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Anthrax Vaccine Killing People And Being Protected By Law From LawSuits
Bio terror could be a monopoly game eh? Its coming folks... lots of money poured into massive nationwide pandemic 'MASS CASUALTY' drills (I suggest you google those 2 words) - stock up on colloidal silver dont take poisonous vaccine shots the government wants depopulate 200 million wasteful eater Americans havent you heard?
OCTOBER 1, 2008 - Emergent Biosolutions wins $404M anthrax vaccine ...
Sept. 26, 2007- (Link from Emergent banned from MySpace) Emergent B...
July 31, 2008 - This news item is a shocking story about how the US government is killing it's own soldiers, by giving them shot of a vaccine that is causing severe reactions and illnesses
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Emergent BioSolutions gets 'emergency' protection
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Biz Journal
Thursday, October 9, 2008
http://www. bizjournals. com/baltimore/stories/2008/10/06/daily45. ...
Emergent BioSolutions Inc.has been shielded from lawsuits related to its profitable anthrax treatments
The Rockville-based biotech said Thursday its anthrax treatments, the vaccine Biothrax and its Anthrax Immune Globulin, have been designated as covered countermeasures to a public health emergency under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.The act provides liability protection to manufacturers to encourage them to seek defenses for severe health risks like anthrax
Emergent said the Secretary of Health and Human Services has declared that anthrax and the resulting disease constitutes a public health emergency. The declaration, and by extension the liability protection, will remain in effect until Dec.31, 2015
BioThrax is the only vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection. Last week, Emergent won a second order from HHS of 14.5 million doses of Biothrax worth as much as $404 million. The government’s first order of 19.75 million doses of Biothrax is currently being filled and should earn Emergent $448 million
Mike Leavitt says those delivering medication would be volunteers
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If Bioterrorists Strike, Letter Carriers Might Deliver Antibiotics
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By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 2, 2008; Page A02
http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/01/ST2...
"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor bioterrorism attack stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds -- especially if they are delivering antibiotics to protect people from anthrax"
That may someday become the unofficial motto of the U.S.Postal Service
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt yesterday proposed a solution to one of the bigger challenges in responding to an anthrax bioterrorism attack -- how to deliver protective antibiotics to tens of thousands of people overnight
The tentative answer: have the mailman (and -woman) do the job
As an incentive to the letter carriers -- who would be volunteers -- the government would issue them in advance an antibiotic supply large enough to treat themselves and their families.They would also be accompanied by police officers on their rounds
"We have found letter carriers to be the federal government's quickest and surest way of getting pills to whole communities," Leavitt said
The strategy has the full support of the Postal Service and its unions, spokesmen said
"Letter carriers are on the street six days a week.They are constantly helping out as just part of their job, and this is taking it one step further," said Drew Von Bergen of the National Association of Letter Carriers
"Anytime this country has any kind of crisis, it is the Postal Service that is out there first," said Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan
Boston, Philadelphia and Seattle held experimental runs of the distribution strategy in 2006 and 2007, said William Raub, Leavitt's science adviser.In Philadelphia, 50 carriers, each accompanied by a city police officer, reached 55,000 households in less than eight hours
Based on those tests, the strategy was deemed practical and will be put in effect on a trial basis next year in Minneapolis and St.Paul, he said
The Postal Service there will solicit about 700 letter carriers, enough to cover 20 Zip codes or about one-quarter of all households.The workers will be medically screened (including questions about family members), fitted with N95 face masks, and issued a supply of the antibiotic doxycycline for their household
Read The Rest HERE
Anthrax Suspect, Bruce E.Ivins "Commits Suicide" - August 01, 2008
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Role for Mailmen in Case of Anthrax Attack
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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 1, 2008
http://www. nytimes. com/2008/10/02/us/02mailman. html?ref=us
WASHINGTON (AP) — If there ever is another anthrax attack, a letter carrier may deliver antibiotics to those who might be infected
Federal health officials are beginning a project in Minneapolis-St.Paul to let letter carriers stockpile personal supplies of emergency antibiotics so they are protected and ready to deliver aid to the rest of the city
The project seeks to overcome a big hurdle of emergency planning.The government has many drugs stockpiled in case of bioterrorism but few ways to get them quickly to people who need them
Carriers could provide “a front-end quick strike,” said William Raub, senior science counselor to Michael O.Leavitt, health and human services secretary
Test projects in Seattle, Philadelphia and Boston over the past two years paired carriers with police officers on holidays. Carriers volunteered to do double routes, delivering empty pill bottles along with fliers explaining what was happening. In Philadelphia, 50 carriers reached about 53,000 households in eight hours, Mr.Raub said
August 1, 2008 - US officials say the Army scientist they suspected in the 2001 deadly anthrax attacks may have released the toxin as a way to test the strength of the drugs he was working on.Bruce Ivins committed suicide this week just as federal prosecutors say they were planning to indict and seek the death penalty against himIvins, seen here juggling at a 1984 St Patrick's Day festival in Maryland, was a top microbiologist who worked at this lab in Maryland. He was working to develop an Anthrax vaccine and complained about the limitations of testing on animals.Authorities theorize that the anthrax may have been sent as a way test the new vaccinesFive people were killed in those attacks that terrified a nation already on edge from the Nine-Eleven attacksA lawyer for Ivins, though, says he was innocent and that his death is the result of the government's "relentless pressure of accusation and innuendo"
FBI won’t release documents on anthrax suspect - MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPE...
MANDATORY MILITARY ANTHRAX VACCINE 2007
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PharmAthene Awarded With $83,9 Million Contract
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eFlux Media
September 29th 2008
http://www. efluxmedia. com/news_PharmAthene_Awarded_With_839_Contr...
