Get News & Views Updates
Most Popular This Week
- Not Guilty By Virtue of Videotape, Which, Unlike the Police, Doesn't Lie
- Manning: Before Wikileaks, Leaked Docs Offered to NYT, WaPo
- Bob Woodward Embodies US Political Culture in a Single Outburst
- State Dept. Releases Keystone XL Environmental Impact Statement
- Obama Offers to Cut Social Security, Medicare and Popular Programs (Again)
Popular content
Today's Top News
Why Is a US Army Brigade Being Assigned to the 'Homeland'?
Several bloggers today have pointed to this obviously disturbing article from Army Times, which announces that "beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the [1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division] will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North" -- "the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities." The article details:
They'll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it.For more than 100 years -- since the end of the Civil War -- deployment of the U.S. military inside the U.S. has been prohibited under The Posse Comitatus Act (the only exceptions being that the National Guard and Coast Guard are exempted, and use of the military on an emergency ad hoc basis is permitted, such as what happened after Hurricane Katrina). Though there have been some erosions of this prohibition over the last several decades (most perniciously to allow the use of the military to work with law enforcement agencies in the "War on Drugs"), the bright line ban on using the U.S. military as a standing law enforcement force inside the U.S. has been more or less honored -- until now. And as the Army Times notes, once this particular brigade completes its one-year assignment, "expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one."They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. . . .
The 1st BCT's soldiers also will learn how to use "the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded," 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.
"It's a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they're fielding. They've been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we're undertaking we were the first to get it."
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.
"I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered," said Cloutier, describing the experience as "your worst muscle cramp ever -- times 10 throughout your whole body". . . .
The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced "sea-smurf").
After Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration began openly agitating for what would be, in essence, a complete elimination of the key prohibitions of the Posse Comitatus Act in order to allow the President to deploy U.S. military forces inside the U.S. basically at will -- and, as usual, they were successful as a result of rapid bipartisan compliance with the Leader's demand (the same kind of compliance that is about to foist a bailout package on the nation). This April, 2007 article by James Bovard in The American Conservative detailed the now-familiar mechanics that led to the destruction of this particular long-standing democratic safeguard:
The Defense Authorization Act of 2006, passed on Sept. 30, empowers President George W. Bush to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist "incident," if he or other federal officials perceive a shortfall of "public order," or even in response to antiwar protests that get unruly as a result of government provocations. . . .As is typical, very few members of the media even mentioned any of this, let alone discussed it (and I failed to give this the attention it deserved at the time), but Congressional Quarterly's Jeff Stein wrote an excellent article at the time detailing the process and noted that "despite such a radical turn, the new law garnered little dissent, or even attention, on the Hill." Stein also noted that while "the blogosphere, of course, was all over it . . . a search of The Washington Post and New York Times archives, using the terms 'Insurrection Act,' 'martial law' and 'Congress,' came up empty."It only took a few paragraphs in a $500 billion, 591-page bill to raze one of the most important limits on federal power. Congress passed the Insurrection Act in 1807 to severely restrict the president's ability to deploy the military within the United States. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 tightened these restrictions, imposing a two-year prison sentence on anyone who used the military within the U.S. without the express permission of Congress. But there is a loophole: Posse Comitatus is waived if the president invokes the Insurrection Act.
Section 1076 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from "Insurrection Act" to "Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act." The Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only "to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy." The new law expands the list to include "natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition" -- and such "condition" is not defined or limited. . . .
The story of how Section 1076 became law vivifies how expanding government power is almost always the correct answer in Washington. Some people have claimed the provision was slipped into the bill in the middle of the night. In reality, the administration clearly signaled its intent and almost no one in the media or Congress tried to stop it . . . .
Section 1076 was supported by both conservatives and liberals. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-wrote the provision along with committee chairman Sen. John Warner (R-Va.). Sen. Ted Kennedy openly endorsed it, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was an avid proponent. . . .
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned on Sept. 19 that "we certainly do not need to make it easier for Presidents to declare martial law," but his alarm got no response. Ten days later, he commented in the Congressional Record: "Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy." Leahy further condemned the process, declaring that it "was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study. Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals."
Bovard and Stein both noted that every Governor -- including Republicans -- joined in Leahy's objections, as they perceived it as a threat from the Federal Government to what has long been the role of the National Guard. But those concerns were easily brushed aside by the bipartisan majorities in Congress, eager -- as always -- to grant the President this radical new power.
The decision this month to permanently deploy a U.S. Army brigade inside the U.S. for purely domestic law enforcement purposes is the fruit of the Congressional elimination of the long-standing prohibitions in Posse Comitatus (although there are credible signs that even before Congress acted, the Bush administration secretly decided it possessed the inherent power to violate the Act). It shouldn't take any efforts to explain why the permanent deployment of the U.S. military inside American cities, acting as the President's police force, is so disturbing. Bovard:
"Martial law" is a euphemism for military dictatorship. When foreign democracies are overthrown and a junta establishes martial law, Americans usually recognize that a fundamental change has occurred. . . . Section 1076 is Enabling Act-type legislation-something that purports to preserve law-and-order while formally empowering the president to rule by decree.The historic importance of the Posse Comitatus prohibition was also well-analyzed here.
As the recent militarization of St. Paul during the GOP Convention made abundantly clear, our actual police forces are already quite militarized. Still, what possible rationale is there for permanently deploying the U.S. Army inside the United States -- under the command of the President -- for any purpose, let alone things such as "crowd control," other traditional law enforcement functions, and a seemingly unlimited array of other uses at the President's sole discretion? And where are all of the stalwart right-wing "small government conservatives" who spent the 1990s so vocally opposing every aspect of the growing federal police force? And would it be possible to get some explanation from the Government about what the rationale is for this unprecedented domestic military deployment (at least unprecedented since the Civil War), and why it is being undertaken now?
UPDATE: As this commenter notes, the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act somewhat limited the scope of the powers granted by the 2007 Act detailed above (mostly to address constitutional concerns by limiting the President's powers to deploy the military to suppress disorder that threatens constitutional rights), but President Bush, when signing that 2008 Act into law, issued a signing statement which, though vague, seems to declare that he does not recognize those new limitations.
UPDATE II: There's no need to start manufacturing all sorts of scare scenarios about Bush canceling elections or the imminent declaration of martial law or anything of that sort. None of that is going to happen with a single brigade and it's unlikely in the extreme that they'd be announcing these deployments if they had activated any such plans. The point is that the deployment is a very dangerous precedent, quite possibly illegal, and a radical abandonment of an important democratic safeguard. As always with first steps of this sort, the danger lies in how the power can be abused in the future.
- Posted in
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
167 Comments so far
Show Allhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act#Homeland_security
Dear Ones:
The best we can do is to send this article to all of our friends and acquaintances with brief explanations.
The public needs to be made aware. Bullets do not stop at the foot of a protester. They can go for miles and the public needs to make a choice as to what kind of a country they want.
Thank you, Mr. Greenwald, for possessing the humility to admit an overlook. I usually read your articles. Now, if all the acts passed since Bushie's election, that challenge the Constitution and civil rights, were all placed into one cohesive article, including this economic debacle, what would be an informed writer's conclusion?
I want to read that article.
Der Fuehrer is chuckling in his grave thinking about all of those American soldiers who fought WWII to keep the fascists from taking over the US, only to return to the US and vote for fascists that would take over the US.
The new POLICE STATE is upon us. WE THE PEOPLE just don't know it yet. We'll finally figure this out after it's too late.
Yeah, like the analogy of the frog in the kettle of water where the heat is being slowly turned up.
That actually only works on people. Frogs are smarter and jump out.
The new POLICE STATE is upon us. WE THE PEOPLE just don't know it yet. We'll finally figure this out after it's too late.
The Statue of Liberty was originally called "Liberty Enlightening the World".
Report:
In a show of understanding as to how deeply America has fallen into financial trouble, CheneyOilCo has issued a demand to Congress that they quickly pass a bill to demonstrate corporatists' true commitment to solving the very real problems that plague this country.
As of November 1, 2008, the light in the Statue of Liberty's torch, will be turned off.
This model of conservation, in the fullest sense of the word, and the savings realized from eliminating wasted energy, will be used to instill a new sense of what America now represents.
An army battalion will be encamped on the island to prevent any terrorist organization from reigniting the flame.
And don't forget who gave it to us.
I wonder if the government knows something we don't. A few months ago I read that two freeze dried food suppliers were cleaned out by a government agency, and not one that normally provides aid to the public, such as FEMA.
Dave
http://daveeriqat.wordpress.com/
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. Everything is proceeding according to plan."
The Senate will go along with whatever the Emperor demands. Stormtroopers in the Republic?! The time is now to plan for a Rebel Alliance, to stand up to the Emperor and his Stormtroopers. Do not fear the Sith. Meet in secret, make alliances with all freedom seeking sentients, and when the time is right, Fight! There are no Jedi who can assist or fight for you. But Freedom can triumph when good people come together for a common cause.
if that doesn't work maybe we could borrow some tasers from the starship enterprise
cheers, b
Here's a two-minute video on this news item with a link to the Army Times article.
http://jurisvodcast.com/2008/09/25/us-army-vs-us-citizens/
Eisenhower sent the US Army 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 to enforce school desegregation. He also federalized the Arkansas National Guard.
LBJ sent the 82nd Airborne to Detroit during the 1967 riot.
How can we say there is no precedent?
2007: Bush has brigade ready for Code Pink, the Irish(?) 5, Michael Moore, or the surviving Berrigan brothers? Can't be too careful!
In those two cases, and in every other previous case, there was specific mission. Now it's going to be a permanent 'standing' brigade.
To me, the question Mr. Greenwald asks near the end of this piece is quite interesting. He asks that given the highly militarized nature of our 'police' forces, why is there a need to deploy an Army Brigade in addition to that.
To me, the rather obvious answer would be that they might not trust the loyalty of local police and a state's national guard. Especially if the local governor or mayor was objecting to what they planned to use the troops for. Thus, they want 'loyal' troops to be able to obey commands that others might reject.
Another long used tactic of tyrants is to bring in troops that don't have local ties when objectionable acts are to be ordered. They know that say a local national guard unit would be less likely to open fire or seize and torture people they view as their neighbors. A regular US Army brigade instead have an assortment of people from around the nation (and some non-citizens who join to get their citizenship). Thus, they would probably be more likely to obey an order to open fire on a crowd.
----------------------------
"To know, and not to do, is not to know"
www.samsonsworld.blogspot.com
if the military is asked to kill too many citizens for its own appetite the pres can always get the boys from blackwater
they get paid more because they will do more
cheers, b
Sign up, dude!
Exactly. That's why we have Blackwater.
I know a man who grew up with a friend who ran the Phoenix Program in Vietnam. They watched for the most vicious soldiers and recruited them for the death squads. Negroponte and North were involved.
The same template was used in Nicaragua and Iraq.
Don't kid yourself that it won't be used here.
Actually, it probably came from here. The KuKluxKlan were death squads, anyway you look at it, used to enforce a brutal regime.
Well it's about time look Key West tried to secede once and Alaska they just may if not for this type of leadership.
Sioux Rose
Good posts: MISTER CHIPS, RICH M & WILMOOR.
In and of itself it is of little concern. But when you look at the Big Picture, you can see that what has transpired over the last 7-8 years in terms of legislation, executive orders and signing statements is the legalization of a totalitarian state ala Nazi Germany or Stalins Soviet Union. Hitler was fond of saying everything he did was legal under German law.
Now, can anyone say with any certainty that the American people, as intelligent as they are (LOL), could not be duped into electing a wolf in sheeps clothing, who could then exercise their powers to become a "dictator".
Thats the point, and thats the concern the Founding Fathers had when they sought checks and balances within the Federal Government, and gave the state powers to offset federal powers. Thats all gone. We have a Federal Government on steroids with the Executive having virtually dictatorial powers whenever he deems it necessary to declare a National Emergency such as we are now in (Bush just continued it on September 18).
The military takes it's orders from their Commander in Chief. You do not become a General or Admiral unless you demonstrate loyalty to the Commander in Chief. Those officers and enlisted men take and execute orders. Anyone who has been assigned to a Homeland Tour has been subject to psychological profiling and answered questionaires to ensure they have no problems killing Americans if ordered to do so. They have been well trained in Iraq in crushing civilian resistance to an occupation. They are not the enemy, but if their Commander in Chief says Chicago is harbouring terrorists and needs to be treated as Baghdad was, they will execute their orders, and they will accomplish their mission.
At this point, there is little hope left. If you have kids, tell them to enlist, or join their local police force. If they go to a University, have them enroll in ROTC. Join a church even if you don't believe. Put up a flag if you have not already. Throw away any books that question 9/11 or the Iraq war. Be a good citizen and do not question your government.
It's over, live with it. If your neighbour disappears, pretend not to notice, he never existed. If you disappear, good luck, maybe we will be cell-mates or share a FEMA coffin.
Methinks you be a wee bit paranoid, Mims!
It wouldn't be CommonDreams.org without paranoid left wingers.
Aside from the last 2 paragraphs, admittedly hyperbole, anything you disagree with?
I'm sorry, I understand the position well but if I only manage to get off two shots before being cut down, that's the way it will be. I'll be a very small speedbump on the road to fascist suicide, but with enough speedbumps it's difficult to control the vehicle. Never imagined "Live Free or Die" as a progressive rallying cry, but we live in interesting times.
Here he is. The panderer of fascism himself. The Mises Institute cheerleader of hate. Your fear and hate mongering need to go back under your rock.
This is no 'libertarian,' this is the product of an institute that shields its truth under the guise of libertarian and individual freedom. In reality it spews hate as protected free speech.
A word to the wise, this is a true toxic snake posing as freedom.
If I had money I would pay people to stand with poster signs outside of the first brigade's home base for this year, appealing to their humanity and their love for their country. Change the signs every day, with very human and very personalized messages. Try to reach a percentage the privates and sergeants. Write the soldiers' individual names on the posters. I'm sure somebody on the inside will supply a few of these names, or perhaps we can read the names on the fatigues.
If the dumbest recruits can be taught to hate their country then worse things will happen. If they instead listen to their parents and their forefathers and refuse to hurt or kill their unarmed countrymen and women upon a petty tyrant's orders, they will be Americans.
I find this an intriguing idea. Is it the "sign" or the act of actually stepping out of your normal path to take an impassioned stand that gives this form of protest its power? The whole notion of "hiring" someone to act out your beliefs on your behalf gives outsourcing a whole new meaning. I'm curious, who would you envision "paying" to do this? How much would you pay them? Actually, I might be interested. I have been lamenting the fact that I don't do enough protesting because I am always working. Now, if I could get someone to pay me to protest -- this might actually be my ideal job. Professional protester.
Thomas wrote: "Our freedoms are still unparalleled in any other country."
I am a Canadian. What "unparalled freedoms" do you enjoy that I don't? Will you next be writing that my country (and others?) is jealous of your freedoms? You are good writer Thomas and I have enjoyed reading many of your posts here at CD but please think carefully before making such blanket statements. I understand that you have been indoctrinated since birth in the mythologies of American exceptionalism but I assumed that you were someone who could clearly see through these myths that far too many of your citizens accept as literal realities.
The construct of a domestic repression has been legislated via the Patriot Act for a few years now though it has not been necessary to implement it. With a failing economy that may quickly change as citizens lose jobs and homes and become increasingly "unruly." The ruling elites know this and are making preparations to "maintain order." Fear and intimidation are the only thing this ruling class has left. They've used it against most other countries and are perfectly willing to do the same here to maintain the illusion of power over our own crumbling empire.
James Joiner writes this interesting post today on just where our country is headed. We haven't seen anything yet.
Seed
Scary indeed. Two headlines above this one Al Gore is urging civil disobedience to protest coal fired power plants. Good luck.
Seed
"Scary indeed. Two headlines above this one Al Gore is urging civil disobedience to protest coal fired power plants. Good luck."
If one wants to lead, then they actually have to lead. They can't just sit back safe and sound and urge others to take all the risks.
Lobo Gris
Weren't we "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here"?
Looks like some of us are about to become "them".
Maybe the Bush/Cheney regime wants to start a revolution. Their bully side wants to provoke hostilities, and their massive egotisticalness (to coin my own bushism) wants to make some noise in the history books.
The fascists are going to declare martial law. If Blackwater is called in, they get to kill with impunity and won't be held accountable. Why is the U.S. government so concerned with spreading democracy around the world when we don't even have it here at home?? Our presidential elections are starting to resemble ones in banana republics.
It definitely looks like President Bush has no plans of giving up the Presidency when Obama wins in November; otherwise there would be no reason to be deploying a military brigade of 3,000 to 6,000 Army soldiers on the home front without cause for a complete 12 months beginning October 1st, since he is suppose to be out of there in January 2009, which is no more than 4 months. Why deploy troops a full 8 months after you are gone, if you are leaving? It seems the Bush administration doesn't actually plan on leaving. It does appear to be a precursor to Marshall Law.
President (sic) Bush has no intention of staying past January. He wants to spend his days cutting brush and riding bikes, with an occasional $1,000,000 speech to pay the bills.
