defying empire (courage to resist the empire of lies)

89-63_tank_man_-_web


"Blind obediance to authority is the greatest enemy of Truth" --A. Einstein

ECHELON is an ongoing operation conducted by the NSA with the goal of intercepting and analyzing every electronic signal on the planet. ...

Challenging the establishment (everyone who has fought for social justice has opposed the established power elite that allows injustice to exist)

On October 26 2001 (six weeks after 911) George Bush signed the misnamed USA Patriot Act wch enhances the ability of federal authorities to tap phones, track internet usage,emails,cell phones,etc. In the name of fighting terrorism the government has taken away basic constitutional freedoms such as the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

"He sees you when you are sleeping;
He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good..."
(...and we're not talking Santa Claus!!)

subject%3A+%3Cstrong%3ECrackdown+on+dissent+and+dissenters%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AEavesdropping+on+people%27s+private+communications+without+obtaining+a+warrant+is+a+blatant+infringement+of+human+rights.Your+phone+records%2C+banking+records%2Cemail+messages%2Cand+web+searches+are+being+accessed+by+the+U.S.+security+networks+without+your+being+informed+%28banks+and+telecom+providers+are+forced+to+cooperate+through+NSL+letters%29.%0D%0AThose+in+privileged+positions+of+power+%28the+political+establishment%29have+always+sought+to+%22manage%22+public+opinion+and+to+control+what+people+think--thereby+controlling+their+actions.%0D%0ADissident+ideas+are+subversive+and+heretical%2C...and+heresy%2Fapostasy+is+equivalent+to+treason.+To+challenge%2Fdefy%2Foppose+authority%2Cto+threaton+the+status+quo+is+to+be+stigmatized+as+unpatriotic%2Cseditious+and+even+treasonous+%28supporting+and+sympathizing+with+the+enemy%29.%0D%0AWhen+those+in+positions+of+power%2Fauthority+feel+threatened%2C+those+who+oppose+them+%28stand+between+them+and+their+goals%29are+categorized+as+%22the+enemy%22+%28or+other+stigmatic+label+such+as+%22villain%22+or+%22devil%22+or+% ist%22%29%0D%0AThroughout+human+history+those+in+positions+of+power+who+have+felt+threatened+by+dissent+have+sought+to+censor%2Fsuppress+it%2Cto+criminalize%2Fvilify%2Fdemonize+and+even+to+annihilate+heretics%28those+who+espouse+dissident+ideas+and+points+of+view%29.Those+who+expressed+unorthodox%28politically+incorrect%29+opinions+were+persecuted+%2Cimprisoned%2Cor+killed.%28Christ%2CGandhi%2CJFK%2CMLK%2Cetc.%29If+they+can%27t+shut+you+up%2Cthey+will+kill+you.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EBush+is+using+the+%22Patriot+Act%22+to+construct+the+infrastructure+characteristic+of+all+authoritarian%2Fpolice+states+%3C%2Fstrong%3Ein+wch+those+who+question+or+criticize+government+policy+%2Cor+challenge+the+official+story+are+categorized+as+a+threat+to+national+security+and+suspected+as+supporting+ ism%28see+article+below+titled+%3Cstrong%3E%22Martial+Law+Threat+Is+Real+-%0D%0ALucky+The+Military+Is+Breaking+Down%22+By+Dave+Lindorff%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AThis+intolerance+of+dissent+means+that+the+entire+weight+of+the+state%27s+security+system+can+come+down+on+your+head+.If+you+so+much+as+express+opposition+to+gov%27t.+policy+you+will+come+under+suspicion+as+an+adversary%2Ca+potential+traitor+and+ ist+%2Cplaced+on+the+government%27s+watchlists%2Cand+become+a+target+of+surveillence.The+%22patriotism+police%22+will+hunt+you+down.