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.
Monday, March 29, 2010
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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
fema camp info base
This is a fema camp info base keep update info here the vids allays change so bare with me
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
US FEMA Camps
Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
4. Detainment Camps
5. End Notes
1. Executive Summary
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous detainment camps throughout the United States. Some camps have been recently constructed and / or renovated and are fully staffed. The existence of the camps coupled with Presidential Executive Orders giving the President and Department of Homeland Security (of which FEMA is now part) control over ‘national essential functions’ in the event of ‘catastrophic emergency’ have resulted in concerns that the camps will be used to forcefully detain American citizens for unconstitutional purposes.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
History
FEMA was created on April 1, 1979 pursuant to President Jimmy Carter’s Executive Order 12127. It amalgamated the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities formerly carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It also took over Civil Defense from the Department of Defense, which was in charge of preparing citizens for military attack. [1]
In 1993 Bill Clinton turned the directorship of FEMA into a Cabinet position. In 2003 FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. [2]
Stated Purpose
The stated purpose of FEMA is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.” [3]
Recent Operations
FEMA’s most notable large-scale operation in recent times was in the aftermath of August 2005 hurricane Katrina, which occurred along the north-central Gulf Coast, particularly affecting New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA’s response to the disaster was widely criticized due to a slow and inadequate response, blocking external private and public assistance from individuals and groups including the Red Cross, [4] banning photographs of the dead [5] and confiscating reporter’s equipment [6] and homeowner’s registered firearms. [7]
The 2006 Congressional report on FEMA’s handling of Katrina stated that it was "… a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare," [8]
Criticisms
Some have criticized FEMA’s failure as being due to is focus on ‘civil defense’ continuity of government and terrorism response programs to the detriment of its natural disaster response readiness. It is further alleged that hurricane Katrina was used to test run of a continuity of government program, allowing FEMA to rehearse rounding up and relocating large numbers of people to camps, suspending their constitutional rights and militarizing the region [9] with the help of private military contractors (mercenaries). Black Water USA, a private security company, was used in the aftermath of Katrina. [10]
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
REX-84 and Operation Garden Plot
Readiness Exercise 1984 (REX-84) is an emergency response program involving the implementation of martial law, the movement of civilian populations and the arrest and detainment of segments of the population. A rehearsal of the program was carried out April 5-13, 1984. It was led by FEMA and the Department of Defense and involved the coordination of 34 other Federal departments and agencies. [11] REX-84 was mentioned during the Iran-Contra hearings [12] and publicly exposed by the Miami Herald on Sunday July 5th, 1987. [13]
Similar large-scale emergency preparedness drills have taken place regularly since then. The most recently announced, organized by NORTHCOM, are scheduled for October 15-20. [14] Some assert that the drills continue to include preparations for the suspension of the Constitution and the implementation of martial law. [15]
Operation Garden Plot is a United States Army and National Guard program under control of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide Federal military support during domestic civil disturbances. One example of the program’s implementation was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when US Army and Marine forces were used in conjunction with the California National Guard. [16] In Los Angeles an Executive Order was made to permit the use of the Federal army to uphold domestic laws pursuant to the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which places restrictions on the domestic use of the military for law enforcement purposes. [17]
Recently, however, Section 1076 Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) has amended Posse Comitatus and The Insurrection Act (which also places limits on domestic military deployment) to allow the Federal government to unilaterally take control of state National Guards and position Federal troops anywhere in the country during a ‘public emergency’. [18]
Executive Orders
Throughout the 1960s numerous Presidential Executive Orders were issued authorizing Federal agencies to take over essential functions in the case of a declared emergency. The powers include, among many others, the authority of the Federal government to take over transportation infrastructure including highways and seaports (10990), food resources and farms (10998) and mobilize citizens into government supervised work brigades (11000). [19]
On May 9, 2007 President George Bush reasserted the role of the Federal government during a declared emergency by issuing Executive Order NSPD 51/ HSPD-20. The Order states that in the event of a ‘catastrophic emergency’ all ‘national essential functions’ may be taken over by the Executive branch of government and the Department of Homeland Security (including FEMA). [20]
4. Detainment Camps
Developments and Construction
In August 2002, then Attorney General John Ashcroft called for American citizens who are deemed ‘enemy combatants’ to be detained indefinitely without charge and independently of the judiciary. [21] This legal position was upheld in the case of a US citizen detained abroad by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a January 2003 ruling. [22]
In October 2006 the Military Commissions Act was passed by Congress. [23] The legislation applies to non-US citizens and permits individuals labeled as ‘enemy combatants’ to be imprisoned indefinitely and without charge. It also denies non-military tribunal judicial review of detainment (Section 7), disregards international treaties such as the Geneva Convention, and states that it is the President who defines what constitutes torture (Sections 5 & 6).
