[jato]

Jay, please go back to page 1 and respond to my response...hmmm that didn't sound right. :D

[Cool Hand Linc]

FEMA was set up to help save citizens in a disaster. That could be allot of things. Yes there is Presidential orders as have been stated. That doesn't mean they are meant to be used as you are referring.
Say a disaster hits a city of 1 million people. 500,000 are killed. No water or food is available through normal means. FEMA steps in and orders truckers to transport food. Orders contractors to fix water lines. Orders repairs to bridges as needed to get things going. The military helps out by placing temporary bridges where needed. Steps are taken to stop looting. etc. Good thing the fences have wire around the top turned in.....

[engt]

Actually, FEMA is the lead agency in case of martial law. Check this out: link

[The_Virginian]

Executive orders such as the ones pertaining to martial law are not new...even the "media darling" Kenedy put some of these "fema" type rulings into the "Fedral Registrar" ( real laws made w/o your congressman every day... ) The "idea" was after a nuclear war, the government would "survive." and rule over whatever/whoever managed to survive.

The whole concept of "executive orders" makes people worry about the concentration of power into ONE SINGLE INDIVIDUAL, the President of the United States. The reality that should one man decide (for the right, or the wrong reasons) to DISSOLVE congress/Senate and Judicial branches into one De Facto stroke of a pen makes many sensible poeple realize how precariously fragile the "Checks and balances" realy are...

[drew]

If you guys don't think the government would suspend democracy think again. In Canada we had a home grown terrorist threat called the FLQ in the late sixties. After they murdered a brit, the PM, Trudeau, brought in the war measures act, where hundreds were arrested and held for days without charges. Hmm sounds a lot like gitmo. Anyway, there is a famous clip in which Trudeau is being questioned by a reporter about the unconstitutionality of this action. Trudeau calls him a bleeding heart and says 'watch me'. He ended the FLQ really quickly. As for democracies, we barely live in them anyway. You yanks have the choice of two parties funded by and influenced by the rich, as do we Canadians. Nader is perhaps equivalent to our New Democrats. Sorry guys, read some Chomsky, democracy it ain't. You can bet your bottom dollar if shtf badly democracy will be suspended. In Canada during the great depression 20 percent of Canadian men under 30 were interned in work camps out in the boonies. If you refused you starved, simple. Why would you think that the established power structure would have any desire to give up that hard earned power?
Drew

[Cool Hand Linc]

You have a good point drew. I have no dought that the powerful don't want to give up what they got. I would hope it would not be so easy today. On a small scale I am sure it can happen.

[The_Virginian]

Right on Drew, $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n Canada during the great depression 20 percent of Canadian men under 30 were interned in work camps out in the boonies

[Soft_Landing]

Don't know how credible this guy is. How much do you trust a Col. (retired) in the US army?
“The trigger for the 911 activity was the imminent and unstoppable world-wide financial collapse which can only be prevented temporarily by a major war, perhaps to become known as World War III. To bring it off one more time, martial law will probably be imposed in the United States.”

You can read the interview here: LINK
Ok, I've been continuing to read whilst posting this, and it get's way out there... Enjoy.

[Licho]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JayHMorrison', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Licho', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JayHMorrison', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('NevadaGhosts', ' ')Looks like presidential executive orders could disolve the Constitution instantly. Pretty scary.

[Aaron]

Guys selling something, (which this one mentions MANY times during the interview), always arouse suspecision...
But the Pentagon lawn issue does bug me...

wtf? link

[Cool Hand Linc]

I never thought about that. No damage from the plane yet the fire trucks damage it as they drive up to the fire.

[Bri]

When would the government declare martial law? I've heard about it but not a whole lot, and i just would like to understand when they would do it.

[k_semler]

Martial law would be declared during an official state of national emergency as deemed by the President of the United States of America, and during such state of declared emergency, the civilian government has been deemed incapable of recovering from the situation in an "efficient and proper" manner.

[trespam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bri', 'W')hen would the government declare martial law?

[k_semler]

LOL

[Bri]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('trespam', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bri', 'W')hen would the government declare martial law?

[hoplite]

If there is a period of social unrest, how long will FEMA be able to curfew cities and blockade refugee streams (the head for the hills crowd)?. I mean hell, the combined might of the US MIlitary can't stop the massive flow of arms and insurgent activity in Iraq, can anyone argue that they could do better here in the US?

[Jack]

They can try to block movement indefinitely. They can actually do so for awhile, depending on conditions.

Let's suppose the goal is to keep people in the cities. One simply puts concrete barricades on the roads, stations a few soldiers there, and gives them orders to shoot-to-kill. Could a hardy few walk out? Sure. But most people would be caught within the pen. It's important to remember that the Iraqis have been hardened by various privations over the years. We, on the other hand, have mostly escaped the harsh forge of circumstances.

Don't underestimate the desire of people to be taken care of. Simply by distributing food, water, and a few other such basics, FEMA could keep the majority of the population placid - and, those few who weren't placid could be dealt with harshly. Were the general population to achieve despair, and be willing to die in order to escape, they could not be controlled. No doubt FEMA will do a lot to prevent that development.

[Tyler_JC]

...what Jack said...

[Bandidoz]

Reminds me of the Berlin Wall, and possibly the one being built around Israel....