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Is it possible that Iran is about to tip the entire world into World War III? Are folks reading far too much into all of today’s saber-rattling? Are wild conclusions being drawn from popular interpretations of Biblical prophecy? Or is history’s final battle really just around the corner?
Many Christians grow up hearing that the Bible foretells of one final war between Israel and many other nations of the world. Popular interpretations of Old Testament prophecies leave little doubt that Israel however, as “God’s chosen people,” will win. For example Isaiah 17 tells of a war that results in the capital of today’s revolt-torn Syria, Damascus, the world’s oldest continually inhabited city ceasing to exist and becoming a “ruinous heap.” Could this be the beginning of the end? A number of Internet commentators have also thought it relevant to take note of odd reports in the news of strange trumpet-like sounds being heard around the world; citing such scriptures such as Ezekiel 7:14: “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my rath is upon all the multitude thereof.” Other Bible prophecy tidbits being passed around include a 2009 report by Campbell Robertson in the New York Times: “The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria, a two-year drought and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago.” Even the Times acknowledged the biblical relevance, calling the river “so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times.” Indeed Revelations 16:12-14 foretells: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” But does a lack of water in Iraq’s main waterway mean Armageddon is on the horizon? And do the much-cited Bible prophecies foretell a nuclear Iran attempting to wipe Israel off of the map? For that matter, is the Islamic Republic of Iran even mentioned anywhere, say, Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, or Zechariah 12? The prophet Daniel describes Persia as having a major role in world events, and some Iranians will tell you that they are modern-day Persia; But there’s no Persia in such key end-of-times prophecies as Psalms 83:8, which tells us that “even Assyria has joined them; they lend support to the sons of Lot.” Assyria, you may ask? It ceased to be a world power about 2,500 years ago. But, get out your atlas of the ancient world out and you’ll see that it included parts of Iran. Psalm 83 predicts defeat for those who will attack Israel, particularly those intending to “wipe her off the map.” Iran’s president, Mahmoud Amadinijad, has repeatedly made that specific promise. In fact, he has repetitively lectured the General Assembly of the United Nations during his annual addresses to that body, telling them that the Shi’ite messiah, the “Hidden Imam” is about to return to Earth to establish worldwide Islam;but cannot return until Iran has eliminated Israel. In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah doesn’t specifically mention Iran or Persia in his visions of the end. However, he does mention Elam, an ancient power which included Iranian territory. Jeremiah 49:34-39 says Elam will experience devastation and the scattering of her population to many other nations as a result of the same attack that devastates Damascus. Could there actually be such a war, is Damascus at risk? Throughout the Cold War, a policy of “Mutual Assured Destruction” kept NATO and the USSR from going at each other with nuclear weapons. It was well understood that automatic systems and official policies were in place that would trigger a massive response, even if the attacked nation was in ashes. Had the Soviets wiped out U.S. leadership and command, the consequences would have been submarine-launched total devastation of Russia. So why should Iran expect anything less? A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a few days ago told a Tehran newspaper that the United States is within reach of Iranian attack. If the U.S. hits key targets in Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program, “We will have a crushing response, “ said Massoud Jazaveri, quoted by Reuters, the British news agency. “We will not only act in the boundaries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf; no place in America will be safe from our attacks.” Surely he knows that the U.S. response to an Iranian attack, particularly a nuclear strike, would be cataclysmic. If Iran somehow managed to nuke Washington, D.C., no Russian or Chinese veto in the United Nations could prevent Tehran and every other major Iranian city from becoming smoking, radioactive ruins two or three times over. Mutual assured destruction has been U.S. policy for 50 years and even the most peace-minded leadership in the White House would have an impossible time tempering a response to a nuclear Pearl Harbor. Iran however, has indicated that they don’t fear such a fate. “Are Iran’s Leaders, well…Crazy?” Why not ask Kimo Quaintance and Bernd Kaussler on The Diplomat magazine’s website. “The most vocal supporters of preventative military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons program claim that Iran is developing nukes to use them, rather than to deter the United States and its allies from invasion. “This inversion of the Cold War theory of nuclear deterrence assumes that Iran doesn’t have the capacity for rational choice. After all, as the argument goes, if the Iranians are crazy, then the certainty of national suicide won’t stop them from seizing the opportunity to unleash their new nuclear weapons on Israel.” “A state that believes the end of the world is coming (never mind thinking it has the special responsibility to usher in Armageddon) can’t be considered likely to weigh costs and benefits in any rational, self-preserving way.” Or perhaps does Iran fail to believe the U.S. would retaliate? Just days ago, not 24 hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavroy warned the United States that any pre-emptive strike against Iran by the U.S. or Israel would violate international law; Moscow made sure to put muscle into his warning. On April 3, the Russian guided missile destroyer Smetliviy and its support group arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus from its Black Sea base for a naval exercise. Just the day before, the Israeli news analysis website DEBKA File reported that Russia and Iran are set to counter any U.S. Israeli strike against Iran. Lavrov’s comments, made during a visit to Armenia, stopped short of threatening any consequences. “But,” reported Reuters, “they backed up and were in tune with the explicit threat from Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of strong Iranian resistance to foreign intervention in Syria and a vow to defend Damascus as the center of resistance against Israel.” So, maybe Iran believes Russia would protect them? All this comes as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have established an international fund to pay a regular wage to rebel fighters in the Syrian Free Army which is trying to depose the current pro-Iranian regime in Damascus. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the U.S., Israel, and Greece have engaged in a “shadowy air-naval exercise” in the Mediterranean codenamed “Noble Dina.” “It appears to range across a broad sweep of sea up to Crete and including the waters off Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel Navy bases in Haifa and Ashdod ports,” reported the British news agency. The American, Israeli, and Greek fleets are reportedly led by the USS Enterprise strike force and supported by a British Royal Navy flotilla. It does begin to sound as if we are dancing around the edge of the abyss? Armageddon may be just around the corner, and Internet prophecy enthusiasts seem certain of it. They cite Luke 21:20 which reads, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” We also have the repeated warnings from Russia and China that the U.S. should not intervene in the Syrian civil war? As well there are reports that the U.S., France, Great Britain, Turkey, and Italy are planning to implement an aerial blockade of Damascus without United Nations backing? Turkey? Why would anybody give any thought to Turkey? Historians remind us that Turkey was the Ottoman Empire that defeated the Crusaders and held onto Palestine for nearly 1000 years until those same former crusaders won World War I…Turkey also ruled Syria during that time period…and Iraq, and Iran. Some who enjoy end-of-the-world debate would say that the United States is not mentioned in Bible prophesy. Others respond that a great “he goat” from the West will retaliate against the Medians (modern Syria) and Persia (today’s Iran) in the final battles. Daniel 8:5-6 foretells: “And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.” What will be the result of such super-powers butting heads? Prophecy enthusiasts cite Isaiah 17:1, which tells us that “Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” and Isaiah 17:3, which predicts victory for Israel: “The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 17:7 goes on to say, “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. They predict Ahmadinejad will hit Israel with nuclear weapons, but that Jeremiah 49:34-39 describes his failure; that any such attack will backfire and cause his own people to evacuate the smoking ruin that will be Iran. Without a doubt, whether you believe in Bible prophecy or not, today the Middle East is the most keenly watched area of the world; and it is central to the economic stability of the world. Conflicts in the Middle East inevitably draw in the major powers. As a result, for many years it has been the most likely place for World War III to begin. Why do the superpowers care so much about the Middle East? The same kinds of conflict in Indonesia’s East Timor or South America’s Andes or between nations along Africa’s Great Rift seldom drag in the super-powers or prompt worries about Armageddon. What is it about the Middle East that holds the world’s attention? An easy answer is: Oil. The world’s economies are dependent upon Middle Eastern petroleum. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Arabs used the oil weapon to devastating effect. Western economies were severely disrupted. The developed nations suffered crippling burdens of inflation, recession, debt and unemployment. So, what’s next you may be wondering? The battle of Armageddon is described in part in Ezekiel 38: the prophet foresees a massive confederacy of nations invading Israel. The leader of the confederacy is called Gog of the land of Magog. Many Bible students have expected Russia to fulfill the role of Gog. Magog was an ancient name for the land of the Scythians in the southern part of what is now Russia. This invader unites other enemies against Israel. Israel is referred to in Ezekiel 38:8 as: “The land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations.” Ezekiel 38:5 adds that in league with Gog (Russia) will be “Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya.” Impoverished Ethiopia, A player in the final battle? In the Old Testament, “Ethiopia” often refers to the Nile valley south of Egypt, including Nubia (today’s Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan) and Abyssinia (today’s Ethiopia and Somalia). Ethiopia in Bible times was an influential country, home of the legendary Queen of Sheba. Today, the former Ethiopian province of Somalia is frequently in the news as a collapsed state with no government. Its anarchy has spawned ruthless pirates stalking the busy shipping lanes in and out of the oil-rich Persian Gulf, constantly taking ships and crews hostage; and holding them for multi-million-dollar ransoms. Sudan has been the site of a horrific genocide as the Arab north has attempted ethnic cleansing of the predominantly black population of the oil-rich south; with the West and China squaring off, hoping to be the recipients of that oil. What about Libya? This oil-rich nation for years financed worldwide terrorism and was responsible for one of the worst mass-murders of civilians, the bombing of a PanAm 747 airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. Jeremiah 3:17 foretells that all these enemies of Israel “shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem.” Indeed, Jerusalem is at the meeting point of three continents. Ezekiel 5:5 says: “Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.” Ancient cartographers, taking this passage literally, placed Jerusalem at the center of their maps, an example of which is the famous Mappa Mundi in England’s Hereford Cathedral. As the Daily Telegraph newspaper commented,”It is interesting to note, in the affairs of the proposed sale of Hereford Cathedral’s Mappa Mundi, all those superior smiles at the childish medieval way it shows Jerusalem at the center of the world. But Jerusalem is the center of the world. We may be overwhelmingly reminded of this in due course, and sooner than we may think.”
