(no subject)

[mamculuna]

From the NY Times:

"The Supreme Court yesterday substantially diminished Americans' right to privacy in their own homes. The rule that police officers must "knock and announce" themselves before entering a private home is a venerable one, and a well-established part of Fourth Amendment law. But President Bush's two recent Supreme Court appointments have now provided the votes for a 5-4 decision eviscerating this rule.

This decision should offend anyone, liberal or conservative, who worries about the privacy rights of ordinary Americans."

Comments

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

And the other aspect of this is that a lot of americans own guns. Part of the reason the Knock rule existed is that it was better to warn the homeowner than let them think it was a break-in. (Particularly as the houses these police are likely to enter are more likely to have guns in them...)

Then end result being, in addition to an erosion of rights, probably an uptick in shootouts and cops getting killed. Which will be especially great if the cops get the wrong address.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Yep--a great recipe for various disasters.