%0D%0A%0D%0AIntolerance+of+dissent%2Csurveillance%2Csweeping+powers+of+arrest%2Csuspension+of+civil+liberties+and+disregard+for+human+rights--these+are+the+hallmarks+of+the+abuse+of+power+otherwise+referred+to+as+dictatorship.%0D%0AThe+political+establishment+views+dissidents+who+publicly+criticize+gov%27t.policy+%2Cas+a+threat+to+the+positive+image+it+seeks+to+project+to+it%27s+electorate+and+the+world+%28see+Managing+the+Message%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%22In+an+open+society+it+is+not+only+permissible+for+citizens+to+question+their+leaders+it+is+their+responsibility+to+do+so%22%21%0D%0A%0D%0AIt+is+not+the+function+of+our+Government+to+keep+the+citizen+from+falling+into+error%3B+it+is+the+function+of+the+citizen+to+keep+the+Government+from+falling+into+error.%0D%0A--+Robert+Houghwout+Jackson%2C%0D%0AChief+Judge+at+the+War-Crimes+Tribunal+in+Nuremberg%0D%0A%0D%0A%22The+civilized+have+created+the+wretched%2C+quite+coldly+and+deliberately%2C+and+do+not+intend+to+change+the+status+quo%3B+are+responsible+for+their+slaughter+and+enslavement%3B+rain+down+ +on+defenseless+children+whenever+and+wherever+they+decide+that+their+%27vital+interests%27+are+menaced%2C+and+think+nothing+of+torturing+a+man+to+ %3A+these+people+are+not+to+be+taken+seriously+when+they+speak+of+the+%27sanctity%27+of+human+life%2C+or+the+conscience%27+of+the+civilized+world.%22+%3A+James+Baldwin+-+From+chapter+one+of+%22The+Devil+Finds+Work%22+%28orig.+pub.+1976%29%0D%0A%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0Asubject%3A+the+Bush+administration+is+unraveling%0D%0A%0D%0AHarper+is+Bush%27s+newest+best+friend+and+is+locking+Canada+into+a%0D%0Apartnership+in+the+U.S.-led+%22war+on+ %22.He+is+undermining%0D%0ACanada%27s+honourable+tradition+of+global+citizenship.+He+is%0D%0Acommitting+us+to+following+the+same+disastrous+course+at+a+time+when+Bush%27s+approval+rating+is+falling+to+30%25+and+it+is+becoming+clear+that+the+viewpoint+and+values+of+the+Bush+administration+do+not+represent+the+majority+of+the+American+people.+They+do+not+endorse+what+he+is+doing+and+are+demanding+a+change+in+American+foreign+policy+and+a+recall+of+American+troops.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EThe+politics+of+fear%3Afear-mongering+as+a+political+strategy%3C%2Fstrong%3E--playing+on+our+fears+in+order+to+prey+upon+our+freedoms%28civil+liberties%29%0D%0A%0D%0APerhaps+the+one+event+that+would+bolster+Bush%27s+approval+rating%0D%0A%28apart+from+the+capture+of+Bin+Ladin+%29more+than+anything+would+be%0D%0Aanother+ ist+attack+of+the+proportions+of+911.%0D%0AAnd+so+one+has+to+wonder+how+much+of+a+political+and+public+relations+component+there+is+in+the+recent+arrests+of+alleged+ ists+in+Canada+and+Britain.The+arrests+are+being+presented+as+a+vindication+of+all+of+Bush%27s+policies.Would+it+surprise+anyone+if+the+charges+were+unsupportable+by+evidence+or+dismissed+on+grounds+of+entrapment%3F%21%0D%0AIf+you+are+so+much+as+suspected+of+ ism+you+can+be+held+in%0D%0Aprison+for+years+without+being+charged+or+brought+to+trial.%0D%0AThe+greater+Canada%27s+involvement+in+the+American-led+occupation+of%0D%0AAfghanistan%2C+the+greater+the+risk+that+Canada+%28perceived+as+an%0D%0AAmerican+ally+and+collaborator%29will+be+a+target+of+retaliation+by%0D%0Athose+who+see+the+occupation+of+Afghanistan+by+foreigners+as%0D%0Aunjustified.It+is+a+sacred+duty+to+resist+occupation+of+one%27s%0D%0Ahomeland+by+a+foreign+military+force.