Break out your tinfoil hat:
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.
Given the events of the past few months, this will raise a lot of eyebrows.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they should be training for this sort of thing. Just not sure if they need to be stationed permanently and whether or not it is legal.
*** Update ***
Apparently mocking tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists, asking how something is legal, and then saying you think it is a good idea qualifies as being a simplistic ninny.
J. Maynard Gelinas
Yeah. Couldn’t they just bring back some National Guard units. You know, the weekend warriors who are supposed to provide for state defense and disaster readiness? What the hell do they need combat troops for this? And what about Posse Comitatus?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
Comrade SGEW
My eyebrows ascended past my hairline in early 2002 and haven’t been seen since.
The force of the country has been an ever appealing notion to this maladministration since their inception. The phrase “police state” sounds awfully good to them. They like policemen, very much.
Listen to the Dirty Fucking Hippies, god damn it! We’ve been right an awful lot for the last 7 years, and these tinfoil hats aren’t just for show you know.
TheFountainHead
Now we know why they’ve been building all those secret camps. My guess is that the intellectuals and teh gays get rounded up first.
Libby
I’ve been wearing that tinfoil hat for two years now. I made a bet with someone back then that Bush will declare martial law and suspend the elections.
Considering what happened at the RNC with the mass arrests of journalists and peaceful protesters, and the contract to build those detention camps for ’emergency immigration crises’ I think tinfoil is the appropriate attire.
Even if they don’t suspend the elections, I think they’re planning to steal the vote again and this time I suspect, and probably so do they, that people will take to the streets if they do. Especially since people are so pissed off already about the economy.
Lie baby, lie!
Obviously, the authorities see the citizens as a potential danger to the republic. Maybe they plan an October surprise and just want to get the troops in place. Makes me wonder if Bush plans to stay on after January as head codpiece.
Since we seem to have morphed into a fascist state, maybe the next stop is pure, unadulterated dictatorship.
Comrade Scrutinizer
Well, we need to fill up those secret prisons that Haliburton built a few years ago. Up against the wall, Comrades!
mark
I will make it legal.
chopper
probably not. americans are dumb.
Libby
Oh, this probably belongs on the other thread but I’m going to post it here for better visibility. Bernie Sanders has a petition going on the bailout and I like his terms for it. I don’t know if we need one or not, but if we do this is the way to go. Forgive the long excerpt:
Any plan to clean up the mess on Wall Street must:
Ensure that middle income and working families are not the ones who are paying for this bailout by
Imposing a five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers. That would raise more than $300 billion in revenue over five years;
Ensuring that assets purchased from banks are realistically discounted so companies are not rewarded for their risky behavior and taxpayers can recover the amount they paid for them; and
Requiring that taxpayers receive equity stakes in the bailed-out companies so that the taxpayers’ assumption of risk is rewarded when companies’ stock goes up.
Taken together these three provisions will substantially reduce the likelihood that this bailout will end up on the backs of average American taxpayers.
Include a major economic recovery package which puts Americans to work at decent wages. Among many other areas, we can create millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and moving our country from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Further, we must protect our must vulnerable families from the very difficult times they are experiencing.
Repeal the disastrous de-regulatory legislation that facilitated this crisis.
End the danger posed by companies that are “too big too fail,” that is, companies whose failure would cause systemic harm to the U.S. economy. If a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. We need to determine which companies fall in this category and then break them up.
linda
it’s about establishing precedent. then it’s the gradual escalation to where it’s become routine to see tanks patrolling major american cities. americans are easy to train to be docile. watch any airport ‘security’ line.
eastriver
they will need troops to quell the riots. This is the endgame.
SGEW
Read and weep.
Bob In Pacifica
Libby, that sounds like a great bailout plan.
The Moar You Know
Oh hooray.
gbear
We need Obama.
cleek
thank goodness we have the right to bear hunting rifles. imagine how completely defenseless we’d be against the US military without them.
freedom is safe from tyranny, thanks to my 30-06.
FIX YOUR SERVER
Pb
It isn’t legal (again, yet), not that that’ll stop them. All that crap got repealed and restored to its original 1807 wording. Thank your Democratic congress for something. The applicable exception is this:
Past that, you’d need a nuclear threat, or you’d have to send in the Coast Guard or something…
SGEW
The relevant sections of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007:
(emphasis added)
Quick translation: If th’ Preznit decides that “public order” is disturbed by a “conspiracy” that is “impeding the course of justice” he can call in the army to “supress” said conspiracy.
