New York Under Seige as CRAWFORD COWARD Demands Armed Fortress

[Stephanie]

It's getting scary and it hasn't even started yet. The NERVE of George Bush to put New Yorkers through this ordeal just to glorify himself.

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This is what he's done to us - made us the target:


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Central New York an armed fortress for Republican convention

Police say the area around the Garden will be sealed off to an 18-block radius, and only vehicles with special police permits will be allowed to enter.

That security perimeter will be patrolled around the clock by a 10,000- strong security force including New York City police, New York State police, FBI agents, SWAT teams and attack dogs.

The city security force will be reinforced by the US Coast Guard, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, US Secret Service agents and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&ncid=696&e=1&u=/afp/20040826/ts_afp/us_vote_republicans">more at link

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Among the security team's less obvious players is the North American air command, or NORAD, which will secure air space over the convention with patrols by Air Force fighter pilots. In New York Harbor, the Coast Guard plans to test a new underwater 3-D sonar system to scan pier walls and ship bottoms for mines and other explosives.

The Postal Service will use its police force to protect the media center at the James A. Farley Building, the landmark post office opposite Madison Square Garden. Officers from Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will check for suspicious packages on commuters trains entering Penn Station beneath the arena.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assigned bomb-sniffing dogs to the convention. It also will deploy one its four national response teams, comprised of explosive experts, to the city for the first time since the 1993 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which usually doles out aid during natural disasters, says it will "pre-deploy" its emergency personnel to Manhattan on standby.

more at link

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[AspenRose]

1. New York under Martial Law

That's what it looks like.

[Stephanie]

3. That's how it's starting to feel

My friend just said the FBI has commandeered her building. They have taken over the empty apartments and she can't let her construction workers (doing renovations) back into the building until next week. She is 12 blocks from the Garden.

[Hobarticus]

6. You have got to be kidding!!

That's unreal. hard to imagine in this country. Security's one thing, but 18 blocks?

[starroute]

22. 18 blocks = ALL of midtown Manhattan

That's everything from the Hudson to the East River and from Central Park down to Greenwich Village.

That's almost unimaginable. Might as well just shut the whole city down and tell everyone to go on vacation for the week.


On edit: Maybe they don't mean "radius," but just the 18 square blocks closest to the convention center. That would be almost sane. I just can't see them preventing all unpermitted cars from travelling through the heart of Manhattan or coming in on the bridges and tunnels.

[Dover]

13. Maybe her building is near one of the places where there will be

GOP parties. It would seem those gatherings are more vulnerable than the convention center.

[Stephanie]

21. The location is more likely a motorcade route, IMO

But it's SICK what they're doing to this town. I was all fired up to stay in the city for the protests and the arts events, etc., but now I am thinking of leaving. It's nervewracking.

You have to remember a good percentage of NYers suffered PTSD and this is a real ordeal.

[Dover]

27. Yes, I do understand the PTSD issues, having had some friends

witness the 9/11 event from a block away. I think much of America suffered some effects of PTSD, even if their experience was through their t.v. sets.

[LeighAnn]

2. It was a wonder they couldn't do that on 9-11

"Among the security team's less obvious players is the North American air command, or NORAD, which will secure air space over the convention with patrols by Air Force fighter pilots. "

You'd think they could have done the same for the Pentagon on 9-11, given the fact that our nation was under attack

http://www.hereinreality.com/news/gameshow.html

[Champion Jack]

7. Good point LeighAnn

[iwantmycountryback]

9. I know NYC is more of a target

than Boston but they're treating it like a war zone. Planes flying overhead? Why not in Boston? This is sick that Bush is trying to take advantage of 9/11 like that. I hope New Yawkers give him and his fellow Repugs a rude welcome.

[BootinUp]

14. gotta protect the Chimp in Charge

:eyes:

[shance]

20. Did the Bush Administration ever given the rest of the aid money to NYC?

After 9/11, I remember one of the first things the Bush Administration did was to bail out the airlines,

That always struck me as odd.

Yes, the airlines, the ones who were more than blatantly negligent in providing effective security.

Apparently, that was not important. Osama Bin Laden and overdosing Americans with red, white, and blue were the priorities de jour.

I always wondered why Americans just let the airlines slide without any accountability, just like so many other things we as Americans let slide.

Senators Clinton and Schumer, not to mention the familie's victims of 9/11, in an effort to obtain aid money for the victims, had to practically bust down the White House blockaded doors to get any response from them, much less a commitment.

The Bush Administration held on to the $2 billion of aid Bush had already promised to the families of the victims like a miser to a penny.

