Get Out of Dodge!

One of the outcomes of 9/11 and shows us a gearing up by the US Corporate State for the impending civil unrest, which is apparently slated for 2012 at the latest…

The Coming Police State

Source: washingtonpost.com

The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

The long-planned shift in the Defense Department’s role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.

There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.

But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response — a nearly sevenfold increase in five years — “would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable,” Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the realization that civilian authorities may be overwhelmed in a catastrophe prompted “a fundamental change in military culture,” he said.

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Technorati Tags: posse comitatus

Perhaps a glimpse of things to come…

Source: inthenews.co.uk

Protesters in Iceland have clashed with police during a demonstration against the country’s economic woes.

Over the past year Iceland’s currency, the Krona, has fallen by 50 per cent as the Scandinavian country nationalised its three biggest banks to prevent their collapse.

It has also received emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its neighbours to help it deal with the financial turmoil.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament on Saturday demanding government resignations over the worsening economic climate.

A small group then broke off and headed towards the city’s main police station to call for the release of a man who had been detained after failing to pay a fine over previous protests.

Police used pepper spray as the group tried to storm the building and managed to bring the crowd under control. The detained man was later released.

Iceland was the first country to seek financial assistance from the IMF as the turmoil in the credit markets in October made trading conditions difficult for the country’s biggest financial institutions.

The UK government used anti-terror legislation to freeze money deposited by UK savers in Icelandic banks in order to ensure that their money was protected.

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Technorati Tags: Iceland

And be prepared to show your newly implanted RFID digital “papers.”

Source: washingtonpost.com

Metro officials yesterday announced plans to immediately begin random searches of backpacks, purses and other bags in a move they say will protect riders and also guard their privacy and minimize delays.

The program is modeled after one begun three years ago in New York that has withstood legal challenges. However, experts said it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of such searches, beyond assuring the public that police are being vigilant. New York officials declined to say what they have found in their searches; none of the other transit systems conducting random searches have found any explosives, officials said.

Metro officials said the program was not in response to a specific threat but prompted by increased security concerns before next week’s election and the inauguration as well as by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and later bombings of commuter trains in Madrid, London and elsewhere.

Although Metro police said the program will begin immediately, they would not say which of their 86 rail stations or more than 12,000 bus stops would be subject to inspection on any given day. On some days, there might be no inspections, or there might be several. Fifteen officers have been trained to perform searches, and more will be trained, officials said.

Checkpoints will be set up at Metro facilities, and passengers will go through inspections before entering a rail station or boarding a bus. The random searches will focus on detecting explosives, and it is likely that some riders will have their bags inspected before next Tuesday’s election, officials said.

Metro, the second-busiest subway system in the country, after New York’s, carries more than 1.2 million passenger trips on a typical weekday.

“We realize that all Americans everywhere are at some risk from terrorism, and that those of us who live and work in the region of the nation’s capital face increased risks,” Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn said at a news conference yesterday.

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Source: TheHill.com

Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.

Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.

Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors.

Democratic strategists and advocates for black voters say they understand officers wanting to keep the peace, but caution that excessive police presence could intimidate voters.

Sen. Obama (Ill.), the Democratic nominee for president, has seen his lead over rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) grow in recent weeks, prompting speculation that there could be a violent backlash if he loses unexpectedly.

Cities that have suffered unrest before, such as Detroit, Chicago, Oakland and Philadelphia, will have extra police deployed.

In Oakland, the police will deploy extra units trained in riot control, as well as extra traffic police, and even put SWAT teams on standby.

“Are we anticipating it will be a riot situation? No. But will we be prepared if it goes awry? Yes,” said Jeff Thomason, spokesman for the Oakland Police Department.

“I think it is a big deal — you got an African-American running and [a] woman running,” he added, in reference to Obama and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. “Whoever wins it, it will be a national event. We will have more officers on the street in anticipation that things may go south.”

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Technorati Tags: civil unrest

Source:  CNN.com

EU lawmakers have joined U.S. civil liberty campaigners in criticizing a new scanner that allows airport security to see through passengers’ clothes, calling it a virtual strip search that should only be used as a last resort.

The new system, which the European Union plans to authorize at the bloc’s airports, allows guards to see an outline of passengers’ bodies beneath their clothes, making it easier to detect any concealed objects.

It already is being introduced in several U.S. airports and has been tested in other countries around the world, including EU nations such as Britain and the Netherlands.

This is an interesting interview, seemingly laced with BS and sematic gymnastics.  Ummm, I’m cynical and just a tid bit paranoid…is it obvious?

Source: MND

Wikinews recently published an article which explained that NorthComm, through an Executive Order of the President of the United States, directed the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team to return to the United States from active duty missions in Iraq to begin training in a new role. NorthComm says that these troops will be used to protect the United States from threats within the United States, as well as to provide a support role to local and state agencies during times of emergency, such as with Hurricane Katrina.

Critics, however, believe that moving an active military unit back to United States soil represents a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which makes it illegal for federal military resources to act as law enforcement agencies against civilians. The article included cites from critic Namoi Watts, who based part of her opinion on an interview with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel David Antoon. Ret. Col. Antoon stated that a military coup was already under way through the actions of NorthComm, and that other branches of the government would be powerless.

Wikinews reporter Kevin Fields had an opportunity to speak with an active duty member of the United States Army, a sergeant who is currently deployed to a peace keeping mission in Iraq. Federal laws officially prevents him from giving making any statement on military policy, however he agreed to do so on the condition of anonymity. The initials used here are not his initials of his name, only used as a pseudonym. Sgt. P.S.N. was asked to review a source article from the Army Times website which provided the original breaking information, and to provide his opinions on the article as well as follow-up questions.

Full Interview…

BCT, martial law, police state