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Martial Law Threat is Real
The looming collapse of the US military in Iraq, of which a number of generals and former generals, including former Chief of Staff Colin Powell, have warned, is happening none too soon, as it my be the best hope for preventing military rule here at home.
From the looks of things, the Bush/Cheney regime has been working assiduously to pave the way for a declaration of military rule, such that at this point it really lacks only the pretext to trigger a suspension of Constitutional government. They have done this with the active support of Democrats in Congress, though most of the heavy lifting was done by the last, Republican-led Congress.
The first step, or course, was the first Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed in September 2001, which the president has subsequently used to claim‹improperly, but so what that the whole world, including the US, is a battlefield in a so-called 'War' on Terror, and that he has extra-Constitutional unitary executive powers to ignore laws passed by Congress. As constitutional scholar and former Reagan-era associate deputy attorney general Bruce Fein observes, that one claim, that the US is itself a battlefield, is enough to allow this or some future president to declare martial law, 'since you can always declare martial law on a battlefield. All he'd need would be a pretext, like another terrorist attack inside the U.S.'
The 2001 AUMF was followed by the PATRIOT Act, passed in October 2001, which undermined much of the Bill of Rights. Around the same time, the president began a campaign of massive spying on Americans by the National Security Agency, conducted without any warrants or other judicial review. It was and remains a program that is clearly aimed at American dissidents and at the administration's political opponents, since the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court would never have raised no objections to spying on potential terrorists. (And it, and other government spying programs, have resulted in the government's having a list now of some 325,000'suspected terrorists'!)
The other thing we saw early on was the establishment of an underground government-within-a-government, though the activation, following 9-11, of the so-called 'Continuity of Government' protocol, which saw heads of federal agencies moved secretly to an underground bunker where, working under the direction of Vice President Dick Cheney, the 'government' functioned out of sight of Congress and the public for critical months.
It was also during the first year following 9-11 that the Bush/Cheney regime began its programs of arrest and detention without charge‹mostly of resident aliens, but also of American citizens‹and of kidnapping and torture in a chain of gulag prisons overseas and at the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
The following year, Attorney General John Ashcroft began his program to develop a mass network of tens of millions of citizen spies‹Operation TIPS. That program, which had considerable support from key Democrats (notably Sen. Joe Lieberman), was curtailed by Congress when key conservatives got wind of the scale of the thing, but the concept survives without a name, and is reportedly being expanded today.
Meanwhile, last October Bush and Cheney, with the help of a compliant Congress, put in place some key elements needed for a military putsch. There was the overturning of the venerable Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which barred the use of active duty military inside the United States for police-type functions, and the revision of the Insurrection Act, so as to empower the president to take control of National Guard units in the 50 states even over the objections of the governors of those states.
Put this together with the wholly secret construction now under way--courtesy of a $385-million grant by the US Army Corps of Engineers to Halliburton subsidiary KBR Inc--of detention camps reportedly capable of confining as many as 400,000 people, and a recent report that the Pentagon has a document, dated June 1, 2007, classified Top Secret, which declares there to be a developing 'insurgency' within the U.S, and which lays out a whole martial law counterinsurgency campaign against legal dissent, and you have all the ingredients for a military takeover of the United States.
As we go about our daily lives--our shopping, our escapist movie watching, and even our protesting and political organizing we need to be aware that there is a real risk that it could all blow up, and that we could find ourselves facing armed, uniformed troops at our doors.
Bruce Fein isn't an alarmist. He says he doesn't see martial law coming tomorrow. But he is also realistic. He says, 'This is all sitting around like a loaded gun waiting to go off. I think the risk of martial law is trivial right now, but the minute there is a terrorist attack, then it is real. And it stays with us after Bush and Cheney are gone, because terrorism stays with us forever.' (It may be significant that Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate for president, has called for the revocation of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq, but not of the earlier 2001 AUMF which Bush claims makes him commander in chief of a borderless, endless war on terror.)
