Early Warning -----A broader role for the armed forces?

[rodeodance]

http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/?referrer=email

Early Warning
William M. Arkin on National and Homeland Security

Posted at 08:05 AM ET, 09/16/2005
A broader role for the armed forces?

Amidst all of President Bush's proposals last night was one decree that the Commander-in-Chief can implement without Congressional or public intervention: "It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice."

The President has hit upon a seemingly no-brainer solution: Rely more on the one institution in our society that is most respected and competent.

The President’s plan is both wrong-headed and dangerous.

I for one don't want to live in a society where "a moment’s notice" justifies military action that either preempts or usurps civil authority.

What is more, nothing about what happened in New Orleans justifies such a radical move to give the military what bureaucrats call "a lead role" in responding to emergencies...........

[asjr]

1. Great read! Thanks.

[applegrove]

2. As Chimp made that statement during the speech - he couldn't help

but look to the side. Don't know if he was looking at someone or just displaying some shiftness in his own thinking. But I found that really odd. The one time in the speech when people would be taken aback (as all the state people were & many others) and he seems conscious of that fact at the very lest. Conscious of the rule-making and fear and confusion that would result.

He is a little sadistic. In that anal way. But he is still more the puppet than the master.

[fooj]

3. Here's a great thread loaded with info...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4790112

You are right to be concerned about this. This is NO LAUGHING MATTER!

peace.

[Neocondriac]

4. Hmmmm

I think we could see this one coming.

"Hey, momma!...Iron my brown shirt while I spit shine these boots"

[ananda]

5. It was obvious..

.. FROM THE BEGINNING that..

.. Bushco wanted only the military to take care of the NOLA situation.

Since the response was such a disaster, Bush is asking for more powers to deal with disasters.

What a crock..

.. and VERY scary!


Sue

[Lasher]

12. Astute observation

One thing Dubya has been consistent about, and perhaps the most dangerous thing about him is he is always trying to get more and more power for himself.

He doesn't like for the National Guard to be under control of any Governor; he wants that authority for himself. He doesn't want to share control of the NOLA recovery with Congress. He wants a blank check so he can decide everything himself with no oversight.

I am disturbed by some of the heavy-handed control of disaster-stricken areas. Precedents are being set, and all this could come to your home town.

Is the USA a police state yet?

[katty]

14. Agree-the setup is so obvious-Military fixes abroad&at home-control at

all costs! Once again, the WH is deliberately changing the argument with respect to the dismal rapid response at all levels--they are masters at 'making hay' out of every friggin' disaster that has been directly AIDED BY THEIR LACK OF RESPONSE and CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE.
The whole game is setup to gather more and more power, Americans just keeping eating the crappy explanations bush&co serve up--as the whole world shakes their head in amazement at our utter stupidity and continued ENSLAVEMENT to the policies (known and unknown) and blatant hostility of this administration.

[daninthemoon]

6. Any moral president would have immediately sent national guard

in to help with RESCUE operations, regardless of red tape. ( We won't mention that ANY other president would have still had national guard troops in the States) It would have been the right thing to do. Even now, this isn't what he seems to be talking about. He seems to still be talking about property concerns and policing. Is there any gauging how far past fascist these guys are?

[bluestateguy]

7. I will not be pushed around by little boys in green uniforms

n/t

[CascadeTide]

8. defiance is a powerful weapon

but really no match for an abrams :(

[grasswire]

9. Bill Arkin is a national treasure

Did you know that in the aftermath of his criticisms of the war on Iraq, he was the victim of dirty tricks from Rove? He is courageous and on point.

Support him wherever you can.

[rodeodance]

10. ni, i did not know that. so, Rove hit him and he keeps going. Good to

hear.

[rodeodance]

11. it does seem that now that Brown is gone--all will be well.

.......Let's hope the resignation of poor horse-expert Michael Brown isn't confused with government accountability.......

[rodeodance]

13. Bush as the "Commander-in-Chief" will be in charge!

[applegrove]

16. Terrible. I think - now that brain scanning is coming online & this is

the decade or decades of the brain - I think the monsters of this world will be more easily diagnosed and kept from positions of power or trust - in the future. I hope it is near.

I really think that after the world has been through so much due to monsters..and the victims pile up and are terrified ... hell - the world's history is full of them (Saddam)... I really think we are about to see the end of monsters like that get away with what they so often get away with.

[electron_blue]

15. Our Commander in chief totally f'd up, why in heck would we want

to leave it all in his hands? In fact, the last month argue quite persuasively why we DON'T want to leave it in the President's hands.

Many problems with Katrina stemmed from the result of needing Bush's signature on some forms. Explain to me why we need even more of this??

[lindisfarne]

17. Richard Clarke said it's long been in the planning that the fed govt

would bring in military assistance, without needing to be asked, if local and state governments are overwhelmed by a catastrophe.

He said this Thursday night on Nightline. He said there had been a planning exercise in 1999 in which they assumed Cincinnati had been hit by a nuclear attack; state and local gov't were devastated, and thus, the federal gov't would send assistance immediately, without needing to even be asked.

Of course, most of the people involved in that training exercise have either been replaced by political cronies or left because of them.

This didn't seem to be equated with "federalizing" the emergency, at least not from what I got from Clarke.

When Bush wanted to federalize the LA response, he just wanted control - federalizing didn't allow him to do anything necessary that couldn't have been done anyhow.

[lumpy]

18. Every dictator needs his army.

Balance of power is slowly being eroded by design.

[Say_What]

19. Aspiring to be another Pinochet?

As they militarize police around the nation, for the Bushistas that would be the next logical step--military rule. It can happen overnight.

[pushycat]

20. What are all our domestic law enforcement agencies for?

Let's see, we have:
Local/City Police
State Police
Federal Law Enforcement
National Guard
FBI
Secret Service
Private Security Contractors
secret police

We don't need the military to handle domestic issues - we do need competant leadership in the WH.

[teryang]

21. Another concern is the breakdown in jurisdictional authority

Just what are mercenaries doing in New Orleans? There is a melting pot of police forces from all over the country, national guard, stae police, active duty military and mercenaries. The national guard and local police forces should have been enough to handle this but for the Bush/neo con agenda of the hollow shell defense department existing as nothing more than a conduit for their favorite corporate war profiteers' bottom lines. This necessitated sending core Guard assets and cadre overseas to fight an elective war of agression and occupation.

Active duty assets in an emergency like this should be limited to logistical support for domestic authorities such as the national guard. The co-mingling of security and diaster relief functions represented by "homeland security" was actually the second stage in a fascist reorganization of the executive branch. The comingling stage of regional (police) forces and active duty forces subject to federal control and direction represents a further consolidation of centralized police power compounded with a total lack of accountability in a constitutional sense.