+These+are+a+proud+people+with+a+long+history+and+a+strong+national+identity.They+fight+for+the+right+to+exist+as+a+free+people---the+right+of+self-determination--because+oppression+is+worse+than+ %21%0D%0A%0D%0AIs+military+action+our+only+recourse%3F+Is+war+still+the+best+thing+we+can+come+up+with%3F+Is+the+use+of+force+a+viable+means+of+resolving+differences%3F+Or+can+humans+learn+to+resolve+their+differences+peacefully%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A%22...And+the+second+way+to+defeat+the+ ists+is+to+spread+freedom.+You+see%2C+the+best+way+to+defeat+a+society+that+doesn%27t+have+hope%2C+a+society+where+people+become+so+angry+they%27re+willing+to+become+killers+%2C+is+to+spread+freedom%2C+is+to+spread+democracy.%22+--George+W.+Bush%2C+Washington%2C+D.C.%2C+June+8%2C+2005%0D%0AOnce+we+are+at+war+we+bring+out+words+like+%22freedom%22+to+justify+our+actions.Who+is+against+freedom%3F%0D%0AIs+this+the+logic+of+a+wise+leader%3FSpread+freedom%2C+spread+democracy...+because+that+is+%3Cstrong%3E%27the+best+way+to..+...defeat+a+society%27%3C%2Fstrong%3E.%0D%0AThis+is+like+saying+%22we%27ll+make+friends+by+hitting+them+over+the+head%2C+or+by+putting+a+gun+to+their+head%22.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+resistance+movement+%28referred+to+by+American+military+and+media+as%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3E%22the+insurgency%22%3C%2Fstrong%3E+in+an+attempt+to+stigmatize+them+as+% ists%22%29will+only+grow--+both+within+the+occupied+countries+and+within+the+countries+of+the+occupiers.The+justification+given+by+those+recently+accused+of+planning+a+ ist+attack+in+Canada+was+to+force+Harper+to+recall+Canadian+troops+from+Afghanistan.%0D%0AThe+globalization+of+conflict+means+that+any+armed+conflict+is+at+risk+of+becoming+a+global+war.%0D%0AThe+world+has+become+a+tiny+place+%2Cand+war+can+no+longer+be+confined+to+a+particular+geographic+region+without+felt+repercussions+throughout+the+planet.Globalization+has+changed+the+rules+and+the+face+of+war%28the+new+type+of+warfare+is+assymmetric%2Fguerrilla+warfare+because+the+oppressed+do+not+have+the+technological+nor+military+parity%2Fresources+to+win+in+a+traditional%2Fconventional+face-to-face+conflict%29.%0D%0AOceans%2Cmountain+ranges+and+international+borders+no+longer+offer+any+protection.%0D%0AGone+are+the+days+of+conventional+battlefield+combat+between+uniformed+soldiers.The+nature+of+modernday+combat+is+covert.The+counter+attack+can+take+place+in+the+homeland+of+the+aggressor.%0D%0AIn+war%2C+atrocities+are+perpetrated+by+both+sides.Atrocity+is+the+very+nature+of+war.The+object+of+war+is+to+ ize--to+generate+ %2Cdestruction%2Cand+ %21+Ninety+percent+of+ s+in+modern+warfare+are+ +civilians%21Millions+of+Iraqi%27s+have+been+displaced+and+endure+untold+suffering.%0D%0A%0D%0AThere+are+three+main+factions+in+Iraq--the+Kurds%2C+Sunnis+and+the+Shiites--who+have+been+at+each+others+throats+for+generations.%0D%0AOnly+a+strong+authoritarian+leader+like+Saddam+who+was+willing+to+use+force+to+keep+these+factions+from+tearing+each+other+apart+could+maintain+social+order.With+the+strong+effective+leader+deposed+and+the+Americans+having+dismantled+the+Iraqi+army+and+police+force%2C+insisting+on+a+democratic+system+%2Cand+failing+to+provide+the+policing+forces+to+maintain+security+and+social+order+the+country+has+degenerated+into+chaos+and+ .%0D%0AIslamic%28Shiite%29+extremists%2Ffundamentalists+control+Iran.%0D%0AThe+Iraqi+Shiite%27s+won+the+election+in+Iraq+%28because+the+Sunni%27s+boycotted+it.+Only+10%25+of+the+total+Sunni+population+voted%29.%0D%0ASaddam%27s+Sunni+presence+effectively+contained+Iranian+westward+influence+and+ambition.%0D%0AThe+vacuum+created+by+Saddam%27s+deposition+now+allows+a+westward+surge%2Fspread+of+Iranian%28Moslem+Fundamentalist%29+hegemony.