Do you think crimes committed against a member of the military should be considered the same as crimes against

Question

the police? According to the news this morning, there is such a proposal being brought before the government. I read that suicide among soldiers is at an all-time high. This tells me that there is mental instability in some members of the military which could make them dangerous to civilians. Given that soldiers are NOT police officers and could commit crimes just like any other citizen, should they be given that much power? It seems that if crimes against a military person can be considered the same as a crime against the police, we are now proposing a police state and giving more power to the military who could actually begin to "quarter themselves in our homes". What recourse would citizens have against military personnel who are lawbreakers? How soon before Blackwater would beconsidered members of the military?

Thank all of you. I'm not going to edit the question because you all have done a pretty good job of answering despite my lack of quality. I have chosen the best answer based upon the best interpretation of the question. I should have worded it better. Previous experience wherein I was innocently involved in riots (due to evacuation and lockout of our buildings) and witnessed firsthand the abuse of power under color of law by police officers and national guard and the recent news stating that crimes committed against members of the military should be elevated in degree to the same as a crime committed against a police officer prompted the question. Sorry for the confusion.

Answer 1

I have written on the subject. Under the US Constitution, all citizens are to be protected with the same rights under the law. That also includes the same protections under the law. Favoring a person by allowing more severe punish for harming someone in particular occupations is clearly illegal. Yet it is done! I object and I benefit from the favored protection. I don't care if it's someone sleeping on the streets and pushing a shopping cart. That person's life is just as valued as you, me, a police officer, a military, a judge, or a politician. I certainly hope that the Supreme Court Justices will take notice and restore those protections.

That does not mean I don't respect the troops. But they all took the same oath as I did "... to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." And I feel secure they want no more for themselves than equal protection and justice afforded any other citizens. I am indebted to those that serve and protect this nation and the principles founded.

Answer 2

It is amazing how much you read in to that. Nothing you concluded is true. Making something that is already illegal carry a heavier penalty does not legalize anything. It is already illegal to kill anyone including a soldier or a police officer. However if you kill a police officer in the performance of their duties the penalty is harsher.

This does not give the military any additional rights.

You said 'could actually begin to "quarter themselves in our homes"' - not based on the proposed change. How does changing the penalty for something that is ALREADY illegal equate to that?

You also asked "What recourse would citizens have against military personnel who are lawbreakers?" The same they do now. They call the police. Again the proposal would not change that.

Answer 3

You actually have several questions here put into one, but I will try to answer them. 1. There already is tougher penalties for crimes against active duty members of the military under federal law. 2.I'm not sure what you are trying to say there, but about solider suicides, there should be better mental health treatment for soldiers, and it should be more accessible to soldiers in war, and after the war, that was one of the biggest mistakes made during and after Vietnam, many Vietnam veterans are still suffering from the affects of it because they weren't treated properly for things like Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder 3. The military will never be granted the authority to act as police officers unless there is an extreme national disaster. 4. Security firms will never reach that status, period

Answer 4

Why in the first place you want to compare the local police who maintains law and order and the military, defending the nation?

You know very well that, if the local police could not control large scale arson, looting, rioting, total disorder and collapse of the local governmental machinery then the military is called to maintain the law and order with the greater degree and role of use of power namely by brute force to bring back the normalcy! In the event of the civil disobedience and disturbance continues it is definite that the army would enhance its force and brutalities to silence the people, under the orders of the government, who are the protector of people!

Here, it must be understood that the both the local police and finally the military are used only to suppress the people if they become more and more violent and in the course of their action unfortunately all that is unwanted does happens and there can be no escape in such a war like situation! If the military takes control of policing the state, whatever they do cannot be sued in courts like we do for the acts of local police since the rule of military is not governed by any constitution and all the freedom and the liberties enjoyed by everyone is suspended for such a period till military is withdrawn!

Local police brutalities also go unreported in many nations including India, where thousands are killed in the police custody itself either by torture or shot dead in fake encounters and these are to be termed as cold blooded murders only!

Amnesty International has reported the varying degree of human rights violation of various nations including India, informing in clear terms on how the local police is wrongly used by the ruling political masters against their opponents and against innocent people!