Obama will take over seamlessly and run the imperial empire according to the wishes of his overlords. The military is there to enforce their will.
Resistance is futile.
This is Winston Smith - fight Big Brother before it's too late, please
These fascist, un-democractic, un-constitutional "laws" are passed in order to meet a urgent threat, as proclaimed by our dear leaders...but what these fools, in the gov and military/corporation alliance always dismiss is the huge opportunity for such things to be used and abused against Americans in the future.
It only takes a prez like nixon or bush to declare some group opposing the establishment are dangerous, inspired by al qaeda, hugo chavez, france, or socialism or any other excuse and is threat to the American Way of Life
Paranoia is rampant over this. How many instances of Kent State can you think of involving the military?
Waco...FBI
Watts....trops not comitted, they allowed them to burn the area out.
Ruby Ridge....FBI
How many instances can you really think of. And Kent state was National Guardsmen. Boys the same age as those students and scared. It was terrible but if thats your example of Storm Troopers....
Sometimes reality seems lost.
Only an idiot would suggest that our military would be ordered to fire on peaceful demonstrators or civilians and even if they were commanded by a madman, they wouldn't open fire. They are us, even though some seem to have a great deal of trouble grasping that simple fact.
Take the Storm Trooper talk, the Nazi garbage and shove it. Its comment beneath contempt.
Whoops! There was also the U.S. Army's armed crackdown on the World War I veterans known as the Bonus Army--where young Dougie McArthur and Eisenhower made their nuts ordering Army soldiers to attack DECORATED VETERANS.
This also took place after a long period of militaristic jingoism, the Palmer Raids, etc.--similar to ours in many ugly and Constitutionally dubious respects. The U.S. press propaganda machine was then still learning from the aging British Empire. Now Amurka's networks are far beyond Goebbels' wildest wet fantasies in scale and "market penetration."
The country wasn't nearly as ideologically or economically divided before the last Great Depression as it is now on the edge of another one. It had half the population and most of them were one generation from the farm--or still owned farms and gardens and were prepared to grow some or most of their own food, or barter for what they didn't grow themselves. Now our urban centers are hugely overpopulated with people who know nothing about growing their own food and are dependent upon a far-flung food distribution system in turn dependent upon diesel-fueled tractor trailer fleets who already find the cost of fuel too high. We have growing gasoline shortages in my city starting to adversely affect the regional economy. We ain't seen nothing yet. Things could get very ugly, very quickly.
Moreover, most Americans under 45 are conditioned by gratuitously violent TV, films, video games and foreign policy to resort to violence to attempt to solve problems. Hundreds of thousands lined up to fight Bush's wars unquestioningly. Even when the Iraq War had been disgraced and Afghanistan turned into another quagmire more of them lined up to kill for the paycheck and benefits. Their suicide and PTSD rates are sky high and they will return to an Amurka with limited economic options that are about to get a lot more limited.
Thomas must be some rich man on the rural side who is either already prepared for the worst or who has the necessary resources close to hand.
In the event of economic collapse, spreading food riots and related civil unrest in the big cities I don't put it past Bush II or McCain to declare full scale martial law (since we already live under de facto martial law only limited somewhat by the degree of its implementation).
Concerns about realistic threats to life and limb are not paranoia: They are pragmatic.
911 was an INSIDE JOB.
"Only an idiot would suggest that our military would be ordered to fire on peaceful demonstrators or civilians and even if they were commanded by a madman, they wouldn't open fire."
I think you are exceedingly naive. Have you been paying attention to what they're doing in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Caspian basin? Do you think all that indiscriminate, unconscionable killing doesn't desensitize them to killing? Have you heard of Blackwater? Did you know that moral waivers are up sharply for Army enlistees? Did you know that Army enlistment of non-citizens is up? Have you seen how the police treat peaceful demonstrators these days? Do you understand that nobody in authority respects the Constitution anymore?
Please open your eyes, if only for your the sake of your own security.
Dave
http://daveeriqat.wordpress.com/
This is history repeating itself.
This is exactly the same kind of actions Julius Caesar took when he seized power in Ancient Rome. This where the term 'Crossing the Rubicon'comes from
This is the end of the US as even a marginaly functional democracy.
Between this and the coming financial collapse symptomised by the implosion of Laymon Brothers, Merril Lynch and now Washington Mutual, the US is a hollow shell ripe for a dictatorial take over.
Don't complain you weren't warned.
Walk in peace.
