[I]n May, 2002, Wayne Madsen and John Stanton revealed that the government’s marketing preparations for the war were already underway, with U.S. Air Force scientists consulting with CNN "to figure out how to gather and disseminate information." [CounterPunch.org ]
In an article entitled, "When the War Hits Home: U.S. Plans for Martial Law, Tele-Governance and the Suspension of Elections," Madsen and Stanton delved into the more frightening aspects of what might be in store. "One incident, one aircraft hijacked, a 'dirty nuke' set off in a small town, may well prompt the Bush regime, let's say during the election campaign of 2003-2004, to suspend national elections for a year while his government ensures stability," they wrote. "Many closed door meetings have been held on these subjects and the notices for these meetings have been closely monitored by the definitive www.cryptome.org."
...In Nov. 2003, you might recall, Gen. Tommy Franks told Cigar Aficionado magazine that a major terrorist attack (even one that occurred elsewhere in the Western world), would likely result in a suspension of the U.S. Constitution and the installation of a military form of government. "[A] terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event somewhere in the Western world -- it may be in the United States of America -- [would cause] our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event," he said. [NewsMax.com ]
...To make matters worse, if martial law is imposed, Air Force General Ralph E. Eberhart will be able to blast through Posse Comitatus and deploy troops to America’s streets. Gen. Eberhart, you might recall, is the former Commander of NORAD, which was in charge of protecting America’s skies on Sept. 11. But instead of being scrutinized for NORAD’s massive failures, he was promoted and now heads the Pentagon's Northern Command. And, as military analyst William M. Arkin explained, "It is only in the case of 'extraordinary' domestic operations that would enable Gen. Eberhart to bring in "intelligence collectors, special operators and even full combat troops" to bear. What kind of situation would have to occur to grant Eberhart "the far-reaching authority that goes with 'extraordinary operations’"? Nothing. He already has that authority. [Los Angeles Times ]
Which brings us to the inevitable (and most important) question. How primed is the American public to accept suspended elections, martial law, or whatever else the White House decides to "market"?
...So, what the heck. If others can do it, I can, too. So I’ll go out on a limb and make a prediction of my own: If the truth continues to seep out about the way the Bush administration has failed us, suspending the election may be the only way Bush can win. My darkest fear is that G.W.'s handlers believe this, too.
In an article entitled, "When the War Hits Home: U.S. Plans for Martial Law, Tele-Governance and the Suspension of Elections," Madsen and Stanton delved into the more frightening aspects of what might be in store. "One incident, one aircraft hijacked, a 'dirty nuke' set off in a small town, may well prompt the Bush regime, let's say during the election campaign of 2003-2004, to suspend national elections for a year while his government ensures stability," they wrote. "Many closed door meetings have been held on these subjects and the notices for these meetings have been closely monitored by the definitive www.cryptome.org."
...In Nov. 2003, you might recall, Gen. Tommy Franks told Cigar Aficionado magazine that a major terrorist attack (even one that occurred elsewhere in the Western world), would likely result in a suspension of the U.S. Constitution and the installation of a military form of government. "[A] terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event somewhere in the Western world -- it may be in the United States of America -- [would cause] our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event," he said. [NewsMax.com ]
...To make matters worse, if martial law is imposed, Air Force General Ralph E. Eberhart will be able to blast through Posse Comitatus and deploy troops to America’s streets. Gen. Eberhart, you might recall, is the former Commander of NORAD, which was in charge of protecting America’s skies on Sept. 11. But instead of being scrutinized for NORAD’s massive failures, he was promoted and now heads the Pentagon's Northern Command. And, as military analyst William M. Arkin explained, "It is only in the case of 'extraordinary' domestic operations that would enable Gen. Eberhart to bring in "intelligence collectors, special operators and even full combat troops" to bear. What kind of situation would have to occur to grant Eberhart "the far-reaching authority that goes with 'extraordinary operations’"? Nothing. He already has that authority. [Los Angeles Times ]
Which brings us to the inevitable (and most important) question. How primed is the American public to accept suspended elections, martial law, or whatever else the White House decides to "market"?
