Bush Power Grab

[Eric J in MN]

Just as George W. Bush used his failure before 9/11/2001 to
seize power with the Patriot Act, he is going to use
his failure in responding to Hurricane Katrina to try
to seize more power.

Bush wants the power to order the military to arrest people in the US. Currently, the military is barred by the Posse Comitatus Act from arresting people in the US. Changing this would negatively affect the nature of our society and the right to protest.

President Bush on Monday...raised the possibility that lawmakers might expand presidential authority to:

...Grant wider leeway for active-duty U.S. military personnel to carry out law enforcement operations.

Once the military starts arresting people in the US, it won't be limited to natural disasters.

Protests can be declared "emergencies" for soldiers to arrest protestors if Congress changes the law about the role of the military.

What looks to me like a protest, may look like a riot to a government official.

Nor were arrests by the military needed in New Orleans. There were police in New Orleans. What was needed from the military was more food and water than they supplied.

In Bush's Thursday night speech, he continued with the notion that of expanding domestic military power:

"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."

Once the military can arrest us, can they then imprison us? Put us on trial? Hold us indefinitely?

Letting a president declare any cities he so chooses "emergency" areas where the military can arrest people for as long as he chooses is too much executive power. We need more relief supplies during an emergency, not arrests, and there are police to conduct arrests when necessary.

Bush was able to respond to previous natural disasters in Florida and elsewhere without being able to authorize the military to arrest people. President Bill Clinton was as well. Bush's failure regarding Hurricane Katrina means he should have less power, not more power.

We should maintain the distinction between the role of the police and the role of the military.


Also posted at www.speakspeak.org

[fooj]

1. Agreed. Thanks for for post.

The last thing we need is the military arresting citizens...

Peace.

[me b zola]

2. This is the part of the speech that jumped out at me

There it was, hidden in the middle of a bunch of empty promises. So while everyone is focused on how "liberal" are his proposals for assistance, he slips in the power grab.





Thanks for posting this. nominated.

[truebrit71]

5. Yep, that caught my ear too...

From the over-bearing "we'll come in and show you how to get things done" angle, all the way to a full-blown military state, this is simply another abuse of power...

If we don't get the House back in '06 we are all screwed...

[Wordie]

13. You know, you're right...I noticed when he said it and felt uncomfortable

but then he went on to so many other things that I hadn't even thought about it again until now. Thanks so much for reminding us...I'm nominating this too.

[ToolTex]

3. WTF? They are supposed to be the party that wants less government,

Where is their base? Why do they want a police state? Does the Rethuglican party platform now call for a police state? WTF?

[chalky]

6. Yes. they spent all this time frightening freepers into thinking WE were

The "boogie-man liberals". Turns out it was THEM all along.

[Lindsay]

4. Recommended.

The federal government made little use of the power they have in regard to Katrina. That's hardly a demonstration of the need for more power.

[gatorboy]

7. By law the military cannot arrest American citizens, I thought.

Anyone remember when Ridge brought this up? Though his excuse was terra! These guys won't stop until they turn America into Nazi, Germany

http://www.prisonplanet.com/news_alert_072102_martial.html

The government should consider reversing a more than a century of tradition and law to give the military authority to make arrests and fire their weapons on U.S. soil in the event of a terrorist attack, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said.

Fears that terrorists might attempt a nuclear, biological or chemical attack on U.S. territory are prompting some lawmakers to support revisions to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which restricts the use of the military in civilian law enforcement.

``I think it is time to revisit it,'' Senator Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said on the ``Fox News Sunday'' program. That would ``allow for military that has expertise with weapons of mass destruction to be called in'' if such a plot was discovered.

--------------------------------------------------------------

And I distinctly remember the freepers not being to happy about the suggestion:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/719917/posts

They making a fuss about it now?

I second a recommendation.