In January of 2007 the American Civil Liberties Union released a report based on documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act suit showing that the Pentagon had monitored at least “186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.” [24]
For some time FEMA has been renovating and constructing new detention camps throughout the country. In January 2006 Haliburton subsidiary KBR announced that it had been awarded an “indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract to construct detention facilities for the Department of Homeland Security worth a maximum of $385 million over 5 years. [25]
Stated Purpose
Little has been said about the purpose of the detainment camps but when official comment has been made it has stated that the camps are for the temporary detainment of illegal immigrants. [26]
Quantity and Locations
Citizens who are concerned about the purpose and potential use of the detainment camps have documented and, when possible, filmed the detainment facilities. A current estimate of the number of detainment camps is over 800 located in all regions of the United States with varying maximum capacities. [27] If one includes government buildings currently used for other purposes the number is far greater. Video of renovated but empty detainment camps has also been released. [28]
5. End Notes
[1] Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12127.htm.
[2] Federal Emergency Management Agency. “About FEMA” April 1, 2007.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Federal Emergency Management Agency. News Release. “First Responders Urged Not To Respond To Hurricane Impact Areas Unless Dispatched By State, Local
Authorities” 29 August 2005 http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470;
Rodgers, Ann. “Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 3 September 2005
Zarend-Kubatko, Jill. “Disaster touches area residents” Valley Life. 2 September 2005 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>.
[5] Editorandpublisher.com. “Journalist Groups Protest FEMA Ban on Photos of Dead” 7
September 2005 http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055768>.
[6] Gebauer, Matthias. “The Eye of the Hurricane” Spiegel Online International.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,373590,00.html>.
[7] Berenson, Alex and Timothy Williams. “New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes” New York Times. 8 September 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial
08cnd-storm.html?ex=1189483200&en=b7a5f1efcf668506&ei=5070>.
[8] Cable News Network (CNN). “Report: Katrina response a 'failure of leadership':
Homeland Security secretary described as 'detached'” 14 February 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/13/katrina.congress/index.html?iref=newssearch>.
[9] Nimmo, Kurt. “Attacks on democratic rights, breaching legal barriers: FEMA and
Katrina: REX-84 Revisited” Global Research. 11 September 2005 www.//globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NIM20050911&articleId=929>.
[10] Scahill, Jeremy. “In the Black(water)” The Nation. 22 May 2006
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill>.
[11] Reynolds, Diana. “The Rise of the National Security State: FEMA and the NSC.” Publiceye.org. 1990.
[12] “Suspension of American Constitution Oliver North.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tQAYYtLok&mode=related&search=>.
[13] Chardy, Alfonso. “Reagan Aides and the ‘Secret’ Government.” The Miami Herald. 5 July 1987 http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/secret_white_house_plans.htm>.
[14] United States Northern Command. “Exercise Vigilant Shield ’08 slated for October.” 30 August 2007 http://www.northcom.mil/News/2007/083007.html>.
[15] Rogers, Lee. “NORTHCOM Plans 5 Day Martial Law Exercise.” Intel Strike. 5 September 2007 http://intelstrike.com/?p=57>.
[16] Global Security. “Operation Garden Plot JTF-LAJoint Task Force Los Angeles”.
[17] Morales, Frank. “U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning:
The War At Home” Covert Action Quarterly, #69 Spring / Summer 2000. http://cryptome.org/garden-plot.htm>.
[18] Morales, Frank. “Bush Moves Towards Martial Law” Toward Freedom. 26 October 2006
[19] Anonymous. “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders” Friends of Liberty. http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[20] The White House. “Presidential Directive NSPD 51, HSPD-20.” 9 May 2007.
[21] Turley, Jonathan. “Camps for Citizens: Ashcroft's Hellish Vision” Los Angeles Times. 14 August 2002.
[22] Cable News Network (CNN). “Americans may be held as 'enemy combatants,' appeals court rules.” 8 January 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/08/enemy.combatants>.
[23] The Library of Congress. Military Commissions Act of 2006. 17 October 2007 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.3930:>.
[24] American Civil Liberties Union. “ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activists” Press Release. 17 January 2007 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.html>.
[25] Halliburton Public Relations “KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support Project for Emergency Support Services.” 24 January 2006 http://www.kbr.com/news/2006/govnews_060124.aspx>.
[26] Ibid.
Scott, Peter Dale. “Homeland Security Contracts for Vast New Detention Camps.” New America Media. 8 February 2006 http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=eed74d9d44c30493706fe03f4c9b3a77>.
[27] Friends of Liberty “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders.”
http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[28] FEMA Camp Footage (Concentrations Camps in USA). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P-hvPJPTi4.
