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Mech
Joined: 06 Jun 2001
Posts: 8237
Location: THE 4th REICH USA |
The Fall of Rome = Total Police State America
 Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:39 am
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Meet the Military-Industrial Complex: Engineering an Ethical Revolution, Masterminding the Police State
Ethan Kennedy | July 22 2004
military-industrial complex (n) - an informal alliance of the military and related government departments with defense industries that is held to influence government policy
The boundaries of what is generally perceived and accepted as plausible or even possible have been all but shattered. Even as we watch our society plummet at an accelerating pace to the depths of moral decay and dysfunction, we seem bent on ignoring our very real problems and their full severity. Even as we are inundated with reports from the mainstream media of the numerous programs and plans to utilize unprecedented technological capabilities to expand government's oversight and control of our lives, even as we are being openly stripped of our autonomy, our freedom, there are many who still cling to myopic notions of what they will even consider to be credible[1]. But think of the worst atrocities committed by mankind imaginable and realize that these have clearly taken place even in the context of a so-called modern civilized society and on a massive scale. Think of the cruel, calculated genocide and human experimentation carried out under the Nazis who, by the way, our current president's grandfather had a hand in funding[2]. Think of the brutal, grotesque torture at Abu Ghraib and other U.S. military prisons in Iraq and elsewhere that has recently been in the news[3]. These are just two examples demonstrating some of the darkest aspects of human nature manifested into reality. Similarly, the prospect of a scientifically crafted, techno-fascist state, not unlike the society described in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, can no longer be dismissed as far-fetched, unlikely or impossible. No amount of hiding our heads in the sand will ever make such a looming specter disappear. If, in the process of cutting wood to build a home, you cut your finger, don’t ignore the injury and go on bleeding until you are dead, put the saw down and tend to your wounds. As difficult as it may be to stomach such a reality, the psychology it takes to commit such deliberately heinous acts exists. Only an honest appraisal of what is taking place around us, the agendas being created and followed, and the true and full gravity of our reality can lead to anything resembling a solution and healing process.
"American values and attitudes thus form significant constraints on full use of emerging technology, at least in anything short of a perceived war for national survival. Overcoming these constraints to make a Revolution in Military Affairs in conflict short of war would require fundamental changes in the United States-an ethical and political revolution may be necessary to make a military revolution."
This direct quote outlines the central mode of thought of the Strategic Studies Institute report, "The Revolution in Military Affairs and Conflict Short of War," published July 25, 1994[4]. The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) describes itself as "the U.S. Army's think tank for the analysis of national security policy and military strategy" and overlaps with the Army War College, both located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania[5]. The SSI constitutes a core element of the military-industrial complex of which Dwight Eisenhower warned in his farewell address upon leaving the presidency in 1961:
“This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together[6]."
Eisenhower knew full well what he was talking about; he was one of the Army War College's most distinguished graduates.
"The Revolution in Military Affairs and Conflict Short of War" emphasizes powerful new technologies that have been developed by the military-industrial complex, such as bio-weapons capable of targeting specific genotypes, which also garnered discussion in the Project for the New American Century publication, Rebuilding America's Defenses[7]. Microchips capable of being implanted under a person’s skin, which "would continuously inform a central data bank of the individual's locations," are discussed as well[8]. The report also examines the military value of Directed Energy Weapons on the basis of deniability, or their ability to be covertly used without a trace, and then goes on to ask:
"Against whom is such deniability aimed? Certainly not the narcotraffickers...Instead, deniability must be aimed at the American people"
It is unsettling to read this report, published 10 years ago, and to see just how much of it has become reality since then. In several instances, the report considers the usefulness of sophisticated database-driven software, capable of isolating patterns within high volumes of data. Such a program has been implemented in the recently infamous Total Information Awareness Network, attributed to convicted felon John Poindexter during his brief stint with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Other practically identical incarnations of this program include Echelon, and MATRIX (the Multi-state Anti-terrorism Information Exchange)[9].
The basic premise of the study is what they refer to as the Revolution in Military Affairs, or RMA for short, particularly in the context of what they call Conflict Short of War. Conflict Short of War essentially refers to paramilitary operations, or low-intensity conflict; any operation that involves armed forces that does not amount to or is not a part of full-scale war. The Revolution in Military Affairs is a large-scale concept representing the desire to completely rearrange and reorganize the entire military based on the emerging technology of the military-industrial complex, some of which has already been discussed above. The report also makes it clear that this includes restructuring our intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies. However, according to the report, traditional American values do not mesh with the use of such technology and therefore hinder such a revolution in military affairs. The solution to this problem, the report goes on to unequivocally suggest, is to therefore alter American values through advanced psychological warfare campaigns, conditioning the American people to accept this new technology and the concurrent changes in our military and our society. For instance, when ruminating on how to handle conflict short of war scenarios that overlap with narcotrafficking, the report proposes “information warfare systems might influence the behavior of populations by convincing citizens to turn in traffickers or not buy drugs. Behavior modification is a key component of peace enforcement.” After stating “we could deliberately engineer a comprehensive revolution, seeking utter transformation rather than simply an expeditious use of new technology,” the report goes on to present a scenario they envision being a reality by 2010.