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Ron Paul Looks to be a Strong Candidate After His Recent Strike at the Obama Administration!3/30/2012 Presidential hopeful Ron Paul has publically attacked the Obama administration’s abolishment of due process in a new editorial, calling the move a turning point in American history.
In response to Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent justification for the extrajudicial killings of three American citizens on foreign soil, GOP candidate & Constitutionalist Ron Paul has penned a scathing op-ed condemning the White House for circumventing the US Constitution. Earlier this month Holder spoke at Chicago’s Northwestern Law School to discuss last year’s execution of alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki and two other US-born clerics in Yemen; a decision he says the White House still defends despite criticism from citizens and lawmakers alike. Regardless of both US President Barack Obama and the CIA signing off on the airstrike that killed the American citizens, Washington has been relatively quiet on the matter until Holder spoke earlier this month. After Attorney General Holder justified the assassination of Americans, a congressional inquiry revealed that Robert Mueller, director of the FBI, wasn’t certain that these same laws couldn’t be applied to killing Americans on US soil. With the FBI and Oval Office both hiding behind vague verbiage to allow the assassination of their own citizens, Ron Paul is critiquing what he calls a complete disregard of the Constitution. “It is particularly bizarre to hear the logic of the administration claiming the right to target its citizens according to some secret selection process, when we justified our attacks against Iraq and Libya because their leaders supposedly were targeting their own citizens,” writes Rep. Paul. “We also now plan a covert war against Syria for the same reason.” The congressman adds in his explanation that he is all for justice brought on those that threaten America or its people, but that the US Department of Justice has, and should continue to, view these issues on a case-by-case basis. On the contrary though, argues Dr. Ron Paul, it seems as if the president puts himself above all other branches of the federal government, essentially eliminating the system of checks and balances constructed by America’s founding forefathers. Ron Paul explains, “Holder tells us that this is not a violation of the due process requirements of our Constitution because the President himself embodies due process as he unilaterally determines who is to be targeted. As Holder said, “A careful and thorough executive branch review of the facts in a case amounts to due process.” “That means that the administration believes it is the President himself who is to be the judge, jury and executioner.” “Our civilian court system, with the guarantee of real due process, judicial review, and a fair trial, is our strength, not a weakness,” writes Rep. Paul. “It is not an impediment to be sidestepped in the push for convictions or assassinations, but rather a process that guarantees that fundamental right to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” After the CIA ordered and executed a “targeted kill” on Awlaki and alleged al-Qaeda operative Samir Khan last year, Ron Paul responded the same day to condemn the assassinations. "Nobody knows if he ever killed anybody," Paul said at time. "If the American people accept this blindly and casually…I think that's sad." Now that the US has formally acknowledged that it stands by the killing months later, the congressman seems to be even more concerned with the turn America is taking, describing Holder’s explanation as something “history likely will record as a turning point.” Keep in mind when you look at the caucus results, the numbers you are looking at are registered Republicans voting only - If the GOP wants to win the General Election in November they will need to go with a popular candidate that has the broadest appeal.
That candidate is Dr. Ron Paul. Ron Paul will bring in the First-time voter (young voters), the Military votes, Independents, and true Libertarians and Conservatives. Democrats are on the fence believing, with Ron Paul as the GOP nominee, that the GOP may have a real shot at taking the White House. Santorum would be the kiss of death for the party as it will be government under the cross, overstepping the boundaries of separation from Church and State. Otherwise it is Obama's Re-election 2012 - being that the other candidates sound like they're off to business as usual. Dr. Paul is a stick Constitutionalist who has been gathering mass appeal across the board; he will not be pandered or influenced by the Mainstream Media, Big-Box Corporations, or Special Interest groups. Ron Paul is the GOP's only shot at winning in November and claiming the White House in the 2012 election. Aside from High-tech Robin Hood hacker Anonymous making headline news for its derailing of neo-Nazi websites and targeting of brutal California police, the group issued a message calling President Barack Obama and co-authors of National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) “terrorists.” Anonymous demands that the president resign because he has no right or authority to implement a bill that violates the Constitution of the American people and the group vowed to remove the corrupt leaders from government and says, “We The People! Veto” the president's NDAA decision.
