re: #145 William Barnett-Lewis

As I’ve noted before, much of this goes back to the Posse Comittatus Act of 1878 that bans the use of US armed forces for “police” matters. This was revenge by the southern Democrats for the use of troops to suppress the Klan during Reconstruction.

Fast forward to the present. Most European nations would call in the military to deal with terrorists or the like allowing the police to remain police. Here we can’t so the police get militarized instead.

Repeal of the PCA would be a good place to start. Banning the use of SWAT teams after that would be even better.

Not going to happen, for the same reason that other Anglosphere nations prefer specially armed police units for dangerous drug raids and counter-terrorist takedowns: The legacy of Oliver Cromwell and the New model Army left England and her daughter nations deeply suspicious of the use of the army on their own soil.