The last stand for our Rights

The last line of defense of American Civil Liberties is under attack.

By Lloyd Hart


As one might expect from the supreme court installed dictator in the White House and his pals in the congress, it now looks as though the last line of defense of American civil liberties is under attack.

On October 25 the Senate Armed Services Committee received statements and testimony from the following individuals:

Honorable Thomas E. White
Secretary of the Army and Interim
Department of Defense Executive Agent for
Homeland Security

General Peter Pace, USMC
Vice Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff

General William F. Kernan, USA
Commander in Chief
U.S. Joint Forces Command

General Ralph E. Eberhart, USAF
Commander in Chief
U.S. Space Command/North American Aerospace Defense Command
Command/North American Aerospace Defense Command

If you read these men’s statements to the committee you get the feeling that the US military have already begun the planning of a post Posse Comitatus Act period.

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 for those that aren’t familiar with it, restricts the US military from participating as civil police without an act of congress within US civil society. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was born out of the abuse on the part US military personnel visited on the civilian population in the post civil war period and primarily to establish civilian control over civil society.

But of course the US military and politicians have skirted the law by setting up the national guard. But obviously the pentagon does not have faith in the national guard and wants control of the streets and skies of America for themselves.

This was confirmed when Senator John Warner (R) Virginia, the ranking republican on the Armed Services committee, proposed in these hearings that congress do away with the Posse Comitatus Act and allow the US military to deploy off base to ensure the security of US population.

The startling moment in all this was when Senator Carl Levin (D) Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee did not slam this idea out right but stated rather that "We must be cautous" as if to say "Yeah, ok but".

When one looks at the time line from the hijacking of election 2000 by the radical right wingers on the supreme court, to the appointment of the radical right wing luminaries throughout the government, to the convenience of war with a failing economy made worse by war, to now, the proposed abolishing of the Posse Comitatus Act, one can only get the feeling that we are entering a period incredible consequences to our civil liberties.