“We The People! Veto your decision to implement the National Defense Authorization Act,” states Anonymous in a Jan. 3 written and recorded statement via a Youtube video to perpetrators who voted for the NDAA. “The National Defense Authorization Act is a direct violation to the United States constitution,” Anonymous states. Anonymous' says that President Obama and his “co defendants” Senators John McCain, Joe Leiberman, and Linsey Grahma are terrorists. Demanding that the president resign effective at end of this term, Anonymous says, “We are forced into this position due to your lack of ability to properly represent the people of America.” “Because of your inability to make a rational decision on behalf of the American people, You are found guilty of domestic terrorism, along with your co defendants, Senators John Mccain, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsey Graham. The four of you are also guilty of the implementation of fear in the American people. You are the terrorists. You are the threat to the American People.” Anonymous also demands immediate release of Private First Class Bradley Manning, commending his proving that the U.S. government is corrupt and condemning U.S. war crime cover ups. The New York Daily News reported that Anonymous has launched what it has dubbed “Operation Blitzkrieg” “to bring down neo-Nazi-affiliated websites and publish private data from the people who patronize them.” TGDaily reported, “Hackers operating under the AntiSec banner have successfully breached the website run by the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) union.” In June, LulzSec and Anonymous joined Forces for Operation #AntiSec. “California police have a notorious history of brutality and therefore have been on our hit list for a good minute now,” the group wrote online.AntiSec claimed the hack operation was in retaliation for the controversial death of Oscar Grant, police brutality against the OccupyWallStreet (OWS) movement and poor conditions in California jails. Now threatening to hack New York police, Anonymous has proven to issue more than idle threat numerous times. “For our next owning we bring you multiple law enforcement targets in the state of New York, who has been on our crosshairs for some time due to their brutal repression of Occupy Wall Street,” Anonymous wrote. TN Daily reports, “It should be noted that AntiSec has executed a number of successful operations against various law enforcement entities and corporations, including ManTech, IRC Federal, Booz Allen Hamilton, dozens of Texas police departments, and Arizona law enforcement officials.” The full Anonymous message issued Jan. 3 is below: We are Anonymous. We the people, are the words in the beginning of the United States constitution. In respect of the constitution, We The People! Veto your decision to implement The National Defense Authorization Act. We The People demand your resignation effective at the end of this term. We are forced into this position due to your lack of ability to properly represent the people of America. Because of your inability to make a rational decision on behalf of the American people, You are found guilty of domestic terrorism, along with your co defendants, Senators John Mccain, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsey Graham. The four of you are also guilty of the implementation of fear in the American people. From this election year forward all decisions regarding the American people will take place with the people of America in the process. The National Defense Authorization Act is a direct violation to the United States constitution. You do not have the right or the authority to implement a bill that contradicts the constitution of the American people. At the end of this term you are hereby to report to Guantanamo Bay military detention center for a maximum of 15 years, This goes to all perpetrators involved in the violation of imposing on American rights. You are the terrorists; You are the threats on the American people. This is not a request; This is an order, From the American people, By the American people, and For the American people. Because We The People believe in the United States constitution, it is not an imperfect document, the words instilled in it depict the Freedom of American citizens. We the people also order the release of private first class Bradley Manning, Effective immediately, his actions of exposing the truth are justified and proof that the United States government is corrupt. We the people demand the removal of the corruption within the United States government, and we the people will remove the corruption from the government. PFC Bradley Manning has done nothing but exhibit the Truth, Courage, and Honor to expose the truth and corruption in our military and the people within the government that try to cover it up. PFC Bradley Manning is a noble human being, his actions are justified and his detention is the work of corruption. Mr. President the fear you have instilled on the American people is unjustifiable and will not be tolerated by the president, senators, governors, or mayor’s. You may have been born on American soil, but the actions of your parents relinquishing your American citizenship to reside in Kenya should have made you exempt from the presidency. So in respect to you, effective at the end of this term you are to hereby resign from the presidency. You are hereby ordered to cease all campaigning for a second term. For clarification this has nothing to do with your Muslim faith, this has to do with your citizenship. We the people demand responsibility for the actions taken upon our government, we are taught from a young age to admit when we are wrong. That same principle applies to the United States government as well. We the people of America, demand a presidential pardon for PFC Bradley Manning. PFC Bradley Manning's military record will be cleared of all charges of his actions. We the people will tolerate no unjust laws, and we the people will be included in the decision-making process of the SOPA bill. The United States government does not have the authority to implement a bill that only benefits the motion picture association of America, resulting in the destruction of the Internet; the implementation of this bill will result in $47,000,000 of taxpayer money. The implementation of this bill will only take place if the people of America vote on it, for far too long the people of America have lived by laws proposed by dictators. No more will the people suffer from dictatorship. To the people of America, you are hereby encouraged to demand your right to be part of the voting process that instills laws in the American lawmaking process. On the Anonymous Central website, it has placed a message saying Occupy is our only hope. We do not need someone like Alex Jones or a popular 'anti-greed' movement or any conspiracy theorists to tell us what the USA is up to or what it has done to this world and its people. We know because we are facing its terrorism and bullying right now. We know its hunger to control the resources in our parts of the world. We know because we are the victims. We are rest of the world. We are against this establishment. We are Anonymous. This is a message to the Occupy crowd; please change our system while you can. It’s getting late. Hurry up! You are OUR ONLY hope. We are still around, and hacking, infojamming, and sharing is still the game!
