House Passes Law, Won't Talk About It

One who did talk, Dennis Kucinich
Photo from Raw Story

Some of the more hardcore liberals in the blogosphere are worried. They think that George W. Bush and his administration are not about to give up the power they've grabbed. They believe there will be some sort of--possibly engineered--attack, and that martial law will be declared. With the country in such a state, the election could be suspended, and Bush could continue to be President indefinitely!

Those not willing to go that far simply believe that the election will be stolen (again!), and John McCain will inherit the power structure the Bushies built for him.

I'd be lying to say I haven't pondered scenarios like the above, and others. I'm not sure I'd seriously entertain them. But, when I read a story like the one below, I start to get a little nervous. . .

[Excerpt]

The Thought Crime Law

. . .Worthwhile or not, the story’s about a bill that recently passed the House of Representatives and looks on track to pass the Senate and be signed into law. Over 98 percent of Congressmen, including all five from Connecticut, voted in favor of it (the final count was 404 to 6), and when a bill passes with such a high majority it’s usually easy to find among that 98 percent a few Congressmen willing to go on the record to say “I voted for this incredibly important bill because blah blah blah.”

Not this time. . .

Read more at: Jenifer Abel

Blackwater to Open Site in San Diego?

Photo from source, Raw Story

If I didn't have so much trust in our government and the Bush Administration, this might worry me. Fortunately, I know they wouldn't do anything that wasn't in the best interests of all Americans. So any worries about hired mercenaries helping enforce martial law would just be a mad fever-dream of a tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist. Or something. Where is that hat, anyway?

[Excerpt]

Federal judge allows Blackwater to open San Diego facility

A federal judge has ordered the city of San Diego to allow military contractor Blackwater Worldwide to begin using a new counterterrorism training facility. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Bush Making Moves Toward Martial Law?

I've been meaning to post something regarding this issue for some time, but as any new blogger will tell you, the ideas fly so fast and furious, some of the best get forgotton for a while. And how could I forget this?

In a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed into law a provision which, according to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law (1). It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act (10 U.S.C.331 -335) has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C.1385), helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions. Toward Freedom - Bush Moves Toward Martial Law

And then there's this:

The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, signed on May 9, 2007, declares that in the event of a “catastrophic event,” George W. Bush can become what is best described as a dictator, "The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government."
This directive, completely unnoticed by the media, and given no scrutiny by Congress, literally gives the White House unprecedented dictatorial power over the government and the country, bypassing the US Congress and obliterating the separation of powers. The directive also placed the secretary of Homeland Security in charge of domestic “security.” New presidential directive gives Bush dictatorial power

The thing that bugs me most about this, is that the President can declare an emergency without regard to where a disaster may have happened, or what it was. Not so scary if you're dealing with a President that is trustworthy, but can we trust this guy? Has he given us any reason to? Ponderous, man. This is really. . .ponderous.