...So, what the heck. If others can do it, I can, too. So I’ll go out on a limb and make a prediction of my own: If the truth continues to seep out about the way the Bush administration has failed us, suspending the election may be the only way Bush can win. My darkest fear is that G.W.'s handlers believe this, too.
And from Justin Raimondo's current column:
As for the constitutional implications, Soaries' concern is vastly understated. Since there are no provisions in the U.S. Constitution providing for the cancellation of elections by the federal government, Soaries is asking us to consider "under what circumstances" the Constitution ought to be overthrown. His proposal amounts to a usurpation of power: in effect, a coup.
The Bush administration, in any case, was quick to pick up on the Soaries proposal – in tandem with the latest terrorist scare...
It's the same old color-coded cacophony of scaremongering that has had the Bush administration manipulating the American people from one end of the manic-depressive scale to the other. Go shopping: buy duct tape: "They hate us for our freedom" – oh, and, by the way, we're canceling the elections….
It's funny how all this mysterious "chatter" we're always hearing about invariably feeds the paranoiac convenience of the Bush administration, and once again this is proving to be the case, as Newsweek reports:
"The prospect that Al Qaeda might seek to disrupt the U.S. election was a major factor behind last week's terror warning by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Ridge and other counterterrorism officials concede they have no intel about any specific plots. But the success of March's Madrid railway bombings in influencing the Spanish elections – as well as intercepted "chatter" among Qaeda operatives – has led analysts to conclude 'they want to interfere with the elections,' says one official."
Short of nuclearizing every major American city, Al Qaeda, in and of itself, is powerless to "disrupt" our electoral process: the only ones who seem to want to directly interfere with the elections are Mr. Soaries, the USEAC, and, now, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.
article
The Bush administration, in any case, was quick to pick up on the Soaries proposal – in tandem with the latest terrorist scare...
It's the same old color-coded cacophony of scaremongering that has had the Bush administration manipulating the American people from one end of the manic-depressive scale to the other. Go shopping: buy duct tape: "They hate us for our freedom" – oh, and, by the way, we're canceling the elections….
It's funny how all this mysterious "chatter" we're always hearing about invariably feeds the paranoiac convenience of the Bush administration, and once again this is proving to be the case, as Newsweek reports:
"The prospect that Al Qaeda might seek to disrupt the U.S. election was a major factor behind last week's terror warning by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Ridge and other counterterrorism officials concede they have no intel about any specific plots. But the success of March's Madrid railway bombings in influencing the Spanish elections – as well as intercepted "chatter" among Qaeda operatives – has led analysts to conclude 'they want to interfere with the elections,' says one official."
Short of nuclearizing every major American city, Al Qaeda, in and of itself, is powerless to "disrupt" our electoral process: the only ones who seem to want to directly interfere with the elections are Mr. Soaries, the USEAC, and, now, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.
And his conclusion:
Thanks to the Democratic party's fanatical and well-financed campaign to knock Nader off as many ballots as possible, we don't have a choice this election year. Also thanks to the short-sighted sectarianism and political cowardice of the Greens and the Libertarians, both of which rejected credible candidates, the third party milieu provides no natural outlet for antiwar sentiment at the polls this November. Betrayed by the Left, and ignored by ostensibly anti-interventionist elements on the Right, such as the LP, the antiwar voter (constituting, at this point, something pretty close to a majority), is the man without a party.
Cancel the elections? They needn't bother. Whichever wing of the War Party wins out, come Election Day, the continuity of our imperial foreign policy remains unbroken.
Cancel the elections? They needn't bother. Whichever wing of the War Party wins out, come Election Day, the continuity of our imperial foreign policy remains unbroken.
True in as far as it goes. But, there's more at stake for cancelling the elections, and I'm sure Justin knows it.
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