Ease Up There Cowboy
It seems like Lt. Gen. Steven Blum of the National Guard has seen one too many Rambo movies. Of the 7,000 troops arriving in New Orleans today, "[H]e said half of them had just returned from assignments overseas and are 'highly proficient in the use of lethal force.' He pledged to "put down" the violence 'in a quick and efficient manner.'"
Calm down there buddy. These are U.S. citizens, some of whom are surely thugs, but others of whom are just desparate souls looking for essential supplies. They are not Iraqi insurgents bent on blowing up the law-abiding citizens of New Orleans. They should be dealt with quickly and efficiently, but unless they present an immediate and life-threatening danger, there's no need to be thinking about lethal force.