PharmAthene has received a multi-year contract to develop and commercialize an anthrax vaccine, according to a press release
For the advanced development of a third generation recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine, PharmAthene has been awarded a federal contract worth up to $839 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
In the beginning, the biodefense research company will receive about $13.2 million throughout a "base period" of performance.During this interval, PharmAthene will have to do preclinical activities like the development and qualification of assays, conducting toxicology studies and stability testing, as well as developing non-clinical animal models As part of the agreement, NIAID maintains its possibility of extending the contract under two divided options with a combined value of maximum $97 million
The third generation program aims at developing an rPA anthrax vaccine that can maintain stability for no less than three years at 35 degrees Celsius.The vaccine should also induce protective immunity in two doses or only one Starting 2005, its development has been sponsored by an NIH grant
Taking into consideration “development efforts to date, PharmAthene's third-generation vaccine could offer significant improvements in both stability and storage compared to the current FDA approved vaccine,” said David P Wright, PharmAthene President and Chief Executive Officer
PharmAthene, which is “pleased that NIAID has awarded such a significant contract,” believes that the contract is part of a larger strategy planned by the Department of Health and Human Services to make sure that the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) has the most successful anthrax countermeasures which currently exist
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Biotechs Get Rival Deals To Build Anthrax Vaccine
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By Kendra Marr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The race to develop and supply the government with anthrax-fighting drugs just got more heated
Two rival biotechs -- Emergent BioSolutions of Rockville and PharmAthene of Annapolis -- announced yesterday that they received separate federal development contracts to build new anthrax vaccines
Emergent is currently the government's sole supplier of anthrax vaccine under a $448 million contract to stockpile 18.75 million doses of BioThrax But BioThrax requires six injections over 18 months to produce immunity and inoculated soldiers have reported serious side effects
So the government is looking for better vaccine technology
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, along with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), awarded Emergent up to $297 million to develop an improved form of BioThrax that requires fewer injections but still needs to be refrigerated
The institute also awarded PharmAthene up to $839 million to create a genetically modified anthrax vaccine that can be stored at room temperature and induce immunity in just one or two doses
PharmAthene's stock increased 4.5 percent, closing at $1.86.Emergent's stock closed at $1465, jumping about 3 percent
Both companies are competing to supply the Strategic National Stockpile with 25 million doses of a recombinant, or genetically engineered, anthrax vaccine.A recombinant version is supposed to stimulate immunity faster, with fewer side effects, but would still need to be kept cold The Department of Health and Human Services plans to award the contract, or multiple contracts, this fall
Meanwhile, PharmAthene and Emergent have been enhancing their respective anthrax franchises by creating new vaccines and therapies to treat people who have been exposed to anthrax spores
PharmAthene's $83.9 million award is a big win, said Stephen G Brozak, president of WBB Securities, a San Diego-based investment and research firm
"This was obviously more important to PharmAthene than it was to Emergent," he said. "When you don't have revenue, any kind of positive news has a disproportionate effect.People automatically assumed Emergent was going to get it People weren't sure about PharmAthene"
The awards coincide with BARDA Industry Day in Arlington, where government and business leaders gathered to discuss biodefense and public health issues
And it's a sign that health officials are learning from their past mistakes, Brozak said.Two years ago, when VaxGen, a South San Francisco, Calif, biotech, lost its federal contract to develop and supply a recombinant anthrax vaccine, the government didn't have a backup
"Now they're diversifying their purchasing," Brozak said
Eddie NWO Censored
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. speaks during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents consequence management response force exercise at Fort Stewart, Ga., Sept. 14, 2008.The exercise is designed to educate key leaders and staff on the response environment and to train them to work together as a joint team
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US Army conducting training in cities, towns
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Army News Service
Sep 29, 2008
BY Patti Bielling
ALSO READ: NORTHCOM NEWS September 15, 2008- Top Army leader visits newly assigned consequence management force - FORT STEWART, Ga. — Troops who are soon to be part of a federal military consequence management force drilled on their new response mission here Sunday under the attentive eye of the Army’s senior-ranking general.
Gen. George Casey watched, listened and asked questions as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines walked through how they might fly search and rescue missions, extract casualties and decontaminate people following a catastrophic nuclear attack in the nation’s heartland.
The Army’s Chief of Staff flew here Sunday to see the force, which will assume its mission Oct. 1 when the units are assigned to U. S. Northern Command. The force’s mission will be to respond to CBRNE, or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, incidents.
http://www. army. mil/-news/2008/09/29/12779-exercise-readies-first...
FORT STEWART, GA The exercise scenario was a sobering one: a 10-kiloton nucleardevicdetonated in America's heartland, quickly overwhelming civilian responders
Military leaders who recently trained for this response say they are now thinking differently about how to move equipment, extract the injured and take care of people following this type of attack
Their insights came from "Vibrant Response," a week-long command post exercise designed to train the commanders and staff of the nation's dedicated force for responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents, or CBRNE incidents
The units completed the exercise Sept. 18 at Fort Stewart, Ga., just two weeks before their force, the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF, will be assigned to U.S Northern Command to begin its mission
"Assigning them will allow Northern Command to directly influence the operational and training focus of the forces and ensure a trained and ready response force when needed," said Col. Lou Vogler, chief of future operations at U.S Army North
U.S Army North conducted the exercise while its subordinate, Joint Task Force Civil Support, provided command and control for the CCMRF
Joint Task Force Civil Support -- based at Fort Monroe, Va. -- plans, trains, develops policy and determines the way ahead for DOD CBRNE response, said the force's commander, Army Maj.Gen Daniel "Chip" Long
Commanders and staff in the three task forces - Operations, Medical and Aviation - say that the academics and command post exercise offered valuable new perspectives for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines assuming this important mission
Task Force Operations
Responding to a catastrophic chemical, nuclear or biological attack is challenging because there is no notice and it requires a fast response, Long said
Developing the capability to deploy rapidly was a priority for the infantry unit assigned to the force, according to Army Maj.Marc Cloutier, planner for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division The unit forms the core of Task Force Operations, one of the three functional task forces within CCMRF
It's the first infantry brigade to be assigned to NORTHCOM for a year in order to respond quickly to civil-support missions
Cloutier said that one apparent challenge for the brigade will be turning an infantryman into a truck driver or a first responder However, Cloutier said, the Soldiers and NCOs in the brigade are smart and adaptable and can easily learn to drive a truck or use a chain saw given a little instruction
"When I got to the unit in July, I looked at the mission and realized the biggest challenge was going to be organizing to become rapidly deployable," he said "I knew we would have to preposition containers and equipment to deploy ourselves on very short notice"
The brigade also began working with the division and the garrison at Fort Stewart to ensure there were mechanisms in place to support a short-notice deployment, Cloutier said
Once the exercise started, the brigade planners looked at how to reorganize their habitual formations from an infantry or armor battalion in order to accomplish the mission
"Do we want to take our internal assets and develop functional task forces like engineering, decontamination, heavy movement, and search and rescue, or do we want to develop multifaceted task forces and assign them by region?" he asked
Their conclusion? That configurations would likely change based on the type of catastrophe or the size of the geographical area
"We're developing something of a playbook from everything we do here," Cloutier said "We'll capture everything and keep it on the shelf so if we see a similar situation down the road, we're starting that much further along"
Technical Support
Air Force Lt.Col Kevin Martilla was especially impressed with the brigade's planning efforts, which structured the forces and established processes to efficiently execute any mission that comes down
As chief of the Air Force Radiation Assessment Team, Brooks City-Base, Texas, Martilla leads a unit responsible for supporting health-protection efforts for the force, to help commanders understand and manage radiation risks so they can complete their missions
The team has existed since 1968 to respond to Broken Arrow incidents, or those involving military nuclear weapons damaged during transport
