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TechnoratiLeahy Concerned About NorthCom’s New Army Unit
Senator Patrick Leahy is concerned about the Pentagon's decision to designate an Army unit to Northern Command.
On October 1, the Pentagon, for the first time ever, dedicated an Army force specifically to NorthCom, which is in charge of securing not some foreign region but the United States of America.
The unit it assigned is the 3rd Infantry, First Brigade Combat Team, which has spent three of the last five years in Iraq. It was one of the first units to get to Baghdad, and it was active in retaking and patrolling Fallujah. One of its specialties is counterinsurgency.
This marks a change for NorthCom, which was established on October 1, 2002. Its website still says it "has few permanently assigned forces," and that "the command is assigned forces whenever necessary to execute missions, as ordered by the President and the Secretary of Defense."
Leahy "asked for a briefing from his staff" on this development and "wants to monitor the situation," an aide to Leahy said.
Leahy was instrumental in getting Congress to repeal the "Insurrection Act Rider" in the 2006 defense appropriations bill. That rider had given the President sweeping power to use military troops in ways contrary to the Insurrection Act and Posse Comitatus Act. The rider authorized the President to have troops patrol our streets in response to disasters, epidemics, and any "condition" he might cite.
Leahy said last December that this rider "made it easier for the President to take over the Guard and to declare martial law." In a Senate statement on April 24, 2007, he cautioned against inserting the military "into domestic situations." As he put it: "One of the distinguishing characteristics of the United States is that we do not use the military to patrol our communities and neighborhoods." A few months before that, he warned that we must ensure that "the military is not used in a way that offends and endangers some of our most cherished values and liberties."
The repeal of the rider was signed by Bush on January 28, though Amy Goodman reports that "Bush attached a signing statement that he did not feel bound by the repeal."
The roles the 1st Brigade Combat Team will take on at NorthCom are a bit unclear.
"They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control," said the Army Times when it first reported on it. These duties would be in addition to dealing 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."
Soldiers in the unit "also will learn how to use ‘the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has field,' 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," the article noted.
Cloutier even bragged to the Army Times: "I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered."
The Army Times has since issued a correction, stating that the "non-lethal crowd control package" is "intended for use on deployments to the war zone, not in the U.S."
NorthCom's own press release of September 30 says, "This response force will not be called upon to help with law enforcement, civil disturbance, or crowd control."
The unit will have its regular weapons, however. It will store other weapons in "containers," and will have access to tanks, as Amy Goodman has reported and the Pentagon has confirmed.
The Army is taking a strong interest in this deployment.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey personally observed the combat team's training exercise, entitled "Vibrant Response," which was held at Fort Stewart, Georgia, last month. According to NorthCom's public affairs department, Gen. Casey "pointed out that being part of the new force requires a shift in thinking for soldiers who are accustomed to taking charge."
One soldier in the exercise said he learned that the troops should "preposition containers and equipment."
NorthCom's website, in a section on frequently asked questions about Joint Task Forces-Civil Support, cites "DoD Directive 3025.1" as laying out the criteria for how the Pentagon will respond in domestic situations.
That directive talks about "military support in dealing with the actual or anticipated consequences of civil emergencies." Those civil emergencies could be "arising during peace, war, or transition to war."
While it states that such support "does not include military support to local law enforcement," there is a provision in the directive for the military to take over functions of the civilian government.
Military personnel "shall not perform any function of civil government unless absolutely necessary on a temporary basis under conditions of Immediate Response. Any commander who is directed, or undertakes, to perform such functions shall facilitate the reestablishment of civil responsibility at the earliest possible time," the document states.
Under this "Immediate Response" exception, local military commanders can even act without prior approval from their superiors. "Imminently serious conditions resulting from any civil emergency or attack may require immediate action by military commanders, or by responsible officials of other DoD agencies, to save lives, prevent human suffering, or mitigate great property damage," it says. "When such conditions exist and time does not permit prior approval from higher headquarters, local military commanders and responsible officials of other DoD Components are authorized by this Directive, subject to any supplemental direction that may be provide by their DoD Component, to take necessary action to respond to requests of civil authorities."
The Pentagon's decision to dedicate the First Brigade Combat Team to NorthCom has raised alarms, especially in the context of the current economic crisis. In Bush's National Security Presidential Directive 51, he lays out his authority in the event of a catastrophic emergency. In such an emergency, "the President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government" and will coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments, along with private sector owners of infrastructure.
NSPD 51 defines a catastrophic emergency as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function."
Notice the use of the word "or" above. In our current circumstances, it might be more relevant to read the definition this way: "any incident . . . that results in extraordinary levels of . . . disruption severely affecting the U.S. . . . economy."
President Bush could declare a catastrophic emergency today. And he'd have the 3rd Infantry, First Brigade Combat Team, well trained from its years patrolling Iraq, at his disposal here at home.
82 Comments so far
Show AllI heard about this. I'm all for a civil uprising, and may I say, it's about time, goshdarnit.
bring on NorthCom's pitbulls. They ain't gonna taser MY rights away!
- Insurgent
Try not to think of it as your own military being turned against it's own people for the benefit of the powerful few...you might hurt your poor widdle brains.
Just think of them as "sheepdogs", and keep grazing...
BAAAAA!
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
Thanks for today's belly-laugh.
BAAAAAAA ...
More of Rothschild's "crisis cult" memes. His articles are designed to put the reader into a vague haze of hopelessness and fear. If I was a spook at the CIA, I'd hire him to demoralize the other side.
It's also another false skirmish-line article.
Most people in the army are ordinary kids, small town people, loyal, patriotic, looking for a better lot in life, training, etc. We are nearing a point in our nation's history in which I believe our army is less likely to fire upon its own populace -- and more likely to fire upon Wall Street -- than any time since 1776.
I'd like Rothschild to write an article about retired generals, some of them powerful, who are livid at this administration.
He would probably have to change his name first.
I should add that leaders bring their followers to a better place. Has Rothschild, Goodman, etc. empowered any of their followers? Given them courage, strength, independence, useful economic advice? Do their listeners stand taller, get more respect from their neighbors or co-workers?
Or do they mainly preach fear, crisis cults, demoralization? I despise Bush and his Democrat enablers, but Rothschild hasn't offered any proactive suggestions here. Just a "progressive" version of the same eschatological end-of-world crippling bullshit that preachers have pawned off for over a century, just from a different pulpit. Anti-leadership.
Has Goodman empowered any of her listeners/viewers? Yes, with facts and a highly informed and intelligent progressive perspective most Americans can't find elsewhere on the broadcast spectrum. Has Goodman given them courage, strength, independence, useful economic advice? Yes. Knowledge and wisdom from years of experience as a reporter she has transmitted to her "followers" helps build critical thinking skills and intellectual strength--qualities necessary for making good personal, economic and political decisions. Do her listeners stand taller, get more respect from their neighbors and co-workers? I do and the ones I've talked to do. Everyone I know turns to me to give my evaluation of the commercial "mainstream" McNews crud they hear and to give them better background on news items as well. I've created several dozens of more critical thinkers and skeptics and often relied on information and corroborating sources I've heard from Amy Goodman. She was the ONLY nationally aired broadcast reporter who repeatedly told the truth about Team Bush's WMD horse shit in the lead-up to the '03 Iraq invasion and made a point of having as guests people like Scott Ritter, former UNSCOM weapons inspector, who had been blackballed by the MSM for speaking out against the WMD lies.
Twelvepax is only showing his own fear of difficult truths here. He would obviously rather relax into his own delusions with infotainment happy talk and Chamber of Commerce boosterism. He claims to despise "Bush and his Democratic enablers" but I, for one, don't believe him. His continual whining about being overwhelmed and depressed by direct and hard progressive analysis of current and recent events is an indication of his own psychological immaturity. His preference for sugar-coated fairytales is Twelvepax's problem--not the problem of a socially and intellectually mature adult. He doesn't understand the purpose of journalism or the fiduciary responsibilities of broadcast journalists that a few people like Goodman still take seriously.
I agree. Amy finds and tells the truths that affect our lives. Though people may not always be in the mood to hear about it, eventually as her newscasts shed light on things, they begin to value her information.
Joe
I ask this hypothetically, since I don't listen to Goodman's program -- though I am familiar with Rothschild. But I saw the YouTube video of Goodman getting arrested at the RNC in St. Paul, MN. As an independent and critical thinker, it looked totally staged on her part. More of the head-banging meme. Get yourself martyred, cry foul, sprayed in the face, draw the wedge somewhere among the working class -- cops and protesters -- instead of where it genuinely lies.
It's a bullshit place to a lead a movement. Now maybe I'm wrong -- I've not really listened to her program.
But if I want advice on living more simply, I go to Mother Earth News, the local farmer's market, my own gardens. I just question what use "fear knowledge" ultimately serves. We know where's being hosing by a ruling class. But what are the solutions? The crisis cult thing isn't adding to my pocketbook, economic liberty, cheap real estate, etc. For information to be good, it should be actionable to its listeners in some positive way.
Amy Goodman did not stage her arrest. Showmanship is not her forte.
It was completely surprising that credentialed press were taken out on an almost empty plaza where there was no imminent danger to anyone. Her arrest prevented her from doing her job, although it was telling in its own way.
Joe
The only way out of this mess is to understand where we are. I highly recommend tuning into Amy Goodman's Democracy Now program, which represents perhaps the pinnacle in U.S. journalism. Also, read U.S. history. Howard Zinn's books are a good starting point.
In this case, the key point to understand is Posse Comitatus, a Latin phrase and Act that prescribes what an army is permitted to do.
It has been a long-standing precedent in U.S. law to disallow the use of troops for domestic actions. It has to do with the fears expressed by the founding fathers about standing armies being used by tyrannical powers.
Clearly, this NorthCom assignment violates longstanding U.S. law. I'm not sure how it came to be. NorthCom is a potential threat to the republic and it needs to be disbanded.
Is it alarming for Rothchild to mention NorthCom and question what it is doing? No, it's the responsibility of journalists to mention it. Thomas Jefferson considered a free press to be more essential than the state itself.
If you want to go off and do organic farming that's fine. We've had a generation during the 1960s that wanted to drop out of "society." Had they succeeded in doing so, I might have grown up in a commune without a care in the world, maybe.
Alas, that experiment didn't universally succeed. We live in society. Escape is near impossible. Moreover, it's going to take all of us to face down the threats looming on the horizon, and yes, they are very real.
There is one bright point to this gloomy prospect. Facing down tyranny is easy to do if everyone is alert and informed and resists propaganda. However, getting to that point takes knowledge. And that's what Rothchild is doing in this article - helping people understand the threat.
So, watch TV and chill, dude. In the long run, though, there's a reason to stay focused on these matters. You will need a healthy mental self-defense to meet tyranny.
It is more likely that tyranny will creep in on little cats' feet than boots on the ground. But subtlety isn't the nature of the present regime. There's much we need to reverse right now. We've already lost our rights technically to the PATRIOT Act and the coffers are being drained for perpetual wars and bailing out upper class fraudsters.
Depressing, yes. So, start talking with your neighbors about it. We'll defeat them with how we think, not weapons.
-TIA
The First Brigand?
The Pentagram does not have enough Brigands to subdue and plunder 300 million civilians.
roger
When the screens go Blank
Intro
Countdown to meltdown
We are at crisis point
Countdown to meltdown
Time to leave this joint
V1
Outside your window
Can you hear those rolling tanks
Don’t be too surprised if
Your screen goes blank
V2
We got a state of emergency
The crap has hit the fan
And now the authorities
Apply their martial plan
Chorus
When they roll out the tanks
Then the screens go blank,
Yeah, that’s when the screens go blank
V3
No more communication
No more programmes on TV
You can’t have comedy
In this dire emergency
V4
Then, when you wake up
And you boot up your pc
Looking for your messages
Your files are all empty
Outro
When they roll out the tanks
And the troops are on the street
You’ll hear the sound of steel capped boots
The sound of running feet
Then the crack yeah, they are firing blanks
That’s when the screens go blank
Yeah, that’s when the screens go blank
© roger antony carter 2008
O10/7
Couple this article with this one about Infragard that appeared earlier this year. It's time to be scared, very scared.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/30856
And, of course, “civil behavior October 8th, 2008 2:16 pm” mentioning the story about the activists, well, what's a paranoid person to do? I sort of envy those people who've been classified as mentally ill because they think the government is out to get them. It may turn out that they were right all along.
gin October 8th, 2008 2:37 pm:
Washington D.C.'s Guard unit is chiefly an MP unit.
Thomas More October 8th, 2008 5:14 pm:
Thanks for that note of civility. Let's keep the discussion centered on the topic rather than engaging in flame-wars. We can't begin to solve problems if all we do is nit and pick and bicker like little kids on a playground.
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
In light of the FBI's INFRAGUARD program, which has over 23,000 member companies and 85 chapters (at last count) nationwide and which grants its CEOs authority to shoot to kill in the event of martial law consider this:
NLRB Directive July 2008: Enables Bosses to Fire Employees Who Participate in Work Stoppages of a Political Nature:
http://www.counterpunch.org/schwartz10032008.html
Are we becoming a nation full of forced laborers in the event of martial law?
Where do they put those they don't kill during the crackdowns? Halliburton's $381 million dollars worth of domestic prison camps? The Nazis had a word for it: Arbeitslager (work camp). Then there were the Vernichtungslager (extermination camps). "Arbeit Macht Frei."
This is just a next step in the lockdown. The noose is tightening. Will there be an election? Will it be rigged? If Obama wins, will he be allowed to live until inauguration? If inaugurated, will he be allowed to live through his presidency? If McCain "wins" how long will he live? If Palin is sworn in, who will be pulling her strings?
Deploying the army domestically is illegal. Period. Directive 51 is illegal and Congress should challenge it immediately, but craven sycophants that they are, they won't.
Store food, save seed, build soil, connect with friends and neighbors, know your exits...
