Government Free to Do As It Pleases

For John, BLUF:  When they don't bother to tell you, you are really out of luck.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This article is by Mr Tim Cushing, from Tech Dirt—"Who Pays When The DEA Destroys Your Vehicle And Kills Your Employee During A Botched Sting? Hint: Not The DEA".

It is all on Mr Craig Patty, and Driver Lawrence Chapa's widow, if he has one.

The DEA likes to borrow stuff.  It's just not very good about returning borrowed items in the same shape it got them.

Like a woman's Facebook account.

Or a businessman's semi truck.

And his employee's life.

Craig Patty runs a tiny trucking company in Texas.  He has only two trucks in his "fleet."  One of them was being taken to Houston for repairs by his employee, Lawrence Chapa.  Or so he thought.

In reality, Chapa was working with the DEA, which had paid him to load up Patty's truck with marijuana and haul it back to Houston so the DEA could bust the prospective buyers.  That's when everything went completely, horribly wrong.

And I like this line (from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division).

To borrow a phrase from qualified immunity law, Patty has not shown that the “clearly established law” in place when the undercover operation was planned and implemented made the officers’ conduct unconstitutional..

And people want us to nationalize the police force?

What about tar and feathers?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff