AUSTIN -- And in other news . . . The War on Drugs is ripping up the
Constitution, endangering American liberty and encouraging law
enforcement officers to act like bandits. The unpleasant ramifications
of the War on Drugs are too numerous for one column, but the area of
asset forfeiture deserves special consideration.
* On Oct. 2, 1992, a team of officers from the Los Angeles police, the
Park Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Forest Service,
the California National Guard and the California Bureau of Narcotic
Enforcement staged a raid on the home of Donald Scott, a 61-year-old
rancher, near Malibu. Armed with high-powered weapons, flak jackets, a
battering ram and a presumably legal search warrant, they kicked in
the door and rushed through the house. Scott's wife began screaming;
he went to her side with a gun and was shot to death before her eyes.
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