"We've always been involved in planning to respond to Broken Arrow incidents, so it made sense that (the services) included us when developing CCMRF," Martilla said
The team provides technical advice and the capability to measure radiation levels, collect and analyze samples, and measure and track radiological exposure to the force
Being assigned to Task Force Operations allowed the team to work closely with the brigade planners and staff, Martilla said
"Our team gained an understanding we wouldn't get if exercising with units on paper," he said "This exercise has been a great step forward toward accomplishing this mission in case it ever does happen"
Also assigned to CCMRF within Task Force Operations is a Marine Corps technical support force called the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force based at Indian Head, Md
The force, known as CBIRF, was created in the mid 1990s as a domestic response force following the sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway
The biggest misconception, said the unit's operations officer, is that the force is a nuclear, biological and chemical unit
"We are a life-saving organization," said Marine Corps Maj.Stan Bacon "Although we can identify hazards and decontaminate personnel, those actions are all geared toward allowing our force to conduct search and extraction"
Every one of the 500 Marines and Sailors in the battalion is trained to perform search and extraction, Bacon said In addition, all members have received additional training to perform specialized technical rescues, including confined space, advanced rope, trench, collapsed structure, and vehicle and heavy machinery extraction
The battalion is able to "grab and drag" people from within the hazardous area However, the force also developed procedures to stabilize casualties when moving them would cause more injury, Bacon said
"Very few military or civilian agencies plan to have medical personnel in the hot zone, in suits, treating and extracting casualties," he said
Bacon said the Marine Corps unit benefited from training with the forces that will provide its logistics, decontamination, aviation and command and control during a disaster
"We know we won't have to reach back to Indian Head for logistics support or work on mitigating the hazard," Bacon said "We'll be able to focus our entire effort on saving lives"
'The main effort'
Civil support missions also are logistics intensive, as Army Lt.Col Johnney Matthews found out
Matthews, a support battalion commander, knows what it takes to move the fuel, food and water for a brigade headquarters and four maneuver battalions for combat
However, the support battalion soon found they had gone from being the "unsung heroes" of the brigade to being the main effort, he said
As the exercise scenario unfolded, Matthews learned the importance of quickly building a supply base to keep their own forces sustained so he could focus on moving food and water to affected civilians
The battalion designed "speed balls," bundles of daily rations that feed up to 1,500 people and can be rapidly rolled on and off a military flatbed truck
"This exercise has been a good experience for us," Matthews said."We've been able to shake out our staff and put some systems in place for future missions And we've learned a lot about civil support - we've been given a picture of some of the things we might face"
Task Force Medical
The consequence management response force is able to deploy with robust medical capability, including patient treatment and evacuation, blood storage and distribution, environmental assessment, epidemiology, and even stress management
They were all coordinated by 1st Medical Brigade from Fort Hood, Texas
As with a number of units attending the week of academics before the exercise, the 1st Medical Brigade was on alert and planning for possible response to Hurricane Ike, which was barreling toward the coast of Texas
During every break, the medical brigade's executive officer was returning phone calls
"We knew that if Ike hit hard enough to trigger a federal response, we had to be ready to respond," Army Maj.Tim Walsh said "We have a lot of ongoing requirements, but we know we have to be prepared to deal with the alligator that is in our room"
Walsh said the exercise gave them an opportunity to look at mission requirements and the brigade's capabilities, then identify shortfalls and try to mitigate them
Although they may not be able to mitigate all the shortfalls, just knowing what they are is beneficial too, Walsh said
"States and local responders go through the same process," he said "Our goal is to fill their shortfalls until they are able to handle the incident with just their capabilities, then we leave"
As combat operations continue in Iraq and Afghanistan, military medical capability remains in high demand Walsh said those deployments give the unit the credibility to do their mission within the United States
"We are proud and honored to do our mission anywhere, but to do it in the United States - that's extra motivation," he said "We treat everyone with dignity and respect, whether it's a captured suicide attacker or one of our own Soldiers - we give them the same level of care we'd give our own parents"
Task Force Aviation
Speed is essential for this type of response, and rapidly moving people and equipment is nothing new for the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, according to Col Paul Bricker
"We're not encumbered by roads or terrain, and we move vertically around obstacles that restrict vehicular movement," Bricker said "If a bridge is out, we can move people or large equipment rapidly"
The commander of the Fort Bragg, N.C, based aviation brigade said each of the unit's CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters can move 30 people and large pieces of equipment - ideal for medical evacuation, patient transfer, logistical resupply and personnel movement
Each of the UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters can transport 11 people or 8,000 pounds of cargo - perfect for transporting search teams, dogs, high-priority equipment and radiological survey teams, Bricker said
The exercise allowed the brigade's staff to both come together as a team and to work with a joint task force headquarters
"Working with the joint task force and the civilian sector exposes our folks to a whole different set of coordination requirements," he said
'What if'
Long, the Joint Task Force Civil Support commander, agreed that having a dedicated response force assigned to Northern Command can only improve DOD's ability to help save lives, prevent injury and provide temporary critical life support
"We've got to train like we've got to execute," he said."There will be catastrophic deaths Hospitals will be affected, first responders will be affected, and you've got to integrate all the response capabilities when citizens are trying to get away or trying to pull their lives together"
Since the joint task force was created in 1999, the nation has made tremendous progress on 'what if,' Long said
"There are all sorts of deterrence capabilities, and this (force) is one of them," he said."This exercise has been a great effort to prepare for a catastrophic CBRNE event The nation needs to know we have this capability"
(Patti Bielling writes for the U.S Army North Public Affairs Office)
http://www. armytimes. com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
US Army Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1, 2008 - 3rd Infantry’s ...
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Why is a US Army brigade being assigned to the "Homeland"?
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Wednesday Sept 24, 2008 12:26 EDT
http://www. salon. com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/24/army/
Several bloggers today have pointed to this obviously disturbing article from Army Times, which announces that "beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the [1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division] will be under the day-to-day control of U.S Army North" -- "the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities" The article details:
They'll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. .
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
"It's a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they're fielding They've been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it"
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets
"I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered," said Cloutier, describing the experience as "your worst muscle cramp ever -- times 10 throughout your whole body". .
The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced "sea-smurf")
For more than 100 years -- since the end of the Civil War -- deployment of the U.S. military inside the U.S. has been prohibited under The Posse Comitatus Act (the only exceptions being that the National Guard and Coast Guard are exempted, and use of the military on an emergency ad hoc basis is permitted, such as what happened after Hurricane Katrina). Though there have been some erosions of this prohibition over the last several decades (most perniciously to allow the use of the military to work with law enforcement agencies in the "War on Drugs"), the bright line ban on using the U.S. military as a standing law enforcement force inside the U.S.has been more or less honored -- until now And as the Army Times notes, once this particular brigade completes its one-year assignment, "expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one"
After Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration began openly agitating for what would be, in essence, a complete elimination of the key prohibitions of the Posse Comitatus Act in order to allow the President to deploy U.S. military forces inside the U.S basically at will -- and, as usual, they were successful as a result of rapid bipartisan compliance with the Leader's demand (the same kind of compliance that is about to foist a bailout package on the nation) This April, 2007 article by James Bovard in The American Conservative detailed the now-familiar mechanics that led to the destruction of this particular long-standing democratic safeguard:
The Defense Authorization Act of 2006, passed on Sept. 30, empowers President George W. Bush to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist "incident," if he or other federal officials perceive a shortfall of "public order," or even in response to antiwar protests that get unruly as a result of government provocations. .
