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Martial Law The Progressive printed an article by Matthew Rothschild, "The FBI Deputizes Businesses", 02/07/08. This is a very long excellent article delineating how the FBI and Homeland Security have formed a group called InfraGard within businesses that cooperate with the two agencies for an exchange of information, often of a sensitive nature. In fact, within the article it is stated that InfraGard on occasion receives information regarding security threats even before elected officials. Further, it is mentioned several times that members of InfraGard have the right to "shoot to kill" without fear of prosecution for the protection of their facilities. Although this organization, InfraGard, is frightening enough, there is a small paragraph that mentions that at one meeting of InfraGard the members were given detailed information as to what their responsibilities would be when martial law is declared. The whistle blower had this information corroborated by another individual, and a third would not deny it. The important point is, however, the statement reads not if – but "when." There have been so many excellent articles submitted to OpEdNews regarding George Bush's Signing Statements, Executive Orders, and laws submitted to and passed by Congress, but I want to remind readers of just a few of these actions by this dangerous administration. Although the Plan for a New American Century (PNAC) was written prior to Bush II being elected, his family was involved in the formation of it. Within that Plan was the statement, and I paraphrase, that the Plan would be difficult to implement without another "Pearl Harbor". Or another attack on the United States of commensurate devastation. When the Bush II cabal was told, over and over, about an imminent attack on the United States, these admonitions were ignored completely. And we experienced 9/11. The night of 9/11, long before any facts were known by anyone, Wolf Blitzer announced on CNN that we had been attacked by Iraq! One month after 9/11, Congress passed the Patriot Act. This was the first of many steps in the erosion of our civil liberties under the guise of 'protecting us from terrorism', which then became the mantra of this administration. Terrorism, terrorism, terrorism. Based on lies, more lies and damned lies, the United States invaded Afghanistan, and then Iraq. It was beyond my comprehension that anyone alive believed George W. Bush and his claims that we needed to invade Iraq for security reasons. All one had to do was look at his face when he was telling all of those lies – he smirked! On 1/3/06, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, which not only confirmed the suspension of habeas corpus for 'terrorists', but laid out the process by which martial law would be implemented – regardless of the process defined in the US Constitution. In October of 2006, the John Warner National Authorization Act was passed. Inserted in that Act was Section 1042: "Revises federal provisions allowing the President to utilize the Armed Forces in connection with interference with federal and state law to allow the President to employ the Armed Forces and National Guard in federal service to restore public order in cases of natural disaster, epidemic or other public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or domestic violence. Requires the President to notify Congress within 14 days of the exercise of such authority. Authorizes the President, when exercising such authority, to direct the Secretary to provide supplies, services, and equipment to persons affected by the situation." There went the Posse Comitatus Act which has prevented the Presidents from using the Armed Forces as police. Now we have Blackwater acting in place of our armed forces, and apparently responsible to no one. Would Blackwater be the armed forces used? Now there is an unhappy thought. During this time, there were a number of Executive Orders, numbered from 10900 – 11921 that detailed even more carefully how easily martial law can be declared. Consider the state of our economy now. One of the provisions for declaring martial law is an economic crisis. Bernanke fiddled with the interest rates while the economy sank – why? Incompetence? Intentional? Forcing an economic crisis? The final insult is SB 1959. By itself it is innocuous – but put together with the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, the Executive Orders and the Signing Statements they form a pattern that is extremely hard to miss if people would just read them! Under SB 1959 any action that the Administration feels undercuts their intentions, can be classified as a 'violent radicalization' action. Included is a provision that people cannot even think these things. Therefore, opposition to the current Federal Budget that increases military spending but cuts funding to all programs to help ordinary citizens would be classed as a 'violent radicalization' action. We are undercutting this Administration's efforts to fight 'terrorism'. Thus, those of us who are committed to the basic ethical principles which are the basis of all the respected philosophies and religions of the world would be considered radical and therefore questionable. Do not love your neighbor as yourself – he/she might be a Muslim; do not love God more than your President – God may have admonished you to act differently than your President desires, like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless and giving aid and comfort to those who need it. Something for which I have no documentation, but which has sort of tickled around in my brain for the last year or so, is why Bush II was not at all disturbed by the turnover in Congress in '06. I understand all of the arguments that the Democrats in Congress have rolled over for him so he need not worry. And to a certain extent, that is true. But one other picture I can't get out of mind is that of Dick Cheney smiling during this year's State of the Union speech when Bush was blithering on about something. Cheney didn't need to worry about the blithering.
Voluntarily retired California county elected official.
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