The
suspension of
both habeas corpus and posse comitatus has provided for detention
without a trial and for a federal police force, allegedly in the name
of fighting terrorism. Martial law in the U.S. is closely tied with
the Writ of habeas
corpus (scroll down to "United States of America"
... ). Many have expressed concern over this,
including Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), who in March of 2003
gave a House speech expressing "grave
concerns" that the foundations for martial law were in place.
But
the suspension of habeas
corpus and posse comitatus are not the only developments
forshadowing martial law. What are these "detention centers"
being built all over the country? The proclaimed reason for these facilities
is to deal with an "influx of immigrants"
Wow - that's alot of immigrants. It's beside the point but
still
interesting to note that the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a
Halliburton subsidiary, Kellogg Brown & Root, the
$385 million contract to build these facilities. Another no
bidder, no doubt. In an article (Feb, 2006) by Peter Dale Scott,
Scott sites Pentagon insider Daniel Ellsberg (Vietnam whistleblower), who stated the
detention centers are likely "preparation for a roundup after
the next 9/11 for Mid-Easterners, Muslims and possibly dissenters."
What
have such
facilities have been used for in
recent past? How
about the Katrina refugees being held against their will at
various detention centers around the US ? Why is it
that they are not allowed to leave these
facilities ? Why would it be necessary to have barbed wire,
armed soldiers and "enough armed
police officers to invade Grenada"
in such places ? Perhaps this is why; Fox
News reported that half of Katrina refugees have
criminal records. Wow ! Half ? It would
be interesting to know how many of these refugees end up filling a
pair of combat boots, with the military being strapped for
soldiers and all, which is likely to get worse given the
admitted "no end in sight"
prognosis for the so-called "war
on
terror".
Another
possible use of these
new, vast detention centers would be for a national emergency such as a
natural disaster or disease outbreak (mad cow, bird flu, SARS
?). Still another possible use would be for dissent against the North
American Union.
Although it was "announced" over a year ago, few
are even aware of what The North American Union is,
nor have Congress and the Supreme Court addressed it.
(scroll down to criticism ...) As
Patrick Wood of The August Review points out;
"Because
international
treaties supercede national law, Fast Track has allowed an enormous
restructuring of U.S. law without resorting to a Constitutional
convention." ... "As a result, national
sovereignty of the United States has been severely compromised - even
if some Congressmen and Senators are aware of this, the general public
is still generally ignorant."
It's certainly
conceivable that detention centers could be needed
if our borders with Mexico and Canada came down. It's also
conceivable that this could necessitate
martial law.
Remember
too that on Oct.
19, 2008, in Seattle,
Joe
Biden gave us
further reason to be scared by guaranteeing us a "generated
crisis" inside six months of Obama's presidency which will
test Obama's "mettle".
But what is concerning is not what anyone has speculated, but what has
already happened. More specifically, recent
legislation has set the stage for martial law by the power of
the President alone. The President alone now has the
power to declare martial law on unprecedented broad, sweeping,
terms. New asset forteiture laws give the President
the power to seize assets of anyone he considers a "significant risk",
a risk assessed by him alone, naturally. New laws give the
President the power to detain anyone he alone considers to be an "enemy
combatant" - no oversight - no trial - indefinite detainment.
The bailout legislation was very similar. In September of 2008,
"congressional martial law" was declared, eliminating the normal time
allowed for review of the bailout bill's provisions. Members of
Congress didn't even know what they were voting on - http://current.com/items/89349725_nancy_pelosi_declared_martial_law_last_night
. Further, talk of a stock
market collapse and the possibility of real martial law was also
discussed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8
. This was reminiscent of the infamous
WMD
fearmongering at the
United Nations (Feb. 5, 2003) which, as you may recall, was
administered by the "nicest" guy in the
administration ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwdsm-Oux4o ),
Colin Powell, a tactic which proved to be quite
effective in applying the necessary pressure. It appears there
are a variety of ways that pressure may be applied.
Needless to say, the bailout bill was passed.
The trend is clear. Increasingly, are witnessing the
eradication
of checks
and balances - the striking of the separation of powers - the
elimination of congressional and judicial oversight and the consolidation
of power to the Executive branch. We are going backwards.
What is probably the most concerning is that the people seem to be
searching for reasons to accept the actions of their government, or
simply willing to turn a blind eye altogether. There seems to be
no measure being made by them anymore, as though they were somehow immobilized
by something.
I'm
sure there are a variety of
reasons for this response.
The Setting of the
Stage
The Patriot Act
was signed
into law on October 26, 2001. The acronym stands for "Uniting
and Strengthening America
by Providing Appropriate Tools Required
to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of
2001" The Act was passed by wide margins in both houses of
Congress and was supported by members of both the Republican and
Democratic parties. Many of the act's
provisions were to sunset beginning December 31,
2005, approximately 4 years after its passage. In the months preceding
the sunset date, supporters of the act pushed to make its sunsetting
provisions permanent. Though this was criticized by Senators from
both the Republican and Democratic parties for ignoring civil liberty
concerns, the bill passed Congress on March 2, 2006 and was signed
into law by President George W. Bush on March 9, 2006.
The Military
Commissions Act became law in 2006, giving the
president the dictatorial power to
detain
anyone, simply via deeming them an "enemy
combatant",
denying them legal protection and a fair trial, with no
congressional oversight. This has been described
as "otherworldly"
by George Washington Professor of Constitutional Law, Jonathan Turley.
(9) It also, as noted by Professor of Law (Columbia
University School of Law) Michael Dorf, "immunizes government
officials for past war crimes; it cuts the United States off from
its
obligations under the Geneva Conventions."
(9a)
The Defense
Authorization Act
became law in 2007, giving the president the dictatorial
power, with no
judiciary or
congressional oversight, to declare martial law and
invoke the military
to deal with "domestic
insurrection" and "rebellion", as well as
natural
disasters, health/disease related concerns, or even something
as vague as "other conditions". (10) ( The
Insurrection Act of 1807 restricted the executive power to use
the military inside US borders, and the Posse Comitatus
Act of 1878 strengthened the Insurrection Act with strict
congressional oversight. )
Executive
Order 13438 (July, 2007)
gives the president the dictatorial power to seize the assets (bank
accounts, homes, etc ... ) of anyone he deems a "significant
risk" to US foreign
policy. Bruce
Fein, constitutional
lawyer and former Reagan Depty. Atty.
General. comments (13) - calling
this, among other things, a
"financial death penalty".
All of this made the
unconscionable fearmongering of the bailout legislation in September of
2008 and Joe Biden's "guaranteed crisis" seem par for the course.
Last but not least, remember that as of Oct. 1, 2008, we have active
troops inside the United States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYxTzDFofZQ&feature=related
. The
3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat
Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq, but now the unit
will serve in domestic operations.
"Helping ‘people
at
home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army"