This is Part Three of a series I started on May 3. You can call my interest in this stuff an obsessive-compulsive thing, or whatever you want... but I think it's fascinating. I also think that if more Americans were interested in examining this kind of thing and thought about it more, we might not be in the kind of situation I believe we are in today. If you can stand more of this stuff, here goes:
So, what has the Bush administration been up to as far as working to make things easier for the implementation of martial law? So far this series has been about executive orders, but the following stuff is so nefarious it is necessary to include it here.
Of course there was that one thing the Bush administration tried called Total Information Awareness, which originated in the Information Awareness Office, part of the
Department of Defense's
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency whose mission, according to a Wikipedia-style article at
www.sourcewatch.org, is to "imagine, develop, apply, integrate, demonstrate and transition information technologies, components and prototype, closed-loop, information systems that will counter asymmetric threats by achieving total information awareness." Read the rest of that one here:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Total_Information_Awareness People howled about Total Information Awareness, and it sort of seemed to go away, although there are various arguments as to how much of it is actually still around.
TIA was/is a plan for facilitating government access to all information on all U.S. citizens. John Poindexter was/is one of the pushers of this scary stuff. Author Gene Healy, writing for the Cato Institute website, has this to say:
"John Poindexter, head of the Pentagon's Office of Information Awareness, is developing a vast surveillance database to track terror suspects. The Total Information Awareness (TIA) system will, according to Poindexter, "break down the stovepipes" that separate commercial and government databases, allowing OIA access to citizens' credit card purchases, travel itineraries, telephone calling records, email, medical histories and financial information. It would give government the power to generate a comprehensive data profile on any U.S. citizen."
Scheise. I think this Poindexter fellow belongs behind bars.
You can read Healy's article here:
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2959Russ Feingold was one of the driving forces in getting the Total Awareness Information activities to cease. But, from the Sourcewatch article:
"Reuters has obtained a Congressional report that shows nine months after Congress shut down the controversial Pentagon computer-
surveillance program called Total Information Awareness, the U.S. government continues to comb private records and databases to sniff out suspicious activity. Peter Swire, who served as the
Clinton administration's top official said "I believe that Total Information Awareness is continuing under other names."—
reported by Democracy Now!, June 3, 2004." Crap...
Enough of that creepy stuff. Let's go onto some things that are JUST AS BAD...
The following few paragraphs are from an article at
http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/911/ :
"In a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed into law a provision which, according to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law (1). It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act (10 U.S.C.331 -335) has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C.1385), helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions.
"Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) (2), which was signed by the commander in chief on October 17th, 2006, in a private Oval Office ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency" and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder."
"President Bush seized this unprecedented power on the very same day that he signed the equally odious Military Commissions Act of 2006. In a sense, the two laws complement one another. One allows for torture and detention abroad, while the other seeks to enforce acquiescence at home, preparing to order the military onto the streets of America. Remember, the term for putting an area under military law enforcement control is precise; the term is "martial law."
"Section 1076 of the massive Authorization Act, which grants the Pentagon another $500-plus-billion for its ill-advised adventures, is entitled, "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies."
Go to the link to read the rest. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is one of the few who have complained publicly about this one...
Here is another Dubya Dropping:
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13324: Signed by George W. Bush 7/17/07, this one blocks the property of certain persons who threaten stabilization in Iraq. This is worded so the person considered a "threat" could be just about anyone, not just terrorists. If they don't like you, this basically means they can seize all your assets.
There are many other things Bush and Cheney have been doing, but another non-executive-order item that sticks in my craw is "Real ID". The following is from an interesting site at
http://www.neocrisis.com/content/view/252/105/ . It first appeared 10/2/07:
"On May 11 of next year the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will issue the Real ID to all U.S. citizens. What does that mean for you and me? Well, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card (Real ID) to travel on an airplane, train, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards. All Americans will have a 5 year grace period where you will be able to switch over to the new system and then after May 11 of 2013 the Real ID will be “official“ and all other types identifications will not be accepted.
"In order to get a Real ID you will be required to show your birth certificate, proof of address and citizenship, photo ID, and Social Security cards which are just some of what you might be asked to present to the DMV. If you enter an establishment and are required to show your Real ID all of your personal information can be scanned and digitally stored from the RFID or strip on your card, such as your: name, birth date, sex, ID number, a digital photograph (Notice that the image above also shows the individuals religion. Why would the DHS want to know your religious beliefs?)"
This really doesn't have anything to do with any of the things I have written about here... I just get a kick out of the picture!
Next time: What would happen if the Bush administration decided to implement martial law? Do they have a plan? 'Fraid so....
Meanwhile, John McCain is saying things that just sound like... well... stuff we have been hearing for the last 7+ years. I guess he has to try and get into the news somehow, but there is really nothing new here:
