Martial law in select cities

[TwixVoy]

Normally I am the first person to dismiss suggestions of martial law in the united states or anything of that nature.

However, I strongly believe we are looking at a major economic downturn next year that the media and government are NOT sharing with us.

I regularly watch satellite feeds from the news channels in Asia and Europe. The message I keep hearing on their news channels is "We need to get the hell away from the US dollar" and "We expect a major depression in the united states". We have to remember that sometimes being outside looking in gives one the best picture.

Now let me say that I do NOT believe we are looking at all hell breaking loose in the united states over this. HOWEVER - we must remember that most people have been conditioned to go to work, buy, borrow, spend. When that life style is eliminated many people will get angry. (think of the person who killed his own family on the news over losing everything. Think of people jumping out windows during the great depression) Many people can not handle that kind of thing.

I think the military and upper levels of the government are preparing for limited martial law in select cities. For example, say Detroit is hit really hard by this. People start to riot. But let's say Austin is managing to hold together. There is no reason to declare martial law in Austin, but there might be in Detroit.

I think this is something we will be looking at next year or the year after. We have to remember congress being told if they didn't vote for the bail out we would see martial law. We have to remember the army has put troops here for that purpose. So it is clearly on the table.

[rosesaylavee]

1. Interesting possible future but it doesn't necessarily have

to turn out that way. With a McCain win, most assuredly. But I would think that Obama will be able to continue to surprise us with pragmatic solutions through the coming difficulties.

[TwixVoy]

3. Doubt it

though it will certainly be better. This situation is beyond anyones ability to fix at this point. It would be like trying to save the Titanic after it hit the ice berg.

[rosesaylavee]

9. All righty then.

I guess we will see which one of us is right. Hope you stick around for the show.

[TwixVoy]

11. I will

I was warning that we were looking at a major down turn MONTHS ago when we were still being told it was going to be a "mild slow down" and the stimulus checks would fix it. I was told by many I was wrong and everything was going to be fine by now. Look who was right.

Funny how many have such a short term memory....

[billyoc]

2. Getting in touch with your inner Mike Malloy?

:rofl:

[dhpgetsit]

4. We face serious problems.

If we are quick on our feet and have some semblance of a democracy - and by that I been government representing the people rather than the corporate elite - we can make sure people are not starving, and martial law will not be imposed.

On the other hand, if the election is canceled or stolen and the neo-fascists stay in control, we will probably see riots in the streets and martial law.

[TwixVoy]

6. The feds couldn't handle

feeding a limited region of the country during katrina. I could only imagine something bigger....

[AndyTiedye]

8. They Don't Care About Feeding Us…

…if they're gonna kill us.

[Caliman73]

16. I don't think the government "couldn't"

I think it was more like they didn't really care to act quickly and decisively. Republicans tend to wait to see how a situation can be used to promote their agenda. They completely misjudged Katrina and suffered for it politically. There will be suffering because of the scale of the economic situation, but Democrats tend to act with more concern for the populace.

[liam_laddie]

5. I wish some Congressional parliamentarian would

define or verify that "martial law" as used in context last week was referring to a House and/or Senate rule which is called "martial law" but which refers to calling onto the floor(s) all members to vote on or consider some matter of immediate, extreme importance. I don't believe that the term was being used in the lock-down, military sense applied to the country. My interpretation is subject to correction, of course. Beyond that, I agree with the OPer that lock-downs are possible someplace. I think we saw that in St. Paul MN during the RNC.
:shrug:

[TwixVoy]

12. WRONG

I found a video clip of a member of congress saying they were told there would be martial law in america. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB9fuIvksLw

Watch that video just before the 5 minute mark.

It is incredible on a site like this that someone could be so misinformed as to believe what you just wrote.

[liam_laddie]

13. I stand by my original post, Twixvoy.

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 28, 2006. The most concise explanation*** I've yet found about "Congressional martial law." <http://www.cbpp.org/7-28-06bud-stmt.htm>
I do apologize for not including this link in my initial comment. However, I do NOT apologize for being correct! Now, who's misinformed again? Know your subject before posting, I always say...

-snip-

"Among the matters the House may be asked to vote on under martial law are a major conference report on pension legislation, a costly bill that would permanently reduce the estate tax and extend certain expiring tax provisions, and a bill that could combine a controversial health insurance proposal with an increase in the minimum wage (there also are reports that the estate tax, minimum wage, and expiring tax provisions may be combined into a single bill). The House Rules Committee on Thursday afternoon reported a resolution that would provide martial law authority in relation to all of these bills.