They begin this scenario by considering what conditions would provide the right pretext for political acceptance and support of the revolution in military affairs. The answer:
“the architects of blitzkrieg all had first-hand experience with bitter military defeat. Likewise, the RMA of the 2000s was sparked by a series of fiascoes…”
This notion of failed military operations creating a convenient, general perception of the need to revolutionize military affairs, taken with the stated goal of intentionally orchestrating such a revolution, raises serious questions about the war in Iraq and the huge struggles our military seems to be facing there. In fact, the report even mentions at one point:
“Saddam Hussein’s Iraq or the other Third World caricatures of the Soviet Union are perfect opponents for a RMA-type military.”
Why, leading up to the invasion, were such absolute, categorical statements about Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction made, when this issue now only receives passing comments and has been all but dropped? In our media there has been much volleying and shifting of blame onto to various persons and parties concerning this issue of prewar intelligence. Is this a part of the psychological warfare, intended to keep us off balance and confused as to where responsibility lies for such a massive mistake? Considering the fact that our military had recently invaded Iraq and the high amount of surveillance done of that country since the first Gulf War, how was it possible that our military could be so ill-prepared for the insurgents now slaughtering our troops on a regular basis? Well, the report, continuing to bear in mind that this was published 10 years ago, predicted that the future of conflict would most likely be dominated by “new forms of ‘spiritual’ insurgency.” Recent kidnappings and beheadings of coalition personnel apparently at the hands of militant Islamic groups are also shrouded in mystery. In the case of Nick Berg, there are a great number of significant contradictions and anomalies in the story that strongly indicate the involvement of US intelligence. To begin with, the actual act of beheading is attributed to Abu Musab al-Zaqawri, who had been reported dead in an Associated Press report carried by MSNBC months before any of this was to have taken place. Additionally, the setting of the video and the garb of Nick Berg matches exactly the setting and garb of Iraqi prisoners in photos released concerning the torture at Abu Ghraib. Medical experts have examined the video have come to a conclusion that even common sense unaided by a medical degree can reach: that Nick Berg was clearly dead before being decapitated in the video. There are numerous other holes and suspicious flaws surrounding this incident, including known, bald-faced lies told by the government concerning the details of Nick Berg’s presence in Iraq. Even Nick Berg’s father has blamed the US government for the death of his son[10]. Yet, according to the report:
“military use of television against foreign adversaries raises the specter of domestic applications…Deception, while frequently of great military or political value, is thought of as somehow ‘un-American.’”
The RMA scenario goes on from these “fiascoes” to envision the formation of a group of “proselytes throughout the government and national security community” who convince the president to adopt their new concept of “Dynamic Defense.” This task is reportedly
“made easier by [the president’s] background as a pioneering entrepreneur in the computer-generated and controlled ‘perception-molding’ systems developed by the advertising industry.”
Accordingly,
“The President was thus amenable to the use of the sort of psychotechnology which formed the core of the RMA in conflict short of war.”
After discussing in some detail the reshaping of the national security organization, the different branches of the military, and integrating law enforcement, the report reaches another critical juncture in the presentation of this scenario:
“One of the turning points of the revolution came when its leaders convinced the President and key members of Congress that traditional American ethics were a major hindrance to the RMA. This was crucial: the revolutionaries and their allies then crafted the appropriate attitudinal vessel for the RMA. Through persistent efforts and very sophisticated domestic ‘consciousness-raising,’ old-fashioned notions of personal privacy and national sovereignty changed.”
“With values changed,” the report says, “technology opened the door to profound innovation.” This is where the focus on psychological warfare technology really becomes intense. The report anticipates the development of previously unimagined biotechnology that would significantly increase their capacity for mental manipulation. In order to perpetuate the RMA, it is stated that an internal institution would be established to “pursue future breakthroughs in close conjunction with business, the scientific community, and local law enforcement agencies.” We see such an institution established in the previously mentioned Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which allocates billions every year to fund advanced research endeavors for the development of new technology[11]. Often times this research is done by major universities across the country, including MIT, Cal Tech, and the University of Texas. However, “only when there was absolutely no expectation of profit did the government directly sponsor research of cutting-edge technology.” Otherwise, “profitability was used to encourage private and quasi-private enterprises to develop appropriate technology.” One may well ask what the War College considers the appropriate technology. Well, “much of the lucrative technology of surveillance, intelligence collection, and attitude manipulation,” as well as “cutting-edge pharmaceutical technology.” Indicating an application of such pharmaceuticals in this scenario, they state “naturally all food supplies contained a super long-lasting sedative. This calmed local passions and led to an immediate decline in anti-regime activity.” Further indicating the anticipated use of such technology the report states “psychological operations included traditional propaganda as well as more aggressive steps such as drug-assisted subliminal conditioning.” These statements are of particular concern in light of reports in recent news of high levels of Prozac being found in public water[12]. Other methods of psychological warfare discussed include the capability of airing videos of “a computer-generated insurgent leader.” This brings to mind incidents of fake videos, purportedly showing Osama Bin Laden, which have been widely distributed in international news[13].