%0D%0A%0D%0AAmerican+military+presence+in+Iraq+will+continue+to+be+perceived+as+an+attempt+to+subjugate+the+Iraqi+people+and+control+their+resources.The+continued%0D%0Amilitary+occupation+of+Iraq+serves+only+to+further+radicalize+the+Moslem+community+all+over+the+world+and+to+increase+animosity+toward+the+United+States.%0D%0AThe+American+effort+to+construct%2Ffoster+a+democratic+Iraq+is+being+sabotaged+by+all+factions+%28who+do+not+perceive+American+motives+as+honourable%29.%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EIt+simply+isn%27t+working%21%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0AThe+Fall+of+the+House+of+Bush%0D%0A--Craig+Unger%0D%0A%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0Asubject%3A+grassroots+democracy+versus+puppet+regimes%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bquote%22Big+ned%22%5D+%22Iraq+and+Afghanistan+now+have+democratic+governments%22%0D%0A%0D%0ADoes+anyone+really+believe+that+after+all+the+Bush+administration%0D%0Ahas+invested+in+invading+and+occupying+Iraq+and+Afghanistan+that%0D%0Athey+would+allow+anyone+to+run+for+elected+office+who+they+could%0D%0Anot+control%21%3F%0D%0ASure+they+can+have+their+elections+%2Ctheir+parliaments+and+the%0D%0Atrappings+of+democracy+--they+can+even+do+what+they+want+as+long+as%0D%0Athey+do+what+they%27re+told.We+all+know+who+retains+the+real+power%0D%0Aand+who+is+pulling+the+strings.%0D%0ADoes+anyone+really+believe+that+if+the+Afghan+and+Iraqi+parliaments%0D%0Aasked+the+Americans+to+leave+that+they+would+go%3F%0D%0AThere+is+no+way+that+Bush+would+tolerate+any+%22democratic%22+decision%0D%0Athat+opposes+American+interests+or+wch+jeopardizes+American+access%0D%0Ato+Iraq%27s+oil+resources.%0D%0A%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0ABig+Ned+wrote%3A%0D%0A%22...last+time+I+checked%2C+our+democracy+voted+to+be+there+and+finish%0D%0Athe+job.+You+are+in+a+minority+in+this+democracy%2C+so+live+with+the%0D%0Adecisions+of+the+majority%22%0D%0A%0D%0AI+do+not+believe+that+the+majority+of+Canadians+%28or+even+Americans%0D%0Ajudging+by+Bush%27s+30%25+approval%2870%25+disapproval%29+rating%29+approve+of%0D%0Athe+continueing+military+occupation+of+Afghanistan+and+Iraq.%0D%0AIf+a+referendum+was+held+I+think+the+results+would+reflect+the+poll%0D%0Aresults+on+this+forum.%0D%0ACanadians+would+however+approve+of+the+provision+of+humanitarian%0D%0Aaid+to+the+Afghan+people+under+the+direction+of+the+United+Nations.%0D%0AThe+fact+that+the+Canadian+parliament+%28liberals+and+conservatives%29%0D%0Aapproved+extending+Canadian+military+involvement+in+Afghanistan%0D%0Ashould+not+be+interpreted+to+mean+that+Canadians+opposed+to+the+war%0D%0Aare+in+the+minority.Rather+it+more+likely+means+that+even+we+in%0D%0ACanada+do+not+have+a+true+democracy+wch+represents+the+wishes+of%0D%0Ait%27s+people.%0D%0AWe+have+a+lot+of+work+to+do+in+building+our+own+democracy+before%0D%0Atrying+to+forcibly+depose+the+dictators+of+the+world+%28wch+are%0D%0Aeverywhere%29and+impose+democracy+on+others%21%0D%0A%0D%0A%22My+notion+of+democracy+is+that+under+it+the+weakest+shall+have+the+same+opportunities+as+the+strongest...no+country+in+the+world+today+shows+any+but+patronizing+regard+for+the+weak...+Western+democracy%2C+as+it+functions+today%2C+is+diluted+++++++m...true+democracy+cannot+be+worked+by+twenty+men+sitting+at+the+center.+It+has+to+be+worked+from+below%2C+by+the+people+of+every+village.%22%0D%0A--Gandhi%0D%0A%0D%0AOnce+power+is+centralized+it+is+very+difficult+to+return+to+the+people.%0D%0A--probably+Gandhi%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+right+to+dissent+is+a+cornerstone+of+Democracy.%0D%0A--J.C.