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July 6, 2008 at 13:19:27

Headlined on 7/6/08:
Conditioning for the Police State – the American War At Home

by Cathy Garger     Page 1 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 
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Oh my word. The US Military has been working like busy worker bees this summer, conducting war training exercises in Indianapolis.  Recently, military helicopters practiced playing war with military Special Operations commandos training with Denver police and fire teams for a potential terrorism threat in a ‘realistic urban environment’" over the skies of Denver, Colorado in counterterrorism helicopter exercises, which have rattled windows and residents' nerves.”

 

It appears Uncle Sam has reason to believe the DNC convention is going to need some military “intervention” in Denver come August.  In addition, in “War On America’s Playgrounds,” this writer reported on the Marine war drills waged in the city of Indianapolis that took place in a city park. Yes, you heard that right. Marines played war games in an Indiana city park. I swear to you, I’m not making this up!

In a recent edition of The Rocky Mountain News, it was reported that Special Operations teams have conducted military training successfully in other cities as well. The article mentioned that the Special Operations Command had conducted at least 21 such exercises in U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle over three years. A Washington Post article was quoted as reporting, “In city after city, the exercises have drawn fire from frightened residents who are not told beforehand that the roaring helicopters flying in circles several hundred feet overhead late at night ... are trying to get as close as possible to the buildings they appear about to crash into."

Starting with Katrina, federal enforcers and soldiers-for-hire have been getting Americans accustomed (conditioned) to a military and para-military presence within US cities. The use of private soldier companies like Blackwater eases the burden on the feds, as it lessens the necessity of having to pay benefits to federal employees. Plus, hiring contractors puts monies in the hand of private profiteers and stock holders often well-connected to those who make such decisions.  Hiring private soldiers also lightens the federal legal burden should these contracted gunmen ever become, shall we say, a little too trigger-happy in the course of their work.

 

These realistic, urban warfare exercises are no mere customary military training drills, as there are roughly 440 military bases in the US upon which GI soldier games can be played.  The expansion of war training to include America’s city parks and playgrounds undoubtedly serves another purpose - one that won’t be revealed tonight on the local TV newscast - as Americans become not-so-subtly acclimated to military presence and stringent law enforcement control within… and takeover of… their communities.

 

Still don’t get why the Department of Defense would choose to play war in US cities? f you think the answer is to practice soldier maneuver drills, think again.  The normalization of military and para-military presence is a domestic operation being waged for the same reasons lethal Tasers are used by local law enforcers, police brutality is commonplace in our lower income neighborhoods, and gang violence, pitting our urban, non-white youth, one against the other, is often “helped” along – rather than prevented.

 

Soldiers now appear on Main Street, USA for the same purpose mindless TV viewing masses have been force-fed justification for liberal doses of torture on shows like the FOX channel’s “24.” Simultaneously, the rights and civil liberties of our citizens are being eroded while the Big Brother Surveillance State reaches mind-boggling new heights… with cameras now perched above nearly every traffic light and city street corner.

 

It’s a dog-eat-dog world where a growing Police State is continually justified as a means of keeping the peace – or, so we are led to believe. The United States is rapidly becoming a nation where brutality - and a culture of fear, militarization, and surveillance - is being augmented, with the goal of keeping American citizens compliant, passive, and obedient under authoritarian, militant control.

 

"You're either with us or against us" has been the sentiment of the black and white concrete-thinking authoritarians in power.  Why, even the mere questioning of authority has even been equated with aiding and abetting the enemy in times of war. In fact, while passionately speaking out recently on a group list regarding the use of radioactive Uranium weaponry (so- called Depleted Uranium) used in Afghanistan and Iraq, this writer was targeted by one defender of the Empire who wrote, "emotional attacks can be a form of terrorism in themselves."

 

The message Americans are being given is crystal clear for anyone with even one eye half open. Politicos still playing the “terror” card in this two-party election farce game, forever reminding us ad nauseum that this is a dangerous world with so-called "terrorists” – often using the CIA-created group, “Al Qaeda”  posed forever lying in wait to do Americans harm.