The loose-knit hacking movement “Anonymous” claimed Sunday to have stolen thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to clients of U.S. based security think tank, Stratfor. One hacker said the goal was to pilfer funds from individuals' accounts to give away as Christmas donations, and some victims confirmed unauthorized transactions linked to their credit cards. Allegedly much of the credit card information was easy to obtain because Stratfor didn't encrypt it. This action on the part of Anonymous is meant to be part of a week-long holiday hacking spree, in which they're publicizing users' info and then using the pilfered credit card information to make donations to charity. Wishing everyone a “Merry LulzXMas,” a nod to its spinoff hacking group Lulz Security, Anonymous also posted a link on Twitter to a site containing the email, phone number, and credit number of an employee of U.S. Homeland Security. The employee, Cody Sultenfuss, said he had no warning before his details were posted. “They took money I did not have,” he told The Associated Press in a series of emails, which did not specify the amount taken. “I think Why me?, I am not rich.” But the breach doesn't necessarily pose a risk to owners of the credit cards. A card user who suspects fraudulent activity on his or her card can contact the credit card company to dispute the charge. Until the onset of 2012, the AP notes “Anonymous warned it has enough targets lined up to extend the fun, fun, fun of LulzXmas through the entire next week." If you thought the police brutality against peaceful protesters at Berkley, UC Davis, Oakland, and Wall St was bad; you better prepare yourself because it’s not over yet.
Next week Congress will vote on a bill that will explicitly create a police state. The ACLU’s Washington legislative office explains. The Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. They will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield; including people in the United States itself. They will be going to vote on whether Congress will give this president, and every future president, the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself. The worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act, which will be going to the Senate floor. This is beyond outrageous. New powers to use the military worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat troops out of Afghanistan? American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime…Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? In support of this harmful bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) explained that the bill will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.” Another supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is needed because “America is part of the battlefield.” The senators pushing the indefinite detention proposal have made their goals very clear that they want an okay for a worldwide military battlefield that even extends to your hometown. Part of an Ongoing Trend While this is shocking, it is not occurring in a vacuum. Indeed, it is part of a 30 year long process of militarization inside our borders and a destruction of the American concepts of limited government and separation of powers. The ACLU noted that Congress is proposing handing permanent, world-wide war-making powers to the president, including the ability to make war within the United States: An article in the Army Times reveals that the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team will be redeployed from Iraq to domestic operations within the United States. The unit will soon be under the day-to-day control of US Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command. The Army Times reports this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. The paper says the Army unit may be called upon to help with “civil unrest” and “crowd control”. The soldiers are learning to use so-called “nonlethal weapons” designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals and crowds. This violates posse comitatus and the Constitution. But, hey, we’re in a “national emergency”, so who cares, right? Everyone knows that deploying 20,000 troops on US soil violates Posse Commitatus and the Constitution. And everyone understands that staging troops within the U.S. to “help out with civil unrest and crowd control” increases the danger of overt martial law. But no one is asking an obvious question: Does the government’s own excuse for deploying the troops make any sense? Other Encroachments on Civil Rights under Obama: As bad as Bush was, the truth is that, in many ways, freedom and constitutional rights are under attack even more than during the Bush years. Obama has presided over the most draconian crackdown on leaks in our history, even more so than Nixon. As Marjorie Cohen professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and past president of the National Lawyers Guild writes at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy: Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is facing court-martial for leaking military reports and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico brig in Virginia. Each night, he is forced to strip naked and sleep in a gown made of coarse material. He has been made to stand naked in the morning as other inmates walked by and looked. As journalist Lance Tapley documents in his chapter on torture in the supermax prisons in The United States and Torture, solitary confinement can lead to hallucinations and suicide; it is considered to be torture. Manning’s forced nudity amounts to humiliating and degrading treatment, in violation of U.S. and international law. Nevertheless, President Barack Obama defended Manning’s treatment, saying, “I’ve actually asked the Pentagon whether or not the procedures…are appropriate. They assured me they are.” Obama’s deference is reminiscent of President George W. Bush, who asked “the most senior legal officers in the U.S. government” to review the interrogation techniques. “They assured me they did not constitute torture,” Bush said. After State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley criticized Manning’s conditions of confinement, the White House forced him to resign. Crowley had said the restrictions were “ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid.” It appears that