As if the economic situation and Y2K were not enough and now we have this. Good background reading would be the history of Germany circa 1917 thru the 1930's.

ACLU Says Broad New Anti-Terrorism Measure Could Encroach On Americans' Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, January 25, 1999

WASHINGTON -- A broad counter-terrorism program being considered by the Clinton administration could include measures that severely jeopardize Americans' liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union charged today.

The measures include the creation of a domestic military "commandante" responsible for fighting domestic crimes of terrorism.

These proposals, now under consideration, were apparently not included in the proposals unveiled on Friday by President Clinton.

"There is no need to further involve the military in civilian law enforcement," said Gregory T. Nojeim, a legislative counsel for the ACLU.

Illegal use of chemical or biological weapons, like illegal use of explosives, is already a crime, Nojeim explained, and ought to be investigated and interdicted in the same way. The FBI, flush with hundreds of millions of new dollars to fight terrorism, is certainly well-equipped to deal with these crimes, he said.

"Military tanks on city streets are a scene from Kosovo, not Cleveland," said Nojeim. "There is no need to create a new branch of the military -- under the commandante for the country -- whose business it could become to do just that."

Since 1878, the Posse Comitatus Act has prohibited the military from getting into the business of civilian law enforcement.

In the few instances when the military has gotten involved in law enforcement efforts the result has been catastrophic, the ACLU said. A year and a half ago, Marines patrolling the U.S. border near Redford, Texas in search of drugs shot and killed an 18-year old goat-herder, Esequiel Hernandez. The marines were subsequently withdrawn from the border.

In Puerto Rico, when the National Guard took over public housing projects, it detained residents without cause, searched their apartments without warrants, and used excessive force -- including breaking down doors. One youth was killed, allegedly without cause.

"We should keep scenes from movies like The Siege and Enemy of the State in the theaters, not on the streets," Nojeim said.

The President is also considering proposals to make secret certain publicly available information about pipelines, highways, mass transit, water and other aspects of the nation's infrastructure, a move that was also criticized by the ACLU. Classification of this information would increase costs and actually decrease the ability of the private sector to protect itself from computer attacks, the ACLU said.

"There is already too much classification of information, as the President recognized less than two years ago when he received the report of the Commission on Protection and Reduction of Government Secrecy," Nojeim said.

The commission, chaired by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, recommended a series of steps to control the overclassification of information and to speed declassification of documents that should no longer be classified.

"The private sector has incentive enough to protect our nation's electronic infrastructure. Instead of forcing the acceptance of its own plan, the government should develop and share ideas with the private sector," Nojeim said.

-- Ed Stevens (ed@terraworld.net), January 31, 1999

Answers

Don't often agree with the ACLU but they are on target here.

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), January 31, 1999.

We don't know what happened, but apparently some weighty issues were discussed at the White House on January 21. At least, that's what I gather from various news reports I've seen in the media. Y2K was one of the issues.

Iraq has promised to retaliate for the air strikes against them in December. I'm sure that's one of the things our government is worried about. But, like everyone, I'm concerned that constitutional rights are slipping away, bit by bit. I hope that whoever are making decisions on these things have the wisdom to take measures that are truly appropriate.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 31, 1999.

Is this a press release from the ACLU? Link Please.

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), January 31, 1999.

My wife was reading Ken Davis's book "don't know much about history," and I opened it to the page dealing with the army assault on the "bonus army" in Washington D.C. in 1932. Twenty thousand homeless veterans had marched to D.C. to ask for their promised 'bonus' from fighting in WWI. They were camped outside the White House, and General McArthur, with his aide-de-camp Eisenhower, gave the order to use army troops to disperse them. U.S. Army 7th Cavalry, led by none other than Col. George Patton, led the attack. The veterans were driven out of the city, their ramshackle camp burned, with over 100 casualties, including two babies dead from the use of tear gas. This in 1932. So much for 'Posse Comittatus." (Not to mention Truman calling out the Army to smash the steel workers in the early fifties). Can't happen here? It DID happen here, and will again. Just remember who will be Presid. when (er, if) they declare martial law.

-- Spidey (senses@tingling.com), January 31, 1999.

The ACLU is doing something useful?

Maybe it *IS* time for the "second coming"...

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous.com), January 31, 1999.

I think this is the link www.aclu.org/news/1999/n012599a.html This is the Domestic commander in chief I have been talking about for a week now. Clinton took this one straight out of the third reich history books.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), January 31, 1999.

Spidey,

Just for the record: Doug McArthur ordered his troops to FIRE on the bonus marchers...that's where the majority of the casualties came from.

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), January 31, 1999.

Y'all just be real glad Curt Lemay never got the green light. He was just itching to nuke Russia before they could do us back.

LeMay, Curtis E. (1906-1990). Was lead navigator on two historic B-17 flights to South America. Commanded XXI Bomber Command and Twentieth Air Force during World War II. Commanded US Air Forces in Europe (organized Berlin Airlift) and was architect of Strategic Air Command. Served as Air Force Chief of Staff from 1961 to 1965.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 31, 1999.

It is necessary to realize that if the Gestapo (IRS, FTB, INS, FEMA, FBI, DEA, ATF, BLM ...) comes for you and/or tries to confiscate your stash -- YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD. If not immediately, then within a few weeks at most, on your own with no supplies, or starved or a victim of your guards or riots in the compound, camp, or "containment" zone.

If you are going to go, wouldn't it be nice that some of them went, also?

-- A (A@AisA.com), February 01, 1999.

: This letter is from an editorial in the Washinton Times and was sent to me by a reader.)

WASHINGTON TIMES 6-7 LETTER TO EDITOR

Washington Times Letters to the Editor June 7 - Arlington, VA

During the past several months in the American press, the Democrats have frequently denounced the Republicans as Nazis due to their attempts to control runaway federal spending. How very ironic. I remember the Nazis. Let me share a little about them and recall some of their exploits.

First of all, 'Nazi' was gutter slang for the verb 'to nationalize'. The Bider-Mienhoff gang gave themselves this moniker during their early struggles. The official title of the Nazi Party was 'The National Socialist Workers Party of Germany'. Hitler and the Brownshirts advocated the nationalization of education, health care, transportation, national resources, manufacturing, distribution and law enforcement.

Hitler came to power by turning the working class, unemployed, and academic elite against the conservative republic. After Der Fuhrer's election ceased being a political conspiracy and was transformed into a fashionable social phenomenon, party membership was especially popular with educators, bureaucrats, and the press.

Being a Nazi was 'politically correct'. They called themselves 'The Children of the New Age of World Order' and looked down their noses at everyone else. As Hitler acquired more power, he referred to his critics as 'The Dark Forces of Anarchy and Hatred'. Anyone who questioned Nazi high-handedness in the German press was branded a 'Conservative Reactionary'. Joseph Goebbels, minister of communications, proclaimed a 'New World Order'.

The Nazi reign of terror began with false news reports on the Jews, Bohemians and Gypses who were said to be arming themselves to overthrow the 'New World Order' and Hitler demanded that all good people register their guns so that they wouldn't fall into the hands of 'terrorists and madmen'.Right-wing fanatics of the 'Old Order' who protested firearms registration were arrested by the S.S. and put in jail for 'fomenting hatred against the Government of the German people'.

Then the Reichstag (government building) was blown up and Hitler ram- rodded an 'Emergency Anti-Terrorist Act' through Parliament that gave the Gestapo extraordinary powers. The leader then declared that for the well-being of the German people, all private firearms were to be confiscated by the Gestapo and the Wermotten (federal law enforcement and military). German citizens who refused to surrender their guns when the 'jack-boots' (Gestapo) came calling, were murdered in their homes. By the way, the Gestapo were the federal marshals' service of the Third Reich. The S.W.A.T. team was invented and perfected by the Gestapo to break into the homes of the enemies of the German people.

When the Policia Bewakken, or local police, refused to take away guns from townsfolk, they themselves were disarmed and dragged out into the street and shot to death by the S.A. and the S.S. Those were Nazi versions of the B.A.T.F. and the F.B.I. When several local ministers spoke out against these atrocities, they were imprisoned and never seen again.

The Gestapo began to confiscate and seize the homes, businesses, bank accounts, and personal belongings of wealthy conservative citizens who had prospered in the old Republic. Pamphleteers who urged revolt against the Nazis were shot on site by national law enforcement and the military. Gypsies and Jews were detained and sent to labor camps. Mountain roads throughout central Europe were closed to prevent the escape of fugitives into the wilderness, and to prevent the movement and concealment of partisan resistance fighters.

Public schools rewrote history and Hitler youth groups taught the children to report their parents to their teachers for anti-Nazi remarks. Such parents disappeared. Pagan animism became the state religion of the Third Reich and Christians were widely condemned as 'right wing fanatics'.

Millions of books were burned first and then people. Millions of them burned in huge ovens after they were first gassed to death. Unmarried women were paid large sums of money to have babies out of wedlock and then given medals for it. Evil was declared as being good, and good was condemned as being evil. World Order was coming and the German people were going to be the 'peacekeepers'.

Yes, indeed, I remember the Nazis and they weren't Republicans, or 'right wing', or 'patriots' or 'militias'. They were Socialist monsters.

-- Thomas Colton Ruthford

It couldn't happen here... could it?

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Now if after reading this you can't see the handwriting on the wall you just aren't looking. Nikoli

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), February 01, 1999.