CNN : Army combat unit to deploy within U.S.

[StateofTrance]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/03/army.unit/index.html

Scary ha?

 

[AbolishTheGovt]

"Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging." -- Patrick Henry

 

[Anti Federalist]

"We need a lot more in our toolbox in order to deal with angry people on the street," said Col. Barry Johnson of U.S. Army North.

All is well, remain calm.

 

[RSLudlum]

ahhh, so CNN is reporting it now?? I wonder how those reporters feel now that their families and friends could possibly be subjected to military control when they had the power to stop such things in the past just by doing honest reporting in a timely manner.

 

[ihsv]

"We need a lot more in our toolbox in order to deal with angry people on the street," said Col. Barry Johnson of U.S. Army North.

All is well, remain calm.

I'd love to get a source for that quote! That's powerful stuff!

 

[AbolishTheGovt]

I'd love to get a source for that quote! That's powerful stuff!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/03/army.unit/index.html

 

[ihsv]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/03/army.unit/index.html

Duh

Sorry

 

[StateofTrance]

One more credible source :

http://www.times-standard.com/othervoices/ci_10643629

America in Crisis: Are we preparing for martial law?
Dave Stancliff/As It Stands/For the Times-Standard
Article Launched: 10/05/2008 01:35:40 AM PDT

As we watch corporate America stagger financially, and the polarized politicians try to respond, there is something else going on that we all need to be aware of.

For the second time since Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, an active Army unit --1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division -- has been set up to quell civil unrest and do crowd control within our borders. And this time it's a permanent mission.

The last time I checked, the use of the military in domestic activities was prohibited by law, with the exception of the National Guard units under the authority of the states.

So what's going on? A recent report in The Army Times -- “Army Unit to Deploy in October for Domestic Operations” discussed a new military unit that is now stationed in the United States of America.

The report stated that the 1st Brigade Combat Team would be deployed within the country and would work with civil authorities to “put down civil unrest.” On the surface this may seem benign, but this mission marks the first time an active military unit has assigned to NorthCom, the joint command established in 2002 to control federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate with civil authorities.

The unit is under the daily control of U.S. Army North, NorthCom, the Army component of Northern Command, and is now on-call for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

The Army says this mission is ongoing
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and active duty units will be rotated in and out of the country. The commander of this unit, Col. Roger Cloutier, also said that his troops will be trained to use nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.

This is another first; the first time a nonlethal package has been fielded the Army, according to Cloutier. Why does that make me uneasy? The package includes equipment to raise a hasty road block, spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and beanbag bullets.

The Army's new “dwell-time” mission will be part of a force that includes elements from other military branches and dedicated National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support teams.

It doesn't stop there. There will be Air Force engineer and medical units, the Marine Corps Chemical, Biological Initial Reaction Force, a Navy weather team and members of the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

According to an Army Times interview, Col. Louis Vogler, one of the chiefs of NorthCom future operations, said, “Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission.”

I guess that's clear enough.

What's troubling, among other things, is the man appointed as commander of NorthCom, Victor E. Renuart. “Why you ask?” According to Wikipedia, Mr. Renuart: “oversaw the planning and execution of all joint and allied combat, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction operations for Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.”

This was the person who was in charge of all the completely chaotic, ineffective, and dangerous “operation” in Iraq and he will now be in command of this new unit in our country. How comforting is that?

The manual dealing with Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF) explains who can turn this unit loose. “USARNORTH accomplishes its CBRN CM mission in strict adherence to public law and DOD policies. Deployment of USARNORTH, at the direction of the USARNORTH Commander and on the authority of the Secretary of Defense, occurs only after a Governor requests federal assistance from the President, and after the President issues a Presidential Disaster Declaration.”

In 2007, the Alaska/Northern Edge Training Mission was held as part of the first large-scale training for this internal military readiness force.

Very little has been said to the general public about this whole affair. I'd wager most Americans aren't aware of this new strike force within our country. Are we closer to internal collapse than any of us realize? Why does the federal government feel the need for such a unit within our borders?

As It Stands, the idea that active duty soldiers will be used to control unruly civilian crowds is both terrifying and unconstitutional.

Dave Stancliff is a columnist for The Times-Standard. Comments can be sent to [email protected] or davesblogcentral.com.

 

[RockEnds]

"We need a lot more in our toolbox in order to deal with angry people on the street," said Col. Barry Johnson of U.S. Army North.

All is well, remain calm.

lol. Aren't we blessed?

 

[tropicangela]

"Use of active-duty military as a domestic police force has been severely limited since passage of the Posse Comitatus Act following the Civil War."

What is the truth in that statement?

 

[D.H.]

OMG it's mainstream now.

That second to last line scares me.

 

[Vote Waterman 2028]

The U.S. military "is not a Swiss Army knife," ready to fight the Taliban one week, respond to a hurricane the next and put down a major political protest the third week, Healy said

HOLY SHIT... i can't believe i just read that.....

they just openly said that they are okay with putting down a major political protest. Im shocked right now.

 

[ClockwiseSpark]

The U.S. military "is not a Swiss Army knife," ready to fight the Taliban one week, respond to a hurricane the next and put down a major political protest the third week, Healy said.

Well I guess we know where he stands.

 

[tropicangela]

What's troubling, among other things, is the man appointed as commander of NorthCom, Victor E. Renuart. “Why you ask?” According to Wikipedia, Mr. Renuart: “oversaw the planning and execution of all joint and allied combat, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction operations for Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.”

This was the person who was in charge of all the completely chaotic, ineffective, and dangerous “operation” in Iraq and he will now be in command of this new unit in our country. How comforting is that?

http://www.times-standard.com/othervoices/ci_10643629

Effin great.

 

[constitutional]

OMG it's mainstream now.

It's a trap!

 

[RockEnds]

Remember back when our government was amassing the most powerful military machine known to mankind? Remember when they began to attack other nations without provocation? Remember when they declared we were fighting a global war on terror?

Why is anyone shocked?

 

[Vote Waterman 2028]

Remember back when our government was amassing the most powerful military machine known to mankind? Remember when they began to attack other nations without provocation? Remember when they declared we were fighting a global war on terror?

Why is anyone shocked?

Sadly, most of those things didnt directly affect our ways of life. This kind of talk, means that it could be interfering with our way of life. Were just selfish, and when the machine turns on us, only then do we care. Welcome to life my friend.


and i was only shocked by the words that they used in describing the purpose of this battalion in the USA.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Remember back when our government was amassing the most powerful military machine known to mankind? Remember when they began to attack other nations without provocation? Remember when they declared we were fighting a global war on terror?

Why is anyone shocked?

And I would add: sending APCs, full auto battle rifles and other military gear to every podunk cop shop across the country.

Shocked? Not by this. I am shocked that there is still a sizable majority within our own ranks, let alone the ranks of Boobus Americanus that look at this horror unfolding right before their eyes and yet still refuse to believe it's happening.

 

[CountryMe]

Everyone that thought it was so popular to be for the war when it started
sending our troops, I wonder how popular they will think it is now that
it's coming here???

 

[MGreen]

Troops may be trained in non-lethal tactics, but they are not trained for what they may have to deal with in domestic situations, said Gene Healy, a vice president of the conservative think-tank Cato Institute.

Healy said civilian police and, if circumstances are extreme, National Guard troops under the command of state governors should keep the peace.

"Federal troops should always be a last resort, never a first responder," he said.

...The U.S. military "is not a Swiss Army knife," ready to fight the Taliban one week, respond to a hurricane the next and put down a major political protest the third week, Healy said.

Thank God for Cato, eh?