Washington is more intent on sending a message to would-be whistleblowers than on upholding the laws that prohibit torture and abuse. Torture is commonplace in countries strongly allied with the United States. Vice President Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s intelligence chief, was the lynchpin for Egyptian torture when the CIA sent prisoners to Egypt in its extraordinary rendition program. A former CIA agent observed, “If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear – never to see them again – you send them to Egypt.” In her chapter in The United States and Torture, New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer cites Egypt as the most common destination for suspects rendered by the United States. Former constitutional law teacher Glenn Greenwald says that in his defense of state secrecy, illegal spying, preventative detention, harassment of whistleblowers, and other issues of civil liberties Obama is even worse than Bush. Indeed, Obama has authorized “targeted Assassinations” against US citizens. Even Bush didn’t openly do something so abhorrent to the rule of law. Obama is trying to expand spying well beyond the Bush administration’s programs. Indeed, the Obama administration is arguing that citizens should neverbe able to sue the government for illegal spying. Obama’s indefinite detention policy is an Orwellian nightmare, which will create more terrorists Furthermore, as hard as it is for Democrats to believe, the disinformation and propaganda campaigns launched by Bush have only increasedunder Obama. According to Dept. of Defense training manuals, protest is considered “low-level terrorism.” An FBI memo also labels peace protesters as “terrorists.” A 2003 FBI memo describes protesters’ use of videotaping as an “intimidation” technique, even though, as the ACLU points out, “Most mainstream demonstrators often use videotape during protests to document law enforcement activity and, more importantly, deter police from acting outside the law.” The FBI appears to be objecting to the use of cameras to document unlawful behavior by law enforcement itself. The Internet has been labeled as a breeding ground for terrorists, with anyone who questions the government’s versions of history being especially equated with terrorists. Government agencies such as FEMA are allegedly teaching that the Founding Fathers should be considered terrorists. The government is also using anti-terrorism laws to keep people from learning what pollutants are in their own community. Claims of “national security” are also used to keep basic financial information such as who got bailout money a secret. That might not bode for particularly warm and friendly treatment for someone persistently demanding the release of such information. The state of Missouri tried to label as terrorists current Congressman Ron Paul and his supporters, former Congressman Bob Barr, libertarians in general, anyone who holds gold, and a host of other people. And according to a law school professor and former president of the National Lawyers Guild, pursuant to the Military Commissions Act: Anyone who…speaks out against the government’s policies could be declared an “unlawful enemy combatant” and imprisoned indefinitely. That includes American citizens. Obama has refused to reverse these practices. There Is Still a Chance to Stop It;The ACLU notes that there is some hope: There is a way to stop this dangerous legislation. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is offering the Udall Amendment that will delete the harmful provisions and replace them with a requirement for an orderly Congressional review of detention power. The Udall Amendment will make sure that the bill matches up with American values. The solution is a way for the Senate to say no to indefinite detention without charge or trial anywhere in the world where any president decides to use the military. Instead of simply going along with a bill that was drafted in secret and is being jammed through the Senate the Udall Amendment deletes the provisions and sets up an orderly review of detention power. It tries to take the politics out and put American values back in. Now is the time to stop this bad idea. We need to urge our senators to vote YES on the Udall Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Have ever wondered about the government’s ability to control the civilian airwaves; well you will have your answer on November 9th when federal authorities plan to shut off all television and radio communications simultaneously at 2:00PM EST to complete the first ever test of the national Emergency Alert System (EAS).
This isn’t a wild conspiracy theory. The upcoming test is posted on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau website. Only the President has the authority to activate EAS at the national level, and he has delegated that authority to the Director of FEMA. The test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS). In essence, the authority to seize control of all television and civilian communication has been asserted by the executive branch and handed to a government agency. The EAS has been around since 1994. Its precursor, the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), started back in 1963. Television and radio broadcasters, satellite radio and satellite television providers, cable television and wire line video providers are all involved in the system. So this begs the question: is the first ever national EAS test really a big deal? Probably not; at least not at the moment. But there are some troubling factors all coming together right now that could conceivably trigger a real usage of the EAS system in the not too distant future. A European financial collapse could bring down U.S. markets. What is now the “Occupy” movement could lead to widespread civil unrest; and there are ominous signs that radical groups such as Anonymous will attempt something major on November 5th, Guy Fawke’s day. Now we know in the event of a major crisis, the American people will be told with one voice, at the same time, about an emergency. All that’s left to determine is who will have control of the EAS when that day comes, and what their message will be. “Occupy” protesters in New York’s capital city, Albany, received an unexpected ally over the week: The state and local authorities.