Even in America, the infamous case of white policemen in uniform, about eleven of them how brutally beaten the Rodney King, an African American in the City of Los Angeles about a decade ago, which followed a huge eruption of public outcry and a great loss of shops burnt and looted for a billion dollars worth of damage overnight, the issue didn't get the justice and in the first trails the all white policemen were acquitted by a white Jury!

Now, the brutalities and human abuse like the US soldiers horrible treatment of POWs of Iraq in the Abu Gharib prison in Baghdad and in the Guantanomo Bay prison cells in Cuba are being exposed by media informing the world how the military of world's greatest democracy is brutal and barbaric in its war operations and POWs treatment , totaling violating all the rules of Geneva convention for which the USA is the first signatory!

Even inside Iraq the US army has murdered thousands of civilians, that too women and children who were unarmed and also even when they were making their prayers in their holy shrines! In some cases young soldiers were involved in rape and murder of young girls too! The military is inquiring into the charges and if proved, the soldiers and the military officials are all likely to get due punishment, including the service termination coupled with jail terms which is most unlikely to happen! However just a few cases would be pursued as eye wash to the world to accept that the USA still stands for the democratic justice!

No doubt, if the military does anything at a war like situation, they are more armed with power to commit anything and hence their brutalities and the atrocities cannot get the punishment as awarded to the local police!

Note: you have confused the question in more than three levels and hence everyone is bit annoyed and could not reply you! The question itself is wrongly put. You have considered the job of military as equal to that of local police and you are also saying that whatever the military does, can be termed as crime!

Leaving these aside, understand that if the military is called to restore order and normalcy in civil life, temporarily the democracy is suspended and an internal emergency is also declared, giving more power to the military!

Answer 5

Wow you are throwing everything together. Are you talking about military being victims of crime here in the US?

And no there should not be an enhancement just because they are military.

As far as this police state stuff, and military in our houses. Your either high or very paranoid. Come back down to reality.

Answer 6

I don't believe that any group should be treated special as a victim unless the crime committed against them was only done because they are a member of that group.

Answer 7

BREAKING DOWN YOUR DISSERTATION:
1) WHAT CRIMES/ MILITARY OPERATES UNDER UCMJ AND WE OPERATE UNDER STATE OR LOCAL OR FEDERAL?

2)SUICIDE? AND THE POINT HERE IS YOU THINK? WHY WAS THE SUICIDE DONE? HIGH COMPARED TO WHAT? DURING VIETNAM WE HAD A HIGH SUICIDE RATE BEFORE ENLISTMENT?

COMMIT CRIME, POWER, NOT POLICE.?
1) ANYONE AT ANYTIME HAS A CAPACITY TO COMMIT A CRIME?
2) POWER--ANYONE HAS POWER OVER ANOTHER SUBORDINATE? MILITARY OR POLICE OR YOUR BOSS?
3) NOT POLICE. IN WHAT SENCE?

CORRELATION FOR NEXT STATEMENT IS FAR FLUNG AND UNFOUNDED. POLICE AND MILITARY. NO COMPARISON. TWO DIFFERENT WAR ZONES AND TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS OF COMBAT. THE GENEVA CONVENTION AND ARTICLES OF WAR DO NOT APPLY TO THE CIVILIAN FORCES.

THE MILITARY CAN QUARTER THEMSELVES IN YOUR HOME DURING A TIME OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY.(AMENDMENT III)
YOU READ IN TIME OF PEACE? ARE WE PRESENTLY IN A TIME OF PEACE? THIS IS WHY CONGRESS IS SO HESITANT TO PROCLAIM A WAR?
MILITARY LAW BREAKERS? VIGILANTE, MILITIA OF THE STATES?
GOOD QUESTION ABOUT BLACK WATER, BUT IN REALITY PROBABLY NEVER.

Answer 8

I'm with Consul on this - you're all over the place, and making leaps that go beyond anything reasonable. Pare it down, or break it into several questions with a single point, and repost.

Answer 9

If It Is Against A Uniformed Or Known Soldier, Heck Yeah!!!

Answer 10

Can you sort this out, have it make sense and then post again. Honestly, you have like 4 or 5 different opposing things in there.