Thursday, May 27, 2010
Michael Savage May 26, 2010, 1/12
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
U.S. Supreme Court won't hear jailed L.A. lawyer's contempt of court case
After a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sent him to jail indefinitely for contempt of court last year, veteran attorney Richard Fine vowed to take his case all the way to the nation's highest court.
"To fight me is to fight me all the way to the Supreme Court," he said in a jailhouse interview with The Times last May.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Fine's petition, effectively putting an end to the attorney's dogged legal quest to end his confinement.
The 70-year-old antitrust and taxpayer advocate attorney has been sitting in solitary confinement in Men's Central Jail for about a year and three months after Judge David Yaffe found him in contempt in March 2009. The judge ordered him to stay in jail until he is ready to follow court orders and answer questions about his finances.
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From his cell, Fine has filed habeas corpus petitions for his release in the California Supreme Court, district court, and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals alleging that Yaffe was biased against him and should have recused himself from the contempt-of-court case. Fine contends that his legal troubles stem from his challenges to county-funded benefits that judges receive on top of their state pay.
He had been ordered to pay sanctions and attorney's fees in a case he filed on behalf of Marina del Rey residents against developers in the area.
His imprisonment is "the latest encounter in the 10-year campaign by Fine to restore due process in the California judicial system," the attorney, who has been representing himself, wrote in his petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Fine is the only attorney, of the approximately 208,000 California attorneys, with the courage to challenge the California judiciary," he wrote.
In a phone interview Monday, Fine said the U.S. Supreme Court had made the wrong decision by allowing him to remain in jail. He said he would be filing another petition for writ of habeas corpus.
"I'm in fighting condition," he said. "They haven't broken me down and they won't break me down."
But a Superior Court attorney said the top court was the last recourse for Fine.
"Every court has looked at this … it sounds like the end of the line to me, but I don't know what his strategy is, or what he has in mind," said Fred Bennett, counsel for the Superior Court. "Nothing has changed. Anytime he wants to be released from custody, he answers the questions and he's gone."
"To fight me is to fight me all the way to the Supreme Court," he said in a jailhouse interview with The Times last May.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Fine's petition, effectively putting an end to the attorney's dogged legal quest to end his confinement.
The 70-year-old antitrust and taxpayer advocate attorney has been sitting in solitary confinement in Men's Central Jail for about a year and three months after Judge David Yaffe found him in contempt in March 2009. The judge ordered him to stay in jail until he is ready to follow court orders and answer questions about his finances.
» Don't miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.
From his cell, Fine has filed habeas corpus petitions for his release in the California Supreme Court, district court, and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals alleging that Yaffe was biased against him and should have recused himself from the contempt-of-court case. Fine contends that his legal troubles stem from his challenges to county-funded benefits that judges receive on top of their state pay.
He had been ordered to pay sanctions and attorney's fees in a case he filed on behalf of Marina del Rey residents against developers in the area.
His imprisonment is "the latest encounter in the 10-year campaign by Fine to restore due process in the California judicial system," the attorney, who has been representing himself, wrote in his petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Fine is the only attorney, of the approximately 208,000 California attorneys, with the courage to challenge the California judiciary," he wrote.
In a phone interview Monday, Fine said the U.S. Supreme Court had made the wrong decision by allowing him to remain in jail. He said he would be filing another petition for writ of habeas corpus.
"I'm in fighting condition," he said. "They haven't broken me down and they won't break me down."
But a Superior Court attorney said the top court was the last recourse for Fine.
"Every court has looked at this … it sounds like the end of the line to me, but I don't know what his strategy is, or what he has in mind," said Fred Bennett, counsel for the Superior Court. "Nothing has changed. Anytime he wants to be released from custody, he answers the questions and he's gone."
Monday, May 24, 2010
Rand Paul: An Anti-Government Conspiracy Theorist
That's a question for Rand Paul, the Tea Party favorite who this week won the Republican Senate primary in Kentucky. While Paul was still celebrating, he created a media-political tempest by declaring that he opposed the provision of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 that bans discrimination by private businesses. But Paul, with his die-hard libertarianism and connections to extremists, is a veritable political kerfuffle-creating machine. Take his hobnobbing with Alex Jones, an anti-government activist and one of the most prominent advocates of the notion that the Bush administration was complicit in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The New Republic has referred to Jones as "one of the country's most significant purveyors of parnoia" who "purports to reveal an eugenics-obsessed global elite bent on eliminating most of the earth's population and enslaving the rest." Jones claims -- seriously -- that a Satanic international cabal has been "steering planetary affairs for hundreds of years." Its current goal: world government.