It only took a few paragraphs in a $500 billion, 591-page bill to raze one of the most important limits on federal power. Congress passed the Insurrection Act in 1807 to severely restrict the president's ability to deploy the military within the United States. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 tightened these restrictions, imposing a two-year prison sentence on anyone who used the military within the U.S.without the express permission of Congress But there is a loophole: Posse Comitatus is waived if the president invokes the Insurrection Act
Section 1076 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from "Insurrection Act" to "Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act." The Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only "to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy." The new law expands the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition" -- and such "condition" is not defined or limited. .
The story of how Section 1076 became law vivifies how expanding government power is almost always the correct answer in Washington. Some people have claimed the provision was slipped into the bill in the middle of the night. In reality, the administration clearly signaled its intent and almost no one in the media or Congress tried to stop it . .
Section 1076 was supported by both conservatives and liberals. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-wrote the provision along with committee chairman Sen. John Warner (R-Va.). Sen. Ted Kennedy openly endorsed it, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was an avid proponent. .
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned on Sept. 19 that "we certainly do not need to make it easier for Presidents to declare martial law," but his alarm got no response. Ten days later, he commented in the Congressional Record: "Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy." Leahy further condemned the process, declaring that it "was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals"
As is typical, very few members of the media even mentioned any of this, let alone discussed it (and I failed to give this the attention it deserved at the time), but Congressional Quarterly's Jeff Stein wrote an excellent article at the time detailing the process and noted that "despite such a radical turn, the new law garnered little dissent, or even attention, on the Hill." Stein also noted that while "the blogosphere, of course, was all over it . .a search of The Washington Post and New York Times archives, using the terms 'Insurrection Act,' 'martial law' and 'Congress,' came up empty"
Bovard and Stein both noted that every Governor -- including Republicans -- joined in Leahy's objections, as they perceived it as a threat from the Federal Government to what has long been the role of the National Guard But those concerns were easily brushed aside by the bipartisan majorities in Congress, eager -- as always -- to grant the President this radical new power
The decision this month to permanently deploy a U.S. Army brigade inside the U.S. for purely domestic law enforcement purposes is the fruit of the Congressional elimination of the long-standing prohibitions in Posse Comitatus (although there are credible signs that even before Congress acted, the Bush administration secretly decided it possessed the inherent power to violate the Act). It shouldn't take any efforts to explain why the permanent deployment of the U.S military inside American cities, acting as the President's police force, is so disturbing Bovard:
"Martial law" is a euphemism for military dictatorship. When foreign democracies are overthrown and a junta establishes martial law, Americans usually recognize that a fundamental change has occurred. . .Section 1076 is Enabling Act-type legislation—something that purports to preserve law-and-order while formally empowering the president to rule by decree
The historic importance of the Posse Comitatus prohibition was also well-analyzed here
As the recent militarization of St. Paul during the GOP Convention made abundantly clear, our actual police forces are already quite militarized.Still, what possible rationale is there for permanently deploying the US Army inside the United States -- under the command of the President -- for any purpose, let alone things such as "crowd control," other traditional law enforcement functions, and a seemingly unlimited array of other uses at the President's sole discretion? And where are all of the stalwart right-wing "small government conservatives" who spent the 1990s so vocally opposing every aspect of the growing federal police force? And would it be possible to get some explanation from the Government about what the rationale is for this unprecedented domestic military deployment (at least unprecedented since the Civil War), and why it is being undertaken now?
UPDATE: As this commenter notes, the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act somewhat limited the scope of the powers granted by the 2007 Act detailed above (mostly to address constitutional concerns by limiting the President's powers to deploy the military to suppress disorder that threatens constitutional rights), but President Bush, when signing that 2008 Act into law, issued a signing statement which, though vague, seems to declare that he does not recognize those new limitations
UPDATE II: There's no need to start manufacturing all sorts of scare scenarios about Bush canceling elections or the imminent declaration of martial law or anything of that sort. None of that is going to happen with a single brigade and it's unlikely in the extreme that they'd be announcing these deployments if they had activated any such plans.The point is that the deployment is a very dangerous precedent, quite possibly illegal, and a radical abandonment of an important democratic safeguard As always with first steps of this sort, the danger lies in how the power can be abused in the future
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No, You're Not Crazy
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September 22, 2008
http://powerofnarrative. blogspot. com/2008/09/no-youre-not-crazy. ...
You're not crazy, that is, if you've begun to have waking nightmares about what might be coming as the economy worsens and signs of "normalcy" (of what?) begin to vanish from our lives. Many more people without jobs and homeless, tent cities springing up here and there, perhaps regular power outages and growing shortages of goods that had once been plentiful...the list goes on and on
And what, you might wonder, is our beneficent, all-caring government doing to prepare for this multitude of possibilities? After all, some of those poor, jobless, homeless, starving people might get unruly
The government of the United States is a wondrous creation and, naturally, it only wants to "help" you:
http://www. armytimes. com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities
After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one
“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col.Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year”
...
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack
...
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
“It’s a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they’re fielding They’ve been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it”
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets
“I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered,” said Cloutier, describing the experience as “your worst muscle cramp ever — times 10 throughout your whole body
“I’m not a small guy, I weigh 230 pounds ... it put me on my knees in seconds”
"Nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them..." Frequently, it doesn't work out that way: "Obey or Die"
But you were being unruly.You might be dangerous, at least dangerous to those who rule us And honestly, the fact that you may be homeless, starving and desperate is no reason to be rude or uncooperative
This comes at the very end of the story, offered by the division operations officer:
“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier said “It makes me feel good as an American to know that my country has dedicated a force to come in and help the people at home”
I'm sure there are people in the military who believe this, or at least think they believe it.But if and when the order comes to fire on American citizens, what happens then? I don't think we want to find out Many of these individuals are overly familiar with killing innocent people -- as indeed, our criminal war in Iraq is nothing but an operation dedicated to killing innocent people in ungraspably huge numbers -- so a new kind of target probably won't deter them for long, if at all
Add in all the private mercenary forces now available to the government, and, well...
No, you're not crazy. The reasons for my argument will become clearer in the second and concluding part of this new essay of mine, "The State and Full Spectrum Dominance, Abroad and At Home" -- but this gives you an idea of why I chose the phrase "Full Spectrum Dominance," a phrase that usually refers to U.S.military capabilities in particular, and why I included "At Home" But I am concerned with "Full Spectrum Dominance" in a still broader sense, as I will soon explain
Pleasant dreams, dear reader
OCTOBER 1, 2008 - Emergent Biosolutions wins $404M anthrax vaccine ...