According to Albany Times Union, New York state troopers and Albany police did not adhere to a curfew crackdown on protesters urged by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Albany mayor Gerald Jennings. Mass arrests seemed to be in the cards once Jennings directed officers to enforce the curfew on roughly 700 protesters occupying the city owned park. But as state police joined the local cops, protesters moved past the property line dividing city and state land. With protesters acting peacefully, local and state police agreed that low level arrests could cause a riot, so they decided instead to defy Cuomo and Jennings. “We don’t have those resources, and these people were not causing trouble,” a state official said. “The bottom line is the police know policing, not the governor and not the mayor.” Occupy Albany, an offspring of Occupy Wall Street, has seen its protesters remain as committed as those located at its parent site. At least 30 tents have remained in the park over the weekend. The leaders of Iran and Venezuela hailed what they called their strong strategic relationship on Wednesday, saying they are united in efforts to establish a “new world order” that will eliminate Western dominance over global affairs.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and visiting Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, watched as officials from both countries signed 11 agreements promoting cooperation in areas including oil, natural gas, textiles, trade and public housing. Among the agreements, Venezuela's state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA said the South American country was forming a joint shipping venture with Iran to aid in delivering Venezuelan crude oil to Europe and Asia. It said in a statement that the agreement for a joint venture also would help supply Iran “due to its limited refining capacity.” Both presidents denounced U.S. “imperialism” and said their opponents will not be able to impede cooperation between Iran and Venezuela. Iran's state TV quoted both Ahmadinejad and Chavez as calling their relationship a “strategic alliance” that would eliminate the current global order. “Iran and Venezuela are united to establish a new world order based on humanity and justice,” Ahmadinejad said, repeating his predictions that those who today seek “world domination are on the verge of collapse.” Chavez said this is a time of “great threats” that make its necessary to swiftly “consolidate strategic alliances in political, economic, technological, energy and social areas,” according to the state-run Venezuelan News Agency. Details of the latest accords were not released, and Chavez said some agreements went beyond those put on paper. He said a Venezuelan delegation will soon travel to Iran to follow up on the agreements. Iran has become the closest Middle East ally to Chavez's government as the left-leaning leader has sought to build international alliances to counter what he sees as U.S. economic and political dominance. “Imperialism has entered a decisive phase of decline and ... is headed, like elephants, to its graveyard,” Chavez said, according to the Venezuelan state news agency. Chavez has staunchly defended Iran's nuclear energy program, siding with Tehran by insisting it is for peaceful uses and not for nuclear bombs. U.S. officials have been worried that Iran may be using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Four rounds of U.N. sanctions, as well as broader severe U.S. and European Union sanctions have not persuaded Tehran to halt the program. Chavez also has plans to develop a nuclear energy program in Venezuela and last week signed an agreement for Russia to help build a reactor. Without mentioning the countries' nuclear ambitions, Chavez said his government demands respect for Iran's sovereignty and that “those who think they are most powerful and want to impose their will on the world respect Iran.” Chavez's trip to Iran was his ninth as president. Before coming to Tehran, he made stops in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Later Wednesday, Chavez arrived in Syria, and is due to travel next to Libya and Portugal. Iran and Venezuela both belong to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. In recent years, the two oil-producing countries have also set up joint ventures to produce cars, tractors and bicycles in the South American country. "The more, the merrier,” was how the white-shirted police inspector put it as he stood on the periphery of Liberty Plaza while Tom Morello, activist and Rage Against the Machine guitarist, played for Occupy Wall Street protesters.
