Here’s a clip:
“…I said, leading up to the election, you’re going to start seeing instability, hyped threats, hyped emergencies, hyped crises, in order to create an atmosphere of urgency to justify a crackdown…. Go to CSpan. Go to YouTube. Type in ‘Representative Brad Sherman’ and ‘martial law.’ There is a clip – which explains a lot, if it’s true. He’s a Democratic representative from the 27th district – Sherman Oaks, Northridge, California – I have no reason to believe he’s insane – and he was saying that the administration has hyped an atmosphere of crisis around the bailout. And I believe it. Because, looking at the language Bush is using, it’s not to stabilize the markets. It’s, ‘This is an emergency. Be afraid. This is coming to you. Things are going to get worse and worse.’ This is not FDR language. This is the way you whip up agitated markets. It’s not the way you calm them. And Sarah Palin says 20 times, ‘We’re in crisis mode.’ And Representative Sherman said that, in private conversations, members (of the House) have been told that if they did not pass the bailout bill, the market was going to go down a thousand points every day, and by Monday, he said, they would be facing martial law. They were threatened with martial law. He said several members were threatened with martial law in private conversations. Now why should we take this seriously? This is my other terrible piece of news. On October 1st, the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry division was deployed in the United States of America. For the first time since 1807, when a bright line was placed to preventing military from policing American streets, a military brigade — that’s 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers – has been brought in to police our streets. The ‘Army Times’ reported it. Don’t take my word for it….
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A bit dramatic and some of it is very open to interpretation. I’d say the main fault in logic is that we supposedly have an administration that is, at the same time, completely inept and maniacally devious.
The military stood ready to be deployed for humanitarian assistance following the most recent hurricanes, and was deployed in the wake of Katrina. The fact is, whether in Central America, the Gulf, Darfur, or Burma, it is the military that has the big ships and helicopters to bring in largescale supplies. I suppose there are people who would like martial law, that’s nothing new, but I don’t think the administration is that…strategic.
I read the Army Times article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
Note the correction at the end stating that crowd control elements of the unit would only be used overseas.
I think the fears of a financial meltdown are quite real, and I heard Bernanke’s now-famous “helicopter speech” back in 2002 when he was speaking hypothetically about what the Fed would do in a crisis. At the time he said we really had no experience doing what we are doing now. I think most of what they are doing now in the way of a bailout was psychological, just as Paulson kept saying everything was okay when it wasn’t. I don’t like it, but at the same time I don’t like someone yelling fire if there is no way out.
I should add: “completely inept, maniacally devious, and capable”
“completely inept, maniacally devious, and capable”
If you swapped “hung like a Norse god” for “capable,” you’d have my epitaph.
And I agree that Wolf can be a bit much. I appreciate, however, that we’ve got someone out front, sounding the alarm. Sure she overreaches on occasion, but I think we need that.
George Bush: “The sky is falling. Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
Naomi Wolf: “George Bush is saying that the sky is falling. Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
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Rage Against the Machine: “Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells.”
This doesn’t prove or disprove anything that anybody ever said, and I don’t know whether I disagree or not, but I need to write a book about stuff we should be afraid of (doesn’t matter what… terrorists, global warming, vaccines, prescription drugs, government tyranny) and get a piece of this juicy pie.
Fear is selling like hotcakes right now.
“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson
He gave us a simple recipe. Sans violence, how to we pull this off?
After the Civil War, military participation in domestic operations was outlawed with the Posse Comitatus Act. The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, however, included a section that allowed the president to deploy the armed forces to “restore public order” or to suppress “any insurrection.” A later bill repealed this, but President Bush attached a signing statement that he did not feel bound by the repeal.
In 2001, during a financial crisis, middle-class Argentines took to the streets, smashed bank windows and ultimately forced the government out of power. The people were able to achieve this despite a massive police crackdown and the government’s failed attempt to control the media.
If our economy does collapse, and if people can’t go down to the bank to withdraw their savings, there may be serious “civil unrest,” and above-mentioned military brigade may be called upon to assist with “crowd control.” I’m not trying to be “dramatic” or alarmist, just informative.
I agree that the Right is very into facism. Palin wants us all to be just like her and so do all those extreme “christians.” All you have to do is watch Jesus Camp to understand that is their goal.
Not sure I understand all that she speaks about but not sure what I can do beyond vote and live my life and believe.
I love all of you… You’re so smart… And I’m being serious. I’m impressed by your comments.