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REASON Express September 7, 1999 Vol. 2 No. 36
- - There's a Riot Going On - - The new investigation into Waco will rightly focus on the role of the military and military munitions in the debacle. But it would be a shame to miss an opportunity to probe the increasing militarization of civilian police forces. Because even if military units are not used to settle tense situations, military tactics are routinely used, often with disastrous results. This weekend saw a college football game between Colorado and Colorado State descend into a mass tear gassing fit for perpetual French college students. The universal opinion seems to be that police at Mile High Stadium panicked in the face of CSU fans intent on rushing the field. "They maced everybody--students, parents, everybody. A lot of innocent people were hurt, tremendously hurt,'' said Jerry Brumit, a CSU backer and witness. Even some marching band members and stadium staff were hit. Of course, if the game were still held on a college campus, tearing down goal posts would be no big deal. But the game was moved to neutral Denver last year in search of bigger bucks, and Mile High Stadium forbids fans from getting on the field. That meant that it was up to police to uphold that policy. As the police units were decked out in full riot gear and supplied with a variety of "crowd control" devices, they used them. But that reaction was mild compared to an El Monte (Calif.) SWAT team which announced itself by blowing the doors off a residence with a shotgun. The ostensible target was drugs, but the only bullseye was found in the middle of 64-year-old grandfather's back. After interrogating the occupants who were still alive, the police left without filing any charges. The man died from two gunshot wounds. The feds are now investigating. Then there was an incredibly underreported occurrence several months ago of a submachine toting Washington, D.C., policeman who, while firing from his back during an "assault" drill at a shooting range, spewed bullets into a Northern Virginia neighborhood. Even though rounds flew through windows and wound up inches from people, no one was hurt. It should go without saying that military tactics are incompatible with day-to-day policing. For the confused policy making third-graders out there, the military seeks to inflict harm, police to prevent it. Granted there will be the occasional situation which devolves into a hostile confrontation. But even so, many of those situations would be better handled with quick thinking by skilled individuals than bureaucratic application of ever greater levels of force. And as long as old-fashioned bravery and common sense are in scant supply, more tragedies will happen. http://www.denverpost.com/news/news0905gas.htm http://www.denverpost.com/scolumns/kiz0907.htm http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/06/072l-090699-idx.html
Jacob Sullum looked at the uniquely American persecution of David Koresh's followers at http://www.reason.com/opeds/sullum083199.html - - Keys to the Kingdom - - The Net spasmed at allegations that Microsoft had lain down with the National Security Agency, conspiring to implant special NSA encryption "keys" in Microsoft operating systems. The heaviest breathers alleged that the NSA keys provided a backdoor through which U.S. snoops could rummage through private data. The simpler explanation is that the keys were left over from NSA's certification of the software that is required as part of strict government controls on the export of encryption technology. Microsoft concedes that labeling this part of the system "nsakey" was a bad idea. The funnier thing is, even the latter explanation should provoke howls of outrage. The episode should make clear the degree to which encryption is micromanaged by the feds. Many users without 128-bit encryption for their Web browser or other software can thank U.S. policy for their vulnerability. That should be scandal enough for Netheads everywhere, secret keys or not. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2328464,00.html
- - Deal of the Millennium - - There is no denying that Bill and Hillary are a remarkable pair. Not only have they been able to make the public sector their entire professional lives, they have managed to remain insulated from anything remotely resembling the private sector. Invest in futures? Bang, turn $1,000 into $100,000. Serial perjurer and philanderer? New, improved legal defense fund steps up to the plate. Special circumstances perhaps. But most people--no matter their income--can only house-hunt with the money at hand. Not so the Clintons. They manage to find a "friend"--someone who just happens to have been under investigation for his ties to the Teamster political spending--who steps up with $1.35 million (after another friend backs out at the last minute) to guarantee a home mortgage they could not possibly get without the help. But the best part is getting the White House Counsel's office--the very same that once calculated the Clintons' back taxes--to issue an opinion that the deal is wholly above board and does not run afoul of bans on gifts to