Sept. 26, 2007- (Link from Emergent banned from MySpace) Emergent B...
July 31, 2008 - This news item is a shocking story about how the US government is killing it's own soldiers, by giving them shot of a vaccine that is causing severe reactions and illnesses
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Emergent BioSolutions gets 'emergency' protection
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Biz Journal
Thursday, October 9, 2008
http://www. bizjournals. com/baltimore/stories/2008/10/06/daily45. ...
Emergent BioSolutions Inc.has been shielded from lawsuits related to its profitable anthrax treatments
The Rockville-based biotech said Thursday its anthrax treatments, the vaccine Biothrax and its Anthrax Immune Globulin, have been designated as covered countermeasures to a public health emergency under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.The act provides liability protection to manufacturers to encourage them to seek defenses for severe health risks like anthrax
Emergent said the Secretary of Health and Human Services has declared that anthrax and the resulting disease constitutes a public health emergency. The declaration, and by extension the liability protection, will remain in effect until Dec.31, 2015
BioThrax is the only vaccine licensed by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax infection. Last week, Emergent won a second order from HHS of 14.5 million doses of Biothrax worth as much as $404 million. The government’s first order of 19.75 million doses of Biothrax is currently being filled and should earn Emergent $448 million
Mike Leavitt says those delivering medication would be volunteers
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If Bioterrorists Strike, Letter Carriers Might Deliver Antibiotics
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By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 2, 2008; Page A02
http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/01/ST2...
"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor bioterrorism attack stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds -- especially if they are delivering antibiotics to protect people from anthrax"
That may someday become the unofficial motto of the U.S.Postal Service
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt yesterday proposed a solution to one of the bigger challenges in responding to an anthrax bioterrorism attack -- how to deliver protective antibiotics to tens of thousands of people overnight
The tentative answer: have the mailman (and -woman) do the job
As an incentive to the letter carriers -- who would be volunteers -- the government would issue them in advance an antibiotic supply large enough to treat themselves and their families.They would also be accompanied by police officers on their rounds
"We have found letter carriers to be the federal government's quickest and surest way of getting pills to whole communities," Leavitt said
The strategy has the full support of the Postal Service and its unions, spokesmen said
"Letter carriers are on the street six days a week.They are constantly helping out as just part of their job, and this is taking it one step further," said Drew Von Bergen of the National Association of Letter Carriers
"Anytime this country has any kind of crisis, it is the Postal Service that is out there first," said Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan
Boston, Philadelphia and Seattle held experimental runs of the distribution strategy in 2006 and 2007, said William Raub, Leavitt's science adviser.In Philadelphia, 50 carriers, each accompanied by a city police officer, reached 55,000 households in less than eight hours
Based on those tests, the strategy was deemed practical and will be put in effect on a trial basis next year in Minneapolis and St.Paul, he said
The Postal Service there will solicit about 700 letter carriers, enough to cover 20 Zip codes or about one-quarter of all households.The workers will be medically screened (including questions about family members), fitted with N95 face masks, and issued a supply of the antibiotic doxycycline for their household
Read The Rest HERE
Anthrax Suspect, Bruce E.Ivins "Commits Suicide" - August 01, 2008
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Role for Mailmen in Case of Anthrax Attack
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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 1, 2008
http://www. nytimes. com/2008/10/02/us/02mailman. html?ref=us
WASHINGTON (AP) — If there ever is another anthrax attack, a letter carrier may deliver antibiotics to those who might be infected
Federal health officials are beginning a project in Minneapolis-St.Paul to let letter carriers stockpile personal supplies of emergency antibiotics so they are protected and ready to deliver aid to the rest of the city
The project seeks to overcome a big hurdle of emergency planning.The government has many drugs stockpiled in case of bioterrorism but few ways to get them quickly to people who need them
Carriers could provide “a front-end quick strike,” said William Raub, senior science counselor to Michael O.Leavitt, health and human services secretary
Test projects in Seattle, Philadelphia and Boston over the past two years paired carriers with police officers on holidays. Carriers volunteered to do double routes, delivering empty pill bottles along with fliers explaining what was happening. In Philadelphia, 50 carriers reached about 53,000 households in eight hours, Mr.Raub said
August 1, 2008 - US officials say the Army scientist they suspected in the 2001 deadly anthrax attacks may have released the toxin as a way to test the strength of the drugs he was working on.Bruce Ivins committed suicide this week just as federal prosecutors say they were planning to indict and seek the death penalty against himIvins, seen here juggling at a 1984 St Patrick's Day festival in Maryland, was a top microbiologist who worked at this lab in Maryland. He was working to develop an Anthrax vaccine and complained about the limitations of testing on animals.Authorities theorize that the anthrax may have been sent as a way test the new vaccinesFive people were killed in those attacks that terrified a nation already on edge from the Nine-Eleven attacksA lawyer for Ivins, though, says he was innocent and that his death is the result of the government's "relentless pressure of accusation and innuendo"
FBI won’t release documents on anthrax suspect - MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPE...
MANDATORY MILITARY ANTHRAX VACCINE 2007
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PharmAthene Awarded With $83,9 Million Contract
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eFlux Media
September 29th 2008
http://www. efluxmedia. com/news_PharmAthene_Awarded_With_839_Contr...
