Enacted after Civil War Reconstruction in 1878, Posse Comitatus (U.S.C. 18-13850) has always been a double-edged sword. The compromise of the North with the South which withdrew Federal troops from former Confederate states and allowed racism and the general disenfranchisement of former slaves to flourish, was also intended to end the federal military from taking part in police actions. Yet once again, the Bush administration stretches law to it breaking point, while pushing our over-burdened military ever closer to the precipice. News out today from the US Northern Command that the Army's 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team will be the nation's 'new police'. The 3rd ID is the most rotated combat component in Iraq and now they're home to do the same duty as part of the newest permanent part of the Army -- CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force.
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.
What is played down in the articles out of NORCOM, Ft. Stewart and the Dept. of Homeland Security is the element of CCMRF (sea-smurf) being implemented to 'deal with' protesters and civil disturbances.
Posse Comitatus became law for a number of reasons but first and foremost was so American servicepersons would not be put in the position of turning weapons on the American public. It seems we creep ever-closer to martial law as the reins of power slip from the GOP's fascist grip. As the divides in American ideology deepen, the political landscape of the presidential race features McCain mobs yelling, "kill him...terrorist" and worse, while my beloved military is put in the untenable position of having to defend not the Constitution, but the ideologic policies of a rogue government.
This election can not end soon enough for me.
6 comments:
Okay...I'm feeling decidedly extra ignorant. What is going on that is so concerning that we are on the verge of becoming a police state?
Becoming?
I'm not terribly worried about this. I've had enough conversations with people in various, uh, positions that I am nearly 100% certain that the Armed Forces will never enforce a nationwide declaration of martial law from Chimpy. The bigger danger, I believe, would come from the sudden unraveling of the United States, like what happened in the USSR in 1991. That could be the cause of a lot of ugliness, depending on what part of the former country you happened to be in when it came apart.
Thanks for your proud support of our service men and women. I too am a veteran.
I find the prospect of the army enforcing martial law is not that likely. The officer corps may be a bit 'yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir' but mostly they graduated from the academies and they were required to learn the difference between a legal order and an illegal one.
The private for-hire armies are another matter entirely. Overpaid and under-supervised employees of Blackwater and similar organizations have literally been getting away with murder, gang rape, and all sorts for years now in Iraq and Afghanistan. And a goodly number of them have been hopped up on methamphetamines and metabolic steroids to boot. They're twisted, sick fucks as a result and when they come back to the states they will be a danger even if there is never a declaration of martial law.
6 days until Nov 4. Let's hope the steal is not in place. Chimpy may get the chance to test all this if it is.
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