Pima County, Arizona pays for a SWAT assault

Arizona's Pima County has agreed to settle a lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a Marine, Jose Guerena, who allegedly pointed a gun at SWAT officers during a raid on his home two years ago. The Marine never touched the trigger of his rifle, but 22 of 71 police bullets pierced his body. Then, officers refused to allow EMTs access to the home to save Guerena's life. County officials say they'll pay a paltry $3.4 million to end a two-year legal battle.

The sad part of the story is that the taxpayers are stuck with the bill. But, it was those same taxpayers who elected the sheriff and other public officials who made the rash decision to attack an innocent man's home based on an unverified anonymous tip. It seems to me that Pima County taxpayers got off pretty light at $3.4 million. It's clear that Pima County voters, like most voters, need to make wiser decisions in the polling booth. Don't ever elect such reckless public officials again!

The tactics used in the assault on Guerena's home must be reserved solely for cases where a victim's life is in grave danger such as a hostage situation or a mass-shooting -- not to prevent a rumored suspect from flushing a joint down the toilet.

Police need to understand that when they break into the homes of a free people (we Americans are still presumed to at least be nominally free -- not living in a police state), they are are subject to be fired upon by liberty-and-life-loving occupants who have a God-given, constitutionally-protected right of self-defense and of defense of their home and family. Yes, even in Pima County.

It is not reasonable to expect those occupants to blindly submit to any intruder, especially when they have family to protect -- even when the intruders claim to be cops.

No officer who has sworn an oath of loyalty to the Constitution should ever agree to such an entry unless the reason for that entry is so important that he/she is willing to die to accomplish that mission. Because he just might. Is finding a joint worth that?

If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. - Exodus 22:2.

If it's not worth dying for, it's not worth shooting over. - Unknown

Voters everywhere must demand a stop to these overused no-knock raids except in life-and-limb situations. Unfortunately, every candidate in the current municipal election in my little town of Cedar City, Utah sees no need for change in such tactics.

I call for legislation in every jurisdiction that reinforces the Fourth Amendment by protecting and emphasizing the right of law-abiding Americans to use deadly force to defend their homes -- especially against government agents.