FEMA Terrorism Boss Joe Allbaugh and Heinrich Himmler
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New Terror Task Force
Cheney To Lead Look At Terrorist Threats To U.S.
New FEMA Division Will Respond To Any Attacks
Some Senators Say America Not Prepared At Present
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2001
AP
In addition to floods and hurricanes, FEMA will now prepare for a chemical weapon attack.
(CBS) Federal officials Tuesday presented a new plan to deal with major terrorist attacks, reports CBS News Correspondent Howard Arenstein.
Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview with CNN television that President George W. Bush is creating an office within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the government's response to any biological, chemical or nuclear attack.
"The threat to the continental United States and our infrastructure is changing and evolving and we need to look at this whole area oftentimes referred to as homeland defense," said the vice president.
He will lead a new task force on these new threats, which he described as "a hand-carried nuclear weapon, or biological or chemical agent."
Together with FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh, Cheney's task force will "figure out how we best respond to that kind of disaster of major proportions that in effect would be manmade or man-caused," Cheney said.
The National Security Council will review his final report.
At a Senate hearing Tuesday, administration officials told Congress that combating terrorism has grown more difficult because of new technology and growing economic connections between nations.
"Terrorism is a part of the dark side of globalization," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "It is a part of doing business in the world, business we as Americans are not going to stop doing."
Spaaaaaace General
Donald Rumsfeld plans to create a new four-star general slot with broad responsibilities for organizing, training and equipping the U.S. space defense program.
Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill were the leadoff witnesses as the Senate began three days of hearings into how well the federal government was coordinating its efforts to battle terrorism. Allbaugh was scheduled to testify later Tuesday.
"Just fertilizer with the rights mixtures and things that are available on the Internet can create havoc in our country," O'Neill said.
Several senators expressed unhappiness that not enough is being done in the face of growing threats.
"There must be better organization at the federal, state and local level," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. "It is critical that we address issues of civil liberties, agency jurisdiction, public education, industry privacy concerns and community medical capabilities."
Concerns in Congress were raised last year when a training exercise to gauge capabilities to respond to a terrorist detonation of a weapon of mass destruction found that Cincinnati's hospitals, police and other services were woefully unprepared for such an attack.
Powell told the joint hearing of members of the Senate Armed Services, Appropriations and Intelligence committees that the State Department was seeking increased money to boost security at U.S. embassies but that the United States should never give in to terrorism.
"If we adopted this hunkered-down attitude, behind our concrete and our barbed wire, the terrorists would have achieved a kind of victory," Powell said. "At the end of the day, what America is to the world is not only what we say or do, it is who we are. And we are not helmeted giants huddling in our bunkers awaiting the enemy."
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Wed, 09 May 2001, 7:41am EST Bush Announces Plan to Coordinate Response to Terrorism in U.S.
By Paul Basken
Washington, May 8 (Bloomberg) --- The U.S. agency that rushes aid to victims of hurricanes and earthquakes will begin coordinating the U.S. response to incidents of domestic terrorism, President George W. Bush announced today.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will create an Office of National Preparedness to ``coordinate all federal programs dealing with weapons of mass destruction consequence management,'' Bush said.
Vice President Dick Cheney also will oversee a the development ``of a coordinated national effort so that we may do the very best possible job of protecting our people from catastrophic harm,'' Bush said.
The threat of chemical biological or nuclear attack on the U.S. ``while not immediate -- is very real,'' Bush said.
``Should our efforts to reduce the threat to our country from weapons of mass destruction be less than fully successful, prudence dictates that the United States be fully prepared to deal effectively with the consequences of such a weapon being used here on our soil,'' Bush said.
Bush's announcement comes amid heightened attention to terrorism because of the scheduled execution next week of Timothy McVeigh for the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history -- the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people.
Congressional Hearings
The new preparedness office will ensure the planning, training, and equipment needs of state and local governments are addressed, Bush said.
``FEMA will also work closely with the Department of Justice, in its lead role for crisis management, to ensure that all facets of our response to the threat from weapons of mass destruction are coordinated and cohesive,'' Bush said.
Bush administration officials described the new coordination plan today during the first of three days of congressional hearings on U.S. preparedness for terrorism.