You figure it out. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
b. hussein canuckistani
It’s legal because they have the force of arms to make it legal. Now shut the fuck up.
SGEW
More fascinating background on the coming police state from Balkinization, the American Conservative, and Senator Leahy.
bartkid
>Beginning Oct. 1
Color me surprised.
Cassidy
This is an assignment, much like any other Rapid Deployment mission. When I was with 3rd ID, part of our red cycle tasking was to be on standby for natural disaster recovery (this was post-Katrina). My unit actually trained for that mission. My medics and I, studied the Natural Disaster Response system, talked to local authorities, etc., so that we would know where we stand, medically, should we get called on.
shorter….this is nothing new.
And yes, we intended on taking live ammo for Force Protection purposes. Doesn’t mean we were ready to invade Galveston.
Bullshit. Show me where it says US troops can’t be deployed as part of a recovery effort.
3rd ID has been over 3 times in the last 6 years. If anyone deserves a break, it is them.
SGEW
What’s new is the redefinition of what a “natural disaster” is, which now includes a . . .
(emphasis added)
as has been (and this is IMPORTANT) determined by the President himself, personally. You know. Decided.
Ponder.
SGEW
[A post was swallowed by the moderator monster: re posting links]
More thoughts on the coming police state:
The American Conservative
SGEW
Balkinization
Senator Leahy.
Marshall
If these troops are ever used for anything except true disaster relief, they are likely to fall apart. This is how countries wind up being governed by Colonels or other mid-level military officers.
w vincentz
Has Prez Chimpy ever previously been concerned about “legal” objectives, “justice” outcomes, or “civil liberties”? If so…when?
Cris
I’m cool with this, as long as they make them wear blue helmets.
Gay Veteran
“…My guess is that the intellectuals and teh gays get rounded up first….”
I’ll give somebody a 12 gauge suppository first, courtesy of my shotgun.
SGEW
December 12, 2000
AkaComrade
9/11
How could you forget?
Comrade RareSanity
I love a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone else but my detector is not going off about this (am I now a sheeple?).
I mean a brigade is what about 4000 troops? 4000 troops couldn’t control Cheyenne, WY let alone LA, NYC, Chicago or Atlanta.
Although this does make me uncomfortable…
LiberalTarian
Bite your tongue. Bush himself said,
I clearly remember him saying that about the war, national emergency and recession BEFORE 9-11. Those bastards let that happen–don’t tempt fate that those treasonous bastards won’t sacrifice another US city to stay in power. If I were San Fran, I would be very, very nervous.
Oh crap, and October surprise during the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival would really, really suck. I wish my tinfoil hat weren’t welded to my head. Oh wait! San Fran has a lot of banking infrastructure. Whew. Then again … the WTC …
jake
Don’t worry, if Obama gets elected the Repubs will leap through their own assholes in their haste to wipe this from the books.
If McPOW gets elected and there is a riot in NYC, his stunning grasp of geography will deploy forces in Nova Scotia where the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen will offer them decent beer and funny bacon.
Cassidy
Once again, nothing new. With the constant deployment of Guard and Reserve troops, it is only logical to have garrison units pick up the necessary slack in the event of some kind of incident.
HeartlandLiberal
Bush Paves the Way for Martial Law: 2007 National Defense Authorization Act overturns Posse Comitatus Act
Bush and Cheney and a compliant Congress basically overturned Posse Comitatus last year.
Those of us paying attention noted this and complained to Congress. Who did it anyway. While ditching Habeas Corpus and the Bill of Rights.
After all. 9/11 changed everything.
And a police state is OK… if you are a Republican.
Tsulagi
I’d go with that,
and with that
The notion that the U.S. military would back any president in a takeover of the country may be fun for conspiracy theories and novels, but it’s total fantasy. Not because I don’t think Bush or particularly Cheney wouldn’t love the thought, but military wouldn’t follow those orders.
OTOH, there have been those freaking loons coming out of the Air Force Academy in Dobson country who think they’re also flying for Jesus so I’d watch those fuckers.