+Bokker+%28Center+for+Policy+Alternatives%29%0D%0A%3D%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0AThis+just+in+from+the+Washington+Post%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AIn+an+attempt+to+stop+the+spread+of+bird+flu%2C+President+George+W.%0D%0ABush+has+just+ ed+the+Canary+Islands.%0D%0ATurkey+is+next.%0D%0A%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%3E%0D%0A%3Cstrong%3EMartial+Law+Threat+Is+Real%3C%2Fstrong%3E+-%0D%0AThe+end+of+Privacy%0D%0ABy+Dave+Lindorff%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+looming+collapse+of+the+US+military+in+Iraq%2C+of+which+a+number+of+generals+and+former+generals%2C+including+former+Chief+of+Staff+Colin+Powell%2C+have+warned%2C+is+happening+none+too+soon%2C+as+it+may+be+the+best+hope+for+preventing+military+rule+here+at+home.%0D%0A%0D%0AFrom+the+looks+of+things%2C+the+Bush%2FCheney+regime+has+been+working+assiduously+to+pave+the+way+for+a+declaration+of+military+rule%2C+such+that+at+this+point+it+really+lacks+only+the+pretext+to+trigger+a+suspension+of+Constitutional+government.+They+have+done+this+with+the+active+support+of+Democrats+in+Congress%2C+though+most+of+the+heavy+lifting+was+done+by+the+last%2C+Republican-led+Congress.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+first+step%2C+or+course%2C+was+the+first+Authorization+for+Use+of+Military+Force%2C+passed+in+September+2001%2C+which+the+president+has+subsequently+used+to+claim-improperly%2C+but+so+what%3F+-that+the+whole+world%2C+including+the+US%2C+is+a+battlefield+in+a+so-called+%22War%22+on+ %2C+and+that+he+has+extra-Constitutiona+l+unitary+executive+powers+to+ignore+laws+passed+by+Congress.+As+constitutional+scholar+and+former+Reagan-era+associate+deputy+attorney+general+Bruce+Fein+observes%2C+that+one+claim%2C+that+the+US+is+itself+a+battlefield%2C+is+enough+to+allow+this+or+some+future+president+to+declare+martial+law%2C+%22since+you+can+always+declare+martial+law+on+a+battlefield.+All+he%27d+need+would+be+a+pretext%2C+like+another+ ist+attack+inside+the+U.S.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+2001+AUMF+was+followed+by+the+PATRIOT+Act%2C+passed+in+October+2001%2C+which+undermined+much+of+the+Bill+of+Rights.+Around+the+same+time%2C+the+president+began+a+campaign+of+massive+spying+on+Americans+by+the+National+Security+Agency%2C+conducted+without+any+warrants+or+other+judicial+review.+It+was+and+remains+a+program+that+is+clearly+aimed+at+American+dissidents+and+at+the+administration%27+s+political+opponents%2C+since+the+Foreign+Intelligence+Surveillance+Court+would+never+have+raised+no+objections+to+spying+on+potential+ ists.+%28And+it%2C+and+other+government+spying+programs%2C+have+resulted+in+the+government%27s+having+a+list+now+of+some+325%2C000+%22suspected+ ists%22%21+%29%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+other+thing+we+saw+early+on+was+the+establishment+of+an+underground+government-within-+a-government%2C+though+the+activation%2C+following+9-11%2C+of+the+so-called+%22Continuity+of+Government%22+protocol%2C+which+saw+heads+of+federal+agencies+moved+secretly+to+an+underground+bunker+where%2C+working+under+the+direction+of+Vice+President+Dick+Cheney%2C+the+%22government%22+functioned+out+of+sight+of+Congress+and+the+public+for+critical+months.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt+was+also+during+the+first+year+following+9-11+that+the+Bush%2FCheney+regime+began+its+programs+of+arrest+and+detention+without+charge-mostly+of+resident+aliens%2C+but+also+of+American+citizens-and+of+kidnapping+and+ +in+a+chain+of+gulag+prisons+overseas+and+at+the+Navy+base+at+Guantanamo+Bay.