask yourself the question, "Is it worth it?"