Indeed, the revised Insurrection Act (10. USC 331-335) approved by Congress and signed into law by Bush last October, specifically says that the president can federalize the National Guard to 'suppress public disorder' in the event of 'national disorder, epidemic, other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident.' That determination, the act states, is solely the president¹s to make. Congress is not involved.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has added an amendment to the upcoming Defense bill, restoring the Insurrection Act to its former version‹a move that has the endorsement of all 50 governors--but Fein argues that would not solve the problem, since Bush still claims that the U.S. is a battlefield. Besides, a Leahy aide concedes that Bush could sign the next Defense Appropriations bill and then use a signing statement to invalidate the Insurrection Act rider.
Fein argues that the only real defense against the looming disaster of a martial law declaration would be for Congress to vote for a resolution determining that there is no 'War' on terror. 'But they are such cowards they will never do that,' he says.
That leaves us with the military.
If ordered to turn their guns and bayonets on their fellow Americans, would our 'heroes' in uniform follow their consciences, and their oaths to 'uphold and defend' the Constitution of the United States? Or would they follow the orders of their Commander in Chief?
It has to be a plus that National Guard and Reserve units are on their third and sometimes fourth deployments to Iraq, and are fuming at the abuse. It has to be a plus that active duty troops are refusing to re-enlist in droves especially mid-level officers.
If we are headed for martial law, better that it be with a broken military. Maybe if it's broken badly enough, the administration will be afraid to test the idea.
Dave Lindorff's most recent book is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net.
131 Comments so far
Show AllAs I've said before, I'm sure there is a black Op, loaded and cocked, to be used the minute the Cheney/Bush gang feels they are about to go down. I imagine the Congress will fall for it like they did Tonkin.
I don't think Cheney/Bush would balk at sinking one of our ships to bring on a war, or they might target a liberal city, but that will be the trigger for martial law and expanded war.
Remember, we are dealing with the lowest of the low, the true bottom feeders in the cesspool that is our government.
The final sentence in the article is a subject for serious thought. The suggestion is rational thinking.
"Maybe if it's broken enough___(our military)___ the administration will be afraid to test the idea".
That final sentence is rational thinking __ if our president and vice president were rational thinkers. They have proven to be otherwise and therefore, they put all of us and our country in peril.
I used to be a dissident but that was before I realized what great men Messrs. Bush and Cheney are. I studied the Bible, accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior, and I have resolved to send a monthly check to the Republican National Committee each month to keep me out of prison...I mean to support the Noble War on Terror. Seig heil, mein fuhrer, seig heil! (I think in English that means Long live the President or something like that). Bye for now - I'm going out to wave the flag at passing cars and to shout that God hates faggots, just in case our military isn't broken. (It isn't; the Air Force and Navy are doing fine and are just getting cranked up). Seig heil!
Well, we know Bush is irrational, but I suspect Cheney is rational, even if he is evil. If he thought martial law could fail or backfire, he would probably hold back.
Dave, those of us who openly mock the POTUS are counting on you being right.
You Nazi traitor Ron, I knew it. I'm gonna hide instead, get a sex change operation and go to Paraguay.
Our National Guard is busy guarding another nation, as is much of our regular military.
It will be private Blackwater blackshirts that enforce martial law. They don't even have to be American citizens, just people who are willing to shoot and torture Americans for money.
It could be another terrorist attack that sets it off, or a natural disaster (creeping martial law, one ravaged urban area at a time), or public disturbances or rioting or peace marches following imposition of a draft or our nuking of various countries.
Or even Cheney's final defense against being impeached.
RE: 'IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE?' - SCAREY...BUT IRRESPONSIBLE.
This is frightening - but, imo, at the very least Mr. Lindorff should have provided links supporting the real-world-threat of the nightmare scenarios he lists.
This is easily done (e.g., the columns of Frank Rich), and links take up no additional space, just turn a word or two blue - then readers can both educate themselves and form a greater, fact-opinion-based pov.
Readers familiar with my posts know that I am with Mr. Lindorff on pressing for impeachment NOW.
BUT, imo, progressives absolutely must be informed, and the effect of this list of hair-raising, proto-putsch acts by a proto-fascist right - despite Lindorff's "Fein...says he doesn't see martial law coming tomorrow" caveat - is to frighten readers into a point of view.
If false flag, was it as successful as they'd hoped? No, they enjoyed a relatively brief blip -- arguably smaller than what the Democrats enjoyed under LBJ and Vietnam/Tonkin.