We are already a POLICE STATE. We The People just don't know it yet. Here's a clue: did you see the militarized police force at work at the two conventions?
And the local Denver CBS station is making sure the DNC protesters faces are kept in view of the public. Very strange:
http://cbs4denver.com/slideshows/Democratic.National.Convention.20.824811.html
And the post Denver Police "special t-shirt" story is here:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_10561685
Fascist nation. Fascist state. Fascist city.
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
Since I'm not seeing any comment on these developments from the perspective of history--specifically, the typical trajectory and pattern of events that great empires tend to follow as they fail--I'd like to add the following:
According to Chalmers Johnson the U.S. has 761 military bases overextended around the world. The latest estimate of the combined Department of Defense plus Homeland Security budget (prior to onset of the recent economic meltdown) was approximately $800 Billion dollars--give or take several hundred millions. "A mere bag of shells," as Jackie Gleason would say. This is USSR-type spending on defense plus a domestic surveillance/Police State similar to conditions right before the USSR went the way of the dinosaurs. And when it fell the USSR didn't have MULTIPLE ground wars going on that had already exhausted its ground forces, their equipment and depleted their officer class.
People refer to Caesar "crossing the Rubicon" back into the Roman home provinces with his legions after finishing another round of his Gallic wars as the turning point into dictatorship for the old Roman Republic which originally had more Jeffersonian characteristics.
The final suffocation of the Roman Republic occurred with a series of events that bear special consideration relative to very recent developments in our times: There was a very old law that prevented any legions being brought inside the city boundaries of Rome itself. This was, logically, to prevent militarization of the political process, the Senate itself, and military interference with or corruption of the People's Tribunes, the Magistrates and "law enforcement."
Caesar Augustus moved the Praetorian Legion inside Rome, the heart of the empire, (identical then to our modern concept of the "Homeland") and established a permanent mission for them as his personal bodyguard and "city guard." So they began their existence like Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS)--as the dictator's personal bodyguard. Gradually the Praetorian Guard became involved in various political factions revolving around the imperial court and the increasingly weakened rubber-stamp Senate, became more and more politically powerful as the years went one, until it gradually became the punitive force that executed or created emperors. Consider the influence of our modern Military-Industrial-Petrol Complex as it relates to the long political dominance of the ruling Bush Dynasty.
Since these emperors were not selected on basis of merit or skill at governance, but family or social connections, political or economic expedience, many of them were very short-lived to the point that, at one point, the Praetorians held a public auction for the position of Imperator and crowned as emperor the Senator in the crowd who was the highest bidder.
But the other development that sealed the fate of the Republic was how Caesar Augustus shifted the loyalties of the the Magistrates, Senate, Tribunes and legions away from the old Roman Constitution--the very heart of the idea of the Roman Republic--and to his own person as emperor. There were a variety of religious and civic festivals and public gatherings where Augustus began slowly "encouraging" the participants to swear an oath of personal allegiance to the emperor. This actually began as a somewhat drunken party joke and swiftly became a political status symbol. Like wearing a Nazi Party pin whether or not you were already a formal member of the Party. Roman officials, Magistrates, the soon to be eliminated People's Tribunes, the legions, etc., heretofore had sworn their primary oath of allegiance to the old Roman Constitution. Gradually the oath to the Emperor replaced the oath to the Constitution.
Consider the internal purges of the Justice Department attorneys, Cabinet level departments and agencies all subordinated by purges or politically vetted neo-conservative plants to loyalty to Bush and Cheney. Consider the extremist ideological influence of the neo-cons on the Judiciary at every level. Bush was appointed to power by a Kangaroo Supreme Court loaded with his father's cronies.
You forgot to mention the debasing of the currency from the mint in Rome.
Have you read "Are We Rome" by Cullen Murphy?
To Thomas More:
I have not read Murphy's book but I've seen two interviews with him about it. I do read Thomas Cahill and I have read Gibbons and other sources. While debasing currency often coincides with the fall of great empires it also happens as part of economic cycles that are not always necessarily an indicator that a particular empire is in its death throes.
What might be an indicator that currency debasement is such an indicator this time around is that the U.S. along with most of the EU countries' central banks have agreed to simultaneously "print money until the banks are so stuffed with it that they have to start lending" as I heard one British news reporter comment today. The Fed has doubled its currency balance sheets in the last 90 days. The printing presses are running overtime. I also noticed that tiny Iceland begged the EU for help with its own over-leveraged situation (9 times its GDP). The EU ignored them and Iceland turned to Russia for help. That's not a good sign economically or geopolitically for Western nations, including the U.S.
But I could be wrong !
Nixon took us off the gold standard - the 1st nail our coffin
Nah! It was the establishment of the Federal Reserve in 1913 - giving the private elitist, global financial cabal control of our monetary system. And, we see now what a splendid job they are doing!