To once again reiterate the point that Eisenhower made in 1961, we can take nothing for granted. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power existed then and has more than persisted, it has indeed risen; it has broken through and certainly the very structure of our society has felt its impact, even on a spiritual level. If any of this comes as news to you, it is no surprise; that just means the psychological warfare has worked (at least to a certain extent). This is destined to occur when a nation pays for a military as large as that of the United States, and when that military is combined with so many corporations like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and the Carlyle Group that profit from war. It is no wonder that our troops our deployed in some 130 nations around the world on behalf of this massive juggernaut called the military-industrial complex[14]. Reap what you sow. In spite of all this, I had someone once tell me they felt it best to trust the government. I simply asked this person if they felt that rule applied to the people of the Republic of Germany in the 1930s. On that note, and consistent with an understanding of the significant role played by technology in our society, I leave you with this excerpt from the speech of Albert Speer, Hitler’s Minister of Armaments, during his war crimes trial after World War II:
“Hitler’s dictatorship differed in one fundamental point from all its predecessors in history. It was the first dictatorship in the present period of modern technical development, a dictatorship which made complete use of all technical means for the domination of its own country. Through technical devices like the radio and the loud-speaker, eighty million people were deprived of independent thought. It was thereby possible to subject them to the will of one man…Earlier dictators needed highly qualified assistants even at the lowest level---men who could think and act independently. The totalitarian system in the period of modern technical development can dispense with such men; thanks to modern methods of communication it is possible to mechanize the lower leadership. As a result of this there has arisen the new type of the uncritical recipient of orders.”
Background and related articles:
1)
A Spy Machine of DARPA's Dreams - http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,58909,00.html
'PROBE' Technology Allows Police To Scan License Plates For Criminals--Device May Also Be Used To Track Individuals On Homeland Security List - http://www.wral.com/news/3369635/detail.html
Report shows widespread data mining - http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2004/05/30/business/bus08.txt
Virtual borders vs. civil liberties - http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~417~2182674,00.html
Government data-mining lives on - http://news.com.com/Government+data-mining+lives+on/2010-1028_3-5223088.html
US still mining for private data – report - http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/31/1085855477082.html
US preps Big Brother Net monitoring - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/12/23/us_preps_big_brother_net/
Another Tool for Big Brother? - http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59471,00.html?tw=wn_story_related
The Big (Brother) List of Computer Spy Products and Tools - http://www.keyloggers.com/bigbrother.html
Smile, You're on Not-So-Candid Camera - http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/surveilcams010703.html
2)
“Bush - Nazi Dealings Continued Until 1951” - Federal Documents - http://www.nhgazette.com/cgi-bin/NHGstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=NN_Bush_Nazi_2
Bush-Nazi Link Confirmed - http://www.rense.com/general42/bshnazi.htm
Letters: Prescott Bush's business history is well-documented - http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2003/05/15/news/opinion/2lts15.txt
3)
Cognitive Dissidence torture archive - http://www.cognitivedissidence.com/html/torture.html
'Secret film shows Iraq prisoners sodomised' - http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=541472
Top commanders in Iraq allowed dogs to be used - http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-07-19-iraq-dogs_x.htm
4) Because of the startlingly open discussion of horrendous and extreme acts of tyranny and manipulation contained in this Army War College report, it may be difficult to believe that such a document is indeed legitimate and was produced by the Strategic Studies Institute. In light of this, you may follow these directions to navigate through the Army War College web site to find where they have archived this document and download it from their web site:
1) Visit the Army War College web site at http://carlisle-www.army.mil/
2) In the navigation on the left side of the page, click on Organizations & Institutes - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/Orgs.asp
3) Under the heading "Information about the College's:" on the right, click on Strategic Studies Institute - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/
4) Near the top, click the blue link Publications - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/Pubs.cfm
5) Underneath where it says "Choose one of the three methods below:" the first option is “By Year.” Click this. - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/pubsbyyear.cfm
6) In the table of years, click 1994 - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/pubyear.cfm?year=1994
7) Scroll to the bottom and click the Next Page button - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/pubyear.cfm?year=1994&StartRow=10
 Once more, scroll to the bottom and click the Next Page button - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/pubyear.cfm?year=1994&StartRow=19
9) Now scroll to the bottom of the page and notice the last title, The Revolution In Military Affairs and Conflict Short of War - http://carlisle-www.army.mil/ssi/pubs/pubResult.cfm/hurl/PubID=241/
THE_REVOLUTION_IN_MILITARY_AFFAIRS_AND_CONFLICT_SHORT_OF_WAR.cfm
5)
About SSI - http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/about.html
What Is the War College, Anyway? - http://slate.msn.com/id/2101221/
Military-Industrial Complex Revisited - http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/papers/micr/
The Reich Stuff - http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18627
TORTURE U.: Congress should shut former School of the Americas - http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/eclose11_20040511.htm
Torture In Iraq And Chile: The United States Connection - http://www.legitgov.org/essay_tricot_torture_in_iraq_and_chile_053004.html
Torture at Abu Ghraib linked to U.S. Army's School of the America's? - http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=1116
6) Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961 - http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/speeches/eisenhower001.htm
7) Rebuilding America's Defenses - http://www.cognitivedissidence.com/rebuilding.html
Will You Get Chipped? - http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39369
Attorney general has microchip fitted - http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/435837%3fformat=html
Chip implanted in Mexico judicial workers - http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=266305&category
=&BCCode=&newsdate=7/14/2004
They Want Their ID Chips Now - http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,50187,00.html
Meet 'The Chipsons' - http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_chipfamily020510.html
9)
Privacy and The Matrix – http://www.cognitivedissidence.com/archives/micomplex/PrivacyAndTheMatrix.html
Team 4 Investigates MATRIX - http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/3345286/detail.html
Privacy Backers Eye Matrix's Power - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/20/terror/main618662.shtml
'Terrorism quotient' records spark suspicions about Matrix - http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-05-20-terror-database_x.htm
So Much for Privacy - http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4613.shtml
New government database lets security trump your privacy - http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/andrewkantor/2004-05-28-kantor_x.htm
Total Information Awareness II? - http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/31/Opinion/Total_Information_Awa.shtml
MATRIX - http://www.matrix-at.org/
10)
Qaeda Leader Beheads U.S. Civilian in Iraq - http://www.prisonplanet.tv/articles/may2004/051104beheadsuscivilian.htm
Who killed Nick Berg? - http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/28/1085641717320.html?oneclick=true
Iraq militants claim al-Zarqawi is dead - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4446084/
Khamenei says America and Israel, not Muslims, behind beheadings and kidnappings in Iraq - http://www.boston.com/dailynews/195/world/Khamenei_says_America_and_Isra:.shtml
Berg Beheading: No Way Say Medical Experts - http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FE22Ak03.html
Beheaded man's father blames US military - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/12/wirq112.