They've long since created a fickle, cynical and forgetful populace and it worked against them. It would take lots of 9/11's. But therein is the rub -- they'd lose that way even more quickly since the public would see how poorly they protect us. Many large American businesses, some which have been very influential politically, also, would suffer.
Best way for a fascism to succeed is to bribe each and every one of us with genuine properity. But since the Shrub is wrecking the middle-class rather than giving them reason for adoration, his stab at the unitary amounted to a dolchstoss in his own agenda.
I say bring it on! Whatever will cause our lazy asses to hit the streets in number, BRING IT ON!!
Don't forget Blackwater et al.
George Orwell was right.
One part of our government lies to us, and the other part allows the lie to go unchallenged. I guess that is the American way.
Now we have a private army that rivals our own (and we helped pay for it). What do you think they will do after (and if) the Iraq war ends?
www.NotOneMore.US
"I'd rather vote for what I want and not get it than vote for what I don't want, and get it." - Eugene Debs
As Pogo once said "We have met the enemy and he is us!'
P.S.
Dave forgot to mention the executive order Bush signed last week about confication of personal property that is so losely worded, anyone who is critical of his actions stands to lose all material goods.
curmudgeon, it's amazing this executive order has not recieved more attention. It's absolutely terrifying to think of the power this lunatic gives himself, and even more terrifying that nobody does anything to stop him! I can't find one msm link to this, it's just been swept under the rug but you can find it in it's entirety, clear as day, on the White House site.
As usual there is the defeatist attitude of a mass of people unwilling to take responsibility for their own freedom. If we are to have military rule it is better that it be with a broken military?
No where do I hear any talk of a solution or the will to resist. At all. So yes you will have martial law because you are already cowed and acting as though it were already imposed.
You people make me ashamed of my american heritage. And you remind me of why it is that so many of us cant stand each other. I despise wimps and sell outs. Especially those who affect me.
Give up your freedom and hide under the bed as I have said here before no one is coming to save you. The lack of effort on your part makes any effort on my part a waste of my time.
Do you see where being so soft and scared gets you?
Damn those people who fought King George really did waste their time.
Would you like fries with your dictatorship?
Or maybe just write more surrender articles.
Who are the surrender monkeys now? The same as they always were Americans. Soft, greedy, self centered, uneducated and incapacitated by the likes of this administration.
Wow! What a waste.
Democracy is in our bones. It's been with us for many generations. I have faith that when the time comes, it won't matter how much authority the Bush Crime Family has given themselves. The American People will not lay down under military law (even if Blackwater led) and go quietly from democracy to dictatorship.
I think it unfortunate that this is what it will take for the citizencry to finally wake up and fight. Nonetheless, the revolution will begin and we will start to save ourselves.
When the time comes, it'll be Blackwater and other loyalbushie mercs, not US soldiers, attempting to enforce martial law upon 300 million of the most heavily armed citizens in the world.
Good luck. I'm off to the practice range...
I hear Blackwater is hiring and that the pay is awesome! I hear the benefits are great too, as long as you don't get hurt....
We on the left may come to appreciate the Second Amendment...
Lindorff: good piece. It's nice to see you participating in the comments, too.
I grew up in South Dakota, which makes me proficient with firearms, though I loathe them and don't currently own one. I think I'll head over to the Freepers' threads and see what those lunatics recommend for arms in a diffuse (sub-/ex-)urban insurgency.
The only thing we'll have to fear is the cowardice of our fellow countrymen. It'll then be fight or flight. So let's be gentlemen, and quit beating around the bush. Fear-mongering doesn't do anyone any good.
But let's make a dry-run thought experiment:
If our military service men and women were ordered to surround American cities even if they began to starve, powerful businesses (with a lot of lobbying clout) collapsed, potentially shoot their own families/relatives, etc. it's not unreasonable to conclude that they'd refuse, the military would splinter into factions going straight to the top. And probably some recently-retired brass would come out of retirement on the side of the people.
While I have no doubt that Bush & Co. would adore a new fascism, it's extremely unlikely it would occur without plunging the US into Civil War.
I find it interesting that no one seems to recall that September 11, 2001 was primary day in New York City. The polls had been open a while when the first plane hit the first tower. Anyone remember what happened? They stopped the election, closed the polls, threw out the ballots that had been cast. There was a giant "do-over" later in the month, but at the time, we only had the word of the election commission that there'd be a rescheduled vote.
