The satirical dystopian film Brazil does not — in case you haven’t seen it — have much of anything to do with Brazil, the country. But it does have something to do with Deming, New Mexico.
This week’s War on Drugs horror story takes place in Deming, and echoes the “comic,” gallows-humor motif of Terry Gilliam’s 1985 classic. In the movie, armed minions of the futuristic superstate raid your house, kill you, bag you, tag you, and then bill your family for the “service.”
In Deming, an officer stopped a motorist for rolling through a Stop sign. For some reason (so far not explained) the motorist was asked to exit his car, and, the officer claims, exhibited “clenched buttocks” — as if hiding drugs in his rectum.
So, the story goes (and it’s a frighteningly long story), a warrant to search the motorist was obtained, and he was taken to a hospital where multiple anal probes, an x‑ray, two enemas in front of multiple witnesses, and a colonoscopy yielded no evidence of drugs.
And then the suspect — “patient,” in medical terms, though the man consented to no services — was billed. You know, for the x‑ray, the colonoscopy, the enemas, and the anal probes.
Of course the victim is suing, and if the reportage is correct, that all this really happened, I hope he wins millions. The behavior of the police, the judge, and some medical personnel is inexcusable.
But it fits right in with the dystopian future America has made for itself. The War on Drugs is bringing us — has brought us? — tyranny we’d expect only from the darkest of black comedies.
Yes, it can happen here.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
8 replies on “A Bill for Services Rendered”
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No justice unless the perpetrators are found personally financially liable. Not just the county. Prison at a minimum seems appropriate.
He is not the first, not will he be the last. As the state determines what the state can do, and ignores all constitutional restrictions, this will continue.
There should be no imposition on the taxpayers beyond actual damages, but criminal and civil individual liability assessed against the perpetrators.
I am constantly at a loss to explain the fervor of the Drug Warriors/law enforcement.….where is the *harm*???? Where are so many people getting hurt that you have to use *paramilitary* police forces to just investigate a snitch’s dubious report???
Ass jacking a guy because he *clenched* his ass getting out of a car in front of threatening, armed, angry men???? What the hell???
…and *all* those involved are OK with it????
THere *has* to be more to it than that.….
According to a story I read, the colonoscopy was performed without a court order. The physician who did that procedure should be charged with battery. The physicians who performed the earlier procedures should be publicly shamed, perhaps with a big ad in the local paper that describes their willingness to unquestioningly follow a judge’s ridiculous orders.
The physician that did that should lose their license.
Probable cause (in this case in the officer’s mind, or in the case of a dog, whenever the officer gives them the signal to signal) now apparently means a body cavity search.
Given that no one in government protected this guy from the others in government, how can anyone think government will protect you from criminals? Especially the criminals in government. Like they say, when seconds matter, the police are only minutes away. Except in this case, the police and his superiors were all homosexual perverts in government, using the position to enjoy themselves at the expense of someone else, who wasn’t in government.