[Eric J in MN]

26. The point is that Bush is asking Congress to change that law. (nt)

nt

[converted_democrat]

8. This is soooo wrong on so many different levels..............n/t

[CrackpotAmerica]

9. There is a word for having that power:

That word is FASCISM

:kick:

[lyonn]

10. Domestic military power is bushco dream

The military now seems to consist of Blackwater, Halliburton, and the likes. The Nation Guard are treated like a stepchild. Since we don't have enough Guard available, such as in Iraq, we hire Blackwater to protect. Who the hell is Blackwater? Right, we don't need to question the authority of the pres.

This snowball going down the hill has become an avalanche. We are all being rolled up in this disaster.

bushco doesn't even begin to address the lack of care for those displaced by this disaster. The red cross is becoming a big joke too. Our country has become a soviet union where the wealthy control the $$ and the rest get a pittance. And the repubs accuse the dems of "communism", what a joke on us.

[Tellurian]

11. AND THE PRIMARY REASON FOR BASE CLOSINGS...FREEING UP SPACE

FOR doing just that...arresting US Citizens and warehousing them like caged animals, like they're doing at Gitmo..

Wake-UP America...you're falling behind the learning curve!

[Tellurian]

21. kick

:kick:

[Tellurian]

29. No need to derail this thread....

Where else have you seen the truth about the base closings and their intended use for the warehousing of civilians?

If Bush had obtained the signature of the LA Gov subjugating LA State's rights after the hurricane...LA citizens would have been under federal jurisdiction by now and of course, martial law.

As time passed, the Federal Gov would refuse to relinquish their standing...more they would declare the taking of LA by eminent domain. Using the excuse they could make better use of the coastline property for oil exploration.

[Wordie]

12. I sincerely hope that this wasn't the game plan all along...to have a slow

response, then use the horrible results to justify increasing the President's power. I don't want to think that even * could be THAT cynical.

Not to mention that part of the problem was that so many of the region's national guard were in Iraq.

Do you have a link to a text transcript of the speech?

[converted_democrat]

14. .....

[Kazak]

15. Bingo!

:puke:

[PATRICK]

16. Barely a fig leaf

for accountability and a an instant lunge for power and goodies, without a blink. mmeanwhile the masses are totally consumed by the "disaster" quickly fading beneath Halliburton bulldozers and Kenyon body bags.

The criminality and accountability terms are missing from the national debate except for a vagueness anyone could easily survive. Any eye on the ball they stealing away with now? Who looks like the fool?

[Wizard777]

17. That would be a violation of Posse Comitatus and TREASON!

[Eric J in MN]

27. Posse Comitatus is a statute which Congress can change

like any other statute.

[snot]

18. KICK & NOM'D nt

[daninthemoon]

19. "It's just a jump to the left...and then a step to the right."

[Nothing Without Hope]

20. YES!!! This is expanded on in the OP and replies in THIS THREAD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4790112
Thread title: Missing A KEY POINT in *'s speech: POWER GRAB FOR POTUS AND MILITARY

Please come and join that discussion too! I'll cross-link to this thread there in a moment. We all need to have access to information and thinking: forewarned is forearmed.

[peacefreak]

22. I think it's a great idea.

He has earned the right to have even more power because he's used such good judgement & has kept the welfare of the American people topmost in his mind at all times. :wtf: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :wtf:

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

23. NPR had a discussion today on PC Act

It was on All Things Considered program and should be available on their website tomorrow.

The PC ACT does NOT prohibit using troops for humanitarian purposes. They CAN be sent in for rescue operations

[mzmolly]

24. "What damage can he do in 8 years?"

Who said that again? :eyes:

[Eric J in MN]

28. I don't know. Who said that? nt

nt

[Tigress DEM]

25. How about expanding "citizen's arrest" capabilities?

Let the people round up the "real" criminals (BushCo)and dump them in jail for years and years without any permission to defense - until the wrongs they have committed have been put to rights. Then they can be allowed to explain why they chose to screw up in the first place.

[Tellurian]

30. All's Fair in Love and War...

Y NOT?

[Nothing Without Hope]

31. kick n/t

[converted_democrat]

32. ....