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+following+year%2C+Attorney+General+John+Ashcroft+began+his+program+to+develop+a+mass+network+of+tens+of+millions+of+citizen+spies-Operation+TIPS.+That+program%2C+which+had+considerable+support+from+key+Democrats+%28notably+Sen.+Joe+Lieberman%29%2C+was+curtailed+by+Congress+when+key+conservatives+got+wind+of+the+scale+of+the+thing%2C+but+the+concept+survives+without+a+name%2C+and+is+reportedly+being+expanded+today.%0D%0A%0D%0AMeanwhile%2C+last+October+Bush+and+Cheney%2C+with+the+help+of+a+compliant+Congress%2C+put+in+place+some+key+elements+needed+for+a+military+putsch.+There+was+the+overturning+of+the+venerable+Posse+Comitatus+Act+of+1878%2C+which+barred+the+use+of+active+duty+military+inside+the+United+States+for+police-type+functions%2C+and+the+revision+of+the+Insurrection+Act%2C+so+as+to+empower+the+president+to+take+control+of+National+Guard+units+in+the+50+states+even+over+the+objections+of+the+governors+of+those+states.%0D%0A%0D%0APut+this+together+with+the+wholly+secret+construction+now+under+way--courtesy+of+a+%24385-million+grant+by+the+US+Army+Corps+of+Engineers+to+Halliburton+subsidiary+KBR+Inc--of+detention+camps+reportedly+capable+of+confining+as+many+as+400%2C000+people%2C+and+a+recent+report+that+the+Pentagon+has+a+document%2C+dated+June+1%2C+2007%2C+classified+Top+Secret%2C+which+declares+there+to+be+a+developing+%22insurgency%22+within+the+U.S%2C+and+which+lays+out+a+whole+martial+law+counterinsurgency+campaign+against+legal+dissent%2C+and+you+have+all+the+ingredients+for+a+military+takeover+of+the+United+States.%0D%0A%0D%0AAs+we+go+about+our+daily+lives--our+shopping%2C+our+escapist+movie+watching%2C+and+even+our+protesting+and+political+organizing-we+need+to+be+aware+that+there+is+a+real+risk+that+it+could+all+blow+up%2C+and+that+we+could+find+ourselves+facing+armed%2C+uniformed+troops+at+our+doors.%0D%0A%0D%0ABruce+Fein+isn%27t+an+alarmist.+He+says+he+doesn%27t+see+martial+law+coming+tomorrow.+But+he+is+also+realistic.+He+says%2C+%22This+is+all+sitting+around+like+a+loaded+gun+waiting+to+go+off.+I+think+the+risk+of+martial+law+is+trivial+right+now%2C+but+the+minute+there+is+a+ ist+attack%2C+then+it+is+real.+And+it+stays+with+us+after+Bush+and+Cheney+are+gone%2C+because+ ism+stays+with+us+forever.%22+%28It+may+be+significant+that+Hillary+Clinton%2C+the+leading+Democratic+candidate+for+president%2C+has+called+for+the+revocation+of+the+2002+Authorization+for+Use+of+Military+Force+against+Iraq%2C+but+not+of+the+earlier+2001+AUMF+which+Bush+claims+makes+him+commander+in+chief+of+a+borderless%2C+endless+war+on+ .%29%0D%0A%0D%0AIndeed%2C+the+revised+Insurrection+Act+%2810.+USC+331-335%29+approved+by+Congress+and+signed+into+law+by+Bush+last+October%2C+specifically+says+that+the+president+can+federalize+the+National+Guard+to+%22suppress+public+disorder%22+in+the+event+of+%22national+disorder%2C+epidemic%2C+other+serious+public+health+emergency%2C+ ist+attack+or+incident.%22+That+determination%2C+the+act+states%2C+is+solely+the+president%27s+to+make.+Congress+is+not+involved.%0D%0A%0D%0ASen.+Patrick+Leahy+%28D-VT%29%2C+chair+of+the+Senate+Judiciary+Committee%2C+has+added+an+amendment+to+the+upcoming+Defense+bill%2C+restoring+the+Insurrection+Act+to+its+former+version-a+move+that+has+the+endorsement+of+all+50+governors--but+Fein+argues+that+would+not+solve+the+problem%2C+since+Bush+still+claims+that+the+U.S.+is+a+battlefield.+Besides%2C+a+Leahy+aide+concedes+that+Bush+could+sign+the+next+Defense+Appropriations+bill+and+then+use+a+signing+statement+to+invalidate+the+Insurrection+Act+rider.