Pretty soon there will be enough currency floating around, it'll be just like Argentina back in the last half-century - just enough inflation to make a gallon of milk $100k...
Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."
In 2004 Henry Paulsen, then head of Goldman-Sachs, led the investment banks into a meeting with Bush's former head of the SEC and requested that the SEC lift the requirement for all investment banks to keep on-hand reserves to cover any potential investment losses. This was quickly and quietly done. These reserves comprised hundreds of billions of dollars that were then leveraged themselves into the abstract stratosphere of previously deregulated credit & debt swaps, derivatives, etc. This self-raiding of the first break-fall in case of failed investment was done by the same fascist who is now running the current multi-hundred $Billion dollar "bail-out." Big Media has kept his role in eliminating the on-hand reserves requirement for the now defunct investment banks ominously silent so far as I've seen. Since the onset of the meltdown I've seen several MSM round table discussions, including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, Charlie Rose and others where Hank Paulsen has been praised to the skies as "a smart guy," "a man who understands the financial markets and is the best man to make these decisions," etc. Shades of Enron and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act! Bush appointed the bum who had "oversight" on Enron's self-created deregulated energy markets and--viola!--the first rolling blackouts in CA history!
When I put together everything that has happened in this country under Bush II and cross-compare it with history I think we have been seeing a more carefully unfolded version of the fascist "Business Coup" that Prescott Bush took part in in the 1930s (swept under the rug as a concession for its end by FDR). Only this time it has worked because the fascists have so deeply bankrupted the country (except for themselves) that Amurka can't afford another New Deal with temporary or permanent entitlement programs for the poor and former middle-class. Hence Tom Brokaw's fearlessly direct attack on Social Security during the McDebate last night. Medicare was also under direct attack. After the food riots the government may raise funding for that to some degree. The Amurkan masses are own their own now, "...lost in a Roman wilderness of pain, and all the children are insane..."
You could interpret that way, but I don't thionk its nearly that bad. Not nearly. Though I wouldn't make light of the rip job Corporate America is giving us. It will be rough.
By the way, have you noticed the connection between Goldman Sachs and the Treasury Dept? Past Secretaries from Goldman,Paulson now, the selection of a 35 year old to oversee this 850 billion dollar shame, that just happened to work at Goldman Sachs before he came to Treasury?
Kucinich several days back when they were voting on "bailout" version #1 asked a question in the well about whether this was 'Congress or Goldman Sachs' or words to that effect. You sound like you know more about Sachs than I do. I know the revolving door on these guys swings both ways for the GOP and DLC. Clinton's Sec. Treas. Robert Rubin urged Clinton to sign off on various elephantine banking and other financial de-regulation and was immediately rewarded upon leaving office with a cozy job as director and consiglieri of Citigroup--where he had special interest in new types of investment instruments. Rubin is one smug son of a bitch as is Greenspan. I saw Rubin interviewed about a month and a half back and he was so offhand in his dismissal of the seriousness of the housing bubble I wanted to reach through the screen and slap him. I think all these bums should be stripped of their citizenship.
There are some people here that really have some problems with reality.
Because someone disagrees with you does not mean you have licence to insult them or to make absurd comparisons.
When someone does that, it says far more about them tnan anything else. People either love their country or they do not, its quite clear which is which. People either have someting intelligent to say or they don't.
I hope that the troll's here soon disappear. Incivility, personal insult for no reason, no particular content in comment help no one nor does it advance the discussion or knowledge at CD.
Discussion is one thing, personal attack is disgusting and deserves contempt.
Ahh, what a surprise response from Snowwolf, the good German. Not. He - like all other rethug neo-con fascists - fawn and drool over their All-Powerful Leaders, fall in line like good little lemmings, and believe that the more power, the more control, the more lethality, and the more brownshirts in the streets that their Almighty Government has is a good, wonderful thing. That those brownshirts do not come knocking at his door in the middle of the night is all that matters, because he is a Good German. Only the evildoers need fear them, and the anti-American tree-hugging liberal traitors.
There is a huge difference between patriotism and nationalism, Snowwolf. As a good german, you are the embodiment of pure, blind nationalistic fervor. But a patriot you most certainly are not.
Continue to cheer for the soldiers that will someday soon be marching in your streets, like a good german lined up for the parade. Raise your "heil" high (hand on heart), wave your swastika (flag) wildly, or wear it on your lapel. But in the end, just like the fascist state in Germany that preceded it, America's new fascist regime will also fall. And all the "good germans" like Snowwolf will be seen for the traitors to the Constitution that they really are, and branded as such when the dust finally settles.
May that day come soon.
"The only thing required for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing."