The military would not refuse to do this, just like there are no police officers who refuse to beat, poison, and arrest peaceful protestors. Those people are far-right psychopaths who would immediately swallow whatever propaganda is needed to back up a military dictatorship just like they did in Iraq.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Instead of martial law I would favor a military coup along the lines of the Thai military, which we trained and armed. Get those crminals out of D.C. and replace them with honest Americans.
Hoa binh
Hi SiouxRose,
My posts, the longer ones anyway, have been slow coming up also. I'm not sure if there is a 4 or 5 thousand character limit, but I'm pretty sure there is one, so keep that in mind.
On another post I pointed out that when martial law is declared they will likely cut all internet communications (probably cell phone satellites, too), but not the MSM, which they control. Expect numerous Paris/Nicole type stories to keep the populace complacent & mesmerized. It certainly is in keeping with their super-secretive "keep 'em in the dark" methodology, right?
They can't lock us ALL up at ONCE!
They can NEVER vanquish the TRUE AMERICANS that will NEVER accept this fascist hell they inflict upon us.
The more wrongs they committ against humanity, the more they know that the inevtiable approaches- it's TRUE- the PEOPLE are PISSED, and check it out: they don't have enough money to build all the detention centers required for tens of millions of OUTRAGED CITIZENS.
What happened to my post about the DeFazio/DHS flare-up and the Terrorism Drills being held in Portland, OR in August and October? If too long, that's cool, but I am bummed I wasn't notified.
The letter we sent to DeFazio this week asked, in light of the secrecy he met when trying to probe DHS about Bush's "Continuity of Government" plans, would Congressman DeFazio endorse a Portland Citizens' Oversight committee that could be involved in negotiations and preparations for the drills.
It is accessible at http://911blogger.com/node/10213#comment-155694.
If people have constructive ideas regarding how Portland might respond to what could be a "perfect storm of terror, treason and totalitarianism," as a cohort aptly phrased it, please contact me here, or through the Portland Impeachment network, via AfterDowningStreet.org.
Thanks,
Styve
I wouldn't give them so much credit. For one thing, you're only encouraging them, paralyzing a would-be resistance before this scenario even presents itself, and predicting a breakdown or cleavage IN THE WRONG PLACE.
A martial law would cleave our society into more than one military. There are people who serve because of a deeply-rooted committment to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Fascisms like Nazism require its totalitarian leader to be widely adored by young and old, trusted, holding masssive public rallies, etc. They require large-scale buy-in. They also provided something in return -- rebuilding a shredded economy, improving morale, etc. Bush has done none of these things. They miscalculated before, on, and after 9/11.
As for cops, I guess it depends on whether you've known any as neighbors, friends, or relatives. Not perfect, they span the whole range. But they are real people, they are citizens. To insist that they beat us over the heads when martial law declared is an invitation to lose. Rather, I see some retired generals coming out of the woodwork, large portions of the military, and many local law enforcement coming to the aid of a faltering country. If they don't, I'll take a long hike to Nunavut.
I forgot where I got this on the web, but someone on another site said that it may have been a quote by Ray McGovern...it is on point with the rise of Bush Fascism...
---------------------------
Ignore. That's what the vast majority of Germans did in the 1930s as Hitler curtailed civil liberties and launched aggressive wars. I was born in August 1939, a week before Hitler sent German tanks into Poland to start World War II. I have studied that crucial time in some detail. And during the five years I served in Germany I had occasion to ask all manner of people how it could possibly be that, highly educated and cultured as they were, the Germans for the most part could simply ignore. Why was it that the institutional churches, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran, could not find their voice? Why was it that so few spoke out?
A few did ... and they provide good example for us today. Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke out, plotted against Hitler, and was executed. Also executed was a more obscure but equally courageous professor from the University of Berlin, Albrecht Haushofer.
Like Bonhoeffer, Haushofer was arrested for speaking out. The SS prison guards were required to extract a confession from prisoners before they were hanged or shot, but Haushofer refused. When they removed his body, though, a paper fell out of his pocket. It was his admission of guilt written in the form of a sonnet:
Schuld
...schuldig bin ich Anders als Ihr denkt.
Ich musste früher meine Pflicht erkennen;
Ich musste schärfer Unheil Unheil nennen;
Mein Urteil habe ich zu lang gelenkt...