Global Research Articles by Geopolitical Monitor
1. Executive Summary
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
4. Detainment Camps
5. End Notes
1. Executive Summary
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous detainment camps throughout the United States. Some camps have been recently constructed and / or renovated and are fully staffed. The existence of the camps coupled with Presidential Executive Orders giving the President and Department of Homeland Security (of which FEMA is now part) control over ‘national essential functions’ in the event of ‘catastrophic emergency’ have resulted in concerns that the camps will be used to forcefully detain American citizens for unconstitutional purposes.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
History
FEMA was created on April 1, 1979 pursuant to President Jimmy Carter’s Executive Order 12127. It amalgamated the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities formerly carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It also took over Civil Defense from the Department of Defense, which was in charge of preparing citizens for military attack. [1]
In 1993 Bill Clinton turned the directorship of FEMA into a Cabinet position. In 2003 FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. [2]
Stated Purpose
The stated purpose of FEMA is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.” [3]
Recent Operations
FEMA’s most notable large-scale operation in recent times was in the aftermath of August 2005 hurricane Katrina, which occurred along the north-central Gulf Coast, particularly affecting New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA’s response to the disaster was widely criticized due to a slow and inadequate response, blocking external private and public assistance from individuals and groups including the Red Cross, [4] banning photographs of the dead [5] and confiscating reporter’s equipment [6] and homeowner’s registered firearms. [7]
The 2006 Congressional report on FEMA’s handling of Katrina stated that it was "… a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare," [8]
Criticisms
Some have criticized FEMA’s failure as being due to is focus on ‘civil defense’ continuity of government and terrorism response programs to the detriment of its natural disaster response readiness. It is further alleged that hurricane Katrina was used to test run of a continuity of government program, allowing FEMA to rehearse rounding up and relocating large numbers of people to camps, suspending their constitutional rights and militarizing the region [9] with the help of private military contractors (mercenaries). Black Water USA, a private security company, was used in the aftermath of Katrina. [10]
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
REX-84 and Operation Garden Plot
Readiness Exercise 1984 (REX-84) is an emergency response program involving the implementation of martial law, the movement of civilian populations and the arrest and detainment of segments of the population. A rehearsal of the program was carried out April 5-13, 1984. It was led by FEMA and the Department of Defense and involved the coordination of 34 other Federal departments and agencies. [11] REX-84 was mentioned during the Iran-Contra hearings [12] and publicly exposed by the Miami Herald on Sunday July 5th, 1987. [13]
Similar large-scale emergency preparedness drills have taken place regularly since then. The most recently announced, organized by NORTHCOM, are scheduled for October 15-20. [14] Some assert that the drills continue to include preparations for the suspension of the Constitution and the implementation of martial law. [15]
Operation Garden Plot is a United States Army and National Guard program under control of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide Federal military support during domestic civil disturbances. One example of the program’s implementation was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when US Army and Marine forces were used in conjunction with the California National Guard. [16] In Los Angeles an Executive Order was made to permit the use of the Federal army to uphold domestic laws pursuant to the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which places restrictions on the domestic use of the military for law enforcement purposes. [17]
Recently, however, Section 1076 Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) has amended Posse Comitatus and The Insurrection Act (which also places limits on domestic military deployment) to allow the Federal government to unilaterally take control of state National Guards and position Federal troops anywhere in the country during a ‘public emergency’. [18]
Executive Orders
Throughout the 1960s numerous Presidential Executive Orders were issued authorizing Federal agencies to take over essential functions in the case of a declared emergency. The powers include, among many others, the authority of the Federal government to take over transportation infrastructure including highways and seaports (10990), food resources and farms (10998) and mobilize citizens into government supervised work brigades (11000). [19]
On May 9, 2007 President George Bush reasserted the role of the Federal government during a declared emergency by issuing Executive Order NSPD 51/ HSPD-20. The Order states that in the event of a ‘catastrophic emergency’ all ‘national essential functions’ may be taken over by the Executive branch of government and the Department of Homeland Security (including FEMA). [20]
4. Detainment Camps
Developments and Construction
In August 2002, then Attorney General John Ashcroft called for American citizens who are deemed ‘enemy combatants’ to be detained indefinitely without charge and independently of the judiciary. [21] This legal position was upheld in the case of a US citizen detained abroad by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a January 2003 ruling. [22]
In October 2006 the Military Commissions Act was passed by Congress. [23] The legislation applies to non-US citizens and permits individuals labeled as ‘enemy combatants’ to be imprisoned indefinitely and without charge. It also denies non-military tribunal judicial review of detainment (Section 7), disregards international treaties such as the Geneva Convention, and states that it is the President who defines what constitutes torture (Sections 5 & 6).
