[seahorse]

In the first American Revolution, the colonies ultimately needed the aid of the French to seal their victory. The same would be true in another revolution, the people would need the aid of a foreign gov't, but this time, the people don't need military intervention, all the people need are for the Chinese to quit funding TPBT and the people can take care of the rest.

[threadbear]

Don't look to Canada, Seahorse. All we've got are rubber duckies for a navy and GiJoes.

[seahorse2]

I started this post saying the Army wouldn't commit an entire active duty Brigade Combat team to operations in the US for no damn reason. Now, this story that Al Qaeda plans an October surprise (could it be anymore predictable):

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')pies Warn That Al Qaeda Aims for October Surprise
Intercepted Messages Asking Local Cells To Be Prepared for Imminent Instructions
By ELI LAKE, Staff Reporter of the Sun | September 22, 2008

WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of two major terrorist attacks on Western targets, America's counterterrorism community is warning that Al Qaeda may launch more overseas operations to influence the presidential elections in November.

Call it Osama bin Laden's "October surprise." In late August, during the weekend between the Democratic and Republican conventions, America's military and intelligence agencies intercepted a series of messages from Al Qaeda's leadership to intermediate members of the organization asking local cells to be prepared for imminent instructions.

An official familiar with the new intelligence said the message was picked up in multiple settings, from couriers to encrypted electronic communications to other means. "These are generic orders," the source said — a distinction from the more specific intelligence about the location, time, and method of an attack. "It was, 'Be on notice. We may call upon you soon.' It was sent out on many channels."

Also, Yemen's national English-language newspaper is reporting that a spokesman for Yemen's Islamic Jihad, the Qaeda affiliate that claimed credit for last week's American embassy bombing in Sa'naa, is now publicly threatening to attack foreigners and high government officials if American and British diplomats do not leave the country.

Mr. bin Laden has sought to influence democratic elections in the past. On March 11, 2004, Al Qaeda carried out a series of bombings on Madrid commuter trains. Three days later, the opposition and anti-Iraq war Socialist Workers Party was voted into power.

In the week before the 2004 American presidential election, Mr. bin Laden recorded a video message to the American people promising repercussions if President Bush were re-elected. In later messages, Al Qaeda's leader claimed credit for helping elect Mr. Bush in 2004. Last year in Pakistan, Qaeda assassins claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister who returned to her native country in a bid for re-election.

"There is an expectation that Al Qaeda will try to influence the November elections by attempting attacks globally," a former Bush and Clinton White House counterterrorism official, Roger Cressey, said yesterday.

Mr. Cressey said Al Qaeda lacks the capability to pull off an attack in the continental United States, however. "It would likely be a higher Al Qaeda tempo of attacks against U.S. and allied targets abroad," he said.

At a talk at the Washington Institute for Near East Affairs on August 12, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats said he expected to see more threat reporting on Al Qaeda as America approaches the November elections.

The terrorist attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday was a particular blow to the allied effort against Al Qaeda. The hotel's lobby in recent years served as a meeting place for the CIA and Pakistanis who would not risk being seen at the American Embassy. The bombing, which targeted one of the most heavily fortified locations in Pakistan's capital, will likely claim close to 100 lives after the dead are pulled from the rubble.

President Zardari, who had just given his first major address as Pakistan's head of state, on fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda, was the target of Saturday's attack, the vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, said.

"He was expected to attend the iftar dinner at the Marriott," Mr. Gartenstein-Ross said "Think of the symbolic value if they were able to kill Zardari after his first address as president of Pakistan in a speech announcing his fight against the terrorists. The symbolic effect of the attack on the same day would be devastating."

An adviser to Senator McCain and a former director of central intelligence under President Clinton, James Woolsey, said Al Qaeda has a "history of doing three things at least related to elections. One is to attack before elections, such as in 2004 in Spain, and of course the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. They also have a history of attacks when new leaders take over, like Gordon Brown in Britain and the new leader in Pakistan, with the attack over the weekend. Also Al Qaeda sends messages to populations in elections. You really don't know which one of these they are going to implement."

Earlier this summer, another McCain campaign official mused in an interview that an attack could benefit his candidate in the polls. But whether that statement is true is unclear: At the Republican National Convention this month, Mr. McCain praised the president's counterterrorism policies for preventing an attack in America since September 11, 2001. The Bush administration has deliberately refrained from pointing to this success in light of the many plots that the president has said have been aborted on American soil since September 11.

The deputy communications director for the McCain campaign, Michael Goldfarb, said: "There is no doubt that Al Qaeda is still dangerous and still desires to strike at America and our allies. But Americans will not be intimidated and their votes will not be swayed by terror."

A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, Wendy Morigi, said, "Last week's attacks demonstrate the grave and urgent threat that Al Qaeda and its affiliates pose to the United States and the security of all nations. As Senator Obama has said for some time, we must refocus our efforts on defeating Al Qaeda around the world."

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse', 'a')ll the people need are for the Chinese to quit funding TPBT and the people can take care of the rest.