xml&sSheet=/news/2004/05/12/ixnewstop.html
Berg's Dad Blames President - http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/8663883.htm?1c
Berg Family Blames U.S. for Son's Death - http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1895702
Al-Qaida hijacks Arkansas website - http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39403 |
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Mech
Joined: 06 Jun 2001
Posts: 8237
Location: THE 4th REICH USA |
| POLICE STATE = NEW WORL ORDER
Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:49 pm
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Coup d'Etat in America?
by Michel Chossudovsky
www.globalresearch.ca
The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO407B.html
This article is a follow-up on an earlier text entitled:
Bush Administration "Guidelines" for Postponing or Canceling the November Presidential Elections, by Michel Chossudovsky,
July 2004, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO407A.html
Based on so-called "credible" reports, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has warned that Osama is now "planning to disrupt the November elections". A large scale attack on American soil is said to be planned by Al Qaeda during the presidential election campaign:
"... Credible reporting indicates that Al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States in an effort to disrupt our democratic process... This is sobering information about those who wish to do us harm... But every day we strengthen the security of our nation." (Quoted in AP, 8 July 2004)
"Possible targets" include the Democratic National Convention in July and the Republican Convention in New York in August.
Barely a few days prior to Tom Ridge's spectacular announcement, a spokesman of Northern Command Headquarters at Patterson Air Force Base in Colorado, confirmed that Northcom (which has a mandate to defend the Homeland) was "at a high level of readiness" and was proceeding with the (routine) deployment of jet fighters over major cities as well as the posting of troops at key locations. (Atlantic Journal and Constitution, 3 July 2004).
Canceling or Postponing the Elections
This new terror warning by Homeland Security, not to mention the impending military deployment, has served to create an aura of insecurity concerning the November presidential elections.
Meanwhile, postponement of the election has become a talking point on major news channels including CNN, following the release of a letter by the Director of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, calling for so-called "guidelines" to cancel or reschedule the election in the case of a terror attack (For details see http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO407A.html )
Legal procedures for canceling/rescheduling the elections are under study, at the request of DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which is examining the legal and constitutional implications. (Washington Post, 14 July, 2004)
The Military and Intelligence apparatus working in liaison with Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) are indelibly behind this process, pointing to the unthinkable: the possibility of a Coup d'Etat in America.
Meanwhile, the cancellation / rescheduling of elections issue is presented to public opinion as a mere technical question, as a means to "protecting democracy," in the case of a terror attack. CNN has asked people "to vote" on their website, on whether they think the elections should be held in the case of a terror attack. It all sounds very democratic.
Crying Wolf on Terrorism. Who is the Wolf?
The terror alert level has been raised to orange (high alert) five times since September 11, 2001. There have been numerous other terror warnings since the "color coded" alert system was first established in the wake of 9/11.
There is, however, evidence from police sources that at least two of these five high profile post-9/11 code orange terror alerts were fabricated. (February 7, 2003, and December, 21, 2003) (for details and documentary evidence see http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402A.html ).
There is also ample evidence that Al Qaeda is an creation of the US intelligence apparatus and that the terror network is supported by the Bush Administration. (See http://globalresearch.ca/articles/11SEPT309A.html , http://globalresearch.ca//by-topic/sept11/ , http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CRG204A.html )
The most recent DHS announcement has all the appearances of yet another fabricated report of an impending attack by an illusive "outside enemy". Amply documented Al Qaeda is not only a CIA sponsored "intelligence asset", the disinformation regarding the terror attacks emanates out of US intelligence. (See http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO405E.html )
Details of the police/intelligence investigation regarding Secretary Tom Ridge's July terror warning have not been provided. US officials, have said that they do "not have specific knowledge about where, when or how such an attack would take place, but the CIA, the FBI and other agencies are said to be "actively working to gain that knowledge.'"