PharmAthene has received a multi-year contract to develop and commercialize an anthrax vaccine, according to a press release
For the advanced development of a third generation recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine, PharmAthene has been awarded a federal contract worth up to $839 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
In the beginning, the biodefense research company will receive about $13.2 million throughout a "base period" of performance.During this interval, PharmAthene will have to do preclinical activities like the development and qualification of assays, conducting toxicology studies and stability testing, as well as developing non-clinical animal models As part of the agreement, NIAID maintains its possibility of extending the contract under two divided options with a combined value of maximum $97 million
The third generation program aims at developing an rPA anthrax vaccine that can maintain stability for no less than three years at 35 degrees Celsius.The vaccine should also induce protective immunity in two doses or only one Starting 2005, its development has been sponsored by an NIH grant
Taking into consideration “development efforts to date, PharmAthene's third-generation vaccine could offer significant improvements in both stability and storage compared to the current FDA approved vaccine,” said David P Wright, PharmAthene President and Chief Executive Officer
PharmAthene, which is “pleased that NIAID has awarded such a significant contract,” believes that the contract is part of a larger strategy planned by the Department of Health and Human Services to make sure that the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) has the most successful anthrax countermeasures which currently exist
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Biotechs Get Rival Deals To Build Anthrax Vaccine
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By Kendra Marr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The race to develop and supply the government with anthrax-fighting drugs just got more heated
Two rival biotechs -- Emergent BioSolutions of Rockville and PharmAthene of Annapolis -- announced yesterday that they received separate federal development contracts to build new anthrax vaccines
Emergent is currently the government's sole supplier of anthrax vaccine under a $448 million contract to stockpile 18.75 million doses of BioThrax But BioThrax requires six injections over 18 months to produce immunity and inoculated soldiers have reported serious side effects
So the government is looking for better vaccine technology
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, along with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), awarded Emergent up to $297 million to develop an improved form of BioThrax that requires fewer injections but still needs to be refrigerated
The institute also awarded PharmAthene up to $839 million to create a genetically modified anthrax vaccine that can be stored at room temperature and induce immunity in just one or two doses
PharmAthene's stock increased 4.5 percent, closing at $1.86.Emergent's stock closed at $1465, jumping about 3 percent
Both companies are competing to supply the Strategic National Stockpile with 25 million doses of a recombinant, or genetically engineered, anthrax vaccine.A recombinant version is supposed to stimulate immunity faster, with fewer side effects, but would still need to be kept cold The Department of Health and Human Services plans to award the contract, or multiple contracts, this fall
Meanwhile, PharmAthene and Emergent have been enhancing their respective anthrax franchises by creating new vaccines and therapies to treat people who have been exposed to anthrax spores
PharmAthene's $83.9 million award is a big win, said Stephen G Brozak, president of WBB Securities, a San Diego-based investment and research firm
"This was obviously more important to PharmAthene than it was to Emergent," he said. "When you don't have revenue, any kind of positive news has a disproportionate effect.People automatically assumed Emergent was going to get it People weren't sure about PharmAthene"
The awards coincide with BARDA Industry Day in Arlington, where government and business leaders gathered to discuss biodefense and public health issues
And it's a sign that health officials are learning from their past mistakes, Brozak said.Two years ago, when VaxGen, a South San Francisco, Calif, biotech, lost its federal contract to develop and supply a recombinant anthrax vaccine, the government didn't have a backup
"Now they're diversifying their purchasing," Brozak said
Eddie NWO Censored
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. speaks during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents consequence management response force exercise at Fort Stewart, Ga., Sept. 14, 2008.The exercise is designed to educate key leaders and staff on the response environment and to train them to work together as a joint team
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US Army conducting training in cities, towns
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Army News Service
Sep 29, 2008
BY Patti Bielling
ALSO READ: NORTHCOM NEWS September 15, 2008- Top Army leader visits newly assigned consequence management force - FORT STEWART, Ga. — Troops who are soon to be part of a federal military consequence management force drilled on their new response mission here Sunday under the attentive eye of the Army’s senior-ranking general.
Gen. George Casey watched, listened and asked questions as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines walked through how they might fly search and rescue missions, extract casualties and decontaminate people following a catastrophic nuclear attack in the nation’s heartland.
The Army’s Chief of Staff flew here Sunday to see the force, which will assume its mission Oct. 1 when the units are assigned to U. S. Northern Command. The force’s mission will be to respond to CBRNE, or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, incidents.
http://www. army. mil/-news/2008/09/29/12779-exercise-readies-first...
FORT STEWART, GA The exercise scenario was a sobering one: a 10-kiloton nucleardevicdetonated in America's heartland, quickly overwhelming civilian responders
Military leaders who recently trained for this response say they are now thinking differently about how to move equipment, extract the injured and take care of people following this type of attack
Their insights came from "Vibrant Response," a week-long command post exercise designed to train the commanders and staff of the nation's dedicated force for responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents, or CBRNE incidents
The units completed the exercise Sept. 18 at Fort Stewart, Ga., just two weeks before their force, the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF, will be assigned to U.S Northern Command to begin its mission
"Assigning them will allow Northern Command to directly influence the operational and training focus of the forces and ensure a trained and ready response force when needed," said Col. Lou Vogler, chief of future operations at U.S Army North
U.S Army North conducted the exercise while its subordinate, Joint Task Force Civil Support, provided command and control for the CCMRF
Joint Task Force Civil Support -- based at Fort Monroe, Va. -- plans, trains, develops policy and determines the way ahead for DOD CBRNE response, said the force's commander, Army Maj.Gen Daniel "Chip" Long
Commanders and staff in the three task forces - Operations, Medical and Aviation - say that the academics and command post exercise offered valuable new perspectives for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines assuming this important mission
Task Force Operations
Responding to a catastrophic chemical, nuclear or biological attack is challenging because there is no notice and it requires a fast response, Long said
Developing the capability to deploy rapidly was a priority for the infantry unit assigned to the force, according to Army Maj.Marc Cloutier, planner for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division The unit forms the core of Task Force Operations, one of the three functional task forces within CCMRF
It's the first infantry brigade to be assigned to NORTHCOM for a year in order to respond quickly to civil-support missions
Cloutier said that one apparent challenge for the brigade will be turning an infantryman into a truck driver or a first responder However, Cloutier said, the Soldiers and NCOs in the brigade are smart and adaptable and can easily learn to drive a truck or use a chain saw given a little instruction
"When I got to the unit in July, I looked at the mission and realized the biggest challenge was going to be organizing to become rapidly deployable," he said "I knew we would have to preposition containers and equipment to deploy ourselves on very short notice"
The brigade also began working with the division and the garrison at Fort Stewart to ensure there were mechanisms in place to support a short-notice deployment, Cloutier said
Once the exercise started, the brigade planners looked at how to reorganize their habitual formations from an infantry or armor battalion in order to accomplish the mission
"Do we want to take our internal assets and develop functional task forces like engineering, decontamination, heavy movement, and search and rescue, or do we want to develop multifaceted task forces and assign them by region?" he asked
Their conclusion? That configurations would likely change based on the type of catastrophe or the size of the geographical area
"We're developing something of a playbook from everything we do here," Cloutier said "We'll capture everything and keep it on the shelf so if we see a similar situation down the road, we're starting that much further along"
Technical Support
Air Force Lt.Col Kevin Martilla was especially impressed with the brigade's planning efforts, which structured the forces and established processes to efficiently execute any mission that comes down
As chief of the Air Force Radiation Assessment Team, Brooks City-Base, Texas, Martilla leads a unit responsible for supporting health-protection efforts for the force, to help commanders understand and manage radiation risks so they can complete their missions
The team has existed since 1968 to respond to Broken Arrow incidents, or those involving military nuclear weapons damaged during transport