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'I') started this post saying the Army wouldn't commit an entire active duty Brigade Combat team to operations in the US for no damn reason. Now, this story that Al Qaeda plans an October surprise (could it be anymore predictable):
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')pies Warn That Al Qaeda Aims for October Surprise
Intercepted Messages Asking Local Cells To Be Prepared for Imminent Instructions By ELI LAKE, Staff Reporter

[vision-master]

In Red Elk's vision of the future, he talks about the Government enlisting the help of ordinary armed citizens to do the bidding for the US army. Neighbor turns against neighbor. The controled helping the controlers for a few scraps of bread.

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'I')n Red Elk's vision of the future, he talks about the Government enlisting the help of ordinary armed citizens to do the bidding for the US army. Neighbor turns against neighbor. The controled helping the controlers for a few scraps of bread.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'I') started this post saying the Army wouldn't commit an entire active duty Brigade Combat team to operations in the US for no damn reason. Now, this story that Al Qaeda plans an October surprise (could it be anymore predictable):

[MrBean]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kpeavey', '
')Alea iacta est

[seahorse2]

In my last post, I linked an article in the NY Sun predicting an "October Surprise" being some kind of terrorist attack. Well, there's more internet articles saying the same thing now:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n terms of the location of the attack, it is clear that the author identifies both New York, as the financial capital of the U.S., and Washington, DC, as the nation’s capital, as being both desirable and affected. It is interesting that under analysis, the details of “the attack” referenced by the author are nestled within the text of instructions, rather than being prominently placed to serve as an overt warning as seen in the past. The relative subtlety in which the targets and type of attack was referenced is most interesting from a historical and analytical perspective.

[Mannta]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', 'O')f special interest is the Executive Order where Bush can declare martial law in the case of national financial crisis.

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Mannta', 'O')k, I don't know what the laws are for an outgoing president and martial law, but does this mean he could stay in control? And didn't he say something like he'd like to be emperor, or should be made king or something like that?

[allmeyer]

I asked my friend who is currently a TSGT in the Air Force about this and here is what we said:

ME - Hi Howe!!! I have a question especially for you. A lot has probably changed since I was in the AF in 96. I was wondering how you react to the Brigade Homeland Tours. Their full-time mission is to help in the event of national crises in the US. Mentioned in the article is "the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded." Do you feel like you could ever fire on US Civilians? A lot of people think this is some kind of "martial law" that the govt is just waiting to impose. Could that happen or are they lunatics?

Have fun with this one!
Suzanne


TSGT HOWE - " do not believe this is in any way 'non-lethal package' that they 'intend' to use on U.S. civis. Like you mentioned, the whole thing is really to be ready for any emergency that arises, the worst case scenario would be more terrorist attacks on U.S soil. If you think about it, if something really bad were to happen like nuclears or somekind, some areas might have to be put into martial law just to keep peace while that area recovers from such a devastating thing. But I really do not believe this is meant to be used on U.S. civis. I totally support some kind of unit preparedness in such cases that need to help hurricane, earthquake, etc victims, but we should also be trained in the other scenarios too. I wouldn't listen to the folks who are ranting that the government is trying to set us up for martial law. Realistically, if that were to even happen, something really bad, worse than 9/11 would have to happen."

So there you go.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', 'L')ike the "Citizens Patrol" Obama has proposed?

[Koyaanisqatsi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'R')ealistically, if that were to even happen, something really bad, worse than 9/11 would have to happen.

[Quinny]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Mannta', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', 'O')f special interest is the Executive Order where Bush can declare martial law in the case of national financial crisis.

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', 'L')ike the "Citizens Patrol" Obama has proposed?

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', '
')Aahh. But, what if you are just asking because you don't see so well and while you are cleaning your glasses, you ask what others might be seeing?

[seahorse2]

There are more than 200 protests scheduled for today, to protest this bailout.

Yahoo

Will they they do any good and stop the bailout? No. But neither did the Boston Tea Party, yet its legacy lives on. Its nice to see Americans coming to life again and getting back to their roots.

Although its nice to see Americans finally coming to life to protest this coup in Washington, Americans should not underestimate the lengths to which the powers in control will go to cling to power. I need only remind people that Northcom has been assigned its first combat unit for operations on United States soil to prevent civil unrest. I can only presume with protests starting, the powers in Washington are reviewing contingency plans to use their Northcom troops if necessary.

If this happens, if the powers in Washington ever use Federal troops against their own citizens in protest, Americans have the immediate right to abolish their government. That right is well established in the Declaration of Independence. The foundation of American law and government is the Declaration of Independence. It is the "source document" for all other powers. It is the first embodiment of principal expressed by the American people, establishing the right of the people to abolish an existing government and form a new one. Then, and now, it is the founding document for all citizens, and in particular, is the "first general order" of any soldier, for any patriot.

As stated in our Declaration of Independence, our right to govern ourselves and later, the signing of the Constitution, was the formation of a limited government, limited to powers expressed in that written document, with the belief that a limited Constitutional government would always protect the idea that government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is the Declaration of Independence that grants citizens the power to abolish an existing government and form a new one, at any time.

Here it is:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

[Mquinon3]

Refreshing. Amen to that post.