 

The silent message we are fed is simple. If we stay quiet and accept wars everlasting due to some manufactured, eternal threat of “terrorism,” if we accept whatever new lame stories are concocted to us to keep us in a state of perma-fear, if we obey without question and do everything we are told and keep silent within gated, pre-established, sanctioned, chain link fenced “protest zones?” We will then – and only then - have nothing to worry about.  Our obedience will be rewarded in that we will not get hurt, Tasered, nor shot repeatedly by the right (far, far right) arm of the law - in cold blood.  By our obedience and relinquishing our rights of free speech and assembly, neither will we be thrown into prison cell nor internment camp.

 

Meanwhile, the fine line between ordinary citizens merely exercising Constitutional rights and so called “domestic terrorists” is becoming increasingly indistinguishable – thus, the ability of being able to discern, in both appearance and tactics, between America’s military, contracted para-military, SWAT teams, and our community law enforcers grows ever more hazy, fuzzy, and dull in this growing American Police State.

  

There is a secret war, a silent war, being waged on Americans - through the use of fear and compliance tactics, the normalization of brutality and torture, control of the populace via military, para-military, and police officers in our communities, and psychological operations warfare. These tactics are used against resisters and held out as threats – such as being thrown into special Halliburton-built prison camps dedicated to housing those who resist the domestic occupation of our nation.

  

We must not allow ourselves to believe that war is merely being waged by our federal government somewhere across some sea, over there - somewhere.  To get the bigger picture, we need only to step outside our front doors and look up into the air. Depending on the city and war drill training schedule, we can now be prepared to see black helicopters above us and hardened military types wearing dark uniforms and carrying lethal weapons in our city streets.

 

The practice of bringing war home to American city streets has nothing whatsoever to do with bringing safety, freedom, nor democracy to anyone - not overseas or at home, either.

 

The growing militarization of the US is part of the newly manufactured “War on terror” being fought within our nation’s borders. And, just like what is going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, American civilians have done absolutely nothing to deserve this growing militant presence. And rough and brutal treatment takes place routinely these days, primarily in cities where the poor and non-white urban residents are primary targets.

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www.mytown.ca/garger

Cathy Garger is a freelance writer, public speaker,  activist, and a certified personal coach who specializes in Uranium weapons. Living in the shadow of the national District of Crime, Cathy is constantly nauseated by the stench emanating from the nation's capital during the Washington, DC, federal work week.

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4 comments

earth angel
Shannon Rudolphearth angel

Don't taze me brah: aloha style

Aloha Cathy!

...And even out here in the far flung reaches of the blue Pacific, tiny Kaua'i, with barely a population of 65,000... just recieved, I think it was...$600,000 worth of riot gear. They must need a lot of ammo to take down those pesky teenagers on surfboards who turned the Super-Militaryferry around in their harbor.

Power to the surfer dudes!

And this breaking news...Deisel costs for the ferry running at $129 per person, special ticket sales of $49, and ridership at 29%...how long will they hold out ..... place your bets.

by Shannon Rudolph (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments) on Sunday, July 6, 2008 at 8:53:04 PM
 


Cathy Garger is a freelance writer, public speaker,  activist, and a certified personal coach who specializes in Uranium weapons. Living in the shadow of the national District of Crime, Cathy is constantly nauseated by the stench emanating from the nation's capital during the Washington, DC, federal work week.
Cathy GargerCathy Garger is a freelance writer, public speaker,  activist, and a certified personal coach who specializes in Uranium weapons. Living in the shadow of the national District of Crime, Cathy is constantly nauseated by the stench emanating from the nation's capital during the Washington, DC, federal work week.

OH MY GODDESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Hi Shannon!

OHHHHH MYYYY GODDDDDDDDDESSSSSS! Riot gear and Tasers in ... of ALL PLACES ... the land of Aloha... Hawaii, you say?!?!

