Citizens Who Have Lost in the War On Drugs

                                Bounkham "BouBou" Phonesavanh (Credit: The Phonesavanh Family)

As I read of little BouBou's situation, I was sickened, and that's not a strong enough word.  I'm disgusted by what we've allowed in this country.  This little boy is fighting for his life because a SWAT team landed a grenade in his crib in the middle of the night.  His sisters awaken screaming in the night after the home in which they were staying was violently invaded by law enforcement looking for drugs.  This is not the first time a no-knock warrant in Atlanta has caused life and death damage at the wrong address.  The guy they were looking for didn't live there.

The Local report indicates this little boy is making an amazing recovery, but this reporter says, that child should not have to be recovering!  Hopefully this little guy will recover, but he'll never be the same.  This trauma will affect him throughout his life.  Not only was he injured needlessly, his mother was allegedly prevented from comforting him.  I honestly do not know how those who can commit such atrocities can sleep at night or look at themselves in the mirror.

When Atlanta was mentioned in the article, I remembered another case of a no-knock warrant in which a 92 year old woman was killed and three cops busted for falsifying information and planting drugs in an attempt to cover their mistake.  Again, the wrong address.  Police officers were injured in that raid, but it was not from Mrs. Johnston's attempt to defend herself.  There was so much gunfire, the cops actually shot each other.  Mrs. Johnston got one round off from a rusty old revolver as her door was being broken down, hitting no one.

We need to stop and think.  Most people, will do everything to protect themselves and their homes.  In the case of no-knock warrants, often the home is in a less than upscale part of town, which often means higher crime rates.  The theory that a no-knock warrant prevents the disposal of evidence doesn't really carry enough weight to warrant the loss of life.  If I lived in a high crime area, and someone was breaking my door in, I'd be aiming to shoot if I was armed.  Most people would.  That's why some states have the castle law.

As I read these articles, I guess the only way to tell the "good guys" with a no-knock warrant from the burglars and vandals would be the fact burglars and vandals are likely to be quieter while breaking and entering . . .

When a 92 year old woman and a 2 year old baby boy are not safe in their own home from police, we really need to evaluate our definition of democracy, republic, freedom, serve and protect.