Ich habe gewarnt,
Aber nicht genug, und klar;
Und heute weiß ich, was ich schuldig war.
Guilt
I am guilty,
But not in the way you think.
I should have earlier recognized my duty;
I should have more sharply called evil evil;
I reined in my judgment too long.
I did warn,
But not enough, and clear;
And today I know what I was guilty of.
Hey Ron, you Nazi sympathizer. Get out of our country. Or better yet, drive on down to the deep south and hoot your horn. No, Americans have Democracy in their bones, and will not stand for martial law. Why would the President enforce martial law when he can't even make a dent in Iraq? Sounds to me too many writers are joining the propaganda pact and spreading unnecessary terror as well.
Speaking of Police and there support for Bush Cheney Facism/ Marshall Law. I was State Police for 25 yrs. retired. I wouldn't walk across the street for either of these scum. I believe they should be tried for war crimes and war profiteering. Unfortunately, I predict that 75% to 95% would follow Marshall Law Directives when asked. If there was time, confronting police with these issues and giving them time to work these issues over would lower the compliance ratio.
Dave Lindorf speaks about much of the buzz that can be read in the pages of commondreams, especially the comments section. We are all increasingly aware of the potential for Martial Law, and that thought is chilling indeed. No doubt the detention camps will have special wings devoted to commondreams bloggers.
I'm astounded and prompted to write in response to articles like this, because it is well thought out and yet lacks the proper context for us to understand what we are really dealing with. Dave does mention, that to end this fiasco, the "War on Terror" must be renounced, and legislation must pass declaring that it no longer exists. I give him credit for that.
To do that, to kill the dragon, we must examine what most of us have glazed over in our minds, the truth about 9/11. The truth about 9/11 is that it was planned and executed by the US Military, enabled and covered up by the Bush Administration and the MSM. The War on Terror is based upon a lie, the only way to defeat a lie is with the truth. The Controlled Demolition of the Twin Towers and Building 7, are in fact, all the evidence that we need to begin to unravel the dark path being taken by our government since that fateful day. In horror, it is like a snuff film, absolute evidence of murder. Yes planes did hit the world trade center, but they did not CAUSE the collapse. They are seperate events, confused by the lies contained within the "official story."
Much can be said about all aspects of the Traitorist Attacks that day, but I focus on the Controlled Demolition aspect of the tragedy because it is factual and irrefutable. It is irrefutable once you understand the numerous laws of nature being broken, simulatiously during the collapse of the first tower. Then repeated exactly the same for the second tower. Building 7 is so obvious, that you need to ask yourself what evidence was so important to destroy, that you take that kind of blatant risk being discovered outright. The debate is not whether or not I'm right, it is whether or not you have the courage to solve the mystery and find the truth for yourself. For myself, it was a revelation, and I will never see the world the same again.
To see from the point of view that the attacks were on purpose, and came from within the US, is altering in every way possible. I call it the "corrective lense," because it can be used to properly sift through the fog of propaganda that has most people missing the point entirely. We are still stuck in the world of reason, pre-9/11, and incapable of believing that such a monsterous crime could be committed. Our trust in the very institutions sworn to protect us, how could they have so thouroughly betrayed us, and for what?
It makes the points of Dave's article somewhat understandable, and predictable. It means that this is all going according to plan. The flaw in this article's thinking is that the military is "broken." It is far from that. The fact that the troops are being abused, is all part of the plan, consistent with the bigger picture. How do you fix the broken army? That's too easily twisted to mean; more money, more bodies (the draft) and more perpetual war.
The bigger picture is that the War on Terror is WW3, framed to be a perpetual war that will consume the worlds resources until only the Army and the world's super-rich can survive. Pre-emptive War (Code:War of Agression) based upon mere suspicion (no reason what-so-ever) is the doctrine of Fascistic Empire. 9/11 spawned the worst crimes imaginable, and if history will ever serve us, Bush & Co. will go down as absolutely the worst crew of traitors to the human species ever born. (That being said, there is no SATAN, no evil. It is only man, without regard for the consequences of his actions. Irresposible and adolscent.)