Congressional Democrats immediately questioned whether FEMA was the correct agency to handle the government's response to terrorism.
Giving the agency prime responsibility could hamper investigative work by such agencies as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department, said Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina.
``Rather than coordinating, we're dis-coordinating the effort being made in the prevention of terrorism,'' Hollings said. Prosecutions in the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City and a federal building in Oklahoma City showed the importance of allowing trained investigators immediate access to the sites, Hollings said.
Senator Pat Roberts, a Republican of Kansas, said final decisions haven't been made about the administration's domestic terrorism policy, and that the Justice Department will retain a leading role among the 46 different federal agencies that split responsibility for guarding against attacks.
``If we buy into that assertion that the threat is real, which I do, then this nation has much work to do to prepare for such an event,'' he said.
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta are among those to testify before the joint three-day hearing of three Senate committees.
``Preparedness to deal, to prevent and to respond to domestic terrorist attacks has got to be one of the highest priorities for our government,'' U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told today's hearing.
Domestic terrorism response plan unveiled
Bush puts new FEMA office in charge of all federal efforts
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON, May 8 — President Bush on Tuesday directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which deals with natural disasters, to oversee government efforts to combat domestic terrorism as well. The executive order, which includes creating a task force headed by Vice President Cheney, is designed to streamline efforts now shared by 46 government agencies.
‘We have seen major advancements in technology and rapid globalization, making our job of combating terrorism more difficult.’
— PAUL O'NEILL--
Treasury Secretary
FEMA DIRECTOR Joe Allbaugh made the announcement during testimony before a Senate hearing on how to better prepare for and prevent domestic terrorism.
The executive order, Allbaugh said, creates an Office of National Preparedness within FEMA to coordinate and implement “programs for dealing with the threat of weapons of mass destruction.”
FEMA will also make sure local and state agencies are prepared to respond to terrorism. “The thing we do best is coordinate and facilitate, we are not in the intelligence business,” Allbaugh said of the office, which was first reported by NBC News last week..
In a statement Tuesday, Bush ordered FEMA to establish the new office to coordinate a “seamlessly integrated, harmonious and comprehensive” response to biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
“Prudence dictates that the United States be fully prepared to deal effectively with the consequences of such a weapon being used here on our soil,” said Bush.
In addition, Cheney will lead a domestic terrorism task force that works with FEMA and other agencies. The task force will “figure out how we best respond to that kind of disaster of major proportions that in effect would be manmade or man-caused,” said Cheney.
Cheney’s group is expected to report to Congress by Oct. 1, Allbaugh said, with the recommendations to be reviewed by the National Security Council.
O’NEILL CITES OBSTACLES
The Senate hearing is being jointly hosted by three committees, who over three days will hear testimony from 18 senior officials. First to testify Tuesday was Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, who cited new obstacles to combating terrorism.
“We have seen major advancements in technology and rapid globalization, making our job of combating terrorism more difficult,” testified O’Neill, whose department oversees the Secret Service and Customs.
But O’Neill also told the committee that his agency has significantly upgraded its work in the wake of the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993 and the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for oversight in this area, said he had become concerned after reading “numerous reports that detail the difficulty federal agencies face in determining what their responsibilities in dealing with terrorism are.”
Concerns in Congress were raised last year when a training exercise to gauge capabilities to respond to a terrorist detonation of a weapon of mass destruction found that Cincinnati’s hospitals, police and other services were woefully unprepared for such an attack.
“There must be better organization at the federal, state and local level,” said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. “It is critical that we address issues of civil liberties, agency jurisdiction, public education , industry privacy concerns and community medical capabilities.”
The hearings were scheduled against the backdrop of the White House saying that various arms of the U.S. government are working to better integrate the way they respond to extremist attacks in the United States.
POWELL, MINETA ALSO SPEAK
Secretary of State Colin Powell and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta also testified Tuesday.
“Terrorism is a part of the dark side of globalization,” Powell said, echoing O’Neill’s concerns. “It is a part of doing business in the world, business we as Americans are not going to stop doing.”
Powell said the State Department was seeking increased money to boost security at U.S. embassies but that the United States should never give in to terrorism.