It is now OFFICIALLY the end of the world as we know it!

YES you got it! They are going to go after the kids and their grandfathers on the surfboards - and the ladies in the grass skirts trying to block the Superferry!

NO, actually, in all seriousness, they KNOW that the Hawaiian people are getting sick and tired of having their beautiful aina used for WAR practice, and the extent of chem and radiological contaminants there is really starting to get OUT and it is probably a matter of time before people say to the soldiers, get OFF our lovely islands!

They can only oppress people for SO long and so far it's been over 100 years... and not everyone's thrilled about the war being waged ON the land of Aloha...

Riot gear for Hawaii. I never thought I'd see the day...

Mahalo to you - for all you do,

Cathy

by Cathy Garger (23 articles, 6 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 99 comments) on Sunday, July 6, 2008 at 9:03:38 PM
 


Concerned citizen for Peace & Sustainability
Advocating IMMEDIATE DUAL IMPEACHMENT Hearings:
--Special Session NOW, for HR 1258 & HR 333--
STAND UP WITH Rep Dennis Kucinich

HR 1234, A 12 Point Plan- Out of Iraq ASAP
With Principled Best Interests of & For ALL

--As THE Greatest Most URGENT Needs if we are
to Preserve, Protect & Sustain Well Being Itself,
and begin to restore and empower the Good
of anything and everything e...

to see more of bio, click on member name

G AchinConcerned citizen for Peace & Sustainability
Advocating IMMEDIATE DUAL IMPEACHMENT Hearings:
--Special Session NOW, for HR 1258 & HR 333--
STAND UP WITH Rep Dennis Kucinich

HR 1234, A 12 Point Plan- Out of Iraq ASAP
With Principled Best Interests of & For ALL

--As THE Greatest Most URGENT Needs if we are
to Preserve, Protect & Sustain Well Being Itself,
and begin to restore and empower the Good
of anything and everything e...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Of Great Concern

This IS a topic of GREAT CONCERN that certainly needs to be vocalized in public at every chance! There is need to think of terms for addressing it even among the dumbed down fearful types that will have a good chance of helping them to see they would have much more to fear from local militarization for ANY excuse whatsoever than they would ever have to fear from "whatsoever". This is a truly "scarey" item!!

I live in an area where a "city" of about 12 or 15,000 pop. is the biggest population center and the County Seat. It is surrounded by various very small towns and "county" residences spaced around in between. Even the smaller villiages have been seen with shiny new equipment. When the gov beefs up little local law enforcement, the price ticket is not announced along with the "look what we got!" pride in how they have 'won' over this great boon to better serving the "law", generally spoken in righteously patriotic sounding terms that most are afraid to question, and especially not in public! How many of whom are supposed to be tallied for what in return?? Like the drug-war funding arrests quotas, what is the actual cost to the community, and how greatly does it defer loyalty away from serving the local level and toward auto-responding to "authority from on high"??? Will they reach the quotas that will "win" them more shiney new prizes of fancier equipment (or maintain the "extra" outside funding boost) at the expense of "collateral damage" to locals?

At a local Dem party meeting not long ago, candidates for various offices were giving their campaign sales pitch bids for the upcoming primary vote. A candidate vying to unseat the current DA (both Dems.) looked like he played the part of a brownshirt on TV and had just come straight off the set to speak at the meeting... He seemed to think an air of tough on crime authoritarian enforcement officialdom would impress people with confidence in his "professionalism". His appearance reminded me of what it was that in the latter 60's had first earned the nickname of "pig". He would be really "official" and get The Job done! After he gave his little "The Law" sound-biter speech, I asked him how he would handle it, what would he do, and WHO would he actually serve if the Feds wanted to come in imposing martial law-- Would he support the Feds, and let troops like blackwater in, or would he support the people of the greater community for a counter choice of sustaining themselves in self sufficiency?