“More” was the operative word. While the NYPD commander was glad-handing a elderly protester who was asking about his thoughts on all the people in the jam-packed park, it could have been a commentary on his department’s presence. The periphery of Liberty Plaza, formally known as Zuccotti Park, resembles an armed camp with surveillance equipment, police vehicles, armed officers, and metal barricades ringing a city square filled with unarmed activists, who openly advocate non-violence. The response is as disproportionate as it is superfluous, a point driven home by the utter apathy displayed by many of the security forces on the scene. Each day the occupiers face the real possibility that the overwhelming police presence will spring to life in order to evict them, end the month long people’s occupation and snuff out the new society they’re building. The NYPD is making it a numbers game. The sheer numbers tell the story when it comes to the NYPD’s response to the Occupy Wall Street movement. On this misty morning as the park was just coming to life, there were 22 uniformed police officers, as well as two white-shirted commanders, already ringing the square. A rainbow coalition, men and women: Thompson, Brancaccio, Yusuff, Badillo, Jacob, Sanchez, Lagani, they stood looking disinterested, or texted on their smart phones or answered tourists’ questions, forming an intermittent chain of dark blue enforcers with little to enforce. Their numbers were exceeded (and augmented) by the metal barricades that similarly ring the park, leaving openings only at the plaza’s four corners. Roughly 150 individual fences surround the park itself; counting those that are doubled up and can be used to seal the plaza entirely should the police decide to do so. Along Liberty Street a phalanx of police vehicles that come and go, but mostly stay put. In front of One Liberty Plaza, the 54-story tower just north of the park (whose owners, Brookfield Properties, also own Zuccotti Park), counted were seven squad cars, two full-size police vans, one police minivan, and one, to lapse into political incorrectness, “paddy wagon.”In most of these vehicles uniformed police officers sat talking on phones, texting, eating, or dozing. Later in the morning, the total count had increased to 16 police vehicles, in addition to a number of unmarked cars, most of which proved to belong to police officers, too. The police state ethos did not, however, end with the NYPD presence surrounding the park’s perimeter. Across Broadway and up Liberty Street, the security forces maintained a reserve contingent of 11 police cars, five police vans, and one paddy wagon from precincts all over the city: the 1st, 5th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 20th, 83rd, 94th(Brooklyn!), as well as the Fleet Services Division which oversees the NYPD’s inventory of cars. There was even a large NYPD Communications Division bus that sat in front of the century-old New York Chamber of Commerce building. Through the lone window not blocked by curtains a sergeant was visible sitting and texting, while sipping from a juice bottle. Even before the protesters began their occupation of the block-long, half-acre park of granite walls and honey-locust trees, the NYPD had a permanent presence on site. Just across the street, a fixed, black NYPD security camera provides the police with an all-seeing eye on the surrounding environs. Across the intersection from it, just above the sign for Liberty Street (and apparently with no intended irony), a large sign announces “NYPD Security Camera in Area.” That stationary camera is, however, apparently not sufficient for the NYPD’s surveillance needs. Not 10 feet from the NYPD camera sign sits an unmarked white truck with a 15-foot, camera-topped pole sticking out of its roof. Only its license plate brands it as the property of the police department. One block down, at the foot of the park on the corner of Liberty and Cedar Streets, an NYPD sky watch tower; a Panoptical-like structure outfitted with black-tinted windows, a spotlight, sensors, and multiple cameras (originally used by hunters to shoot quarry from overhead and now also used by the Department of Homeland Security along the Mexican border) provides further over watch. Later in the day, a second inventory of the police presence ringing the park was taken. Around the plaza perimeter the run-of-the-mill beat cops in blue and their white-shirted superiors had been joined by members of NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU), the outfit that films protests, suit-wearing plainclothes detectives, sore-thumb plainclothesmen (middle-aged white men, wearing out-of-fashion jeans and white sneakers who just happen to loiter on the edges of protests) and even a uniformed member of the Disorder Control Unit; the special cadre tasked with suppressing riots. In all, the NYPD’s numbers had increased to 42 police on the immediate periphery of the park (not counting who knows how many undercover officers), but just about all the policing any of them actually did was hassle reporters and day trippers, telling them to keep moving and stand in the park, not on the sidewalk if they wanted to gawk, talk or text; precisely what most of the cops were doing at one point or another themselves. Earlier in the protests Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Liberty Park would be closed for cleaning at 7am on Friday and scrubbed down in a four-step process, one quadrant at a time.“After it’s cleaned, they’ll be able to come back,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said of the protesters later. “But they won’t be able to bring back the gear. The sleeping bags, that sort of thing will not be able to be brought back into the park.” During an emergency General Assembly at Liberty Plaza to deal with the city’s plans, one activist had an answer for Bloomberg and Kelly. "We see this as a pretext to shut the occupation down,” he told the crowd."They will not foreclose our home! This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic. We won't allow them to come in!" At dawn, the apathy of napping, texting police officers may be replaced by an aggressive attempt by the city to take back the park. They have the numbers and the equipment and more is certainly on the way. The protesters are, however, confident and defiant; vowing to link arms and non-violently resist the police. More than one Occupy Wall Street protester said that a police crackdown would strengthen the movement, and in its short history, heavy-handed police tactics have galvanized the most support for the new society taking shape in Liberty Plaza.“Get up, get down, there’s revolution in this town,” protesters chanted as sirens wailed during their emergency assembly. Friday was certainly the most salient test yet of the young movement’s people power in the face of police-state tactics. The NYPD has overwhelming force, but right now, Occupy Wall Street still holds the park and is still building, they shouted in unison, “The society that we envision for the world!” |
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