Announced last week, the hearings are being held jointly by the Senate Appropriations, Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Discussions have been under way for several months between Cheney, the National Security Council, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Departments of Justice, Defense and several other agencies to find ways to improve coordination.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
New Terror Task Force
The way this is written, you could think that they are in charge of creating all the terror in America.
The headline author is a FReeper.
They are all imperial a$$holes, chowing down on our liberties and freedom. Sorry, but if it's not clear to you drooling freepers, Dubya has now shown himself to most definitely be his granddaddy's boy - I refer of course to that pioneer globalist and Wall Street short change artist, Prescott Bush.
Farmers fear military invasion of foot-and-mouth With two shipments of military equipment from Europe en route to a West Texas training exercise, Texas' largest farm organization wants the event canceled because of fears the cargo could harbor foot-and-mouth disease.
Texas farmers are worried the equipment and supplies being imported for Operation Roving Sands could be contaminated with the disease, which has devastated European livestock,
said Donald Patman, president of the Texas Farm Bureau, which has 95,000 beef producers among its 326,000 members.
"Because of the great risk involved in this and the devastation on the cattle industry, it looks like it's too much of a chance to take," said Patman, a Waxahachie farmer who also raises cattle. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs said she would prefer the exercise not use European equipment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...the US Joint Forces command... said it will continue as planned." The state has no say in what happens in it's state?
West Point to conduct anti-terrorism exercise
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in conjunction with Keller Army Community Hospital and several local, regional, state and federal agencies, will conduct a two-day anti-terrorist exercise at West Point on May 14 and 15.
Beginning Monday morning, West Point Military Police will check the drivers' licenses and vehicle registrations of all vehicles entering the installation. Academy officials said visitors, employees and those conducting business at the facility should expect delays when entering West Point on those two days.
On Tuesday at 9 a.m., a mass casualty and decontamination exercise will be conducted at Michie Stadium.
Officials said the academy routinely conducts such exercises to test its ability to respond to emergency situations with fire, medical, and security assets, refine its emergency response procedures and to integrate the support of local, state and federal emergency response resources.
from
Hudson Valley News
May8, 2001
The way this is written, you could think that they are in charge of creating all the terror in America.
That may be truer than you think! lol
CBS wrote the title.
In order to accurately assess the Bush administration's proposals with regard to terrorism, you first need to read the proposals put forth by the Hart-Rudman Commission on the subject. In contrast, Bush's ideas seem down right conservative.
Here's a snippet:
The commission proposed a complete redesign of the National Guard to provide the proposed new "Homeland Security Agency" with U.S.-based troops to combat those who threaten a nation that for more than two centuries was isolated from attack by two oceans. The panel outlined a far-reaching reorganization of the Pentagon, State Department, National Security Council and other agencies, saying that they have become bloated and unfocused. The report even urged Congress to streamline its own committee structure to keep interference in national security matters at a minimum.The commission acknowledged that implementing the recommendations would be difficult. Congress would have to pass legislation authorizing the changes. If all of the recommendations were to become law, it would mark the most sweeping renovation of US defense and foreign policy operations since approval of the landmark National Security Act of 1947. Like that measure, which refocused World War II-era agencies on the challenges of the Cold War, the commission's plan is intended to ready the nation for starkly different threats in a new century.
The panel, in what many are calling a radical departure from "conventional wisdom," recommended folding the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Customs Service, Border Patrol and Coast Guard into the new "Homeland Security Agency." It said that the National Guard should be "reorganized, properly trained and adequately equipped" to cope with natural disasters and attacks on U.S. targets by weapons of mass destruction. The commission said that the National Guard should be relieved of the responsibility of participating in overseas deployments and concentrate on security at home.
There's more here.
Gore Vidal on McViegh and Reno:
First I'm against the death penalty, second I'm against Timothy McVeigh blowing up people in Oklahoma City, but I'm even more against Attorney General Janet Reno," Vidal told ABC's "Good Morning America" program.
"She (Reno) did a terrible thing and in response to this, out of a sense of justice, he did the same thing. Do I approve of that? No. Do I approve of a general pattern of harassment of American people across the country? of course I don't."
