An Interesting NOT Skating Video - Hippies Only!

Naomi Wolf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XgkeTanCGI

Not sure what to say on that one, I've heard bits on all the recent stuff she's talking about but I hadn't put it together yet that our constitutional protections have been slowly dismantled because there is a plan behind it. What would be the desired outcome by those behind the plan? The corporations funding all the important decisions already have most of the available wealth, is there more they want from us? Preparation for the inevitable hordes of pissed off poor?

Power and money. Yes the corporations currently call the (economic) shots, but so much more cost effective and effiicent to get what they want under martial law. Now they spend money on advertising to try to convince the nonthinking sheep to do what they want. Under martial law (thank goodness I edited, I had a freudian slip and spelled MARITAL law), that expense is eliminated. Pretty frightening about the bailout bill going from 4 pages to 500 pages and not being read before passed.
I personally think W is the worst president this country has seen. Long shot, but if McCain wins, he will probably die in office. That leaves a radical right religious zealot in charge. And guess what? Just by odds of elimination, she will probably be granted a chance to appoint a supreme court justice. You think that won't have repercusions for decades to come?

Read Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy In America, published in 1835, amazing work. He quoted Jefferson: "the tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. the tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period."
Sorry! This is why people say no religion or politics!

You're an awesome mom! Not only do you support your son and his crazy adrenaline sports, you help out the skating community annnd eloquently care about the whirlpool state of affairs our government is in. I have an awesome mom too, so cheers to rad mothers everywhere!

Naomi Wolf is my idol.
Her book Fire with Fire changed my life.
Thanks for posting!
I second the cheers to rad Moms everywhere!!

hooray for moms!

I had to share this blog of a friend of mine, because it ties in so closely with the video Casey put up. Scarry thoughts.

http://pagentsprogress.com/
Posse Comitatus Posted in October 28th, 2008 by PAgent in Current Events The Posse Comitatus Act is perhaps best known to far-right militia groups and white supremacists. At least, they are the ones that often scream that the U.S. is violating the Act. But it is an important law and important concept, one that bears consideration.

The Posse Comitatus Act was passed by Congress after the Civil War, and forbids the use of the U.S. military (with the exception of the Coast Guard) from acting as law enforcement within the United States, without explicit authorization by the Constitution or by Congress.

Posse Comitatus is one of this nation’s most important safeguards in preventing a corrupt administration from using the military to suppress internal dissent. That’s why I was so astounded to read at Our PDX that Dieselboi had encountered active-duty soldiers on the Portland waterfront.

You should be astounded, too.

Beginning on October 1, the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division 1st Brigade Combat Team was deployed within the U.S., as a federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks. And presumably, civil unrest.

How did this happen? In part, you can thank the royal screw-up that was the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina (Ref).

After the Bush administration looked like complete incompetents in the aftermath of Katrina, the administration began lobbying for elimination of key aspects of Posse Comitatus, so the President could deploy U.S. military forces inside the U.S. at will. Well, you would think that the Congress would never go along with such an idea. And you would be wrong. The Defense Authorization Act of 2006 empowered President George W. Bush to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist “incident,” or a breakdown in “public order.”

In 2007, the “Insurrection Act” of 1807, which also created limits on how a President could deploy U.S forces within the U.S., was renamed the “Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” Instead of permitting the deployment of troops in case of “insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy”, the new act now permits deployment in the event of “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition.”

Of course, “other condition” is not defined.

So now back to 3rd Infantry Division 1st BCT. It turns out they have been issued a whole bunch of new toys to play with in their first-ever domestic deployment. Specifically,

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them. (Ref)

All of this plays out like the first hour of a bad political conspiracy movie. And you can be forgiven for imagining that I’m paranoid, because I am paranoid, particularly where the right wing of the Republican party is concerned.

What I want to know is, why are members of the 1st BCT deployed in Portland with gear that has been designed for crowd control and putting down riots, in the week before the election? Does the government anticipate rioting in the near future?

Polls right now show Barack Obama with a commanding lead, well beyond statistical uncertainty. Our nation has always prided itself on the peaceful transfer of power — this is one of the tenets of democracy that we wish to export to the rest of the world. So, why would anyone fear that this election would be any different?

Perhaps if you knew that Obama was not going to win, despite the polling numbers, you might well believe that having a few lads in fatigues with beanbag rounds and tazers at the ready is a good idea, particularly in cities where you expect there to be a strong reaction. A brigade, while large (1,500 to 4,000 soldiers) is hardly strong enough to crush a popular uprising, but it would be more than enough to shut up the loudest voices raised in any given city.

I sincerely hope that this is simply the ravings of a liberal paranoiac. That on the day after the election we can congratulate ourselves on yet another demonstration of democracy to the rest of the world. And of course, I hope that Mr. Obama is convincingly elected.

I just think it’s ironic that the Bush administration may be responsible for convincing me that a strict construction of the Second Amendment could be a good thing after all

Damn Judy, that was an awesome post. Bookmarked.

just because it is halloween doesn't mean it is okay to go around scarring us like that! shudder!

whew - that went a whole lot better than I thought it would!

So far so good. There was a giant chain of people holding hands and skipping in Pioneer square, no riot police either, just security guards that seemed to be in good moods.

what?! People having a blast in our streets and no police brutality?! Unbelievable!

hooray for obama! this was my first time to vote in a presidential election and it is very encouraging to see things work out this well. hooray for voting!

AWESOME!!!!

It is awesome to see that we were not undermined at the poles this year. It is an exciting opportunity to see some real change in how our government is run. It is still intimidating to see how much power the executive branch has gained during the current administration. I think the most important lesson that can be learned is to all ways pay attention to how our government is run. We should remember it is our duty to protect liberties we enjoy as Americans. Lets always make sure we are not mislead by fear tactics. Remember: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

Be Franklin, baby!

Hmmmmm, how does that go again? 'Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it', I believe. And we're at what, 233 years? Food for thought.

so is bondage like slavery? cause that shit is wack. even if you do find yourself a good one.

Bondage is usually more fun than slavery... to each his own.