Code Red Alert and Martial Law
The possibility of a code red terror alert has been announced time and again since September 11 2001, with a view to galvanizing public opinion across the country in support of an emergency situation, if and when it occurs. The terror alerts have become part of America's day to day life:
"at each threat condition [yellow, orange, red], federal departments and agencies would implement a corresponding set of "Protective Measures" to further reduce vulnerability or increase response capability during a period of heightened alert. (see http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/security.pdf
Supported by a barrage of media propaganda, these repeated terror alerts have created an environment of fear and intimidation, a wait and accept attitude, a false normality. US citizens are led to believe that a military solution is required to protect democracy.
In other words, the possibility of an impending attack on America by this "outside enemy" has been accepted by the American public; this tacit acceptance has set the stage for the adoption of "the highest threat level": code red alert.
What the US public is not aware of is that a code red alert suspends civilian government, it triggers a whole series of emergency procedures. It is tantamount to a Coup d'Etat. (Although in many regards the Coup d'Etat has already taken place under the post-9/11 anti-terrorist legislation and the rigging of the 2000 elections which brought George W. Bush into the White House.)
Preparing for Code Red
Homeland Security (DHS) has in fact been contemplating a code red alert "scenario" --using Al Qaeda as a pretext-- for more than a year. In May 2003, the DHS conducted a major "anti-terrorist exercise" entitled TOPOFF 2. The latter was described as "the largest and most comprehensive terrorism response and homeland security exercise ever conducted in the United States." The exercise was based on code red assumptions involving a simulated terrorist attack.(see http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402A.html ).
A code red alert, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , would create conditions for the ("temporary" we are told) suspension of the normal functions of civilian government, implying the cancellation or postponement of federal and State elections.
According to FEMA, code red would:
Increase or redirect personnel to address critical emergency needs; Assign emergency response personnel and pre-position and mobilize specially trained teams or resources; Monitor, redirect, or constrain transportation systems; and Close public and government facilities not critical for continuity of essential operations, especially public safety. (FEMA, http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/security.pdf )
Northern Command would take over. Several functions of civilian administration would be suspended, others could be transferred to the jurisdiction of the military. More generally, the procedure would disrupt government offices, businesses, schools, public services, transportation, etc.
A secret "Shadow government" under the classified "Continuity of Operations Plan" was installed on September 11, 2001.(See http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20584-2002Feb28?language=printer ). Known internally as "Continuity of Government" or COG, the secret Shadow government would become functional in the case of a red code alert, redeploying key staff to secret locations.
Code red alert would, according to FEMA, also preclude and repress any form of public gathering or citizens' protest which questions the legitimacy of the emergency procedures and the installation of a police state. The emergency authorities would also exert tight censorship over the media and would no doubt paralyze the alternative news media on the internet.
Code red alert would trigger the "civilian" Homeland Emergency response system. The latter is already in place including DHS Ready.Gov instructions, the Big Brother Citizen Corps, not to mention the USAonWatch or Neighborhood Watch Program which has a mandate to "identify and report suspicious activity in neighborhoods" across America.
The Role of the Military
What would be the involvement of the Military in an code red emergency situation?
In theory, The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prevents the military from intervening in civilian police and judicial functions.
In practice, the Posse Comitatus Act is dead. (See Frank Morales at http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MOR309A.html ).
The existing legislation inherited from the Clinton administration, not to mention the post 9/11 Patriot Acts I and II, "blurs the line between military and civilian roles", it allows the military to intervene in judicial and law enforcement activities even in the absence of an emergency situation.
The 1996 legislation allowed the military to intervene in the case of a national emergency (e.g.. a terrorist attack). Clinton's 1999 Defense Authorization Act (DAA) extended those powers by creating an "exception" to the Posse Comitatus Act, which permits the military to be involved in civilian affairs "regardless of whether there is an emergency". (See ACLU at http://www.aclu.org/NationalSecurity/NationalSecurity.cfm?ID=8683&c=24 , emphasis added)
In other words, the Clinton era legislation had already laid the legal and ideological foundations of the "war on terrorism".
In the context of the war on terrorism, the so-called "exception" contained in the 1999 DAA legislation nullifies the provisions of the Posse Comitatus Act:
"The new proposed exception to the Posse Comitatus Act would further expand a controversial measure adopted by Congress in 1996 that permitted military involvement in "emergencies" involving chemical and biological weapons crimes.
Under that new measure, which was proposed by the Defense Department, the military would be authorized to deal with crimes involving any chemical or biological weapons -- or any other weapon of mass destruction -- regardless of whether there is an "emergency." In addition, the new proposal would lift requirements that the military be reimbursed for the cost of its intervention, thus likely increasing the number of requests for military assistance.
"Under this new provision," Nojeim said, "the mere threat of an act of terrorism would justify calling in military units. That represents a loophole large enough to drive a battalion of army tanks through."
The defense authorization bill would also require the Pentagon to develop a plan to assign military personnel to assist Customs and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to "respond to threats to national security posed by entry into the U.S. of terrorists or drug traffickers."