A shorter AP story:
U.S. Unveils Domestic Terrorism Plan
Plan Calls For Emergency Response Office
WASHINGTON, 1:56 p.m. EDT May 8, 2001 -- The Bush administration is announcing a new plan Tuesday for getting Uncle Sam ready to respond to a terrorist attack.
The plan reportedly would create an office to coordinate federal efforts in the event of a nuclear, chemical, biological or computer hacker assault.
Federal emergency chief Joe Allbaugh, who'd be in charge of the office, is making the announcement.
Vice President Cheney and others have been at work on the initiative for weeks.
The move comes as three days of terrorism hearings begin on Capitol Hill.
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill led off those hearings by warning that advances in technology and global trade have made it harder to defend against terror attacks.
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TS, They obviously need some more jack booted thug material. Figures. Peace and love, George.
LOLOLOL___ could be.
I fear what we are seeing here is the embryo stage of an American gestapo.
TS, They obviously need some more jack booted thug material. Figures. Peace and love, George.
Better to stomp your head in with my little Red Riding Hood!
I fear what we are seeing here is the embryo stage of an American gestapo.
It's a lot further along than the embryo stage my friend.
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. "Terrorism is a part of the dark side of globalization," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "It is a part of doing business in the world, business we as Americans are not going to stop doing."
Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill were the leadoff witnesses as the Senate began three days of hearings into how well the federal government was coordinating its efforts to battle terrorism. Allbaugh was scheduled to testify later today.
Can you post the same links here on this thread that you posted on the
"Military Role Grows On Homefront (Big Brother, Martial Law, Bioterrorism, Posse Comitatus & More)" thread ?
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ae709012c41.htm
Sounds like he advocates it. ???
The "Terror" Task force isn't being formed to protect us from "them". They are being established to terrorize us into submission. Sorry, spooks, but I don't terrorize very easily.
This reminds me of Rep. Henry Hyde's remarks to Janet Reno during the Waco hearings that were replayed on C-Span about a year ago.
Hyde, very deferentially, told Reno to send him a request for money, so she could have two FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, instead of one---one team for the east coast and one team for the west coast.
Not to interupt the tin-foil fest, but supposing that someone did set off a nuke or bio-weapons in a major city, shouldn't there be some Federal Agency in charge of handling the situation? And isn't a disaster agency the logical choice? Just wondering.
Listen, I know how everyone hates FEMA, you really have to have someone that can coordinate an emergency effort in the case of a nuclear or biological attack. Like it or not, we must. And in these cases, where local infastructure may be impaired or destroyed, you should have a central player sorting everything out.
I share the feeling that FEMA may not be the best people for the job, noting their constant bungling and utter incompentence, but what else do you do? Create yet another federal agency? Surely you wouldn't want that.
bttt
Thanks for the bump!
...in the wake of the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993 and the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
What bothers me the most is lumping these two bombings together. One was a foreign national with a deep hatred for this country, the other was a citizen with a deep hatred for what this country is becoming. Maybe just as important is that "weapons of mass destruction" is being defined down. When does a six-shooter begin to fall into this catagory.
I went through the Trade Center a couple of hours after the bombing, it was a joke, total incompetance, it barely interupted rush hour. If that is the basis of curtailing our rights, I'll take my chances with these "mad bombers" any day rather than the federal government imposing martial law.
Red China builds new missile bases aimed at USA By Rick Wiles May 7, 2001 © American Freedom News
The Chinese PLA is building a formidable “wall of missile bases” around its southeastern provinces to launch its powerful new DF-31 missiles against US Navy forces in Hawaii – and target sites deep within the continental United States of America. According to the Taipai Times – Taiwan’s largest daily newspaper - China has recently built two new fixed missile launch sites so it can target American military targets in the Pacific. The communist government is planning to build more nuclear missile launch sites as part of its “Long Wall Project” aimed at the United States of America. The long-range missiles are equipped with nuclear warheads designed with technology the Chinese stole from top-secret American laboratories such as Los Alamos.