"We've always been involved in planning to respond to Broken Arrow incidents, so it made sense that (the services) included us when developing CCMRF," Martilla said
The team provides technical advice and the capability to measure radiation levels, collect and analyze samples, and measure and track radiological exposure to the force
Being assigned to Task Force Operations allowed the team to work closely with the brigade planners and staff, Martilla said
"Our team gained an understanding we wouldn't get if exercising with units on paper," he said "This exercise has been a great step forward toward accomplishing this mission in case it ever does happen"
Also assigned to CCMRF within Task Force Operations is a Marine Corps technical support force called the Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force based at Indian Head, Md
The force, known as CBIRF, was created in the mid 1990s as a domestic response force following the sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway
The biggest misconception, said the unit's operations officer, is that the force is a nuclear, biological and chemical unit
"We are a life-saving organization," said Marine Corps Maj.Stan Bacon "Although we can identify hazards and decontaminate personnel, those actions are all geared toward allowing our force to conduct search and extraction"
Every one of the 500 Marines and Sailors in the battalion is trained to perform search and extraction, Bacon said In addition, all members have received additional training to perform specialized technical rescues, including confined space, advanced rope, trench, collapsed structure, and vehicle and heavy machinery extraction
The battalion is able to "grab and drag" people from within the hazardous area However, the force also developed procedures to stabilize casualties when moving them would cause more injury, Bacon said
"Very few military or civilian agencies plan to have medical personnel in the hot zone, in suits, treating and extracting casualties," he said
Bacon said the Marine Corps unit benefited from training with the forces that will provide its logistics, decontamination, aviation and command and control during a disaster
"We know we won't have to reach back to Indian Head for logistics support or work on mitigating the hazard," Bacon said "We'll be able to focus our entire effort on saving lives"
'The main effort'
Civil support missions also are logistics intensive, as Army Lt.Col Johnney Matthews found out
Matthews, a support battalion commander, knows what it takes to move the fuel, food and water for a brigade headquarters and four maneuver battalions for combat
However, the support battalion soon found they had gone from being the "unsung heroes" of the brigade to being the main effort, he said
As the exercise scenario unfolded, Matthews learned the importance of quickly building a supply base to keep their own forces sustained so he could focus on moving food and water to affected civilians
The battalion designed "speed balls," bundles of daily rations that feed up to 1,500 people and can be rapidly rolled on and off a military flatbed truck
"This exercise has been a good experience for us," Matthews said."We've been able to shake out our staff and put some systems in place for future missions And we've learned a lot about civil support - we've been given a picture of some of the things we might face"
Task Force Medical
The consequence management response force is able to deploy with robust medical capability, including patient treatment and evacuation, blood storage and distribution, environmental assessment, epidemiology, and even stress management
They were all coordinated by 1st Medical Brigade from Fort Hood, Texas
As with a number of units attending the week of academics before the exercise, the 1st Medical Brigade was on alert and planning for possible response to Hurricane Ike, which was barreling toward the coast of Texas
During every break, the medical brigade's executive officer was returning phone calls
"We knew that if Ike hit hard enough to trigger a federal response, we had to be ready to respond," Army Maj.Tim Walsh said "We have a lot of ongoing requirements, but we know we have to be prepared to deal with the alligator that is in our room"
Walsh said the exercise gave them an opportunity to look at mission requirements and the brigade's capabilities, then identify shortfalls and try to mitigate them
Although they may not be able to mitigate all the shortfalls, just knowing what they are is beneficial too, Walsh said
"States and local responders go through the same process," he said "Our goal is to fill their shortfalls until they are able to handle the incident with just their capabilities, then we leave"
As combat operations continue in Iraq and Afghanistan, military medical capability remains in high demand Walsh said those deployments give the unit the credibility to do their mission within the United States
"We are proud and honored to do our mission anywhere, but to do it in the United States - that's extra motivation," he said "We treat everyone with dignity and respect, whether it's a captured suicide attacker or one of our own Soldiers - we give them the same level of care we'd give our own parents"
Task Force Aviation
Speed is essential for this type of response, and rapidly moving people and equipment is nothing new for the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, according to Col Paul Bricker
"We're not encumbered by roads or terrain, and we move vertically around obstacles that restrict vehicular movement," Bricker said "If a bridge is out, we can move people or large equipment rapidly"
The commander of the Fort Bragg, N.C, based aviation brigade said each of the unit's CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters can move 30 people and large pieces of equipment - ideal for medical evacuation, patient transfer, logistical resupply and personnel movement
Each of the UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters can transport 11 people or 8,000 pounds of cargo - perfect for transporting search teams, dogs, high-priority equipment and radiological survey teams, Bricker said
The exercise allowed the brigade's staff to both come together as a team and to work with a joint task force headquarters
"Working with the joint task force and the civilian sector exposes our folks to a whole different set of coordination requirements," he said
'What if'
Long, the Joint Task Force Civil Support commander, agreed that having a dedicated response force assigned to Northern Command can only improve DOD's ability to help save lives, prevent injury and provide temporary critical life support
"We've got to train like we've got to execute," he said."There will be catastrophic deaths Hospitals will be affected, first responders will be affected, and you've got to integrate all the response capabilities when citizens are trying to get away or trying to pull their lives together"
Since the joint task force was created in 1999, the nation has made tremendous progress on 'what if,' Long said
"There are all sorts of deterrence capabilities, and this (force) is one of them," he said."This exercise has been a great effort to prepare for a catastrophic CBRNE event The nation needs to know we have this capability"
(Patti Bielling writes for the U.S Army North Public Affairs Office)
http://www. armytimes. com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
US Army Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1, 2008 - 3rd Infantry’s ...
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Why is a US Army brigade being assigned to the "Homeland"?
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Wednesday Sept 24, 2008 12:26 EDT
http://www. salon. com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/24/army/
Several bloggers today have pointed to this obviously disturbing article from Army Times, which announces that "beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the [1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division] will be under the day-to-day control of U.S Army North" -- "the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities" The article details:
They'll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack. .
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
"It's a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they're fielding They've been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it"
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets
"I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered," said Cloutier, describing the experience as "your worst muscle cramp ever -- times 10 throughout your whole body". .
The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced "sea-smurf")
For more than 100 years -- since the end of the Civil War -- deployment of the U.S. military inside the U.S. has been prohibited under The Posse Comitatus Act (the only exceptions being that the National Guard and Coast Guard are exempted, and use of the military on an emergency ad hoc basis is permitted, such as what happened after Hurricane Katrina). Though there have been some erosions of this prohibition over the last several decades (most perniciously to allow the use of the military to work with law enforcement agencies in the "War on Drugs"), the bright line ban on using the U.S. military as a standing law enforcement force inside the U.S.has been more or less honored -- until now And as the Army Times notes, once this particular brigade completes its one-year assignment, "expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one"
After Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration began openly agitating for what would be, in essence, a complete elimination of the key prohibitions of the Posse Comitatus Act in order to allow the President to deploy U.S. military forces inside the U.S basically at will -- and, as usual, they were successful as a result of rapid bipartisan compliance with the Leader's demand (the same kind of compliance that is about to foist a bailout package on the nation) This April, 2007 article by James Bovard in The American Conservative detailed the now-familiar mechanics that led to the destruction of this particular long-standing democratic safeguard:
The Defense Authorization Act of 2006, passed on Sept. 30, empowers President George W. Bush to impose martial law in the event of a terrorist "incident," if he or other federal officials perceive a shortfall of "public order," or even in response to antiwar protests that get unruly as a result of government provocations. .