"the mere threat of an act of terrorism would justify calling in military units. That represents a loophole large enough to drive a battalion of army tanks through." (ibid)
Despite this 1999 "exception" to the Posse Comitatus Act", which effectively invalidates it, the Pentagon and Homeland Security, anxious to remove all ambiguities, are nonetheless actively lobbying the US Congress for the outright repeal of the 1878 legislation.
"new rules are needed to clearly set forth the boundaries for the use of federal military forces for homeland security. The Posse Comitatus Act is inappropriate for modern times and needs to be replaced by a completely new law ...
It is time to rescind the existing Posse Comitatus Act and replace it with a new law. ... The Posse Comitatus Act is an artifact of a different conflict-between freedom and slavery or between North and South, if you prefer. Today's conflict is also in a sense between freedom and slavery, but this time it is between civilization and terrorism. New problems often need new solutions, and a new set of rules is needed for this issue.
President Bush and Congress should initiate action to enact a new law that would set forth in clear terms a statement of the rules for using military forces for homeland security and for enforcing the laws of the United States.
(John R. Brinkerhoff, former associate director for national preparedness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), http://www.homelandsecurity.org/journal/Articles/brinkerhoffpossecomitatus.htm )
Senator Joseph Biden (a Democrat), former Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has also being waging, since the mid-1990s, a battle for the repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Patriot Legislation
In turn, the Bush administration Patriot Acts have set the groundwork of a police state. In minute detail, they go much further in setting the stage for the militarisation of civilian institutions.
The various provisions are very detailed and precise. The USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 entitled "Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001" as well as the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003," ("PATRIOT Act II") create the conditions for the militarisation of justice and police functions.
Even under a functioning civilian government, the PATRIOT Acts have already instated several features of martial law. The extent to which they are applied is at the discretion of the military authorities.
The 2003 Patriot Act II goes much further in extending and enlarging the "Big Brother functions" of control and surveillance of people. It vastly expands the surveillance powers, providing government access to personal bank accounts, information on home computers, telephone wire tapping, credit card accounts, etc. (for further details, see Ratical.org at http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/USAPA2.html#DSEAanalysis
The Northern Command (Northcom)
The Northern Command (Northcom) (based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado) was set up in April 2002 specifically in the context of the pre-emptive war on terrorism.
The creation of Northcom is consistent with the de facto repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act. In fact, the position of a "Homeland Defense Command" leader "in the event of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil", had already been envisaged in early 1999 by Clinton's Defense Secretary William Cohen. (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Civil_Liberties/Posse_Comitatus_Law.html ).
Following the Bush Administration's decision to create Northcom, the White House instructed Justice Department lawyers "to review the Posse Comitatus law in light of new security requirements in the war on terrorism." The 1878 Act was said to "greatly restrict the military's ability to participate in domestic law enforcement". (National Journal, Government Record, 22 July 2002)
The role of Northern Command is defined in the Pentagon's "Joint Doctrine for Homeland Security (JP-26)" The latter constitutes a blueprint on how to defend the Homeland. Even in the case where the enemy is fabricated, and this is known at the highest levels of military-intelligence, a military coup d'Etat would become operational in terms of the detailed command military/ security provisions contained in this document (click here to consult JP-26)
Figure 1 Excerpt from J-36 Joint Doctrine for Homeland Security" (declassified public document)
According to Frank Morales, "the scenario of a military take-over of America is unfolding." And Northern Command is the core military entity in this takeover and militarisation of civilian institutions.
Northcom has a mandate to "defend the homeland" against this illusive "outside enemy", which is said to be threatening the security of America. Amply documented, the outside enemy (Al Qaeda) is a "CIA intelligence asset". (There is an extensive bibliography on this subject. (See See http://globalresearch.ca/articles/11SEPT309A.html , http://globalresearch.ca//by-topic/sept11/ , http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CRG204A.html )
Northcom Command Mission includes a number of "non-military functions" including "crisis management" and "domestic civil support" implying "military support to federal, state and local authorities in the event of a terror attack."
"the preparation for, prevention of, deterrence of, preemption of, defense against, and response to threats and aggression directed towards U.S. territory, sovereignty, domestic population, and infrastructure; as well as crisis management, consequence management, and other domestic civil support." (See http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dod/northcom.htm )
Northcom has what David Isenberg describes as "a Creeping Civilian Mission" . Since its inception, it has been building capabilities in domestic intelligence and law enforcement. It is in permanent liaison with the DHS and the Justice Department. It has several hundred FBI and CIA officers stationed at its headquarters in Colorado. (National Journal, 1 May 2004). It is in permanent liaison, through an advanced communications system, with municipalities and domestic civilian law enforcement agencies around the country. (See Isenberg, op cit )
Meanwhile the CIA, which has a unit operating out of Northcom, has extended its mandate to issues of "domestic intelligence".
According to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (22 Dec. 2003): "If we go to [code] Red ... it basically shuts down the country." In which case, a national emergency is declared. Northern Command deploys its forces on air, land and sea. Several functions of civilian government are transferred to Northcom headquarters, which already has the structures which enable it to oversee and supervise civilian institutions.
In other words, Northcom's "command structure" would be activated in the case of a code red terror alert. But Northcom does not require, in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 DAA, a terror alert, an attack or a war-like situation to intervene in the country's civilian affairs.