There was indrawn breath and silence in the room. The candidate stood up front with his mouth open, having trouble there for a bit in forming a word in a throat that seemed to be sticking over an undefined selection..... He was a little taken aback, to say the least, and while he choked up a bit, not sure where, which way, or WHAT would be "safe" to go then stumbled through trying, probably for the first time in public at least, to construct a passable obfuscation, the room remained silent, with many leaning forward in their seats while waiting to hear what he would say. Even those who had seemed somewhat offensively startled at the intoduction of such a question, by its conclusion seemed more eager to hear how "The Law" would be loyal to serving the actual best interests of the community, ie, self sufficiency, rather than handing "us" over to the feds.........

His answer was so scattered around in the non committal mode that I didn't remember even right afterwards just WHAT he had finally said. He was obviously afraid to speak out in public what he would previously have thought to sound scandalously UNprofessional, and 'unsafe' in with the "unpatriotic" sort of taint, like advocating breaking or being against "The Law". It was noticeable that he could not, on the spot, stand for election upon promising loyalty to the community if the community elected him to serve as its District Attorney; the community members present quite obviously would rather have a DA who could speak out with surety for loyalty to protecting local autonomy and citizens' rights to self government. The thought was now ripped out from stasis in tabooland to be alive and well with its newfound open space to be active in the public mind. This candidate received very few votes in the primary. People who likely had not ever had such a thought cross their minds were now holding it and finding themselves questioning too.....

(-:G
http://www.zianet.com/XLexcel/OHBOY.html

by G Achin (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 43 comments) on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 7:34:33 AM
 


Bia Winter is an Artist/Writer from Maine, and has been an activist and letter-writer since the 60's. In 2004 she received the Roger Baldwin Award from the Maine American Civil Liberties Union for furthering Democracy after she got a Resolution Against the USA"Patriot"Act passed in her small home town of Mount Vernon, by overwhelming show-of-hands vote at Town Meeting. She continues to Write, Activate and Cartoon for Progressive causes. Her Letters are often seen in the Baltimore Chronicle, as w...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Bia WinterBia Winter is an Artist/Writer from Maine, and has been an activist and letter-writer since the 60's. In 2004 she received the Roger Baldwin Award from the Maine American Civil Liberties Union for furthering Democracy after she got a Resolution Against the USA"Patriot"Act passed in her small home town of Mount Vernon, by overwhelming show-of-hands vote at Town Meeting. She continues to Write, Activate and Cartoon for Progressive causes. Her Letters are often seen in the Baltimore Chronicle, as w...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Trying to get through to the Sheeple

I spent a few hours this "Independence " weekend gathering signatures at town events for the Repeal of the "REAL ID Act" here in Maine (proud to be in one of the few states to reject this massive move toward the Police State)

Our legislature had rejected it, after which GW threatened us Mainers with no travel, etc, promising to get the Canadians in on helping enforce this repression , and then our Gov Baldacci pulled a fast one and passed the law anyway.

If we get enough signatures we can have a shot a repealing this awful piece of legislation so rudely foisted on us.

I got a few signatures, but an awful lot of "WEll, if it helps catch terrorists...I guess I have to wait and learn more about it" etc. , to which I would tell them this is a closing window of opportunity, and asked them if they were familiar with the boiled Frog analogy, or, for that matter, how Hitler came to such grotesque power.

Sad, indeed, how badly people are cowed and confused, and yes! "Conditioned" .

Back in 2004 we became the 365th town to pass a Resolution against the "Patriot Act"..probably one of the smallest and probably the only one to do it with show-of-hands vote. They stood up then, even the Conservatives,  who put us over the top by a wide margin. I was so proud of my town, and their concerns that, "If they've got it, they'll USE it"  have only become more valid with ensueing evidence of all the abuses of power.

But...they still won't put up a framed copy of the Resolution at the town hall because, they said, they don't want to "Rub anyone's nose in it"!?!

I guess they'd rather brown-nose GW Bush and a few town Fascists.  

Go figure, but this is what we're up against! 

by Bia Winter (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 216 comments) on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 9:02:30 AM
 

 

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