civil and criminal justice

In July 2009, news media reported that President George W. Bush considered using military forces to arrest suspected Al Qaeda operatives in Buffalo, N.Y. (see a NY Times article on this issue). Ultimately, the President chose to use traditional law enforcement in the form of the FBI, and six of the suspects later pled guilty.

The use of military forces was supported by a DOJ memo, though most commentators disagreed, saying such law enforcement activities are inconsistent with the Posse Comitatus Act. However, it should be noted that a United States Army brigade is now, for the first time, permanently deployed on United States soil.

Your assignment this week is to answer the following questions:

  • Do you think the military should be used to in this way inside our nation’s borders? Why or why not?

This individual work should include the following:

  • An in-depth submission free of spelling and grammar errors.
  • An essay containing a minimum of one page, typed and double-spaced.
  • You will be assessed on the rationale you use in addressing the question/issue posted, and how well you justify your argument regarding this issue.
  • Your response must be thought provoking, have well developed ideas and/or opinions, and should reference any supporting material from the text, lecture, or other sources you have used to complete the assignment.
  • You may use your text or the Internet as a reference, but remember to cite your sources.