The Jack-Booted Thug of the Week...

is New Orleans Police Chief Warren Riley. After Hurricane Katrina, police from New Orleans and other agencies helping out went from door to door confiscating legally owned firearms from residents that had every right to have them. In many cases, these weapons were the only tools the residents had to protect themselves from looters, gangbangers, and other thugs out to rape and pillage, as the police were generally nowhere to be found. When the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation sued the city of New Orleans and Mayor Ray Nagin over this illegal confiscation, Nagin and Riley first denied ever taking the firearms, and then denied having any of them in their possession. It was only after the gun rights groups filed contempt of court and perjury motions that they admitted possessing the guns, and grudgingly began returning them.

In response to this, the Louisiana State Legislature reworked the law this spring to make what Nagin and Riley did specifically illegal - that is, it is now a crime to confiscate legally owned firearms in Louisiana, which New Orleans is still a part of, if I remember correctly.

Well, according to this article, Mr. Riley states that he is prepared to do the exact same thing should another hurricane strike. I suppose police chiefs don't have to follow the same laws as the rest of the peasantry because they are so all-knowing and wise. Here's hoping that Riley not only get the pants sued off of him if he tries this again, but that he also has to do some seat time in his own slammer. Now that would be justice.

p.s. Honorable mention goes to the jackbooted ATF agent quoted in the article who states “God spared a lot of people in this storm, he also spared a lot of violent people who were committing violent crimes with firearms,”. Well, no shit, Sherlock. That's why the law-abiding people needed their firearms, to defend themselves against these thugs. Jeez, what nitwittery.