In January of 2007 the American Civil Liberties Union released a report based on documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act suit showing that the Pentagon had monitored at least “186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.” [24]
For some time FEMA has been renovating and constructing new detention camps throughout the country. In January 2006 Haliburton subsidiary KBR announced that it had been awarded an “indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract to construct detention facilities for the Department of Homeland Security worth a maximum of $385 million over 5 years. [25]
Stated Purpose
Little has been said about the purpose of the detainment camps but when official comment has been made it has stated that the camps are for the temporary detainment of illegal immigrants. [26]
Quantity and Locations
Citizens who are concerned about the purpose and potential use of the detainment camps have documented and, when possible, filmed the detainment facilities. A current estimate of the number of detainment camps is over 800 located in all regions of the United States with varying maximum capacities. [27] If one includes government buildings currently used for other purposes the number is far greater. Video of renovated but empty detainment camps has also been released. [28]
5. End Notes
[1] Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12127.htm.
[2] Federal Emergency Management Agency. “About FEMA” April 1, 2007
[3] Ibid.
[4] Federal Emergency Management Agency. News Release. “First Responders Urged Not To Respond To Hurricane Impact Areas Unless Dispatched By State, Local
Authorities” 29 August 2005 http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470;
Rodgers, Ann. “Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 3 September 2005
Zarend-Kubatko, Jill. “Disaster touches area residents” Valley Life. 2 September 2005 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>.
[5] Editorandpublisher.com. “Journalist Groups Protest FEMA Ban on Photos of Dead” 7
September 2005 http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055768>.
[6] Gebauer, Matthias. “The Eye of the Hurricane” Spiegel Online International.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,373590,00.html>.
[7] Berenson, Alex and Timothy Williams. “New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes” New York Times. 8 September 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial
08cnd-storm.html?ex=1189483200&en=b7a5f1efcf668506&ei=5070>.
[8] Cable News Network (CNN). “Report: Katrina response a 'failure of leadership':
Homeland Security secretary described as 'detached'” 14 February 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/13/katrina.congress/index.html?iref=newssearch>.
[9] Nimmo, Kurt. “Attacks on democratic rights, breaching legal barriers: FEMA and
Katrina: REX-84 Revisited” Global Research. 11 September 2005 www.//globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NIM20050911&articleId=929>.
[10] Scahill, Jeremy. “In the Black(water)” The Nation. 22 May 2006
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill>.
[11] Reynolds, Diana. “The Rise of the National Security State: FEMA and the NSC.” Publiceye.org. 1990
[12] “Suspension of American Constitution Oliver North.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tQAYYtLok&mode=related&search=>.
[13] Chardy, Alfonso. “Reagan Aides and the ‘Secret’ Government.” The Miami Herald. 5 July 1987 http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/secret_white_house_plans.htm>.
[14] United States Northern Command. “Exercise Vigilant Shield ’08 slated for October.” 30 August 2007 http://www.northcom.mil/News/2007/083007.html>.
[15] Rogers, Lee. “NORTHCOM Plans 5 Day Martial Law Exercise.” Intel Strike. 5 September 2007 http://intelstrike.com/?p=57>.
[16] Global Security. “Operation Garden Plot JTF-LAJoint Task Force Los Angeles”
[17] Morales, Frank. “U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning:
The War At Home” Covert Action Quarterly, #69 Spring / Summer 2000. http://cryptome.org/garden-plot.htm>.
[18] Morales, Frank. “Bush Moves Towards Martial Law” Toward Freedom. 26 October 2006
[19] Anonymous. “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders” Friends of Liberty. http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[20] The White House. “Presidential Directive NSPD 51, HSPD-20.” 9 May 2007
[21] Turley, Jonathan. “Camps for Citizens: Ashcroft's Hellish Vision” Los Angeles Times. 14 August 2002
[22] Cable News Network (CNN). “Americans may be held as 'enemy combatants,' appeals court rules.” 8 January 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/08/enemy.combatants>.
[23] The Library of Congress. Military Commissions Act of 2006. 17 October 2007 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.3930:>.
[24] American Civil Liberties Union. “ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activists” Press Release. 17 January 2007 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.html>.
[25] Halliburton Public Relations “KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support Project for Emergency Support Services.” 24 January 2006 http://www.kbr.com/news/2006/govnews_060124.aspx>.
[26] Ibid.
Scott, Peter Dale. “Homeland Security Contracts for Vast New Detention Camps.” New America Media. 8 February 2006 http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=eed74d9d44c30493706fe03f4c9b3a77>.
[27] Friends of Liberty “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders.”
http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[28] FEMA Camp Footage (Concentrations Camps in USA). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P-hvPJPTi4.
Global Research Articles by Geopolitical Monitor
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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