To prepare for new "law enforcement" missions for the military within America, overseen by the Northern Command, the Center for Law and Military Operations, based in Charlottesville, Virginia has published a "useful" Handbook entitled "Domestic Operational Law for Judge Advocates." According to Frank Morales, the Handbook:
"attempts to solidify, from a legal standpoint, Pentagon penetration of America and it's 'operations other than war,' essentially providing the U.S. corporate elite with lawful justification for its class war against the American people, specifically those that resist the "new world law and order" agenda." (Frank Morales, Homeland Defense and the Militarisation of America, Global Outlook, No. 6, Winter 2004, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MOR309A.html )
According to Morales: "the 'war on terrorism' is the cover for the war on dissent." (Ibid)
The jurisdiction of the Northern Command now extends from Mexico to Alaska. Under ("bi-national") agreements signed with neighboring countries, Northern Command can intervene and deploy its forces and military arsenal on land, air and sea in Canada (extending into its Northern territories), throughout Mexico and in parts of the Caribbean. (See http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dod/northcom.htm )
Taken together, the existing legislation grants the military extensive rights to intervene in any "emergency situation", in practice, without the prior approval of the Commander in Chief.
Concluding Remarks
America is at the crossroads of the most serious crisis in its history.
An Al Qaeda sponsored terrorist attack is being contemplated as a "trigger mechanism" for carrying out a Coup d'Etat.
Whether it is going to be carried out is another matter. The statements of the Bush administration regarding the possibility of a red code alert must, nonetheless, be taken seriously.
The coded terror alerts and "terror events" which have been announced by DHS are part of a disinformation campaign carried out by the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department and Homeland Security.
US intelligence is not only involved in creating phony terror warnings, it is also firmly behind the terror groups, providing them with covert support.( See http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO301B.html )
Documented by official police sources, at least two of the DHS's high profile post 9/11 terror alerts were fabricated. (http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402A.html )
Media Disinformation
A Coup d'Etat which suspends civilian institutions is not only contemplated, it has become a talking point on network TV; it is openly debated as a "solution" to "protecting American democracy" which is said to be threatened by Islamic terrorists.
The implications of a red code alert are trivialised. Through media disinformation, citizens are being prepared and gradually conditioned for the unthinkable.
This ongoing militarisation of America is not a project of the Republicans.
The "war on terrorism" is part of a bipartisan agenda. Successive US administrations since Jimmy Carter have supported the Islamic brigades and have used them in covert intelligence operations.
"Triggering Civilian Casualties"
In 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had envisaged a secret plan entitled "Operation Northwoods", to deliberately trigger civilian casualties to justify the invasion of Cuba:
"We could blow up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba," "We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington" "casualty lists in U.S. newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation." (See the declassified Top Secret 1962 document titled "Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba"16 (See Operation Northwoods at http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/NOR111A.html ).
Both "the war on terrorism" as well as the domestic war on terrorism are consistent, from the point of view of military planning, with the logic of Operation Northwoods, Civilian casualties are used as "a war pretext incident", to galvanize public support for a military intervention.
Mentioned time and again by DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, a "second 9/11 attack" is contemplated; Al Qaeda, we are told, is preparing
"...a large-scale attack in the United States in an effort to disrupt our democratic process."
What we are not told is that Al Qaeda is a creation of the CIA. and that Al Qaeda remains a US sponsored "intelligence asset."
"Useful Crisis"
The assumptions and rhetoric behind Homeland Security are nothing new. They echo an earlier statements by David Rockefeller to the United Nations Business Council in 1994:
"We are on the verge of global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order."
Similarly, in the words Zbigniew Brzezinski in his book, The Grand Chessboard:.
"…it may find it more difficult to fashion a consensus [in America] on foreign policy issues, except in the circumstances of a truly massive and widely perceived direct external threat."
It is worth mentioning that Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter was one of the key architects of the Islamic brigades, created by the CIA at the onslaught of the Soviet Afghan war (1979-1989). (See Brzezinski at http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BRZ110A.print.html )
More recently, General Franks, the CENTCOM general who led the military campaign into Iraq, pointed in an October 2003 interview to the role of what he called a "massive casualty-producing event". (See General Tommy Franks calls for Repeal of US Constitution, November 2003, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/EDW311A.html , see also http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402A.html ).
Franks identifies with cynical accuracy the precise Homeland Security scenario whereby military rule might be established in America using, as in Operation Northwoods, civilian casualties as a trigger mechanism:
"a terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event [will occur] somewhere in the Western world - it may be in the United States of America - that causes our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event." (quoted in Ibid, emphasis added)
General Franks' statement seems to accurately reflect the mood within the US Military and Homeland Security as to how events ought to unfold. The "war on terrorism" is to provide a justification for repealing the Rule of Law, ultimately with a view to "preserving civil liberties."
This statement from an individual, who was actively involved in military and intelligence planning at the highest levels, suggests that the "militarisation of our country" is an ongoing operational assumption. It has become part of the broader "Washington consensus". It is a "talking point" not only in the corridors of the Pentagon, Langley and Homeland Security, but also in the mainstream media.
