With the possibility of bio-terror, dirty bombs, bird flu, economic depression, have you prepared for the eventuallity of martial law?
Naomi Wolfe's article entitled 'Fascist America, in 10 easy steps'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html explains the formula that is used to create a fascist state.
Last autumn, there was a military coup in Thailand. The leaders of the coup took a number of steps, rather systematically, as if they had a shopping list. In a sense, they did. Within a matter of days, democracy had been closed down: the coup leaders declared martial law, sent armed soldiers into residential areas, took over radio and TV stations, issued restrictions on the press, tightened some limits on travel, and took certain activists into custody.There are a host of executive orders that have been on the books for over thirty years that would place FEMA in charge in the event of a national crisis simply by the stroke of the Presidential pen. With FEMA's astonishing foul up during Hurricane Katrina, if martial law was to be declared on a grander scale, the chance of receiving immediate aid is quite slim.
Some of the executive orders include:
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990
allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995
allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997
allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998
allows the government to seize all means of transportation, including personal cars, trucks or vehicles of any kind and total control over all highways, seaports, and waterways.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10999
allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000
allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001
allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002
designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003
allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004
allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005
allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051
specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310
grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049
assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921
allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has broad powers in every aspect of the nation. General Frank Salzedo, chief of FEMA's Civil Security Division stated in a 1983 conference that he saw FEMA's role as a "new frontier in the protection of individual and governmental leaders from assassination, and of civil and military installations from sabotage and/or attack, as well as prevention of dissident groups from gaining access to U.S. opinion, or a global audience in times of crisis." FEMA's powers were consolidated by President Carter to incorporate the...
National Security Act of 1947
allows for the strategic relocation of industries, services, government and other essential economic activities, and to rationalize the requirements for manpower, resources and production facilities.
1950 Defense Production Act
gives the President sweeping powers over all aspects of the economy.
Act of August 29, 1916
authorizes the Secretary of the Army, in time of war, to take possession of any transportation system for transporting troops, material, or any other purpose related to the emergency.
International Emergency Economic Powers Act
enables the President to seize the property of a foreign country or national. These powers were transferred to FEMA in a sweeping consolidation in 1979
In addition, Halliburton recieved a 10 year contract to construct detention centers across America.
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=9c2d6a5e75201d7e3936ddc65cdd56a9The Patriot Act gave the executive branch sweeping unchecked powers, the Military Commissions Act suspended Habeous Corpus for 'enemy combatants' (which is a loose definition including anyone labeled by rumor or heresay) including US citizens, and the John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 allows the President to take control over a State's National Guard without the Governor's authorization.
A suspension of liberty has been implemented in the past, although some could argue it was necessary, such as disarming Native Americans and restricting them to reservations and placing American-Japanese in internment camps during WWII. During the past, liberty was restored at the end of the conflict. The global war on terror is supposed to last for generations. In the event of a martial law situation or detention of 'enemy combatants' Will it be generations before these liberties are restored? Would America ever return to its previous state?
What preparations, if any, have you taken to sustain yourself and family in the event that martial law is declared?
If you haven't familiarized yourself with REX-84, now would be a good time to do so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_84REX-84 was originally created in the event of racial tension. I think that it is still a possiblity. Consider...the recent rants by Michael Richards, Don Imus, OJ Simpson's rediculous book idea, MS-13 gangs, the influx of illegal immigrants (Mexicans specifically) and to top it off, our next President might very likely be black. What if something were to happen to him and what further tension could that cause?