In their final mission rehearsal that was to have been conducted two weeks ago, according to the Army Times article, the First Brigade Combat Team was joined by members of several other units, including the 82nd Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, N.C.
The 82nd Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade, according to its own website (http://www.bragg.army.mil/82avn/) "deploys worldwide to find, fix and destroy enemy forces using aerial fire and maneuver to concentrate and sustain combat power." It does aerial assault missions including grabbing and transporting individuals and small groups--perfect for secret rendition of leaders of targeted groups.
Why do we need active military units PERMANENTLY dedicated to tasks more suitable for the National Guard who are more familiar with the States and localities they are called upon to serve? Why aren't more members of the military speaking out against this ominous development?
There have been over 36,000 illegal immigrants rounded up in raids since 2006. Are these practice raids slowly ramping up in scale? Privatized prison construction is one of the few big growth industries in the U.S.
There was also these news items from last month:
Postville Iowa Turned Into An Open-Air Prison:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/16/11032/
Dept. of Homeland Security has deported over 90,000 children under the age of 17 to Mexico without a parent or caregiver:
http://www.latinalista.net/palabrafinal/2008/08/dept_of_homeland_security_has_deported_o.html
I think the powers that be will soon unleash various infotainment and political propaganda "missions" to, first, subtly and, then, gradually more overtly encourage Americans to turn on each other, inform against each other, betray each other in various ways based on various social triggers including economic class (especially targeting the poor, hungry and homeless), race, religion, party affiliation, etc. Classic capitalist/fascist divide and conquer.
Lastly, consider that the 1st BCT will return to a deeply troubled Amurka after 35 months in some of the most harsh close combat in an illegally occupied country where they have been in untold confrontations with civilians. Think they might have high PTSD and suicide rates? Think they might be a little trigger happy? Especially when they are sent into U.S. States and localities whose people and lifestyles they are not familiar with?
The stupidity of all this is on its face like almost everything else this sordid Bush maladministration and its DLC stooges have done. The people who countenance this permanent deployment are fools begging for more abuses of innocent human beings and the Constitution.
Who was it who put the Japanese Americans in Conventration Camps?
Who ran the concentation camps?
Do you realize how many people own guns and other weapons in this country?
It's not like people don't use them either.
Will this stop the Army from attacking?
No. So if the Army did attack, the US will soon look like Iraq. A bloody mess.
I'm not sure what the purpose of that will be.
But I do think we can expect massive civil unrest as this ecomonic crisis unfolds. People will be homeless and starving. A first for most Americans, so they will be pissed off.
But, I do think this current regime would try to take the country over by force. I do think much of this "crisis" calling for a bailout is manufactured.
But nevertheless banks will fail because of it.
He stole two elections. Why not go for broke, no pun intended....
The reason they’ve opted for the army rather than National Guard is that the latter are sort of more local guys and would probably think twice before they shoot you. Not the army.
They will deploy, say, a brigade from Alabama and send them to an unfamiliar area, say California. They will tell the brigade that those who are demonstrating are agitators and agents of foreign powers (or Al Qaeda) who hate our freedom and democracy and want to destroy our way of life. Shoot the motherfuckers!
I’ve been telling you that the system as a whole sucks. They are all together, and by “they” I mean: Military-Industrial-Congress-Media-Church Complex. Remember the military is in that equation to protect, not you, but the fascist corporate system.
I think the key thing to worry about is that normally a martial law, insurrection suppression that actually just targets those doing what they actually have constitutionally protected rights for, ends up in the ones in power actually shooting their own foot, and creating more support for those oppressed and distrust of the government.
The problem, however, is that there are too many that have been marinated in right wing doctrine over the past 10 or more years that actually believe anyone protesting the abuse of the government is "supporting Al Qaeda" or are hindering the efforts to keep a nuke from blowing up at their local wallmart in BFI. I think in this day and age, the polarity would prevent and mass public outrage from anyone not on the left. The right would either not get the memo from their FOX propaganda stream, or be apathetic, or feel the perps "got what was commin to em."
If we look back at history and see how too much power led to horrific oppression, there should always be the vigilant, and any hint of this happening again should be cut off at the root before it's allowed to grow.
After seeing a gov this dishonest in order to make a buck, and avoiding justice and subpoenas to avoid accountability, it's just naive to think those in power wouldn't abuse it again to save their asses.
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the wrong remedies. " Groucho Marx
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."
H. L. Mencken
Don't tase me bro!
Joe