Now they are having the RNC in NYC.

How quaint.

Im so angered as an American by the actions of this elitist, entitled, hateful, contemptuous, narcissistic, paranoid, mysogynistic, homophobic Administration.

Its hard to stay level headed and rational when they are so far off the charts in everything they do.

[Stephanie]

23. Sort of

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0434/barrett.php

The 10 Ways Bush Screwed New York
by Wayne Barrett, special reporting by Daniel Magliocco
August 24th, 2004 10:25 AM

<snip>

5 Bush did OK on the $20 billion, but he's still shortchanging us on the edges of the minimal pledge he made to a city whose economy took an $80 billion hit. For example, when Florida collects hurricane aid, it will likely also get another 15 percent of whatever FEMA spends on emergency assistance for "hazard mitigation"—funding that federal law requires to help a disaster-hit locality figure out ways to avoid such a crushing blow again. NY only got 5 percent. Even George Pataki, who's as likely to publicly criticize Bush as he is Libby, has complained about that one.

The White House explanation is that the city got all its emergency costs reimbursed—a higher percentage than usual—so it's receiving less mitigation aid. But Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who's been a tiger in the House on every dollar due New York, cites chapter and verse of other localities that have collected full emergency and mitigation funding. Fifteen percent mitigation would add $840 million to our coffers.

Bush is hardly the only one responsible for another missing $3 billion. Instead of demanding the $20 billion in hard cash the minute Bush agreed in the White House meeting with our senators, Giuliani, Pataki, and the senators decided they wanted billions of it in the form of tax incentives for downtown projects that have never materialized. It's a synchronized bipartisan mess that includes the White House. But this screwup, combined with Pataki's snail-like rebuilding pace on the site, has given Bush nothing to showcase here. He's planning no GZ extravaganza because it still looks like a moonscape.

[maine_raptor]

4. I am SOOOOOOOOOO E'ffing glad

that I live in the Great North Woods of Maine!!!!!!!

[Malva Zebrina]

5. I saw those pictures and for a minute wondered if I was looking at

pictures from Iraq

[lapfog_1]

17. Not possible

too many intact buildings. No bomb craters, no RPG holes.

[pnorman]

8. How much of all this expense

is the RNC planning on reimbursing?

pnorman

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Remember when he went to England and did the same thing?

Wanted Buckingham Castle to be reinforced or something and did land there by helicopter, tearing up ancient lawns and traumatizing the Queen's flamingos.

[GOPAgainstGW]

11. **NEWS ALERT** Bush to Read My Pet Goat at RNC Convention

to remind him and the Republicans of his great 9/11 management skills.

Watch News 4 at 10:00PM for the whole story.

[madrchsod]

12. isn`t it amazing that they have to go to these extremes

to protect a president of a democracy? is this any indication on the paranoia that surrounds the cult of bush? is this an indication on how much they feel he is hated? what a bunch of cowards--i guess it`s easy to say bring it on when you are surrounded by more fire power than we have looking for osama--remember him, george? oh well so much for america-home of the free-and little pink houses for you and me...

[seabeyond]

15. man the repugs are so afraid

our president is so afraid. not good to have leaders in such fear. wouldnt that be a coward.

telling fundie school, yawl tal god but you have no faith. you are so afraid. you dont trust self, you dont trust your children, you dont have faith at all. to live so fearfully. no thank you

[gWbush is Mabus]

16. make the people afraid and they'll vote for you

[DinahMoeHum]

18. All that for what? 3 hours? 5 hours? of the Boy King in NYC?

Sheesh, what a dildo.

:evilfrown:

[maine_raptor]

19. Sorry my friend, fz, but I have to disagree

At least a dildo is useful.

[DenverDem]

24. NORAD has the airspace secured?!?!?!!?

They sure aren't stood down THIS WEEK!

They've got to protect the guys that stood them down 9/11/01!!!!

[LuminousX]

25. A Test of How to Lock Down a City

If they can create a 'Green Zone' in New York City, how difficult will it be for them to lock down Seattle or Milwaukee?

This is a test of the Big Brother System. If this had been an actual activiation of martial law, you would have been told which internment camp you are to report.

The only thing missing from this scenario is the government using coerced labor to boost the economy.

[Gin]

26. yep.............previews of coming attractions.

g

[Stephanie]

28. The barricades are already up on my block

I am on the route of the Sunday protest and the barricades are set up already. The helicopters are flying low non-stop. NY is CREEPY right now, just eerie.

[Stephanie]

29. Security costs --> $65 Million!

Thanks George! NYC school kids appreciate your robbing their coffers.