9/11 attack world trade centerIn the past year, Paul has appeared several times for long segments as a guest on Jones' radio show, during which Jones routinely decried the plots and machinations of "globalists" and the New World Order. Paul didn't endorse Jones' 9/11 views, but he did agree with Jones on the big picture: It's us Constitution-loving truth-seekers versus the international conspiracy.
No wonder that Jones is a big fan of Rand Paul and his father Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican congressman from Texas who ran for president in 2008. On his show, Jones has repeatedly urged his followers to contribute to Rand Paul's Senate campaign -- when not denouncing shadowy world-government schemers and their allies in the United States (such as the Federal Reserve and President Obama) for aiming to wipe out American freedom and destroy the United States.
Is it wrong for Paul to be a Jones radio buddy? Politicians and commentators routinely appear on shows hosted by personalities with whom they have political or policy disagreements. (Heck, I've gone on Bill O'Reilly's show.) But there ought to be some discretion. Should a candidate be the guest of a host who is a white supremacist? Or a Holocaust denier? No. But where is the line? Wherever it is, for a Senate hopeful, Jones is probably on the wrong side of it.
Rand Paul does have a 9/11 problem. In December, Chris Hightower, his campaign communications director, resigned after the news hit that his personal website contained racist material and suggestions that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 attacks. Afterward, when Paul's campaign was asked if he agreed with Hightower regarding 9/11, the campaign said it was a "complicated situation" with "truth on both sides." Given all this, Paul's connection with Jones is a bit suspicious. (CLARIFICATION: Hightower had written a letter supporting Ron Paul's claim that 9/11 had been the result of U.S. policy overseas, and the Rand Paul campaign was partly defending Hightower on this point.)
Moreover, whether or not Rand shares Jones' 9/11 notions, he has helped legitimize Jones (who defies easy political categorization). As I noted elsewhere after watching several of the shows where the two men discussed international and economic matters, Paul gave the impression that he and Jones were like-minded foes of the globalists and international financiers plotting to undermine, if not destroy, the United States for their own gain.
Paul noted [on one particular show] that career politicians are no match for the enemy identified by Jones: "the ones that evolve to the top of the Republican and the Democratic Party end up being the people who don't believe in anything . . . and they get pushed around by the New World Order types."
By treating Jones, who asserts that the United States is now "one of the most oppressive police states on earth," as a legitimate and insightful observer of international and national affairs, Paul has conveyed credibility on a fellow who claims on his website that "Death Camps Are Real" -- to sell copies of a "documentary."
That film, Jones maintains, "conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps, now being expanded nationwide. The military industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp. A cashless society control grid, constructed in the name of fighting terrorism, was actually built to enslave the American people. Body scanners, sound cannons, citizen spies, staged terror and cameras on every street corner -- it's only the beginning of the New World Order's hellish plan."
Rand doesn't have to echo all of Jones' outlandish opinions to aid him.
Appearing on Jones' show as a supportive and appreciate guest, Paul has helped Jones peddle his conspiracy swill. This is not the place for a potential senator. But the significant question for voters and reporters is this: How much overlap is there between Jones' paranoid view of the New World Order and Paul's own beliefs? The answer to that query may be far more important than how Rand might have voted on the Civil Rights Act 46 years ago.
9/11 attack world trade centerIn the past year, Paul has appeared several times for long segments as a guest on Jones' radio show, during which Jones routinely decried the plots and machinations of "globalists" and the New World Order. Paul didn't endorse Jones' 9/11 views, but he did agree with Jones on the big picture: It's us Constitution-loving truth-seekers versus the international conspiracy.
No wonder that Jones is a big fan of Rand Paul and his father Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican congressman from Texas who ran for president in 2008. On his show, Jones has repeatedly urged his followers to contribute to Rand Paul's Senate campaign -- when not denouncing shadowy world-government schemers and their allies in the United States (such as the Federal Reserve and President Obama) for aiming to wipe out American freedom and destroy the United States.
Is it wrong for Paul to be a Jones radio buddy? Politicians and commentators routinely appear on shows hosted by personalities with whom they have political or policy disagreements. (Heck, I've gone on Bill O'Reilly's show.) But there ought to be some discretion. Should a candidate be the guest of a host who is a white supremacist? Or a Holocaust denier? No. But where is the line? Wherever it is, for a Senate hopeful, Jones is probably on the wrong side of it.