The Taiwan newspaper quoted an unnamed military source as saying, “The Long Wall Project is aimed at the US, not Taiwan. The Chinese military leadership plans to put longer-range ballistic missiles in the southeastern provinces so they can cover US military targets in the Pacific. “They can fire, for instance, a Dong Feng-31 at a US Navy battle group shortly after the group leaves its base in Hawaii,” the source said. “The Long Wall Project is basically a deterrent against the US’ fighting forces in the Pacific.” China has already completed missile launch sites in Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces capable of launching longer-range ballistic missiles such as the Dong Feng-31. The single-warhead missile has a range of 8,000 to 10,000 kilometers.
In addition to the two new fixed launch sites, the Red Chinese military has also built a number of road-mobile launch bases in its southeastern provinces.
Red China tested the DF-31 last November while General Henry Shelton – Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff – was visiting China. The missile was launched from the Wuzhai Space and Missile Center, 250 miles north of Beijing. Previously, the Chinese had conducted tests of the new missile in August 1999. Another test of the new missile is expected sometime soon this year.
Last year China constructed road-mobile bases for the DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missile know as CSS-X-9. The communist nation has speeded up recent tests in what appears to be a warning to the new Bush administration that China is prepared to go to war with the US. At the time, the Clinton administration downplayed the tests as just part of China’s normal military modernization program. The powerful and highly accurate DF-31, however, is the first Chinese strategic system to incorporate US missile and warhead technology acquired through espionage such as the penetration of Chinese spies in the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The DF-31 was seen publicly for the first time last fall during the People's Liberation Army 50th anniversary parade in Beijing, one of the most massive displays of Chinese military might in recent years.
Additionally, the Ju Lang-II missile is a modified version of DF-31 designed to be deployed in the vertical tube launchers of China’s new nuclear-powered submarines. The Ju Lang-II missiles will greatly enhance China’s capability of hitting targets deep within the continental United States. Besides targeting missiles at the US, China continues to construct new missile launch bases aimed at Taiwan. The short-range missiles – such as the M-9 and M-11 – are based in the Fujian Province opposite Taiwan.
The M-11 can deliver a variety of warheads, ranging from nuclear and chemical warheads to EMP warheads. An electromagnetic shock wave would severely damage Taiwan’s utilities, communication and computer systems, plunging the island into the dark. Erich Shih, senior editor with Defense International magazine, told the Taipai Times that the M-11 missile should be feared because of its accuracy. With global positioning system technology, the missile’s margin of error is about five miles.
A military official told the island’s newspaper that the M-11 can decelerate while homing toward its target. With the ability to slow its speed, the missile’s warhead “can explode at the most suitable altitude to effect the greatest destruction against ground targets,” the official said.
That's omomisly uncanny.
Thanks for the heads up!
I saw it, go read jefferson,
"Those that will trade freedom for security deserve neither..."
It's not FEMA per se, but the amount of power it has under an emergency, which is total. In a martial law situation FEMA can do anything it wants, anytime, anywhere, and is answerable only to the President (and some even dispute that). It can even mass relocate to concentration camps if it so desires. The complete consolidation of coordinating power to it along with the power it has already is frightening beyond belief.
What about the National Guard..... called out by the governor of the state in which the event happens? Something about "states rights" comes to mind here.
Thanks much for the flag on this one... Alot of news to swallow here!
ALL PARTIES CONCERNED: Never confuse an American Patriot for a domestic terrorist!
All Minutemen Patriots: Continue to BLOAT and keep the powder dry!
ALL LOCAL FEMA PEOPLE: WAKE UP!
Zo Far Every vun uft yoo, hav made sniveling zounds of Fear und conetempt for ze national leaderz... Each vun uft you are being watched, you hav no vere to exscape to, ve are comink soon...
I fear what we are seeing here is the embryo stage of an American gestapo.
We have already seen the embryo state. Waco, Maimi, Ruby Ridge. Wnat we are seeing is the American Gestapo starting to cut their permanent teeth.
shouldn't there be some Federal Agency in charge of handling the situation?
Always look to big brother to solve your problems. </sarcasm>
Look at that stupid smirk on W's face.
If you believe this "disaster agency" is what it is stated to be, you don't know squat about government agencies. Go read as many Executive Orders and Presidential Decision Directives as you can find and then think long and hard on your response. The boot is in your face but the pressure hasn't been applied, yet.
