The Bush Administration is obviously pushing to see just how far it can go before the roof falls in on them. Mr. Bush wants unlimited power, period, and he has absolute distain and disregard for anything that happens to get in his way. Disregard for Posse Comitadus (sp?) is just one more increment, one more stepping stone in the pathway to dictatorship and a fascist police state. Bush MUST be stopped in his tracks by any legal means possible before he finishes this country off for good!

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If we can use the full weight of the US military to "defend Iraq" from attack by "terrorists", none of whom wear uniforms, we can surely use the National Guard to defend our own border against an invasion from Mexico.

Posse comitatus be damned.

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... a plan developed under Rumsfeld that predicted "a scenario in which the Defense Department would have to take 'the lead' from ... civil agencies, and the States, that is, to act without civil authority."

I have this image in my mind of Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld being perp-walked out of the White House by military police. One can always dream.

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Come on Joshua, Bushco seriously violated that clause when it deployed Blackwater Security stormtroopers in and around New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. They may have been operating under the auspices of the Governer of La. (and even then many question whether he [the governer] even accepted the "help" or merely had it foisted upon him) but that they represent a private security contractor consisting primarily of ex-Seals and other Special Ops/Commando types cannot be ignored. Given the nature of Blackwater Security, I think it's safe to say they violated posse comitatus.

This act has been steadily eroding for well over 20 years when the Navy, Air Force began "assisting" the DEA in the war on drugs. I don't think this should come as any surprise to anyone, least of all you. I don't know how you see it, but in my mind the construction of FEDERAL internment camps by KBR "the fun subsidiary of the Halliburton company" also portends ominously for the future of the act. Bush has simply found a loophole in the Constitution by creating a standing, federally funded, privately operated army to do his dark work domestically and abroad. I harp on KBR and Blackwater constantly but I don't think it has hit us yet how dangerous these guys are. OH well - American Idol is on in a minute.

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We have been a militaristic country since WWII. It has grown to now represent our identity as a nation. We control the airspace, oceans, space and most of the land of this planet. With that much power there is an equal amount of fear. Fear of our own aggression and the threat that someone will take that power away. "Live by the sword and die by the sword." Our path now is leading to the machine turning on the master. I can see no way to stop it unless we fundamentally change our society. Stop making worshipping competition, wealth and power. War and the use of lethal force is the ultimate competition and we are now supreme. That leaves little room for compassion, understanding and acceptance of those who have less or no power. That is now America. How unfortunate for those who come after us, in every part of the world. We had so much more to offer.

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It is no longer 15 minutes of fame but everyone now will eventually have their 15 minutes on suspicion of being an enemey of the state. No citizen will be safe from this government.

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I'd like to applaud an excellent article which makes many valid and important points. But I'll pick a nit on one item that I've seen repeated in the MSM and has now crept into alternet:

libertarian Cato Institute

I'm sure the Cato Institute likes this characterization, for it tends to portray them as being founded on principles, and the association with "liberty", the root of "libertarian", is certainly flattering. But false. In actuality, they're more like fair weather libertarians who support the principles when it doesn't interfere with making the wealthy wealthier. Notice that they have been half hearted opponents of the war against drug users as well as vigorous supporters of the war against Iraqis. Both of these are diametrically opposed to libertarian principles. Because the first of these wars is the largest cause of imprisonment in the US, and the second is the largest discretionary drain on the budget, to say that you can neglect them and still be libertarian is like saying you can be a vegetarian if you don't eat meat between 9PM and 5AM.

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it's time to put your bets folks and predict what the militarization of the border will do. you got what you wanted. the greatest army in world sent to go after starving, near death folks, rather than after the neoliberal elite. we're going to reap what we sow. a fantastic diversion to the impending idictment of rove...

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About a year ago or so, Bush killed a budget proposal that would have allowed 10,000 new Homeland Security people to be hired, and these Homeland Security personnel could have been used to help guard the border.

Now I don't think much of Homeland Insecurity. It's a waste of our tax money and somewhat resembles the Nazi Gestapo. As President, I would have just simply designated more funds to the border states so that they could hire more state troopers and also increase port security. But now we are where we are, and the immigration issue is at hand.

So here's the rub: Enlistment for the National Guard is down greatly. Bush and Co. have to find more bodies to fight their dirty little wars. Bush didn't want to hire more Homeland Security people because he cannot send Federal Employees -- BY LAW -- to go fight in Iraq and the Middle East. So what does he do instead?

He tries to raise the border issue to somehow motivate citizens -- mostly young, uninformed, and gullible, but with a few stupid white racists thrown in -- to enlist in the National Guard to "protect" our border. It's a bait and switch, a sucker play. Lure the young, naive men and women into the Guard, making them think they will only be spending time guarding the border, then -- woosh! -- off they go to Iraq! Yes, Bush can't send Homeland Security employees to Iraq, but he sure can send the National Guard there.

It's a ruse! Brought to you by the National Guard prima donna himself, the Worst President Ever -- an umitigated liar, thief and murderer! He doesn't give a rat's ass who lives or dies, only that he can play GI Joe at his wooden desk with the lives of the people he claims to serve. God, where are the pretzels when you need them!

Dont fall for it. Spread the word! It's a lie! The National Guard is gonna die!

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from vdare.com:

And the border is already militarized—on the Mexican side.

Mexican Foreign Minister Derbez admits that there are Mexican troops on the border. In fact, he’s even boasted about it.

...
"In an interview with El Universal, Foreign Minister Derbez guaranteed that the Americans who will be deployed to the border are ‘civilian sector persons’, although he admitted that they had been trained by the Pentagon and had even participated in the Iraq conflict. ‘They answer to the governor and are not part of the regular Army’ he mentioned."

"He [Derbez] pointed out that, in contrast to the United States, Mexico does have regular Army troops on the border. ‘ These are real soldiers’ he said, although he added that this can’t be interpreted as militarization of the border either."

Even the U.S. "Homeland Security" department has admitted repeated incursions by the Mexican Army (or a facsimile thereof) onto U.S. soil.

How could it get onto U.S. soil if they weren’t on the border to begin with?

The reality is that the Mexican Army is used extensively throughout Mexico to carry out police functions. Like checkpoints. I’ve been stopped at Mexican Army checkpoints in various parts of Mexico. It’s standard operating procedure.

In fact, on one of my main routes to the U.S. border, there is a permanent Mexican Army checkpoint. I’ve been through it numerous times. The bus routinely stops there, the passengers are removed and luggage examined. There’s nothing unusual about it.
...
That’s the northern border. Way over in the state of Chiapas which borders Guatemala, the Mexican army is used to apprehend illegal immigrants.

There is even a joint task force called BOM (Base de Operaciones Mixtas, in which the Army and the local police cooperate to detain illegal aliens.

But if we put the U.S. Army on the border, wouldn’t some ugly international incident ensue?

There already are “ugly international incidents” on the border. Life on the U.S. border is already an ongoing, day-by-day, chaos.

...
In the border region there is also a line of demarcation. It’s called the U.S.-Mexican border. The problem is our government won’t secure the border.

Therefore, the "militarization of the border" is nothing to fear. Getting control of the border (our side) would show Mexico we are serious.

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I wonder how long it will be before they begin seeding the border with "toe-poppers," those pesky little land mines that don't kill (well, sometimes shit does happen...), they just maim the shit out of 'em. I'll bet somebody is already lobbying for the contract...

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In 1997, a Marine corporal deployed in the border area shot and killed Esequiel Hernandez, an 18-year-old goat herder. The incident led to a congressional review that criticized the Justice Department's handling of the case and ended the Marines' involvement in policing the border.

When the military kills people it is called "oops."

When you or I kill someone it is called "murder."

What difference does it make to the individual who was murdered?

Charge the killer with murder.

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First, I am no apologist for 'W' and second am also concerned about our drift to an omnipresent security state. That said, nothing in the law prevents the President from sending the National Guard to the border-- even if armed and allowed to engage.

The nasty old Posse Comitatus Act is a leftover from the end of Post Civil-War Reconstruction. This law is part of what allowed the former planter class in the South to re-establish their power and subjugate the freed slaves with what later became known as Jim Crow. The history of this act is not exactly a great heritage to be crowing about.

Aside from PC, the President has powers under the Insurrection Act.

"§ 333. Interference with State and Federal law
The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it—
(1) so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or
(2) opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws."

An invasion by millions of illegal migrants into a state or many states would allow the President to invoke this act. Not only would he be able to use the militia (National Guard) he could also use the Reserve and Active forces of the United States. It should also be noted that Navy and Marine Corps servicemembers are not covered by this act. Currently, only a directive of the DoD covers them and could be rescinded by Executive Order.

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I don't belive that internet bloggers are insane. I belive that this is the ultimate forum of free speech. When a democratic government moves to restrict this fragle form of expression then you have what is known as a police state. The main stream media would love to bottle this up and sell it, but they can't. The current administration would like to shut down this dialouge but they cant ....yet. What I've come to realize in the past few weeks is how powerful this medium is, and in some respects more powerful than the mainstream media. When you realize that a couple of hundered thousand bloggers swarming around can raise curious questions from around the globe, then I think you have something very special.

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The Bushies think the military is the solution to every problem just like all the other planetary dictators. There is no doubt that the Bushies think the congress and courts are superfluous and what we really need is a dictator or a few rich guys that colectively constitute a dictator. They think democracies and republics are worthless impediments to global dominions. The Bushies are the ones who are worthless impediments to human and planetary survival.

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The police state is already here. You need permission from the government to drive a car, open a business, work, buy medicine, or even get married.

Americans need to stop behaving as though all the things they have God-given rights to do are somehow privileges granted by government.

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Since when did BY LAW mean boo to the Republinazi and the Bushinazi in particular

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BJT, Police State is already here alright - we have to buy a Hunting License to hunt deer on our own property because the DNR owns all the Deer. Best obtain a Fishing License too so as to catch and release fish back into the lakes that are polluted with Mercury.

Then, there is the issue of Eminent Domain,
where the Government tells you how how much your property is worth when they intend to sieze it regardless.

There is no end to the all encompassing powers of a Police State, it's been around since this land and resources were stolen from the Native Indians and Mexicans. Onward, Christian Soldiers!

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I keep coming back to a Tom the Dancing Bug cartoon. In it, Bush and Cheney were extreme college liberals who hatch a plan to permanently disgrace the republican party by doing all sorts of evil things.

This is yet another plan. Had Clinton done this, there would have been outrage from the right. Because King George says it's good, it is. I wonder how long it will be before someone like a Roberson declares Bush a prophet.

The stuff that is going on with our country is hideous. What's worse is that our friends, neighbors, and family say it's ok.

I suppose Democrats deserve some of it - we stuck to Clinton's side while going through it. Had we offered up something like Feingold's censure on Clinton, perhaps we would have a different history.

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Does anyone on the left doubt the Rabid Right will do whatever necessary to maintain absolute control of the country? Rigged elections, political assassinations, detention camps, martial law, pogroms, civil war? Haven’t Republicans already demonstrated their contempt for the Constitution and established law. Now that they control all three branches of government, what would prevent them from rewriting the laws to establish a fascist dictatorship? Suspend your disbelief that this could ever happen in America for a moment and consider the possibilities.

What if the criminal cabal running the country decides to abolish democracy, would the Republican controlled congress back them up, the Republican controlled judiciary back them up, and the Republican controlled military not only back them up but also enforce their will?

What recourse would we have if it happened?

These are questions those on the left better be asking themselves.

We can’t count on the Democratic party for protection or leadership, at least from congressional leaders. They have made that abundantly clear. Our only recourse would be to organize resistance at a grassroots level, town by town and state by state. One hopes someone has considered these possibilities and is organizing and planning countermeasures.

Or we could be good little Germans and submit to whatever comes.

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Why not use the Bush&Co. plans to bring all the Guard members home from Afghanistan and Iraq? Aren't the Guard under the control of the governors of their own states? Given that the situation in Iraq is a mess that even massive deployment of US troops won't fix, isn't the best thing now to withdraw US troops, starting with the National Guard? This staggered removal of troops might keep things from getting even more violent, and would probably reduce the violence (although I doubt that's what our bloodthirsty leaders want).

Military troops on the border, on the other hand, will help nothing, but Bush likes the militaristic look, wannabe dictator that he is. For starters, how many of the Guard speaks Spanish? That might be helpful... and French too, of course. Gotta keep those Canadians in mind... they're a lot more likely to steal your good-paying jobs, not just the backbreaking menial ones.

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Hey, we don't have anything to worry about when the military comes marching down our streets. With the way Rumsfeld/Bush/Cheney have been treating these guys, we can win them over by just offering them some good food and beer!

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I am as angry and chilled by the things I see and read as any of the other commenters here.

One small point - Bush is militarizing our Southern Border; not either coast, and not the Northern Border.

People coming through the Southern Border have not been suicide terrorists.

They are economic refugees, largely due to OUR foreign policy and 'help'. Reversing the damage done to them by the IMF, World Bank, WTO and the Boys from Chicago would be much more effective than a wall and 6000 part-time troops.

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Good God, man, we are already there!

The Bushites need the image of Democracy in order to have even a smidgen of credibility with the rest of the world.

What we need to do is force their hands! Create a ruckus! Let them show their true colors.

We need the solidarity of the rest of the world!


Just like Kent State!

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Did anyone see NCIS when Mark Harmon was bashing Clinton? Or, ominous comments in The Unit about dirty bombs? Or also, French bashing in The Unit? Sounded like a Dick Cheney campaign speech.

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Police state?

Massive corruption in government – ditto, massive ineptitude; cronies and "true believers" appointed to gov't. positions; international corporations running the gov't.; the country deeply in debt to other nations, who control the means of production; endless conflicts and wars, and a population living in fear; and now, troops on the border and worming their way into domestic law enforcement.

Police state, my a**; America is becoming the world's biggest banana republic.

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...why the Posse Comitatus Act was passed. It was the final nail in the coffin of the Reconstruction. It was written to ensure that the south would not face the threat of Federal troops enforcing Federal civil rights law. The result of the Act was that the southern establishment would be able to consolidate its seizure of power after the failure of Reconstruction to fully and truly enfranchise the recently freed slaves. Far from being a bulwark of liberty, the Act was specifically designed to undercut the growth of liberty. We need to understand these issues, debate them, and ultimately limit the abuse of executive power (there's a long American tradition of doing that). But we need to understand what we're talking about first.

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So what is the National Guard at the border all about? You live in the border area and you know! It is about militarizing our society.
Next ster? Making demands of Mexico's government that they are unwilling to acceed to and then invasion of Mexico as a first step to inflicting the Marshall Plan on the hemisphere all over again. Watch out Chavez!

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So what is the National Guard at the border all about? You live in the border area and you know! It is about militarizing our society.
Next step? Making demands of Mexico's government that they are unwilling to acceed to and then invasion of Mexico as a first step to inflicting the Marshall Plan on the hemisphere all over again. Watch out Chavez!

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What would you do?

Sugar and spice and everything nice.

This is suppose to every little girls life.

What happens when life is not like that?

What if your life is filled with constant abuse by the people who suppose to protect you?

For little Katelynn of Indiana, her life is filled with this from a father, stepmother and father's family; everyone but her the relatives that love her have been deined the ability to see her.

What happens when the police will not stop this?

Than try Child Protection Service, but they will not stop this either.

The next thing to do is go to the court.

What would you do if the Child Protection Services and the court helped the abusers hurt her?

The media might work but they ignore majority of average people.

In this search for help, several politicians ignored or said stop bothering them.

If these people will not help little katelynn than who will?

Will this little girl have to pay the ultimate price for these adults mistakes? What would you do?

Indiana's Shame Teardrops for Katelynn

referral sources
www.courageouskids.net

Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation :: Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories Aired on PBS http://www.mkacf.org/BreakTheSilence.html



Petition for Justice for Katelynn:
http://www.gopetition.com/online/5918.html

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This will eventually work nicely with those secret Halliburton detention camps.

By the way, I had to Google 'secret' and 'Halliburton' to find this article again. They're coming to take me away, haha...

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Why wouldn't we take all the money we have invested on homeland security and troops to patrol the border and invest it in building Mexico and making it nicer? Then they wouldn't have the problem if immigrating into this country becaues the standards of living would be more adequate.

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Arouse the Base

Republican politicians worked harder than Democrats before the 2000 election and still do. They worked like demons before their 1994 take over of Congress and like fanatics ever since. With fiendish determination, they were on C-Span until late every night spouting lies and drooling hate on their base. Republicans conduct a never ending slash and burn propaganda campaign 24/365, because it works.

How come Democrats don’t have the same commitment and fierce desire to win? Well, for one thing they lack the courage of their convictions, two, they are lazy, and three, they have been whipped into submission by Rupert Murdoch. We have allowed the fascist from down under to corrupt our political system. Then too, our monopolized corporate media has aided and abetted the Rabid Right every step along the way to tyranny.

Republicans are far more committed because they are fighting for their own self-interest: more money, more power and lower taxes. Democrats on the other hand have traditionally fought for the common man.

I’ll wait for you to stop laughing before I continue.

Problem is, Democrats are trying to serve two masters: I believe there are still many democrats who still care about the average guy, but they also have to kiss the hand that feeds them. Money has so corrupted our system that they have no choice but to genuflect to campaign contributors.

Which brings us to the part about Arousing the Base. Democratic politicians can’t help us, hells bells, they can’t even help themselves and Republicans won’t help us, because they serve one master, the plutocracy. We are on our own. When I say we, I generally mean the abandoned half of the country without representation. Specifically, I’m talking about progressive net bloggers. We have gone from being totally ignored to being noticed and attacked in a double time. That means the Rabid Right is feeling the heat. Keep up the good work.

Attack, attack, attack . . . with the truth. Arouse the Base.

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Does this action regarding the Military guarding the Mexico/US border have "The Project for the New American Century" it's "Statement of Principles" 6-3-1997 and even more frightening The PNAC's mission statement "Rebuilding America's Defences"/Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century- 2000 written all over it? I'm certain that most of you are familiar with this neo-conservative think tank that wields a tremendous amount of power in the U.S. government, if you are not please take the time to read about them.

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Whoops I misunderstood entering your title.

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Having been raised in another country where 'states of siege' and 'martial law' were declared at the drop of a hat (or a demonstration), and living with Jeeps (machine gun laden) and roving uniforms of different colors, i've been seeing the slow and stealthy development of quite similar conditions. And incidentally i'm a born here citizen. In that other country it wasn't that bad growing up while one was young -- it's on reaching adult-hood and awareness that the problems became glaring.

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We should create giant fences around our entire nation and quadruple the Border Patrol, Homeland Security, Coast Guard and ICE and make sure that not one single illeagal brown-skinned immigrant gets in. We should, in effect, create a world-wide prison with our enclosed super security. We will have the only free nation on earth within our Super-Max nation. The rest of the people on the planet will be left out to fend for themselves like the swarming stinking impovershed rats that they are. Long live the Klu Klux Klan, uh, I mean the Republican Party.

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