Democrats and Republicans
Some people think that a change in direction will occur if the Democrats win the 2004 presidential elections. Yet the Democrats are not opposed to the illegal occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Nor are they opposed to the militarisation of civilian institutions, as evidenced by their initiative to repeal the Posse Comitatus Act.
While there are substantive differences between Republicans and Democrats, Bush's National Security doctrine is a continuation of that formulated under the Clinton Administration in 1995, which was based on a "strategy of containment of rogue states".
In Fall 2003, the Democrats released their own militarisation blueprint, entitled "Progressive Internationalism: A Democratic National Security Strategy":
"This 19-page manifesto that calls for "the bold exercise of American power, not to dominate but to shape alliances and international institutions that share a common commitment to liberal values." (See Mark Hand, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAN403A.html
The militarisation of America is a project of the US corporate elites, with significant divisions within the corporate establishment on how it is to be achieved.
The corporate establishment and its associated thinks tanks and semi-secret societies (The Bildeberg, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, etc.) is by no means monolithic.
Influential voices within the elites would prefer a "softer" police state apparatus, a "democratic dictatorship" which retains the external appearances of a functioning democracy.
The Democrats' "Progressive internationalism" is viewed by these sectors as a more effective way of imposing the US economic and military agenda Worldwide. For instance, the Kerry-Edwards ticket is supported by billionaire George Soros, who has waged a scathing denunciation of George W. Bush and the Neocons.
While the US Congress and the bi-partisan consensus constitutes the facade, the Military (and their Intelligence counterparts) are, from the point of view of the corporate elites, mere foreign policy "pawns", to use Henry Kissinger's expression, acting on behalf of dominant business interests.
The Wall Street financial establishment, the military-industrial complex, led by Lockheed Martin, the big five weapons and aerospace defense contractors, the Texas oil giants and energy conglomerates, the construction and engineering and public utility companies including, the biotechnology conglomerates, are indelibly behind the militarisation of America.
Elections or no Elections?
The "war on terrorism" is a war of conquest, which supports American (and British) economic and strategic interests. Its underpinnings are supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
While a Coup d'Etat triggered by a code red alert is a distinct possibility in the months ahead, we must understand that the militarisation of civilian institutions in America is an ongoing process.
The Coup d'Etat entrenches the militarisation process. It suspends civil liberties and the antiwar movement outright. It makes any form of reversal back to civilian forms of government much more difficult to achieve.
Militarisation, however, as distinct from an outright Military Coup d'Etat, does not exclude the electoral process.
Under a Kerry-Edwards administration, the military-intelligence apparatus --which constitutes the backbone of the "war on terrorism" and of the police state-- would remain functionally intact. So would Northern Command and the various Big Brother functions of the Department of Homeland Security.
One can indeed speculate on what might happen from now until the November presidential elections.
Whether the elections take place or not, the contours of a functioning police state under the facade of Constitutional government have already been defined:
*
the Big Brother surveillance apparatus,
*
the militarisation of justice and law enforcement,
*
the disinformation and propaganda network,
*
the support to terrorist organizations,
*
political assassinations and torture manuals,
*
concentration camps,
*
extensive war crimes and the blatant violation of international law,
*
etc.
On the economic front, we can expect militarisation to accelerate the gamut of neoliberal economic reforms both nationally and internationally (In the later case, they would be implemented under the auspices of the IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organisation).
Militarisation will be accompanied by a new deadly wave of privatization of public services, urban infrastructure would be transferred to private companies, local economies including small scale enterprises and agriculture would be further destabilized and deregulated, etc, leading to increased levels of unemployment and the impoverishment of millions of people.
Militarisation is an integral part of the neoliberal agenda.
Related articles:
Bush Administration "Guidelines" for Postponing or Canceling the November Presidential Elections by Michel Chossudovsky, 10 July 2004, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO407C.html
The Criminalization of the State, by Michel Chossudovsky, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402A.html February 2004
Homeland Defense: The Pentagon Declares War on America by Frank Morales, Global Outlook, Issue 3, Winter 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MOR312A.html
"Homeland Defense" and the Militarisation of America by Frank Morales, 15 September 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MOR309A.html
Will the 2004 Election Be Called Off? Why Three Out of Four Experts Predict a Terrorist Attack by November, by Maureen Farrell, April 2004, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/FAR404A.html
Bush Regime working out Procedures for postponing November Election by Webster Griffin Tarpley, 10 July 2004, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/TAR407B.html
Rumor Becomes Fact as Bush Administration Asks for Authority to Suspend the Election by Michael C. Ruppert , 13 July 2004 http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RUP407A.html
Bush backers discuss canceling elections, Emergency Rule and Martial Law, by Webster G. Tarpley 12 July 2004 http://globalresearch.ca/articles/407A.html
FBI points finger at the CIA: Terror Alert based on Fabricated Information, 14 February 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CRG302A.html
Bush's Christmas Terror Alert, by Michel Chossudovsky, 24 December 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO312D.html
Manufacturing Hysteria: Bogus Terror Threats and Bush's Police State, by Kurt Nimmo, 31 December 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/NIM312A.html
Orange Code Terror Alert based on Fabricated Intelligence, by Michel Chossudovsky 3 January 2004. http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO401A.html |
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