Rand Paul does have a 9/11 problem. In December, Chris Hightower, his campaign communications director, resigned after the news hit that his personal website contained racist material and suggestions that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 attacks. Afterward, when Paul's campaign was asked if he agreed with Hightower regarding 9/11, the campaign said it was a "complicated situation" with "truth on both sides." Given all this, Paul's connection with Jones is a bit suspicious. (CLARIFICATION: Hightower had written a letter supporting Ron Paul's claim that 9/11 had been the result of U.S. policy overseas, and the Rand Paul campaign was partly defending Hightower on this point.)
Moreover, whether or not Rand shares Jones' 9/11 notions, he has helped legitimize Jones (who defies easy political categorization). As I noted elsewhere after watching several of the shows where the two men discussed international and economic matters, Paul gave the impression that he and Jones were like-minded foes of the globalists and international financiers plotting to undermine, if not destroy, the United States for their own gain.
Paul noted [on one particular show] that career politicians are no match for the enemy identified by Jones: "the ones that evolve to the top of the Republican and the Democratic Party end up being the people who don't believe in anything . . . and they get pushed around by the New World Order types."
By treating Jones, who asserts that the United States is now "one of the most oppressive police states on earth," as a legitimate and insightful observer of international and national affairs, Paul has conveyed credibility on a fellow who claims on his website that "Death Camps Are Real" -- to sell copies of a "documentary."
That film, Jones maintains, "conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps, now being expanded nationwide. The military industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp. A cashless society control grid, constructed in the name of fighting terrorism, was actually built to enslave the American people. Body scanners, sound cannons, citizen spies, staged terror and cameras on every street corner -- it's only the beginning of the New World Order's hellish plan."
Rand doesn't have to echo all of Jones' outlandish opinions to aid him.
Appearing on Jones' show as a supportive and appreciate guest, Paul has helped Jones peddle his conspiracy swill. This is not the place for a potential senator. But the significant question for voters and reporters is this: How much overlap is there between Jones' paranoid view of the New World Order and Paul's own beliefs? The answer to that query may be far more important than how Rand might have voted on the Civil Rights Act 46 years ago.
With the Senate’s passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity
With the Senate’s passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition. Like the Reagan Revolution or Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the new progressive period has the makings of a generational shift in how Washington operates.
First came a stimulus bill that, while aimed mainly at ending a deep recession, also set out to remake the nation’s educational system and vastly expand scientific research. Then President Obama signed a health care bill that was the biggest expansion of the safety net in 40 years. And now Congress is in the final stages of a bill that would tighten Wall Street’s rules and probably shrink its profit margins.
If there is a theme to all this, it has been to try to lift economic growth while also reducing income inequality. Growth in the decade that just ended was the slowest in the post-World War II era, while inequality has been rising for most of the last 35 years.
It is far too early to know if these efforts will work. Their success depends enormously on execution and, in the case of financial regulation, specifically on the Federal Reserve, which did not distinguish itself during the housing bubble.
Already, though, one downside to the legislative spurt does seem clear. By focusing on long-term problems, Mr. Obama and the Democrats have given less than their full attention to the economy’s current weakness and turned off a good number of voters.
After months of discussion, and with the unemployment rate hovering near a 27-year high, Democratic leaders said Thursday they had finally reached agreement on a bill that would send aid to states and take other steps to increase job growth. Congress plans to vote on the bill next week. But some of the money will not be spent for months and may not be enough to affect voters’ attitudes before November’s midterm elections.
Still, the turnabout since Jan. 20 — the first anniversary of Mr. Obama’s inauguration and the day after Scott Brown, a Republican, won a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts — has been remarkable. Then, commentators pronounced the Obama presidency nearly dead. Today, he looks more like a liberal answer to Ronald Reagan.
“If you’d asked me about this administration after Scott Brown was elected, I’d have told you it was going to fizzle into virtually nothing,” said Theda Skocpol, the Harvard political scientist. “Now it could easily be one of the pivotal periods in domestic policy.” But, Ms. Skocpol added, “It will depend on what happens in the next two elections.”