government officials. This is risk free self-policing. Since the Clintons are so good at this sort of thing, why not ask them to spring for the Secret Service protection they'll receive after they leave the White House? It might even turn into a bidding war between Bill and Hillary to win allegiance of their household guard. http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/04/072l-090499-idx.html - - East Nonesuch - - So how should the world community react when a province of a sovereign country votes for independence in a plebiscite? What if armed thugs with ties to the ruling government react by laying waste to the region and its inhabitants? We'll find out, as that is exactly what has happened in the Indonesian province of East Timor for the past week. By all accounts, Indonesian "militias" and police have rivaled the Serbian partisans in Kosovo in their application of violence to civilians. On what grounds, then, can the Clinton administration fail to act? Further away from the mainland U.S. yes, but in many ways much closer to vital interests, markets, and sea-lanes. Indonesia's rulers could be compelled to accept a peacekeeping force. Australia would seem to be the immediate candidate left holding the bag. Canberra could quickly deploy troops, but would need U.S. and European backing to do so. But so far the U.N. has been left to come up with a plan. The Clinton administration would like to play this off as a regional issue, except for one little accident of timing. Some 7,000 U.S. Navy, Marines and Air Force personnel arrive this week Down Under to take part in the Crocodile '99 military exercises. http://www.stratfor.com/asia/specialreports/special68.htm http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/06/118l-090699-idx.html - - Going for the Gold - - Kenneth Curtis, a former pipefitter, has the war on drugs to thank for his new line of work. His small Greenville, S.C., business takes advantage of the burgeoning use of drug tests to hawk its wares: Curtis' own drug-free urine. At $69, plus shipping, customers of Privacy Protection Services get five ounces of clean urine in a plastic bag, along with plastic tubing and a chemical heat pack to help convince testers that the urine is fresh. Curtis says the constant drug tests he was subjected to on the job made him wonder if there was a better way. South Carolina thought that his idea was too good, and soon passed a law against the sale of urine, joining Texas, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania in that odd club. Curtis is not alone in his anti-pee police line of work. Several other firms sell kits which claim to be able to mask the use of drugs from testers. http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/02/282l-090299-idx.html
QUICK HITS - - Quote of the Week - - "It's intellectually so disappointing and so absurd. It's like teaching English, but making grammar optional," Harvard biology professor Stephen Jay Gould on politicians who say teaching evolution in public schools should be optional. Thus far, among presidential pretenders only Bill Bradley has supported teaching evolution. http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/06/090l-090699-idx.html
- - Shock Theater - - Carson Junior High School in Mesa, Arizona, will not put on a production of Tom Sawyer following complaints that the work is racist and offensive to women, law enforcement, and church goers. Sounds like a hit. http://www.azcentral.com/news/0903sawyer.shtml
- - ...And Take Those High Tops Off! - - Clothing bearing the Billabong brand name is forbidden at a Winneconne, Wisconsin, high school because the name is similar to the word "bong." "I realize Billabong is a surfing company. If we were in California or Florida where they do a lot of surfing, I would understand. But we don't surf here so where do we draw the line?" Principal Ed Dombrowski wondered. Well, there is the fact that the word is Australian aboriginal for lagoon or backwater. http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/wis_docs/021681.htm
- - Booster Clubbed - - The California Assembly voted to require children to use car booster seats until age 7. Failure to comply could bring a fine of up to $250. http://www.capitolalert.com/news/capalert01_19990901.html
- - Vote Early, Often - - Another "Best Of" list is under construction, this time of the best non-fiction books published in the 20th century. http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best/index.pperl
REASON NEWS On September 13th, Showtime will air "The Pursuit of Happiness: Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th Century," a documentary by Robert Zemeckis, which includes an interview with Reason Senior Editor Jacob Sullum. SAVE THE DATE Reason's 2nd Annual Dynamic Visions Conference will be held February 19-21 (Presidents Day Weekend) in Silicon Valley. For information on speakers and registration, see http://reason.com/dynamic/dynamic2000.html Reason Express is made possible by a grant from The DBT Group (http://www.dbtgroup.com), manufacturers of affordable, high-performance mainframe systems and productivity software.
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