Ash Can
We’re all doomed.
SGEW
Sure. But one of the scary things is that the 2007 NDAA allows the President (and whoever he chooses to delegate this power to; read: Cheney) to unilaterally determine when an “emergency” exists, and can now override the Governor of the state. Hell, he would probably argue that he could arrest the Governor of the state.
Also, read this li’l nugget:
As far as I can tell, this is a blanket provision (armed forces = army, navy, etc.) that makes sure to include the Nat. Guard. In other words: Bush can declare martial law, send in the army to take over an area, and can call in the Guards as well. Trimming.
b. hussein canuckistani
It doesn’t take much as long as the police are on your side and you can deputize a
brownshirtwingnut militia.SGEW
Oh, I agree completely. But that doesn’t mean that Cheney might not try.
And, no, not a “takeover of the country” a la armed coup style. More of a gradually building militarized police state, marked by occasional “crises” requiring insurrection control.
Yeah, it sounds tinfoil hat territory (like the 9/11 paultard idiocy), but the whole “they’re disappearing innocent people and torturing them to death” conspiracy sounded crazy, as did the “going to war on false pretenses” one, and now “they ripped off the country’s economy for personal gain” theory sounds pretty plausible too.
You know. One of those theories you hear about for years, and then becomes common wisdom.
Dirty Fucking Hippy warns you all. Ignore me again at your peril.
(readjusts tinfoil hat. whistles merrily)
tBone
That stuff was rolled back earlier this year.
SGEW
Do you have a link? What bill was it in? (I guess I’m out of the loop – didn’t see it in the news)
TenguPhule
Sure it is.
And it is only logical that people be rounded up for their own protection.
And it is only logical that dissent equals treason.
And it is only logical that Big Daddy must decide because we are unable to do what Big Daddy thinks we should do.
“So this is how Democracy dies, to thunderous applause.”
LITBMueller
Hold on, guys: Warner’s 2007 act language which basically repealed Posse Comitatus was itself repealed in 2008. Problem is, Bush issued a Signing Statement that, while not stating that the Administration would ignore the repeal of the Posse Comitatus changes themselves, left open the possibility that they could by using general language.
SGEW
Hookay. The NDAA of 2008 amends as follows:
It cleans up some of the worst unconstitutional language (in the sense that the language was vague and could be interpreted too widely), but the basic thrust remains the same.
Window dressing.
SGEW
woops broken link. Fixt:
2008 NDAA
Phoenician in a time of Romans
Here’s an interesting question for you.
Does anyone want to take any bets that the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team would just happen to be trained or training and equipped or being equipped with “non-lethal” weapons, allowing them to be more easily unleashed on public disturbances?
And by “public disturbances”, I mean such things as anti-WTO protests. Or election fraud demonstrations. Or bank run frenzies.
LITBMueller
SGEW, that wording has been the law of the land since 1807. The 2008 bill reversed the changes from 2007 back to the language of the original Insurrection Act. Its the Signing Statement which is worrisome.
SGEW
woops. back to school for me! blush
(phew! tinfoil hat back on shelf now)
binzinerator
Jeebus. Do you really ever want to have that assertion put to the test?
And why regular army and not a state’s NG? Fucking Geoge Bush basically drafted the NG as combat troops, so now I guess we have combat troops acting as NG. And it’s all been so fucking wrong.
The only worse thing is to have Blackwater start operating here. Oops. Too late. Our tinpot pres used them during Katrina, the first time a private military corporation had deployed on US soil, Gustav and Ike, under a Homeland Security contract.
Tinpot dictators have always used military units drawn from a different area from the one they want to subjugate. Or they use mercenaries. Our imperial president will do both.
machine
Countdown to the coming of an anti-hero who wears a Goldwater mask, a wig and speaks in iambic pentameter. Cloak optional.
Chris Johnson
Oh no no. Guy Fawkes mask please, and speaks like Hugo Weaving or a young computer nerd. And LOTS of them.
NewWorldMan
It doesn’t take much as long as the police are on your side and you can deputize a brownshirt wingnut militia.
b. hussein canuckistani
…………………………………..
Put those Tinfoil hats back on.
for info on where that militia would come from see
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/0244/84583
about the latter rain movement and Sarah Palin’s church
they have 500,000 wingnuts ready to roll