First came a stimulus bill that, while aimed mainly at ending a deep recession, also set out to remake the nation’s educational system and vastly expand scientific research. Then President Obama signed a health care bill that was the biggest expansion of the safety net in 40 years. And now Congress is in the final stages of a bill that would tighten Wall Street’s rules and probably shrink its profit margins.
If there is a theme to all this, it has been to try to lift economic growth while also reducing income inequality. Growth in the decade that just ended was the slowest in the post-World War II era, while inequality has been rising for most of the last 35 years.
It is far too early to know if these efforts will work. Their success depends enormously on execution and, in the case of financial regulation, specifically on the Federal Reserve, which did not distinguish itself during the housing bubble.
Already, though, one downside to the legislative spurt does seem clear. By focusing on long-term problems, Mr. Obama and the Democrats have given less than their full attention to the economy’s current weakness and turned off a good number of voters.
After months of discussion, and with the unemployment rate hovering near a 27-year high, Democratic leaders said Thursday they had finally reached agreement on a bill that would send aid to states and take other steps to increase job growth. Congress plans to vote on the bill next week. But some of the money will not be spent for months and may not be enough to affect voters’ attitudes before November’s midterm elections.
Still, the turnabout since Jan. 20 — the first anniversary of Mr. Obama’s inauguration and the day after Scott Brown, a Republican, won a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts — has been remarkable. Then, commentators pronounced the Obama presidency nearly dead. Today, he looks more like a liberal answer to Ronald Reagan.
“If you’d asked me about this administration after Scott Brown was elected, I’d have told you it was going to fizzle into virtually nothing,” said Theda Skocpol, the Harvard political scientist. “Now it could easily be one of the pivotal periods in domestic policy.” But, Ms. Skocpol added, “It will depend on what happens in the next two elections.”
Monday, March 29, 2010
Royal Dutch Shell PLC is selling its century-old distribution and retail business in New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Royal Dutch Shell PLC is selling its century-old distribution and retail business in New Zealand, including hundreds of gas stations and a share in the country's only oil refinery, for 696 million New Zealand dollars ($490 million).
Europe's largest oil company said Monday the assets will be sold to New Zealand infrastructure investor Infratil Ltd. and the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, as part of its plan to reduce its exposure to refining and focus on growth markets.
Infratil Ltd. said the agreement, scheduled to be completed Thursday, is conditional on the drawdown of bank facilities, which have been signed, and finalizing certain third-party consents.
The base purchase price was $490 million plus an adjustment for actual net working capital in excess of $146 million at settlement date.
In addition to an extensive retail network and commercial customer base, the purchase involves nationwide distribution, storage, marine and aviation assets, rights to use Shell's retail brand and the ongoing supply of Shell fuels and products.
Shell's decision to sell because of changes in the global oil market had presented a "once in a generation" opportunity, Infratil managing director Marko Bogoievski said.
"The goal from here is to continue to provide high-quality fuels at competitive prices and to leverage the benefits of a New Zealand-owned and managed downstream business," he said in a statement.
Until now, minor energy supplier Challenge has been the only locally-owned fuel provider in a market dominated by transnational groups.
Europe's largest oil company said Monday the assets will be sold to New Zealand infrastructure investor Infratil Ltd. and the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, as part of its plan to reduce its exposure to refining and focus on growth markets.
Infratil Ltd. said the agreement, scheduled to be completed Thursday, is conditional on the drawdown of bank facilities, which have been signed, and finalizing certain third-party consents.
The base purchase price was $490 million plus an adjustment for actual net working capital in excess of $146 million at settlement date.
In addition to an extensive retail network and commercial customer base, the purchase involves nationwide distribution, storage, marine and aviation assets, rights to use Shell's retail brand and the ongoing supply of Shell fuels and products.
Shell's decision to sell because of changes in the global oil market had presented a "once in a generation" opportunity, Infratil managing director Marko Bogoievski said.
"The goal from here is to continue to provide high-quality fuels at competitive prices and to leverage the benefits of a New Zealand-owned and managed downstream business," he said in a statement.
Until now, minor energy supplier Challenge has been the only locally-owned fuel provider in a market dominated by transnational groups.
A bomb scare blamed on a passenger who had been drinking
A bomb scare blamed on a passenger who had been drinking caused a five-hour delay in Sunday's return to Port Canaveral for the Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation, authorities said.
No bomb was found and Brevard County deputies arrested a Virginia man accused of starting the scare.