%0D%0A%0D%0AFein+argues+that+the+only+real+defense+against+the+looming+disaster+of+a+martial+law+declaration+would+be+for+Congress+to+vote+for+a+resolution+determining+that+there+is+no+%22War%22+on+ .+%22But+they+are+such+cowards+they+will+never+do+that%2C%22+he+says.%0D%0A%0D%0AThat+leaves+us+with+the+military.%0D%0A%0D%0AIf+ordered+to+turn+their+guns+and+bayonets+on+their+fellow+Americans%2C+would+our+%22heroes%22+in+uniform+follow+their+consciences%2C+and+their+oaths+to+%22uphold+and+defend%22+the+Constitution+of+the+United+States%3F+Or+would+they+follow+the+orders+of+their+Commander+in+Chief%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AIt+has+to+be+a+plus+that+National+Guard+and+Reserve+units+are+on+their+third+and+sometimes+fourth+deployments+to+Iraq%2C+and+are+fuming+at+the+abuse.+It+has+to+be+a+plus+that+active+duty+troops+are+refusing+to+re-enlist+in+droves-especially+mid-level+officers.%0D%0A%0D%0AIf+we+are+headed+for+martial+law%2C+better+that+it+be+with+a+broken+military.+Maybe+if+it%27s+broken+badly+enough%2C+the+administration+will+be+afraid+to+test+the+idea.%0D%0A____________+_________+_______%0D%0A%0D%0ASidebar%3A+Why+US+troops+should+question+orders%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AMounting+evidence+that+football+star+Pat+Tillman%2C+who+famously+gave+up+a+high-paying+pro+career+to+sign+up+as+an+Army+Ranger+and+fight+Al+Qaeda+in+Afghanistan%2C+may+have+been+assassinated+in+a+high-level+conspiracy+to+prevent+him+from+returning+to+the+US+as+a+prominent+war+critic+should+make+even+hardened+military+people+question+orders+from+their+commander+in+chief%2C+particularly+if+those+orders+involve+arresting+or+ +American+citizens.+Tillman%2C+it+is+now+known%2C+had+turned+strongly+against+the+war+in+Iraq+as+early+as+late+2003%2C+and+was+telling+his+platoon+to+vote+against+Bush.+There+are+reports+too+that+he+was+contacting+war+critics+like+Noam+Chomsky+from+Afghanistan+about+coming+out+as+a+war+critic+in+2004--a+prospect+which+must+have+terrified+the+war-mongers+in+the+White+House+and+Pentagon.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+military+initially+claimed+Tillman+had+been+killed+in+combat%2C+then+later+claimed+his+ +was+from+friendly+fire.+It+is+now+known+that+an+investigation+at+the+time+found+no+evidence+of+any+enemy+fire+at+all%2C+and+Tillman%27s+ +came+from+three+close+shots+from+an+M-16+to+the+forehead%2C+ -style.+Memos+have+been+found+from+Pentagon+lawyers+congratulating+each+other+for+having+buried+a+doctor%27s+report+on+the+possibility+of+ .%0D%0A%0D%0AIf+this+is+what+the+government+does+to+its+critics%2C+how+can+soldiers+believe+anything+they+are+being+told%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AOf+course%2C+the+shabby+treatment+afforded+to+insured+troops+should+also+be+having+an+effect+on+morale.%0D%0A%0D%0AMaybe+the+way+to+respond+to+a+declaration+of+martial+law+is%2C+like+the+Israelites+on+the+first+Passover%2C+to+prominently+display+a+sign+on+one%27s+front+door+saying%2C+%22Support+the+troops%3A+Bring+them+home%21%22%0D%0A%0D%0A____________+_________+______%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0ADAVE+LINDORFF+is+a+veteran%2C+award-winning+investigative+reporter+based+in+Philadelphia.+His+latest+book%2C+co-authored+by+Barbara+Olshansky%2C+is+%22The+Case+for+Impeachment%3A+The+Legal+Argument+for+Removing+President+George+W.+Bush+from+Office%22+%28St.+Martin%27s+Press%2C+2006+and+now+available+in+paperback%29.+His+work+is+available+at+www.thiscantbehappe+ning.net


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http://www.veteranstoday.com/author/lindauer/