Proposal to Amend the US Constitution
by magnetics
on Daily KosThu Sep 27, 2007 at 09:50:54 PM PDT
The dangers of private security contractors to civil society have been much discussed in light of the recent shootings of Iraqi civilians by employees of Blackwater Security. Author Naomi Wolf (among others) has emphasized, in a current diary on Dkos, the dangers to Democracy of a Praetorian Guard responsible ultimately to the President, and largely protected from the legal consequences of their actions.
I propose to fix this problem by amending the US Constitution; please continue reading for further details.
- magnetics's diary :: ::
I am not a lawyer, but I believe the following draft of a 28th amendment would provide an interesting springboard to discussion and action.
No person in the service, under the orders, or at the behest or bidding of the United States Government shall employ, pursuant to their duties as such, a firearm, or any other physical weapon of aggression, protection, or restraint, except that said person be an employee of the United States Government, such as a member of the Armed Forces, an agent of the Justice Department, or in exceptional cases, a deputized federal marshal or equivalent, subject to the full battery of institutional laws, liabilities, and constraints customarily applying to such persons.
The idea is simple: any person with the power to employ lethal force on behalf of the US Government must be an employee of the US Government.
If this thing needs a name, call it the Blackwater Amendment.
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