H, If necessary, I would suggest a return to local "civil defense organizations". But, with the current trend toward centralized POWER, it WILL be done at the federal if not global level. Peace and love, George.
Thanks for the flag. Many of us realize this is just a continuation of Clintonista policies.
Stay well - Yorktown
Always look to big brother to solve your problems.
If terrorists set off a nuclear bomb or germ warfare, I don't want the county sheriff in charge of dealing with it. Defense agianst acts of war is the province of the federal government under the Constitution.
If the Clinton administration was doing this, the response would be wild....martial law. Now, the same kind of things are going on and......
That's where are dollars are going.
OUR--sorry, I pwoduct of eenferiowr Amewican educashon!
Defense from foreign nations is a legitimate use of federal power.
The first thing I thought of when I heard about this was that they had the sequence backward:
#1 Stage Riechstag fire or other such "Event."
#2 Find appropriate scapegoat.
#3 Announce the dire threat to the nation and form the Homeland Defense Agency and giftshop.
#4 Suspend Constitution (oh wait a minute, they already did that didn't they).
In the Gregg hearings this morning, AG Ashcroft kept saying that he was in charge. I really don't know where they're going with this, but I don't like it.
I really don't know where they're going with this, but I don't like it.
-- Tis The Time''s Plague
Absolute power
Absolute Government
Absolute Tyranny
That's "where we're going"!
Wow, they look like twins!
How fitting I suppose.
If the Clinton administration was doing this, the response would be wild....martial law. Now, the same kind of things are going on and......
.....nothing wrong with this at all
--Repub-lackeys say
Amendment 2 + Amendment 10 = Posse Comitatus = No standing army = No Armed Federal "Agencies"
Flack Jacketed Bureaucrats in Ninja Mode [RealAudio]
Thanks!
Defense agianst acts of war is the province of the federal government under the Constitution.
I agree. However, acts of war should be dealt with on the federal level from Washington. There is no reason for the Federal government to declare martial law and take over every state in the union. Each state has a national guard, and many have militia, ready and able to uphold the constitution., and the laws of the United States.
It's one thing for federal agencies to be "on call" when the State asks for help; it's another for the fed.gov to run it and determine when a terrorist act has occurred, especially in light of the fact that the fed.gov has been in charge of all the major terrorist attacks in the U.S. in the last 20 years: OK City, Trade Tower Bombing.
The National Guard is federalized - totally funded and controlled by the fed.gov. Most of the National Guard is in Bosnia and not available to the states. The Governor of a State must issue an executive order and request (from the feds) the use of the National Guard and immediately thereafter, return them to the fed.gov.
Governors authorize non-Federal, National Guard, military support to civil authorities by their respective Executive Order. The Governor of a State or jurisdiction uses the National Guard in State Active Duty status to carry out these missions. These missions are of a temporary nature and are terminated as soon as civil authorities are capable of handling the emergency. The Governors normally employ their State National Guard in a State Active Duty status under their State constitution and State laws. Under legal agreements between the States called interstate compacts or memoranda of agreement, and under Federal guidelines, States may provide mutual assistance to other States during times of disaster.
Section 3.2 Existing State and Federal Relationships
The National Guard Bureau maintains daily contact with States that are conducting military support operations. The National Guard Bureau also coordinates through the DOD Director of Military Support with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the other agencies responsible for Emergency Support Functions established in the Federal Response Plan.
The National Guard Bureau
The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard. Established by Congress as a Joint Bureau, of the Departments of the Army and the Air Force. It holds a unique status as both a staff and operation agency. Throughout its more than 80-year history, the National Guard Bureau has repeatedly proven that the National Guard can effectively perform its duties, with its own personnel, at a high level of professionalism.
But O’Neill also told the committee that his agency has significantly upgraded its work in the wake of the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1993 and the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
Yes, I'll bet they have. Both were federal operations - I guess their upgrading to do a better terrorist attack next time.
P.S: According to the FBI in Project Meggido, militias are terrorist groups since they are Christian patriots.
Homeland Defense Forces? Hmmmmm, sounds like a third-rate banana republic's idea of an army to be used against the civilian population. Next, we'll be hearing words like "Directorate" or some such.....oh well, welcome to Amerika.