Maybe it won't be anything as "apocalyptic" as declaring marshall law. But look at the Repubs candidates. Bush Jr/Cheney were lousy but legitimate candidates, somewhat on a par with Gore and Kerry. 2000 and 2004 elections could at least appear to be close, and therefore stolen under a veil of legitimacy. Not so 2008. McCain/Palin aren't even legitimate candidates. And they're up against someone who clearly outclasses them in every regard (regardless of what you think of Obama's politics). A stolen election this time is going to cause riots in the streets.
I'd like to predict "no stolen election"
In fact I'd suggest it's not going to be that close. I believe the independents are swinging to Obama.
One month, we'll see.
The rich are going to need something to defend them in the coming days
Not looking inward is how Sept 11th happened...All our Capability was poised to look "Out" for the Threat...this seems like common sense to me
You're so naive it's down right cute. "Bless your little heart".
I don't fear the U.S. Military...I know them on a personal basis...
The only people who I see fearing them are 9/11 Truthers and Muslim Fighters
"On October 1, the Pentagon, for the first time ever, dedicated an Army force specifically to NorthCom, which is in charge of securing not some foreign region but the United States of America."
The up-side is that this is exactly what the army was meant to do - secure the USA. The military should never have to secure a 'foreign region'.
The down-side - their guns are pointed inwards instead of out.
Yes, I am getting really scared of my own country.
On the local news out of Albuquerque last night it was announced that for the first time ever the NM National Guard has a military police unit. Does your state have Nat'l. Guard MPs?
Texas does.
Maryland does....
"in March 1991 six Maryland National Guard units were on active duty in Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Storm. Indeed, two Maryland military police companies played a vital role in the war by collecting and guarding thousands of Iraqi prisoners captured by American and coalition forces in the four-day ground war."
These guys are just in place so the government will have something to privatize. It will all come under the heading of Blackwater before most Americans even know it happened.
Hoa binh
Blackwater Savings and Loan
Don't even think something like that. No soldier (a few maybe) would agree to go Blackwater. They hold them in contempt.
Tom, I don't really know what most US soldiers would do if ordered to attack Americans in America. But, we should keep in mind that: 1) a large contingent of folks serving in our armed forces are not citizens of the US (immigants who enlisted to get a job and [maybe] a path to citizenship; and, 2) because of the need for bodies to deploy overseas, entrance standards were greatly reduced enabling those with lower intelligence, little education, or some who are felons.
I am not trying to denigrate the brave folks who sign up to protect our country - my nephew is a Navy helicopter pilot who will soon be deployed to the ME for the 2nd time, but I am saying this is not your grandfather's military.
I can say with certainty, that my nephew would uphold his oath to support and defend the Constitution, and would not, under any circumstamces follow orders to
use his aircraft against other Americans. It'd be nice if our politicians would do the same.
"No soldier (a few maybe) would agree to go Blackwater. They hold them in contempt."
In fact one of the Pentagon's biggest problems is the loss of mid-career officers who have jumped ship almost en masse to go private... pay, schedule and conditions are better and there is almost complete immunity for criminal actions when in Iraq.
I can attest to that....
How can you not think about it? It's in our faces all the time. Our government has become an employment agency and even pays your salary. That's how all those old rich white guys are able to stay players in a game they can't win.
Hoa binh
You were saying this weren't you...transferring regular troops to Blackwater.
Regular troops hold Black water in contempt. They wouldn't stand for it.
I wish they would pay me a salary! I get zippo!!
They are training troops in California now and who knows where else.
Blackwater also trains local law enforcement officers.
Read Jeremy Scahill. Google it...
Got it. But I was responding to since1492 talking about transferring regular troops to Blackwater. And regular troops hold Black water in contempt. They wouldn't stand for it.
I see they are training mercenaries, which we don't need. Should never have used and frankly, I'm not sure aren't illegal here. We need no private armies. And Blackwater is a disgrace, which I trust Americans will insist be removed.
Seriously, Tom, you seem like a nice, intelligent guy, but if you have noticed over the past 8 years, there haven't been too many "laws" that Cheney / Bush et al have felt constrained to follow when they stood in the way of their plans!
When the Blackwater guys are unleashed, the fact that their presence/use may be illegal will not keeep them off the streets.
We've been insisting that Bush and this Congress follow the laws - that's worked out well!??
I doubt seriously they will be removed...
Where I see that sort of business headed though is as Private Security aboard shipping with this Somali Pirate thing
I knew that Blackwater hired a lot of Ex SpecWarfare Types and Assumed they had some degree of Professionalism...To Hear my own son tell me they considered them a joke...well I will certainly go with his assessment
You could be right about private security for ships, etc. Just no more employment by our government. A Major just in tells me that one of his patrols was blamed for something some of the Blackwater clowns did. He is really pissed.
