Scorpioatl and
Pangolin noticed this issue before I did, but it's important stuff worth repeating. I did a little more digging. Pass this blog entry along to folk if you think it'd be worthwhile to help make people more aware. I don't know exactly how awareness can help stop what's going on, but I figure it's gotta be better than nothing.
"There ought to be limits to freedom."
That's what one of my t-shirts has written on it. It's a
direct quote from George W. Bush in 1999, before he entered the White House, as he was commenting upon a parody website called gwbush.com (which is no longer in service). After becoming president, the same man has made his mark on our national history by dismissing international treaties, constitutional limits on executive power, and centuries-old standards on limits to government authority (like
habeus corpus). It seems, sadly, that it's time to add another violation to his legacy.
The US has two laws that significantly limit the ability of the president to deploy troops on US soil. They are the
Insurrection Act and the
Posse Comitatus Act. It would require an act of Congress to allow a president to do such a thing. But "W" is not a typical president. He has already done it without asking Congress for permission.
According to the
Army Times:Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.
After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.
The deployment of troops on US soil is itself enough to make me skittish, since it's a precedent that is dangerous given how "W" misuses the power at his direction. But now, coincidentally (of course), there's the real possibility of martial law under his command.
Skip 9:00 minutes into
this YouTube video for the relevant part.
Click to view
Some members of Congress were threatened with martial law if they did not pass the bailout bill.
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Yes, keep thinking about it. It should scare you eventually.