George Orwell properly understood what political forces would do, once an opportunity for hegemony appeared. The ruling class takes permenent hold of power over the middle class and the proletariat lower class. (Orwell describes the proles as too consumed with their own survival to even be able to effectively cope with the workings of government. Sounds like most of us and more and more with each day) The oppression of Totalitarinism is the war waged by the government against its own citizens. The spoils and purpose of this suffering is to sustain "the very fabric of society" (of the ruling class) itself.
Do not be fooled. The ruling class will not willingly relinquish power.
"The corrective lens" allows us to see that any candidate now running for presidential office in 2008 is actively a part of the problem. Otherwise, they would confront the truth about 9/11 in their campaign. They would renounce the War On Terror and accuse the Bush Administration with Treason. They would offer an alternative to continuous war. Both Hillary and Obama are warmongers and interested in power, not truth.
Every piece of legislation is consistent with a permanent powergrab by the ruling class. From tax breaks forever insuring wealth to the wealthy, to the destruction of education, healthcare and robust middle-class, everything is going as planned. Mega profits from the invasions in the middle-east are first steps in fortifying the "Global War of Treason."
There is no "green movement" until you confront militarism and the truth about 9/11. That is why Rosie O'Donnel has more to say than Al Gore. Rosie speaks of Building 7, while Al intellectually describes nothing with the notion of Rigorous Accountablity and the Assault on Reason. Rigorous Accountablity means facing 9/11. The Assault on Reason, should be The Assault of Treason. Al Gore will fail again. He is failing now.
When Dick Cheney says a vote for a democrat is likely to increase the terrorist threat, I take him for his word, but I hear it like he is threatening us personally. He is an architect of treason, and we can expect more.
When you talk about racially profiling "terrorists," profile angry old white men in suits, they are more dangerous than any Muslim Scapegoat.
There is no health care, education, infra-structure, debt relief, clean energy or anything else that may have to do with the solution. The deck is stacked. The dice are loaded. The change is loose. Impeachment is a distraction from immediate removal and incarceration under emergency powers against high treason.
Instead we will have more dead humans and more hellish ways to make them that way, thanks to the weapons industry. The debate is as it has always been, how to murder more efficiently and who will be a better murderer-in-chief. I'm personally afraid of the mircowave murder dish that frys you from the inside out and is going to be used in crowd control, perhaps in round ups of large groups.
The mission of the military is murder. They need a new mission.
Want to stop the war, deal with the nightmare truth.
"The War on Terror" is illegitimate and does not exist. It is a crime, and the criminals need to be held to account for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
How tragic if human civilization succumbs to such an obvious and weak minded lie. A bad trick. That failure will rest in all of our hands, conscious and unconscious alike. It is up to those of us who know, to spread the word and to document the truth outside of the MSM record of deceit.
I believe we have a chance, like never before, to end the madness.
As of yet, however, it is still up to you and I, to become the real leaders that will punch a way out of this mess. We are all patriotic, otherwise we wouldn't care about this country, democracy or dictatorship. We all have empathy for this world and the precious life that exists upon it, otherwise we would not be haunted by the actions of Empire. It is a calling so important, that all our lives have led us to this moment. "The Great Turning" is upon us, and we are bringing it into existence every day. To know the truth is to embrace one's duty and find a way to make the greatest difference.
I renounce the War on Terror and its proponents as illegitimate and illegal. All legislation and appointments made by the Bush Administration are null and void as they are the work of traitors and betrayers. Wipe the slate clean, and start over again. This is my stand as I arm myself with the truth. 9/11 is a lie. The War on Terror is a lie.
I don't have a solution to the problem, I just know that I have a dragon to slay.
Stephen Stills said it best... paranoia strikes deep
Locust is spot on. I cannot imagine our national guard or our military turning their rifles on American citizens but I'll bet a dollar to donuts that Blackwater and Triple Canopy mercenaries, along with the mercenaries being trained in Central and South America, would have no compunction about shooting at Americans. They'll follow orders just as mercenaries will.
Collidingrivers says they can't lock us all up at once. Yes there are more of us than there are of them except they can imprison and kill enough us, so that the rest are too afraid to make a move.
We are ripe for martial law before the 2008 "elections." The mafia in the white house will not, under any circumstance, give up the power they've worked decades for. I hope I'm wrong.