The ship was on its way back from Nassau, Bahamas, early Sunday when witnesses heard the "highly intoxicated" passenger say that "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
"In 2010, in today's age, you can't take that lightly," Evanson said.
The Coast Guard, FBI and Brevard deputies boarded Sensation at about 9:30 a.m. and after interviewing witnesses and the suspect, determined there was no bomb. Ibrahim Khalil Zarou, 31, was arrested at 10:15 a.m.
He was being held Sunday night on a charge of falsely threatening to detonate a bomb, Brevard jail officials said. Bail was set at $10,000.
Although the delay complicated connections for some the Sensation's 3,470 passengers, "You can't put a time [limit] on safety and security," Evanson said
A sheriff spokesman said the case is being turned over to the Coast Guard and FBI.
No bomb was found and Brevard County deputies arrested a Virginia man accused of starting the scare.
The ship was on its way back from Nassau, Bahamas, early Sunday when witnesses heard the "highly intoxicated" passenger say that "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
"In 2010, in today's age, you can't take that lightly," Evanson said.
The Coast Guard, FBI and Brevard deputies boarded Sensation at about 9:30 a.m. and after interviewing witnesses and the suspect, determined there was no bomb. Ibrahim Khalil Zarou, 31, was arrested at 10:15 a.m.
He was being held Sunday night on a charge of falsely threatening to detonate a bomb, Brevard jail officials said. Bail was set at $10,000.
Although the delay complicated connections for some the Sensation's 3,470 passengers, "You can't put a time [limit] on safety and security," Evanson said
A sheriff spokesman said the case is being turned over to the Coast Guard and FBI.
Christian Militia Raid: Were the Hutaree Targeted for Threats Against Muslims
Investigators are expected to release more information today in the raid on a Christian militia group, with one person involved in the militia movement suggesting the shadowy group had made threats against Muslims.
The Huttaree group claims Jesus is their "top general."
"Obviously someone has a source or a wiretap or intel is coming to them in some form or fashion to trigger, 'Alright we are not going to let these guys take one step further in this operation. We are going to take them down,'" ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.
Federal officials have remained tightlipped about the three-state raid Sunday that nabbed three people and arrest records have been sealed. Michael Lackomar, the leader of Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, a separate Michigan-based militia group, told ABC News he heard that threats toward Islamic groups made by extremist group the Hutaree may have fueled the arrests.
Related
FBI Raids Reportedly Target Christian Extremist
'Patriot' Movement Calling Joe Stack a Hero
WATCH: FBI Struggles to Define Stack's Act
A person claiming to be a member of the Hutaree posted a message online pleading for help and claiming that officials "broke into homes and took children and used the tasers on wives ... AND my son who is 12."
The raids were conducted Sunday in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, federal officials confirmed to the Associated Press, though they did not mention the Hutaree specifically.
Lackomar, said several members of the Hutaree, which have trained with the SMVM on occasion, showed up on the doorstep of one of his colleagues shortly after the raid.
"They were asking for a place to hide as it were and he wasn't willing to assist them in that manner," Lackomar said.
On their Web site, the Hutaree -- which they say means "Christian warriors" -- say they are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." A video shows members patrolling the woods with camouflage and weapons preparing for the arrival of the anti-Christ."
"The Hutaree will one day see its enemy and meet him on the battlefield if so God wills it," the Web site claims.
The Huttaree group claims Jesus is their "top general."
"Obviously someone has a source or a wiretap or intel is coming to them in some form or fashion to trigger, 'Alright we are not going to let these guys take one step further in this operation. We are going to take them down,'" ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.
Federal officials have remained tightlipped about the three-state raid Sunday that nabbed three people and arrest records have been sealed. Michael Lackomar, the leader of Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, a separate Michigan-based militia group, told ABC News he heard that threats toward Islamic groups made by extremist group the Hutaree may have fueled the arrests.
Related
FBI Raids Reportedly Target Christian Extremist
'Patriot' Movement Calling Joe Stack a Hero
WATCH: FBI Struggles to Define Stack's Act
A person claiming to be a member of the Hutaree posted a message online pleading for help and claiming that officials "broke into homes and took children and used the tasers on wives ... AND my son who is 12."
The raids were conducted Sunday in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, federal officials confirmed to the Associated Press, though they did not mention the Hutaree specifically.
Lackomar, said several members of the Hutaree, which have trained with the SMVM on occasion, showed up on the doorstep of one of his colleagues shortly after the raid.