We just don't need more than one command. You know what that can cause if things get hairy.
Blackwater must target the young first term Guys...Because Actually..I remember being on a MAC flight with a bunch of very young Navy SEALS one time and these Guys were just grab-assing and Jumping over the Seats and wrestling in the Aisle and generally ignoring the Crew Chiefs orders to stay in their seats...I had forgotten about that
Jeremy Scahill was on a local San Diego news report a few weeks back. A "reporter" was interviewing him; beneath his name, the caption read "Blackwater protestor".
Timmy Russert, a Real American Hero.
Jeremy Scahill (journalist/author) demoted to "Blackwater protestor".
Wow Nannie, you sound like one of those freedom hating, communist, terrorists bastards. How un-American can you be? You sound like you would like to return this country to that dreaded destroyer of freedom! THE RULE OF LAW!
"any incident . . . that results in extraordinary levels of . . . disruption severely affecting the U.S. . . . economy."
Like, say, a bunch of Wall Street crooks stealing a couple of trillion dollars?
Guess it's time to send that First Brigade down to Wall Street, seeing as how "local law enforcement" is unable to arrest those responsible for severely affecting the US economy...
Doesn't take a wise elder like myself to detect where the threats are emerging.
This is no longer America but Amerika. On another headline the idea that 53 nonviolent activists were labeled terrorists in MD is just one more of the multitudes of repressive tactics being employed in this country.
Do you see people rioting in the streets? Do you see people having meetings with neighbors to form a movement designed to retrieve their government from the clutches of the fascists? Do any of you understand the gravity of the spiraling, out of control pariah nature of the wealthy plutocrats forming up against the serfs?
You think it's all just noise and low energy interference. Something, someone is going to ride up on their white horse and save the day.
Get up off your butts folks and start organizing. Start speaking out loudly and clearly. If not, you will see more of the same coming down the pike. How much are you willing to risk and stay silent before you say ENOUGH?
The supposed 'emergency' need not happen before election day. After all, if McCain is (s)elected then there's no need for disasters to bring on martial law.
It could happen anytime before Jan. 20, especially if something happened to the President-to-be that necessitated Bush staying around to provide 'continuity of leadership in these dangerous times'.
It need not be a 'national' emergency, only a 'catastrophic' one. Given only 1 brigade available (approx. 3-5,000), it could be a local disaster.
There is an almost infinite number of possible disasters to choose from.
The neo-conic advantages of a local disaster - start small, manage the chaos, expand to nationwide if things are going well (as in things are going badly).
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"OMG...U.S. Troops actually Poised to Defend America"
And who is threatening to invade America? Canada? Mexico? Tuvalu?
And who is threatening to invade America? Canada? Mexico? Tuvalu?
Perhaps somebody Anthraxing a City...from the Inside?
They aren't to repel an Invasion...we have plenty of Troops for that...
Leahy is Posturing...He knows the threats...
Told you there would be attacks on Leahy and surprise surprise SnowWolf is the first. His point is fairly vague too.
Joe
So instead of the National Guard guarding our nation we how have the Army fighting internal 'enemies' and the Guard guarding Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Anthraxing a City...from the Inside"
Well, since the weaponized anthrax used in the US was from military stockpiles, is your argument that the Army is now here to protect us from the Army?
I seem to remember that the weaponized anthrax Saddam used on the Kurds he got from us when we were helping him against Iran. Anyone know for sure?
It wasn't Anthrax...it was GA, (Ethyl dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate) and officially nobody knows where it came from (rolls eyes)
but it MIGHT have been supplied from somewhere to counter the Mustard Gas that the Iranians were using ...some people might say that...you know?
I have edited this post like 4 times...*LOL*
You are right. I just couldn't remember. Yeah...roll eyes! Thats what happens when you let intelligence start thinking. Field officers weren't in favor.
Even Marine Corp intelligence is an oxymoron.
I'm glad you know how to spell that. (Ethyl dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate)
I did a search on Tabun...GA's other name...*LOL*
Leahy is one of the good guys on Constitutional Rights and internet issues. Watch for lots of character assassination against him.
Joe
Or a Paul Wellstone-type "accident"?
And lets not forget all of those "detention" camps at various locations within the US that Dubya rushed through construction (costing twice as much)to prove he was serious about dealing with "illegal immigrants" just in time for the 2004 election.
Those camps will house protestors just as well as they house immigrants.
OMG...U.S. Troops actually Poised to Defend America...The Horror The Horror!
You all missed your Calling...you have a flair for the Overly Dramatic
Cheney had the right answer for Leahy...I 2nd it
That you would endorse anything that comes out of the mouth of a (future) war criminal speaks volumes.
People that are uninformed about the military are simply worried, those that want to make something out of nothing for their own purposes will. Much ado about nothing, I agree.
But Dick Cheney hasn't been right about anything since he refused to serve.
"those that want to make something out of nothing for their own purposes will."
Go to sleep. Nothing to see here.
shucks, you mean you disagree with me? I'm surprised.
"Cheney had the right answer for Leahy...I 2nd it"
Typical snow wolf. Poor guy can't come up with anything on his own, so he repeats one-liners. Read a book.
Thank you...appreciate it
I think their first use should be down on the U.S./Mexican Border
That's original. You betcha! ;o)
I was suffocating. I needed air. I needed distraction. So I went to AMC and finally saw the new Batman flick. And who do I see? Patrick Freakin' Leahy.
It's a done deal people. Game over. The other day I heard Johnny Mac talking about how so many people are lining up to join the military to serve their Country. No shit, John. There are no other jobs around.
After I got out of the military, and even up to this day, I think the average American citizen is obscenely misinformed, at best. At first, I felt contempt. Now, only resignation. There are many who are still active and who look down up you. Don't think you won't be a victim.
All your pledge are belong to us.
"Trust in God, but keep your powder dry." Oliver Cromwell
"I felt contempt. Now, only resignation."
Have the feeling you are trying to say something important here. Even though it might be painful, could you please help provide us with some detail?
Part of the "misinformation" to which you refer was by design. No press unless embedded and only those who pass "filtering" get a shot at embedding... and additional restrictions on what could be photographed and reported upon... and then MSM filtering to insure that Americans wouldn't get so depressed that they would forget to buy their advertised products. So perhaps you can understand why "real" information might be at a premium.
I read posts at NYT simply because they are one of the few sources for information... military blog area and such... but it's not much.
Sharing your experience and how that led to both contempt and then to resignation might be insightful for us. Perhaps just the outline, if dredging it all up again seems distasteful to you. thanks.
But I could be wrong !
Some of us feel that this act in defiance of the Posse Comitatus Act is our equivalent of Caesar's army crossing the Rubicon in ancient Rome - for those who don't know history, it spelled the end of the republic - look it up.
The timing just before elctions should not be taken lightly - or as the rich get richer and need protection from the soon-to-be starvng masses (formerly middle class Americans).
October Surprise?
Excellent analysis, Matthew (he's been my hero for some time.)
I would take the next step and say that it's not unreasonable to suspect that this administration is preparing to find some "national emergency" excuse (and the list of possible emergencies is endless now) to use Executive Order #51 to declare martial law and suspend the Nov. 4 election if it becomes really apparent that Obama might actually win this election. The neocons cannot afford to lose this election; there is too much at stake for them.
So line it up: KBR gets the contract to build detention centers (proudly proclaimed on their website last year)in the United States; Bush signs Executive Order #51; NorthCom has troops stationed state-side and ready to take action agains American civilians. Everything is in place for a declaration of national emergency, so what emergency will it be? The financial crisis which will produce ever more failing banks and is becoming a world-wide crisis of gargantuan proportions? Would American citizens sit still for the suspension of elections for this reason? Who knows. Another "new Pearl Harbor" might be needed, but that would be very simple to manufacture.
To paraphrase Yossarian: just because I'm paranoid, that doesn't mean they're NOT shooting at me. Do not be surprised at ANYTHING that happens on November 5th.
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http://constitutionpledge.com SIGN THE PLEDGE
www.VoteNader.org
The Pledge
Prohibit the use of "secret evidence" to classify and list individuals and organizations within the United States as global terrorists or global terrorist organizations; and
Prohibit the use of secret evidence or evidence obtained by torture or coercion in military or civilian tribunals;
Prohibit the detention of American citizens as "unlawful enemy combatants," without proof of criminal activity, based solely on the President's say-so;
Restore habeas corpus for alleged alien enemy combatants, i.e., non-citizens who have allegedly participated in active hostilities against the United States, in order to protect the innocent;
Prohibit the National Security Agency from intercepting phone conversations or emails, or breaking and entering homes on the President's say-so, in violation of federal law;
Empower the House of Representatives and the Senate collectively, to challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of signing statements which indicate the President intends to disregard duly enacted provisions of bills signed into law, because he alone maintains they are "unconstitutional;"
Prohibit the executive from invoking the state secrets privilege to deny justice to victims of constitutional violations perpetrated by government officers or agents; and,
Establish legislative-executive committees in the House and Senate to adjudicate the withholding of information from Congress, based on executive privilege, which obstructs oversight and open government;
and
Prohibit the President from kidnapping, detaining, and torturing persons abroad, in collaboration with foreign governments;
Amend the Espionage Act to permit journalists to report on classified national security matters without fear of prosecution.
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try this site for the pledge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BHIGiDMIR4
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