*** "Under the martial law procedure, longstanding House rules that require at least one day between the unveiling of significant legislation and the House floor vote on that legislation — so that Members can learn what they are being asked to vote on — are swept away. Instead, under “martial law,” the Leadership can file legislation with tens or hundreds of pages of fine print and move immediately to debate and votes on it, before Members of Congress, the media, or the public have an opportunity to understand fully what provisions have been altered or inserted into the legislation behind closed doors. This is the procedure that the Leadership intends to use to muscle through important bills in the next two days."

[AndyTiedye]

7. Martial Law in the Blue Cities After The Repiggies Steal the Election

[davsand]

10. European markets have to protect against every contingency.

If they are, in fact, moving away from the US currency and the American economy it might well be because they are not 100% certain Obama will win. Had that occurred to you? The future may be brighter than they project because they are taking a protective stance.

As for the martial law issue, we all have no doubt that metro areas can become a nightmare in the event of any major interruption to the supply line--including events like natural disasters or attacks. We all saw the aftermath of Katrina and we watched while our "systems" fell apart. Something that seems to go unremarked, however, is the fact that the military was just not here. We had less help to send to NOLA because our military is sitting in other countries.

Those guys are STILL out of country and it is damn hard to patrol Detroit, Chicago, DC, or New York quashing civilian unrest if you are sitting in the Middle East or anyplace else.

Try not to subscribe to the politics of fear--ok?


Laura

[readmoreoften]

14. Uh, the US Army is not supposed to be "patrolling Detroit or DC or NYC" to quash civilian unrest.

And the designation of a Northcom brigade permanently stationed to US soil is a violation of posse comitatus (i.e.: US LAW) It's not the politics of fear. It's the politics of logic.

Various cities are under martial law on a rotating basis already whenever there is a peaceful protest. Consider the police brutality in Ramsey County Jail after the RNC for example: (1) the documented hooding, gagging, and torture of US citizens held without charges; (2) persons being dragged naked out of their homes in the middle of the night and arrested for "plotting" what is tantamount to sit-ins and 'cop watches'; (3) systematic destruction of evidence by the police.

And that's simply riot cops backed up by the guard. Add 4000 battle-hardened troops that fought in Najaf and Fallujah? Yes, that's a reason to fear. Or at least be disgusted.

[davsand]

15. The suspension of posse comitatus is a "problem," yes.

It speaks volumes about the mindset of our current regime--which is in its final days. Those orders are subject to change and I doubt that either Obama OR McCain will allow that to stand once they assume office. (Say what you wish about McCain--I'll probably agree with you on most things--but I do think that in spite of all his faults he really DOES carry a pretty good sense of US laws and WHY they are important.)

When I wrote my original comment I was thinking mostly about National Guard troops and how they have been applied over the years. Right now, a lot of THOSE guys aren't even stateside and I doubt we could muster too much in the way of any military here in the US given our remaining troop levels.

Additionally, I honestly have a strong faith in our service personnel and THEIR commitment to the US Constitution. I seriously doubt that a lot of those folks would be WILLING to draw down on a non-hostile civilian group. Again, you may disagree with me, but I have a lot of respect for ANYBODY in our military right now because there are an awful lot of them that volunteered knowing full well there was likely to be somebody shooting at them at some point. I don't think anyone signs up for that unless they honestly believe in this country and what it stands for--in EVERY way.

Bad riot cops are nothing new to the scene--just ask the folks who got beat to hell in Chicago in '68 at the Dem convention. The biggest changes I see, really, are the ones that have come about with Homeland Security and the suspension of MOST civil rights (Including the Freedom of Assembly and Freedom from Surveillance. Kinda pisses me off that I can be deported as a Union Sympathizer again--I am not at all thrilled with a return to the days of the Palmer Raids.)

Hell, for that matter take a long look at the Bonus Marchers in DC and you'll see a classic example of the military being used on US soil with no real repercussion. I doubt greatly that Obama OR McCain would authorize any repeats of burning down a tent town full of US Citizens.

YMMV. I hope to hell we never GET to a point in this country where my trust is ever tested.


Laura