"They were asking for a place to hide as it were and he wasn't willing to assist them in that manner," Lackomar said.
On their Web site, the Hutaree -- which they say means "Christian warriors" -- say they are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." A video shows members patrolling the woods with camouflage and weapons preparing for the arrival of the anti-Christ."
"The Hutaree will one day see its enemy and meet him on the battlefield if so God wills it," the Web site claims.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
HR 646: U.S. Preparing for Civil Unrest?
In their quest for the truth ~ over 60,000 infuriated Greek citizens take to the streets in central Athens because the cash strapped government faces a financial reckoning. The Obama administration has prepared itself for eventually the same demands for the truth with HR 645 which is, in essence, militarized FEMA internment camps: Allen L Roland
Recently, street clashes broke out on March11th between rioting youths and police in central Athens as tens of thousands demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government. Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257243/Greek-riots-Up-60-000-people-streets-protest-government.html
It's only a matter of time before the American people take to the streets particularly when they realize the full extent of cash strapped America's indebtedness as well as the financial backlash of Wall Street's ponzi scheme of offshore derivatives which has also brought Greece to its knees. We are talking trillions of dollars here. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense budget for 2011 will go up 7.1% .
Robert Reich, RobertReich.org, writes of the present sham recovery ~ "Are we finally in a recovery? Who's 'we,' kemosabe? Big global companies, Wall Street, and high-income Americans who hold their savings in financial instruments are clearly doing better. As to the rest of us – small businesses along Main Streets, and middle and lower-income Americans ~ forget it."
www.truthout.org/the-sham-recovery57638
Since the Obama administration is just as committed as the Bush administration to shielding the American public from honestly disclosing the full extent of its indebtedness ~ relying instead on a bank bailout buoyed mini recovery with the hopes of re-inflating the same debt bubble that just burst ~ it's just a matter of time before infuriated American citizens realize what has really happened and take to the streets.
Michel Chossudovsky spelled it out the consequences on March 18, 2009 Global Research , in an article entitled Preparing for Civil Unrest in America Legislation to Establish Internment Camps on US Military Bases
Excerpt: " A bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations.www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645
The stated purpose of the "national emergency centers" is to provide "temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster." In actuality, what we are dealing with are FEMA internment camps. HR 645 states that the camps can be used to "meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
There has been virtually no press coverage of HR 645.
These "civilian facilities" on US military bases are to be established in cooperation with the US Military. Modeled on Guantanamo, what we are dealing with is the militarization of FEMA internment facilities.
Once a person is arrested and interned in a FEMA camp located on a military base, that person would in all likelihood, under a national emergency, fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.
HR 645 bears a direct relationship to the economic crisis and the likelihood of mass protests across America. It constitutes a further move to militarize civilian law enforcement, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act. "
Theodore Roosevelt once said that Honesty is the prerequisite for a strong and healthy Republic and our government, in that sense, obviously does not trust the people it represents with the truth ~ "We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity.": Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President
We are no longer a Republic, we are now a Oligarchy where corporations now have tremendous financial and political leverage and their deepest fear is an informed, angry and rebellious public seeking the truth.
Take to the streets but be forewarned ~ the chips are increasingly being stacked against us.
Recently, street clashes broke out on March11th between rioting youths and police in central Athens as tens of thousands demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government. Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257243/Greek-riots-Up-60-000-people-streets-protest-government.html
It's only a matter of time before the American people take to the streets particularly when they realize the full extent of cash strapped America's indebtedness as well as the financial backlash of Wall Street's ponzi scheme of offshore derivatives which has also brought Greece to its knees. We are talking trillions of dollars here. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense budget for 2011 will go up 7.1% .
Robert Reich, RobertReich.org, writes of the present sham recovery ~ "Are we finally in a recovery? Who's 'we,' kemosabe? Big global companies, Wall Street, and high-income Americans who hold their savings in financial instruments are clearly doing better. As to the rest of us – small businesses along Main Streets, and middle and lower-income Americans ~ forget it."
www.truthout.org/the-sham-recovery57638
Since the Obama administration is just as committed as the Bush administration to shielding the American public from honestly disclosing the full extent of its indebtedness ~ relying instead on a bank bailout buoyed mini recovery with the hopes of re-inflating the same debt bubble that just burst ~ it's just a matter of time before infuriated American citizens realize what has really happened and take to the streets.
Michel Chossudovsky spelled it out the consequences on March 18, 2009 Global Research , in an article entitled Preparing for Civil Unrest in America Legislation to Establish Internment Camps on US Military Bases
Excerpt: " A bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations.www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645
The stated purpose of the "national emergency centers" is to provide "temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster." In actuality, what we are dealing with are FEMA internment camps. HR 645 states that the camps can be used to "meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
There has been virtually no press coverage of HR 645.
These "civilian facilities" on US military bases are to be established in cooperation with the US Military. Modeled on Guantanamo, what we are dealing with is the militarization of FEMA internment facilities.
Once a person is arrested and interned in a FEMA camp located on a military base, that person would in all likelihood, under a national emergency, fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.
HR 645 bears a direct relationship to the economic crisis and the likelihood of mass protests across America. It constitutes a further move to militarize civilian law enforcement, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act. "
Theodore Roosevelt once said that Honesty is the prerequisite for a strong and healthy Republic and our government, in that sense, obviously does not trust the people it represents with the truth ~ "We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity.": Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President
We are no longer a Republic, we are now a Oligarchy where corporations now have tremendous financial and political leverage and their deepest fear is an informed, angry and rebellious public seeking the truth.
Take to the streets but be forewarned ~ the chips are increasingly being stacked against us.
FEMA Detention Site Plans Exposed
If, God forbid, Americans are ever rounded up in large numbers during a natural or manmade disaster, where could they be detained? Well, perhaps look no further than the school building next door, the office building around the corner or the stadium downtown. And besides existing military installations, state fair grounds, horse stables, airports “and maybe even a hotel” also could be used as detention centers.
That’s according to Restore the Republic’s Gary Franchi at Freedom Law School’s recent Health & Freedom Conference. Franchi was one of several speakers who gathered at the Airport Hilton in Ontario, Calif., March 12-15 to talk about cutting-edge developments in health and politics.
Many vigilant Americans have become aware of some apparently underutilized military facilities and other installations around the nation that seem designed to detain large numbers of people but are largely empty.
Unsubstantiated rumors and urban legends have been circulated, and Franchi was careful not to overstate this issue. But he said there is cause for considerable concern in these post-9-11 days when the normal patriotic impulses of Americans are being relabeled as radical or even on par with terrorism by federal agencies.
Franchi told the conference audience that on April 1, 1979, under Executive Order 12127, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created but it unfortunately was “no joke” for April Fools Day. Just as FEMA was absorbed nearly 25 years later by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA at its birth absorbed the Department of Defense civil-preparedness functions that designated schools, office buildings and other structures as atom bomb “fallout shelters” starting in the 1950s during the Cold War days with the Soviet Union.
DHS, created on the direct recommendation of the 9-11 Commission, that purported to deeply study what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, says, under its “Goals and Objectives” statement (Part VI), that its mission is to “protect our nation from dangerous people.”
Now under the DHS umbrella, FEMA’s three basic objectives, according to its own policy, are: national emergency recovery, continuity of government and “to combat perceived threats to the social and political order,” Franchi emphasized.
He showed an aerial picture of “FEMA City,” the drab barracks set up in Florida after Hurricane Charlie. These cookie-cutter mobile homes were “free housing with nosebleeds,” Franchi said, referring to the effects of chemical fumes emitted from the shoddy building materials.
The area, courtesy of FEMA, became a crime haven. Any genuine public benefit was marginal at best.
Fast-forward to Highland Mall in Austin, Texas, claimed by FEMA in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a place to put Louisiana refugees entering Texas. The New Orleans Superdome itself was “another
private building used to house refugees,” Franchi added.
Given the ongoing “war on terror” and the threat to the people’s liberties that can arise from “anti-terror” measures, combined with steep economic decline and the procedures and policies that FEMA and DHS have developed or are still developing, Franchi says the situation looks grim unless Americans protest now and show they are informed of, and actively opposed to, potential plans to imprison large numbers of people, lest Americans bite the dust the way the USSR people did when they were sent to brutal labor camps amid political turmoil and the demonizing of “unlawful” political beliefs.
Pointing to the World War II detention of thousands of Japanese-Americans, Franchi said the detaining of Americans has already happened. Recall that during Woodrow Wilson’s days, many notable war dissenters were imprisoned in a nation supposedly dedicated to free speech. So it’s only a question of circumstance, as Franchi sees it.
The FBI’s Project Megiddo in 1999, the Missouri Information Analysis Center “militia” report from February 2009 and the April 2009 DHS report Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, are among the reports that have tried to tie Americans’ concerns and beliefs to supposed violent tendencies, so these linkages can be transformed into the “truth” and used to arrest political dissidents, just like what happened in the early 20th century, said Franchi.
He added that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long tried to influence law enforcement and legislation, has issued yet another report that follows a similar tack. His research is in the documentary Camp FEMA. “We cannot let these people . . . intimidate us; we are sovereign U.S. citizens, and nothing is going to stop us from [resisting] this tyranny,” Franchi said, noting that public television stations may help.
——
* For a great primer on FEMA camps, get a copy of AFP’s special report Concentration Camps in America. One copy is $3, six copies are $10 and 40 or more are 50 cents each. Send check or money order to AFP at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20003.
That’s according to Restore the Republic’s Gary Franchi at Freedom Law School’s recent Health & Freedom Conference. Franchi was one of several speakers who gathered at the Airport Hilton in Ontario, Calif., March 12-15 to talk about cutting-edge developments in health and politics.
Many vigilant Americans have become aware of some apparently underutilized military facilities and other installations around the nation that seem designed to detain large numbers of people but are largely empty.
Unsubstantiated rumors and urban legends have been circulated, and Franchi was careful not to overstate this issue. But he said there is cause for considerable concern in these post-9-11 days when the normal patriotic impulses of Americans are being relabeled as radical or even on par with terrorism by federal agencies.
Franchi told the conference audience that on April 1, 1979, under Executive Order 12127, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created but it unfortunately was “no joke” for April Fools Day. Just as FEMA was absorbed nearly 25 years later by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA at its birth absorbed the Department of Defense civil-preparedness functions that designated schools, office buildings and other structures as atom bomb “fallout shelters” starting in the 1950s during the Cold War days with the Soviet Union.
DHS, created on the direct recommendation of the 9-11 Commission, that purported to deeply study what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, says, under its “Goals and Objectives” statement (Part VI), that its mission is to “protect our nation from dangerous people.”
Now under the DHS umbrella, FEMA’s three basic objectives, according to its own policy, are: national emergency recovery, continuity of government and “to combat perceived threats to the social and political order,” Franchi emphasized.
He showed an aerial picture of “FEMA City,” the drab barracks set up in Florida after Hurricane Charlie. These cookie-cutter mobile homes were “free housing with nosebleeds,” Franchi said, referring to the effects of chemical fumes emitted from the shoddy building materials.
The area, courtesy of FEMA, became a crime haven. Any genuine public benefit was marginal at best.
Fast-forward to Highland Mall in Austin, Texas, claimed by FEMA in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a place to put Louisiana refugees entering Texas. The New Orleans Superdome itself was “another
private building used to house refugees,” Franchi added.
Given the ongoing “war on terror” and the threat to the people’s liberties that can arise from “anti-terror” measures, combined with steep economic decline and the procedures and policies that FEMA and DHS have developed or are still developing, Franchi says the situation looks grim unless Americans protest now and show they are informed of, and actively opposed to, potential plans to imprison large numbers of people, lest Americans bite the dust the way the USSR people did when they were sent to brutal labor camps amid political turmoil and the demonizing of “unlawful” political beliefs.
Pointing to the World War II detention of thousands of Japanese-Americans, Franchi said the detaining of Americans has already happened. Recall that during Woodrow Wilson’s days, many notable war dissenters were imprisoned in a nation supposedly dedicated to free speech. So it’s only a question of circumstance, as Franchi sees it.
The FBI’s Project Megiddo in 1999, the Missouri Information Analysis Center “militia” report from February 2009 and the April 2009 DHS report Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, are among the reports that have tried to tie Americans’ concerns and beliefs to supposed violent tendencies, so these linkages can be transformed into the “truth” and used to arrest political dissidents, just like what happened in the early 20th century, said Franchi.
He added that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long tried to influence law enforcement and legislation, has issued yet another report that follows a similar tack. His research is in the documentary Camp FEMA. “We cannot let these people . . . intimidate us; we are sovereign U.S. citizens, and nothing is going to stop us from [resisting] this tyranny,” Franchi said, noting that public television stations may help.
——
* For a great primer on FEMA camps, get a copy of AFP’s special report Concentration Camps in America. One copy is $3, six copies are $10 and 40 or more are 50 cents each. Send check or money order to AFP at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20003.
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