It only took a few paragraphs in a $500 billion, 591-page bill to raze one of the most important limits on federal power. Congress passed the Insurrection Act in 1807 to severely restrict the president's ability to deploy the military within the United States. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 tightened these restrictions, imposing a two-year prison sentence on anyone who used the military within the U.S.without the express permission of Congress But there is a loophole: Posse Comitatus is waived if the president invokes the Insurrection Act
Section 1076 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from "Insurrection Act" to "Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act." The Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only "to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy." The new law expands the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition" -- and such "condition" is not defined or limited. .
The story of how Section 1076 became law vivifies how expanding government power is almost always the correct answer in Washington. Some people have claimed the provision was slipped into the bill in the middle of the night. In reality, the administration clearly signaled its intent and almost no one in the media or Congress tried to stop it . .
Section 1076 was supported by both conservatives and liberals. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-wrote the provision along with committee chairman Sen. John Warner (R-Va.). Sen. Ted Kennedy openly endorsed it, and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was an avid proponent. .
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned on Sept. 19 that "we certainly do not need to make it easier for Presidents to declare martial law," but his alarm got no response. Ten days later, he commented in the Congressional Record: "Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy." Leahy further condemned the process, declaring that it "was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals"
As is typical, very few members of the media even mentioned any of this, let alone discussed it (and I failed to give this the attention it deserved at the time), but Congressional Quarterly's Jeff Stein wrote an excellent article at the time detailing the process and noted that "despite such a radical turn, the new law garnered little dissent, or even attention, on the Hill." Stein also noted that while "the blogosphere, of course, was all over it . .a search of The Washington Post and New York Times archives, using the terms 'Insurrection Act,' 'martial law' and 'Congress,' came up empty"
Bovard and Stein both noted that every Governor -- including Republicans -- joined in Leahy's objections, as they perceived it as a threat from the Federal Government to what has long been the role of the National Guard But those concerns were easily brushed aside by the bipartisan majorities in Congress, eager -- as always -- to grant the President this radical new power
The decision this month to permanently deploy a U.S. Army brigade inside the U.S. for purely domestic law enforcement purposes is the fruit of the Congressional elimination of the long-standing prohibitions in Posse Comitatus (although there are credible signs that even before Congress acted, the Bush administration secretly decided it possessed the inherent power to violate the Act). It shouldn't take any efforts to explain why the permanent deployment of the U.S military inside American cities, acting as the President's police force, is so disturbing Bovard:
"Martial law" is a euphemism for military dictatorship. When foreign democracies are overthrown and a junta establishes martial law, Americans usually recognize that a fundamental change has occurred. . .Section 1076 is Enabling Act-type legislation—something that purports to preserve law-and-order while formally empowering the president to rule by decree
The historic importance of the Posse Comitatus prohibition was also well-analyzed here
As the recent militarization of St. Paul during the GOP Convention made abundantly clear, our actual police forces are already quite militarized.Still, what possible rationale is there for permanently deploying the US Army inside the United States -- under the command of the President -- for any purpose, let alone things such as "crowd control," other traditional law enforcement functions, and a seemingly unlimited array of other uses at the President's sole discretion? And where are all of the stalwart right-wing "small government conservatives" who spent the 1990s so vocally opposing every aspect of the growing federal police force? And would it be possible to get some explanation from the Government about what the rationale is for this unprecedented domestic military deployment (at least unprecedented since the Civil War), and why it is being undertaken now?
UPDATE: As this commenter notes, the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act somewhat limited the scope of the powers granted by the 2007 Act detailed above (mostly to address constitutional concerns by limiting the President's powers to deploy the military to suppress disorder that threatens constitutional rights), but President Bush, when signing that 2008 Act into law, issued a signing statement which, though vague, seems to declare that he does not recognize those new limitations
UPDATE II: There's no need to start manufacturing all sorts of scare scenarios about Bush canceling elections or the imminent declaration of martial law or anything of that sort. None of that is going to happen with a single brigade and it's unlikely in the extreme that they'd be announcing these deployments if they had activated any such plans.The point is that the deployment is a very dangerous precedent, quite possibly illegal, and a radical abandonment of an important democratic safeguard As always with first steps of this sort, the danger lies in how the power can be abused in the future
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No, You're Not Crazy
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September 22, 2008
http://powerofnarrative. blogspot. com/2008/09/no-youre-not-crazy. ...
You're not crazy, that is, if you've begun to have waking nightmares about what might be coming as the economy worsens and signs of "normalcy" (of what?) begin to vanish from our lives. Many more people without jobs and homeless, tent cities springing up here and there, perhaps regular power outages and growing shortages of goods that had once been plentiful...the list goes on and on
And what, you might wonder, is our beneficent, all-caring government doing to prepare for this multitude of possibilities? After all, some of those poor, jobless, homeless, starving people might get unruly
The government of the United States is a wondrous creation and, naturally, it only wants to "help" you:
http://www. armytimes. com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities
After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one
“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col.Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year”
...
They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack
...
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
“It’s a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they’re fielding They’ve been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it”
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets
“I was the first guy in the brigade to get Tasered,” said Cloutier, describing the experience as “your worst muscle cramp ever — times 10 throughout your whole body
“I’m not a small guy, I weigh 230 pounds ... it put me on my knees in seconds”
"Nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them..." Frequently, it doesn't work out that way: "Obey or Die"
But you were being unruly.You might be dangerous, at least dangerous to those who rule us And honestly, the fact that you may be homeless, starving and desperate is no reason to be rude or uncooperative
This comes at the very end of the story, offered by the division operations officer:
“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier said “It makes me feel good as an American to know that my country has dedicated a force to come in and help the people at home”
I'm sure there are people in the military who believe this, or at least think they believe it.But if and when the order comes to fire on American citizens, what happens then? I don't think we want to find out Many of these individuals are overly familiar with killing innocent people -- as indeed, our criminal war in Iraq is nothing but an operation dedicated to killing innocent people in ungraspably huge numbers -- so a new kind of target probably won't deter them for long, if at all
Add in all the private mercenary forces now available to the government, and, well...
No, you're not crazy. The reasons for my argument will become clearer in the second and concluding part of this new essay of mine, "The State and Full Spectrum Dominance, Abroad and At Home" -- but this gives you an idea of why I chose the phrase "Full Spectrum Dominance," a phrase that usually refers to U.S.military capabilities in particular, and why I included "At Home" But I am concerned with "Full Spectrum Dominance" in a still broader sense, as I will soon explain
Pleasant dreams, dear reader
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