If you wish to see how real it is, just read that lead article about the innocent cameraman who has been locked up and beaten in the prison in Gitmo for the last five years.
No charges have ever been filed against him and he doesn't even know why he is there. get ready, here they come.
Rusty Shackelford: I'm not sure what your intent was to enter a paranoia comment here; that prison in Cuba we Americans run is as real as it gets, and a good definition of the word paranoia is: ___ Reality.
Why would they do this?
You forget that its all about the MONEY. Martial law will de-stabilize the US and World economies; bad for business.
Anyone heard from "time is of the essence" Ken since Cindy Sheehan was arrested? Anyone heard from Cindy? I think Ken may have been there with her in DC that day.
Why did they attack Iraq Yankee Dog?
I do believe that fiasco cost a few bucks. And of course the reason for the war is oil, but the price of gasoline has more than doubled since we started the war in Iraq.
And we now have a broken army according to several knowledgable generals, including Colin Powell, who is a bit more intelligent than GWB. Well, that isn't exactly a compliment for Powell.
Anyway our military eqipment is also in a horrible state of disrepair and that costs tons of money. Not a good argument Yankee Dog, try another angle. Hope you can give us a good reason to not worry about Cheney Bush.
They attacked Iraq because there's profit to be had. Foreign wars are good for business.
War on US soil or Martial Law is a totally different matter; very very bad for business.
I can't believe that the roll of right wing talk radio in implementing Martial Law hasn't come up. The dittoheads will be encouraged into acts of violence against any open display of protest against Martial Law. They're a bunch of Brownshirts that can be deployed in minutes and probably have as much firepower as the average policeman.
Also with the Bush approval numbers in the mid-twenties they must see the obvious fact that they're going to loose huge in the 2008 elections. They did not amass vast power to the office of the Presidency to hand it over to Hillary Clinton.
Dave Lindorff, I agree that we are in dire straits, but I believe that in the event of another attack, the majority of Americans would actually endorse some of the measures you mention. It wouldn't take much to whip up even more fury against not only the "turrists," but against those of us on the left who are "soft" on them.
This country has always been proto-fascist, and the scenario you describe is not that hard to imagine. I often think about Cold War constructions of the "innate" authoritarianism of Soviet-style communism, without considering the number of times Russia had been invaded by foreign enemies and then faced the arms and propaganda race initiated by a highly militarized US after WWII. Now that we have experienced only one attack on our soil, look how easily we are willing to give up our "rights" to an overly-powerful authoritarian executive.
There's two distinct flavors of right-wing extremists, and the wedge is easy to locate. There's the angry middle-class pro-neocon Limbaugh/Bush people. And there's the angry, often rural, anti-neocon white identity people (perhaps Buchanan, David Duke, Posse Comitatus, etc.).
The wedge is that one group of the extreme right is pro-Zionist, willing to trade in civil liberties for "security", etc. and inclined toward authoritarian (Limbaugh). The other is anti-semitic, traditionally tax-resisting, and perhaps more militant.
Both groups are inclined toward embracing the other wedges (sexism, racism, nationalism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc.). But it's important to note the difference. Limbaugh will praise martial law and make excuses for it, whereas the others -- simply put -- won't.
For those who say the military, whether Guard or Army, won't turn their guns on Americans, perhaps you've forgotten May 1970 when the Guard killed four Americans at Kent State.
They're military. They'll do what they're told. And killing has come easy to them under current military training and practice.
And if you think Americans will resist martial law, you haven't been listening to the Republican millions who support every violation of law, civil liberties, and common decency that Bush and Cheney have committed against the United States. Those are the people who make martial law possible, who make fascism possible, who make all tyrannies possible. Those are the people you will have to decide whether to kill if Bush and Cheney pull the trigger. Life in America may be about to become very ugly.
Cindy was live on KPFK this past Tuesday the 24th, about 5:00 Pacific time.
Everything Bush/Cheney touch turns to shit!
How will we ever clean it up?
Everything Bush/Cheney touch turns to shit!
How will we ever clean it up?
The only way to deal with Martial Law other than surrender is to fight those who fight us.
IED's, snipers, ambushes, and high profile assassinations, kidnapings, and suicide bombings--or we could impeach and imprison the sorry misfits now leading us on to this civil war.
Get your ammo and food supplies stored away! It looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride!