When trying to understand all the various and different methods of repression and oppression, by far the best source is our own government (when these are available, that is). There's hardly a country on our planet that doesn't have copies of all sorts of these "manuals", "guides" and text-books and the "professors" and "trainers" to go with them. Now on to the demonstration cage to mutter our outrage! Wear goggles and old clothes - we might still be too loud for those sensitive and civilized ears.

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Soviet era schizoid tactics to control crowds. Add a little Heil Hilter to the mix. Strange how Bush once told Americans Al Queda hated our freedoms. Putin does the same crowd control thing with Nashi, who also intimidate. It is Bush that needs the controlling not the demonstrators who want to exercise their free speech. Protest and opinions are, supposedly, still legal. The schizoid tactics used to control the crowd wouldn’t work if a protestor really wanted to harm the President. Any assassin could dress up as a “rally squad” thug themselves and then take a shot at the Chickenhawk-in-Chief .


Lightfoot

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There little scheme for keeping protesters at bay might very well have worked in the good old days - but those days are gone. Long gone! The sad fact of the matter is that the American people (or enough of them to make a decided difference) are finally staring to wake up. The realize what a mistake it was to send this disgusting, half-witted piece of shit to the White House in November of 2000.

Watching this administration implode right before my very eyes can only be described as the gift that keeps giving. The sight of these contemptable bastards and bitches (Hi, Condi!) finally paying for their crimes against humanity in general and the men, women and little children of Iraq in particular will be an absolute joy.

I can't say this enough: George W. Bush will be remembered in American history, primarily, as the first president of the United States to go to federal prison.

He will die there.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
"The Rant" by Tom Degan

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The US is becoming one of the most regulated places on the planet in the name of Freedom - NOT! In fact, it is dangerous these days to demonstrate as fascism has reared its ugly head for some time now, especially demonstrated at Kent State - which has not been forgotten. What is particularly noteworthy is how ironic our message is to other countries about how we're all about "democracy" and "freedom" et al when we have such a thug approach to American citizens - supposedly being allowed to express dissent. Even worse, Americans can now be made to "disappear" thanks to the Patriot Act. And, according to the Re-THUG-licans, everyone who demonstrates and who is not in line with their agenda, must be a demonstrating "terrorist." It's time to take back this country, folks. We're beginning to look like the German people during WWII (or Rome - we're fiddling while the US burns).

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and therefore an inciter of protest wherever he goes. However imperfect previous presidential elections have been, the last two have been utterly dishonest. Bush sees the Constitution as "just a piece of paper.

May his fate be like Conrad Black's - condemnation, digrace and prison.

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So thats how they do it! As long as this moron has been in the shite house I have been trying to figure out why there is no visible dissent whenever I have seen this fool on TV!
Silly me, I really thought this idiot was so popular that there was no dissent! So what would happen if there was full scale dissent among his audience, would his secret service open fire at the dissenters? OR, ARE THEY BEHOLDEN TO BUSH, AND NOT TO "THE GODDAM PIECE OF PAPER"? Mission accomplished? What a disgrace!

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I nominate a former pig farm in the middle of nowhere in California. A relative of mine spent a week there because of mistaken identification (the other person had the same name but was inches taller and tatooed).

Forty men in a room with one toilet (no cubicle). Concrete floors and no heat or air conditioning (we are talking desert here). Strip searches and arbitrary removal of telephone privileges (group punishment). Disgusting food. The men called each other and themselves, "Dawgs".

Actually, every person in the state legislature should spend a short spell there for allowing such a hellhole to exist.

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"As always, work with the Secret Service and have them ask the local police department to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in view of the event site or motorcade route."


This shouldn't be a surprise. Its what they did at both the DNC and RNC. What is interesting, though, is that this says right out in the open that they want the SS and the police concerned with preventing dissent... which has nothing to do with security.

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sounds like another one of those dirty tricks manuals that dirty politicians like to use so much..(since then do't know how to be honest or co-operative)

like Canadas Harper government that was exposed for its dirty tricks manual to obstruct progress and try to cause problems and not get any work done when things weren't going in the governments favor, they would just throw hissy fits and disrupt Canadians lives.
Its bad enough Harper forced an extention of combat without any real debate or discussion on things.

thats weak leadership when they resort to such dirty tricks manuals.

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Seems like all the resources and time go into protecting the president from his own people. He's just fine! What about us Airport security is still ineffective. Cargo still goes unchecked. Who know what gets into this country from China. And their biggest problem is an anti war demonstration or people who want a labor union. Sounds about right. Thanks, ANNA

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Of course Americans have freedom of speech - when and where it's allowed. They're working on a new chapter of the "Presidential Advance Manual" coordinating it with the Patriot Act. After the chapter on "Preventing Demonstrators" there will soon be a new chapter on "Disappearing Demonstrators." Has KBR finished those secret domestic detention facilities yet?

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Freedom of Speech?
My fat ass.

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"Rally Squads"?
In Italy, during the late 1920's thru the 1930's, they were called "Brown Shirts" and they supported Mussolini and his brand of Fascism. In Germany, during the 1930's, they were "Black Shirts" who later became the Gestapo.
Friends, we are in deep shit.

God night and good luck.....

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Impeach now.

Check last night's Bill Moyers' Journal aired on PBS. It's likely on YouTube now, diaries on it are on Dkos. Impassioned arguements for the necessity of impeachment of Bush/Cheney. The best line from the show was (paraphrased)
Impeachment will not cause a constitutional crisis, it is a cure for the constitutional crisis that presently grips the USA.

It is important not to have a President/Vice-President who are not loyal to the constitution and who do not follow the rule of law. The evidence is in, why wait?

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... a nation we've become.

Or maybe it's one of those other guys in the Bible who is running things now. Hmmm.

it is getting warmer, y'know.

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We know what the Bush administration does but it is essential that we understand what their conduct signifies and where it takes us. History is a perfect guide. It teaches us that the behavior of the Bush administration is systematically un-American, actually anti-American, and precisely the kind of behavior we have supposedly fought wars to eradicate. Bush behavior is virulently and unapologetically anti-democratic, clearly totalitarian in it's designed evolution, fascistic and militaristic. His stubborn indifference to the public weal regarding Iraq speaks volumes. In time it will likely morph into more violent forms of domestic repression as police states tend not to be static but alive and expanding in their violent expressions...endlessly testing the envelope. What we see being done to Muslims today in America, will one day be done to today's freckle faced spectators. People who lived with the rise of fascism in the 30's see unmistakable parallels which shock each and every one of them, especially because these parallels are appearing in America of all places, a country revered by the world as humanity's antidote to fascism.

The public is the enemy of the fascist leader. The public requires controlling so as to allow for the fascist agenda to play out. This pamphlet could not possibly be more telling of the mentality which led the 20th century into hideous cataclysm. It is truly astonishing that things have been allowed to get this far out of kilter. We must be careful not to take too much comfort in the current unpopularity of Bush. Another 9/11 episode could trigger a planned police action to test the efficacy of the police state which has been quietly under construction for the past six years. Perhaps Mr. Chertoff's premonitions regarding an impending terrorist attack on U.S. soil are more than that. They appear especially so to those crazies, like myself, who believe that 9/11 was an inside job. The difference is, ours is a lot more than a "gut feeling".

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"The rally squads can include, but are not limited to, college/young republican organizations, local athletic teams, and fraternities/sororities."

This is getting to be bit much. There are way too many allusions to pre-WWII fascism to be ignored. Consider the history of Hitler Youth:

"German youth could join the Hitler Youth beginning at the age of 10. The organization was divided into two categories, one for members ages 10-14 and the other for members 14-18. The organizational structure was based on a military model, with squads, platoons, and companies."

"Hitler was a firm believer in the need to indoctrinate Nazi ideology early and the power of young people in ensuring the continued vitality of the "Thousand Year Reich." The Hitler Youth was based on Hitler's anti-intellectualism, focusing on military training in preparation for becoming a soldier at 18."

"Young German women were indoctrinated with the values of obedience, duty, self-sacrifice, discipline and physical self-control. The goal of girls in the BDM was to prepare women for motherhood and raise children who would be educated in the ways of National Socialism. They were indoctrinated with "racial pride" and told to avoid any contact with Jews."

So, things are obviously not as bad now as they were in Nazi Germany - but when Republican political operatives start calling for the recruitment of youth gangs for political purposes, you have to wonder about their long-term objectives - especially when you include the right-wing obssession with "Christian soldier training camps".

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I experienced this treatment when I went to the pot rally in May of '05 in San Francisco.

Just before the mayor started to speak, quite a few secret service types placed themselves just so so he wouldn't be able to see Melanie and I with her sign, makepotlegal555.org.

I noticed it and was annoyed by their behavior. Melanie wanted me to hang out with her on the lawn and I wanted Gavin to see us.

I was gratified to note I wasn't the only person who noticed the gathering Bluemen. Redmen came into the area and their presence was much greater, no one said a word.

Maybe Gavin missed the show, but I saw it all.

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Yep - them there's my tax $$$ at work.

plur

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Georgiepoo is pathologically afraid to be insulted, shouted down, or even criticised by the very people he vowed to defend against "all enemies, foreign and domestic". That's why his goons have to carefully screen his dwindling auduences to weed out anybody with BRAINS or a healthy streak of true patriotism. It wouldn't do for our citizenry to hear shouts of "murderer", "traitor", "liar", "war criminal", etc. now, would it?

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would you?

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HEIL BUSH!! HEIL CHENEY!!

Has anyone checked Bush and Cheney's bookshelves for well-worn copies of Mein Kampf?

America Has a Problem…a BIG PROBLEM

“The liberty of democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic STATE itself. That, in its essence, is FASCISM – ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power.” -- President Franklin Roosevelt

THE IDENTIFYING
CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM

By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Free Inquiry Magazine / Spring 2003

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is titled 'Fascism Anyone?', and appears in Free Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue on page 20.

The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to 'look the other way' or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -- The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military -- Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism -- The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security -- Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -- Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed -- Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.

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11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections

The Warnings

“There are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. ...Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast number of such places ...renders the British government so tempestuous. ...[and is the true source] of all those factions which are perpetually dividing the nation [and] distracting its councils...” -- Benjamin Franklin


“The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.” -- Albert Camus: French novelist, essayist, and playwright.1957 Nobel Prize for Literature. 1913-1960


”A great wave of oppressive tyranny isn't going to strike, but rather a slow seepage of oppressive laws and regulations from within will sink the American dream of liberty.” -- George Baumler


”The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” -- James Madison: US fourth president, 1751-1836

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Can anyone possibly, in their wildest fantasies, DOUBT that there is an ongoing CONSPIRACY by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and the rest of these cold blooded killers to repress free speech in this country????????

======
The "Presidential Advance Manual," this 103-page document from the Office of Presidential Advance ... In another section, entitled "Preparing for Demonstrators," the document makes clear that the intention is to deprive protesters of the right to be seen or heard by the President: "As always, work with the Secret Service and have them ask the local police department to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in view of the event site or motorcade route."
========

Many of the Bush Mafia CRIMES (HIGH CRIMES) need to be investigated, so they can be documented and prosecuted, but Bush has ADMITTED to ILLEGAL WIRE TAPPING, and now this 103 page document PROVES A CONSPIRACY to violate the constitution of the United States of America!

CAN'T NANCY PELOSI READ????????

SHE SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE FOR A VIOLATION OF HER OATH OF OFFICE TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION, AND TO UPHOLD THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES.

SHE'S AS MUCH A CRIMINAL AS THE PSYCHOPATHS IN THE WHITE HOUSE... SHE IS NO MORE QUALIFIED TO ASSUME THE PRESIDENCY (IN CASE SHE EVER FINDS THE NERVE OR ETHICS TO IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY) THAN THE MAN ON THE MOON!!!

IMPEACH PELOSI FIRST! THEN IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD, ET, AL...

In fact, they have all SOOOO far exceeded the standards for impeachment, set BY THE REPUBLICANS, that they should ALL BE IMMEDIATELY ARRESTED AND MARCHED OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE TO A PADDED CELL, UNTIL THEY ARE BROUGHT INTO THE DOCK OF A COURTROOM TO BE TRIED FOR THEIR CRIMES OF MASS-MURDER-FOR-PROFIT, LOOTING OUR TREASURY AND OTHER MASSIVE CRIMES. And the Republicans should be the ones doing the arresting!!!!

And, since I don't believe in state-sponsored murder, they should all spend the rest of their lives in a high security prison, being poked, prodded and psychologically examined, so the world will come to know what turns human beings into such depraved subhumans.

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What if the demonstrators present simply IGNORED the draconian "policy manual"s directives and just stormed the stage?
Would they all be cut down with machine pistols?

We are, indeed, doomed---without an Impeachment in the works. Get on it, Pelosi. Now.

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Publish it worldwide
And A model for all the Facsists of the world to follow.
Really. we Will Make Jesus Proud

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Facism's inevitable censorship finally arrived as reporter Matt Lepacek was arrested for asking about 9/11 and reporter Chris Bollyn was convicted for exposing 9/11. This is all about the First Amendment. The US gov't (and their corporate friends), already censor Dr. Ron Paul, arrest protesters (don't buy this 'released' manual), ban books like "America Deceived" from Amazon and Wikipedia, shut down Imus and fire 21-year tenured, BYU physics professor Steven Jones because he proved explosives, thermite in particular, took down the WTC buildings. Millions of demonstrators will soon be at every event.
Final link (until the Stark County Library bends to pressure and drops the title):
America Deceived (book)

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...sounds all too Hitlerian to me. The Nazis are alive and well in America and they are the Republican Party and their enablers.

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Though I'm as outraged as anyone about attempts to sanitize and stage-manage our elected officials' public appearances--and I agree that it's gotten worse since 2000--it's hardly a new tactic, nor is it one that the current admin. holds a patent on.

When I saw (then-VP) Al Gore speak 10+ yrs ago, attendees were given similar treatment. Those of us wishing to enter the fenced-off main viewing area had our bags given a cursory hand search by gatekeepers (think they were Secret Service, but can't be sure) who were specifically looking for concealed signs rather than weapons--no metal detectors or wands were used, much to my amazement. Those bearing signs were denied entry, and sent to stand beyond the barricades much further back in the crowd.

Not defending the tactic, but feel it's important to note that all sides are guilty of these sorts of shenanigans...

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I contacted the police department of St. Paul, MN a few months ago, and spoke to their "public information" officer. Mentioning that the city had opened itself to significant protest activity since the Repugs are, in my word , "hated", I inquired whether they are going to infiltrate activist groups, as NYC acknowledged for 2004. Also, whether protesters would be herded to a distant cage. The response was to directly accuse me of planning illegal protests, for which I would be arrested!

I contacted the MN ACLU, which has not responded.

If the mere mention of the obvious, rational distaste for Republicans provokes such an aggressive response, I certainly fear the potential response to both peaceful demonstrators, and, even more, those who are ready to express some logical, purely motivated rage.

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when will we do anything about this disgraceful and ignorant shit head that is running our country into the ground? what are we afraid of? the time for revolution is now; get your computers and write more emails.

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The hierarchy of power reaches much deeper and is much more convoluted and complex than we can know. But what I do know is that the outlets and voices that claim exception, or claim to inform people of alternative views and information, are actually serving an intentionally counter-intuitive role as gatekeepers of the ruling elite. You can know the intentions of these parties simply by knowing their predominant sources of funding (http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/chart.htm). They will amplify certain issues as edgy or incisive while simultaneously reinforcing commonly accepted themes and ideas circulated by the propaganda machine. Meanwhile, voices offering truly alternative thesis and opinions, will be totally shrouded out. They will not be heard in the established press at all. This includes "left" and "right", which is merely a false dichotomy intended to contort reality, and one maintained by both sides; a prime example of the gatekeeper function both serve.

Now, I much more commonly watch Democracy Now! and read Alternet than listen to NPR or watch PBS, and while I think it is valuable to extract information from a variety of media outlets ranging from those listed above to Mother Jones to Time (just an example), I do so with the understanding that the really important goings-ons will only be realized and understood experientially, and that the closer to the truth or source you get, the more esoteric and thus harder to procure the knowledge will become. No no, the real truths about the nature of this world and its events and happenings goes far deeper...(into the rabbit hole). Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors, rip through one veil and find another waiting on the other side, that is the nature of the material world; a self-replicating fallacy.

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hello all,
we can all be of service- the easiest thing to do is hit print and make as many copies of articles like this as you can afford-
stand where ever it may be 'legal' and hand out copies.
even in this time of instant info- our people are not getting the whole picture....we need to be on the ground passing out 'pamphlets' as vs the Brit King Geo III
just hit 'print' or spend a dime and have 100 copies made-go to your local mall and place them on windshields. if traveling leave them on the seats in airports- in the rest rooms. Every week I find a little rolled up advert fastened with a rubber band to my mail box flag- for lawn service, etc
is it 'illegal' to place copies of this kind of info in the same way? No need for 'sacrifice'- just take them with you each time you venture away from 'screens'....Please.......Do it...Today.... So many are totally unaware- busy working 2 jobs to keep their health ins.- no time for 'alternet' or u tube, etc- we must reach those people. thank you.

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Here are the two PRIME contractors, & CACI is another one...UNICO used to be called Wackenhut, but due to such brutal methods & deaths of inmates, they changed their name!! Privatization of federal and state prisons, by GOP friendly corporations are increasing like crazy!!! KBR is building one here, under the GUISE of ICE, the new name for the Immigration Dept. UNICO is bidding to build more PRISONS in Washington state, but they are HIDING behind their new name....!! Blackwater USA is now BUILDING a new training center for MORE MERCENARIES in California as well...ALL these corporations are VERY PROUD of the federal contracts, so look them up...!! I lived in Yakima, with one of the two PRIMARY NSA spying facilities right outside of town..The Civil Air Patrol has recently build a huge monstrous three story stone facility next to the airport, and the airport has expanded now to accept DELTA AIRLINES, where we just had Horizon Air before..DOC HASTINGS, local GOP, is a good buddy of Tom DeLay...!!! Tom also HAMMERED a JOB for DOC to be head of the ETHICS COMMITTEE, as if either of them know the meaning of that word..!! ALL radio, tv, and newspapers are GOP as well...!! They print a FREE weekly edition in Spanish, to make sure the Hispanics ONLY read the GOP propaganda..!! Clear channel stations are ALL we have.., all Rush and Sean and Mike Savage, etc..! Letters to the Editor do NOT get printed if they are not supportive of GOP actions..!! THIS IS THE example of the new FASCIST run AMERICA that the GOP PLAN HAS for the entire nation, & they KEEP OUT big corporations who are union, by SUDDENLY taking off the market ANY LAND that companies like Boeings, etc. were interested in buying..NO union work allowed, no union members either..They are IMPORTING slave laborers from Indochina to make sure the HISPANICS do not join with Whites to JOIN the Farm Workers Union..Sunkist SUDDENLY decided to HIRE an out of state employment agency to do the HIRING for them...!! Some of the wo/

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Had too many words to finish prior posting..Bush has been attempting to get exclusive rights to CALL OUT PRIVATE MILITIA FORCES, and he used this in speeches regarding the threat of Bird Flu..., like he would round us up, or HAVE TO ISOLATE entire communities, with this civil militia, to PROTECT US..!!!! Do NOT BE FOOLED PEOPLE..., and the REAL TERRORISTS sit in DC...WE THE PEOPLE however CAN bring this to a screetching halt...even without the GOP owned MEDIA, by a national week of mourning and non participation in going to work, in leaving our homes, nor being anywhere BUT on our own property, in a MASSIVE HALT of LABOR of any kind, anywhere, and is non violent also...They cant ROUND UP 30 MILLION or MORE PEOPLE who are staying home for a week, not breaking any federal or state laws, BUT it is WE who make the wheels of commerce turn, and do the work that LETS THIS SCUM destroy eveything that we were PROUD OF, and it also sends a message to Democrats too, that we just ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS CRAP anymore!! Non VIOLENCE on a massive scale, WILL SPEAK LOUDLY & GLOBALLY far more than any parade or protest or speeches could EVER HOPE TO DO..!!! We will NOT support this GOVERNMENT with our LABOR nor with the FICA deductions that goes to this government either!! A WEEK of being with our loved ones to demonstrate OUR SORROW to the world, that we DO NOT SUPPORT WARS, and certainly not to FUND more killings of other families, anywhere, will also demonstrate to the most radical groups that WE are in DISTRESS but most of us are decent people and not all of us AGREE with this or any other administration, who has inflicted massive killings in foreign countries...JUST BECAUSE we had the biggest bombs, etc...PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS to global problems takes MILLIONS of AMERICANS to have one clear voice, and get it SENT OUT across the world., and when MILLIONS do so, we will be heard at last..!! THAT is what A REAL DEMOCRACY is supposed to look like...!! Shunning has been a very eff/

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RIGHT ON...!! Thanks to Doc Hastings, and his GOP cohorts, over 600 workers HERE had their workplace demolished, to make WAY FOR a NEW COUNTY JAIL, and 7 years later, it is still not suitable for occupancy, BUT cost us taxpayers MILLIONS, plus they local economy LOST over $2 MILLION PER MONTH in new money that was coming INTO this poverty stricken area!! I train Thoroughbred race horses, and the track was on county property!! Not one interview with any of US whose families trained, boarded or raised horses got THEIR SIDE of the story into the local media or on talk shows, etc.. I met WITH DOC HASTINGS myself!! I met with the County Commissioners & presented the FACTS for the prior 10 years proving over 13,000 visitors per week CAME TO this city, and most of them were owners and their families and friends, so ALL NEW MONEY and alot of tax revenue to the city and county and state was generated, as well as MILLIONS in hay, straw, grain, horse trailers, trucks, farms, vets, horse shoers, and FAMILIES made a alot of farms thrive as well as benefitted other farmers and retail businesses..!! THAT IS NOT GOOD to a GOP mindset..!!! Not unless they OWN stock in the business...and all these farms and trainers were independant family run operations!!! We also provided full time work, and they PREFER seasonal or part time labor.., so racing was a big threat and added too much to the local economy you see!! It had to GO..., so they tore out the track and now have dirt sprint cars, but nobody attends, and the drivers haul in from hundreds of miles away, race and leave town the same night, so they make NO IMPACT that benefits the economy..., nor does the big EMPTY NEW JAIL either!!! BUT, it does HELP DOC and friends, for they just KEEP ON getting those federal grants and NONE of that ends up HELPING anybody..except those who divvy it up amongst themselves of course!! MAFIA POLITICS is all they know and all they DO..

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This should not be a free ride for either Democrats or the next crop of Republicans. It would be too easy to let both groups blame all this on cheneybush.

This would be an excellent question and pledge to confront all the primary candidates with.
First, do you approve of the way that this White House has cordoned off dissident speech, even to the point of using this manual?
Second, will you pledge to respect truly free speech by:
a. not using such tactics in your own campaign, either in the primary or final stages?
b. if elected, you will not permit such tactics to be used while you are in the White House, and will pressure your party not to use such tactics for other party candidates or party events while you're in the White House?
c. pressuring your party not to allow such tactics to be used at the 2008 party convention?

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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