Please read Senator Pat Roberts' comments in the original article.....YES! The fedgov should be in charge of everything......why don't the sobs initiate a constitutional amendment to do all this crap?
They're the ones that have all so damn many countries hating our guts....sticking our noses in everybody's business, bombing everyone into submission.....and then have the audacity to mention 'the dark side of globalism"!
Homeland Defense Forces? Hmmmmm, sounds like a third-rate banana republic's idea of an army to be used against the civilian population.
It IS a "banana republic's idea of an army to be used against the civilian population." It sounds like a plan that the CIA came up with for one of their Third World clients.
"Defense from foreign nations is a legitimate use of federal power."
Thank you for this most appropriate sentence. Keep the Federal Government out of the local riots, storming farmhouses, mountain cabin raids, etc etc.
"If terrorists set off a nuclear bomb or germ warfare, I don't want the county sheriff in charge of dealing with it. Defense agianst acts of war is the province of the federal government under the Constitution."
I agree with this, however if say, Miami is leveled by a nuclear bomb there wont be much use for some terrorist task force to swarm all over Miami after the fact. Any terrorist group that would go to that extreme will most likely identify themselves anyway and there would be a good chance that demands would be made first before a strike of this kind.
I just dont see a need for this new Federal agency.
I have no doubt....when I read the words "Homeland Defense", my mind conjured up the likes of the Somalian government, Cuba government, Haitian government, Hussein's government, etc.
And here it is, the good ol US of A's government.....how pathetic.
They're the ones that have all so damn many countries hating our guts....
Most other countries are run by tin pot despots, corrupt thugs, and left-wing neo-socialists. I really don't give a damn what they think of us. They mainly hate our guts out of envy and jealousy.
I think it's ludicrous to compare FEMA to the SS like some here have. I also think in cases of terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction the Feds have a right and duty to act. Let me pose a question; if a nuke went off in Sacramento tommorow and wiped out the state government, who else could or should handle the situation? Or how about a germ warefare attack, with infected people traveling across state lines? Those are all legitimate functions of the federal governement under the Contitution to provide for a common defense.
I'm more wary of the potential abuse of power by the governement than most people, but it doesn't help to make NAZI comparisions or act like terrorism is not legitimate threat.
..."Most other countries are run by tin pot despots, corrupt thugs, and left-wing neo-socialists. I really don't give a damn what they think of us. They mainly hate our guts out of envy and jealousy"...
We differ in our opinion of why 'they' hate our guts--I guess they're just full of envy and jealousy that they can't be the school-ground bully.
..."I think it's ludicrous to compare FEMA to the SS like some here have. I also think in cases of terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction the Feds have a right and duty to act. Let me pose a question; if a nuke went off in Sacramento tommorow and wiped out the state government, who else could or should handle the situation? Or how about a germ warefare attack, with infected people traveling across state lines? Those are all legitimate functions of the federal governement under the Contitution to provide for a common defense."...
I really don't give a damn happens with the Socialist State of California! :) God eliminated Sodom and Gomorrah, and I surely don't see much difference between S & G than the SSC.
I see the fedgov acting just like many of the enviro-nut groups....'find' a problem (or create one), offer the solution, and entice the people to pay for it. I'd rather they try a little diplomacy and keeping their nose out of other countries business.
..."I'm more wary of the potential abuse of power by the governement than most people, but it doesn't help to make NAZI comparisions or act like terrorism is not legitimate threat"...
I also am more wary of abuse of power by fedgov, but their vilifying of everyone and everything that doesn't kowtow to their demands/wishes is more a threat than actual terrorism.
Thanks. Somehow I had missed this one.
Terrorism is a part of the dark side of globalization," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "It is a part of doing business in the world, business we as Americans are not going to stop doing."
A reasonable, non-ideological person might consider the following: if terrorism and a police state are necessary consequences of globalization, maybe it's time to reconsider HOW WE DO BUSINESS.
Yes, but they want globalization and they are willing to put us through terrorist attacks to acheive it!
Amendment 2 + Amendment 10 = Posse Comitatus = No standing army = No Armed Federal "Agencies"
---------
I agree!
BUMP
Little good it did huh?
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