Guest guest Posted January 2, 2002 Report Share Posted January 2, 2002 > Dr. Mercola....Model Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA) > Turns Governors into Dictators > > http://www.mercola.com/2001/dec/26/mehpa.htm > > December 26, 2001 > > Act Turns Governors into Dictators > > Model Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA) Turns Governors into > Dictators > > DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: > > Since this is a bit of an unusual type of article I thought I would > put my comment first. > > It appears some very dangerous legislation is being prepared to be > implemented in the US. > > If this legislation passes, in brief: > > 1 - You will have a mandatory vaccination or you will be charged > with a crime > 2 - You will get a mandatory medical exam, or you will be charged > with a crime > 3 - Doctors will give the exam or you will be charged with a crime > 4 - Your property can be seized if there is 'REASONABLE CAUSE TO > BELIEVE " that it may pose a public health hazard... it can be burned > or destroyed and you will NOT have recourse or compensation. > -- > ------------ > > Action Step > > You can go to http://www.aapsonline.org/ and click on the Emergency > Dictatorial Powers act in the left column. Then click on the > December 13th Action Alert which will provide information on how to > respond to your legislators on this issue. > > Additional Resource > > http://www.publichealthlaw.net/ > > Summary > > This Act would: > > broaden government access to private medical records; > greatly weaken protections against the taking of private property > without compensation; criminalize refusal to be conscripted for > public service or to take medical treatment; potentially increase > the risk of infection to many individuals on the pretext of > protecting the common good; subjugate scientific analysis and > deliberation to the raw assertion of power; greatly expand the power > of government to interfere with commerce; and immunize state > officials from sanctions against gross abuses of power. > > Although certain extraordinary government interventions might be > warranted in a true emergency, the government already has > significant emergency powers as well as the ability to convene a > special session of the legislature. It is highly inadvisable to > completely suspend our delicate system of checks and balances upon > the word of a Governor that an emergency requires it. > > This Act, in effect, empowers the Governor to create a police state > by fiat, and for a sufficient length of time to destroy or muzzle > his political opposition. > > The most telling sentence is: " The public health authority shall > have the power to enforce the provisions of this Act through the > imposition of fines and penalties, the issuance of orders, and such > other remedies as are provided by law, but nothing in this Section > shall be construed to limit specific enforcement powers enumerated > in this Act. " Article VIII Section 802. > > It is unlikely that the vast expansion of governmental powers would > be restricted to combating a smallpox outbreak. Once the precedent > is established, it could be expanded to other types of > " emergencies. " > > This proposal violates the very principles that its author, Lawrence > O Gostin, has previously outlined, while giving them lip service. > His article recommends that " public health authorities should bear > the burden of justification and, therefore, should demonstrate > > (1) a significant risk based on scientific evidence; > > (2) the intervention's effectiveness by showing a reasonable fit > between ends and means; > > (3) that economic costs are reasonable; > > (4) that human rights burdens are reasonable.... " (see JAMA > 2000;283:3118-3122). > > Background > > HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson is urging State legislatures to adopt > the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, prepared by the Center > for Law and the Public's Health at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins > Universities for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. > > This Act grants unprecedented and unchecked powers to the Governors > of the 50 States. It can be downloaded from www.publichealthlaw.net. > > It is likely that HHS will tie passage of the Act to billions of > dollars in federal funding: the usual method of bribery/coercion to > get States to pass legislation that would otherwise never be > considered. > > Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation said: " Tommy Thompson, > whom I have considered a friend for thirty years, should be ashamed > of himself for advocating this kind of Big Brother legislation. This > is not the Tommy Thompson we knew as a four-term governor of > Wisconsin. " > > HHS is using the 9/11 emergency as a pretext to rush passage of an > Act that has been in the works for more than a year. Its main > author, Lawrence O. Gostin, was a member of Clinton's Task Force on > Health Care Reform, whose secret documents were exposed to public > view as a result of the AAPS lawsuit (AAPS et al v. Hillary Rodham > Clinton et al.) > > He was a member of Working Group 17, Bioethics, of Cluster V, The > Ethical Foundations of the New System, and also a member of the > informal group promoting Single Payer. It is odd that Tommy Thompson > should be urging adoption of a plan originating with the most > extremist left wing of Clinton's Health Care Task Force. > > This legislation is a serious threat to our civil liberties. Indeed, > " this law treats American citizens as if they were the enemy, " > stated George Annas, chairman of the Health Law Department at the > Boston University School of Public Health (San Francisco Chronicle, > 11/25/01). It must be exposed to the light of day in the next month > and a half. > > " If protests are sufficient and if conservative legislators in state > legislatures are properly alerted, perhaps there is a chance to beat > back this monster, " Weyrich said. > > Major Provisions > > Declaring an Emergency: Under this Act, any Governor could appoint > himself dictator by declaring a " public health emergency. " He > doesn't even have to consult anyone. > > The Act requires that he " shall consult with the public health > authority, " but " nothing in the duty to consult ... shall be > construed to limit the Governor's authority to act without such > consultation when the situation calls for prompt and timely action. " > > The legislature is prohibited from intervening for 60 days, after > which it may terminate the state of emergency only by a two-thirds > vote of both chambers. (Apparently, it does not have the authority > to find that the state of emergency never really existed.) Article > III, Section 305©. There is also the possibility that the Governor > could declare a new emergency as soon as his powers were about to > expire. > > What is a public health emergency? It is whatever the Governor > decides it should be. By the definition in the Act, it could be an > " occurrence " -or just an " imminent threat " -of basically any cause > that involves a biological agent or biological toxin that poses a > " substantial risk " of a " significant number " of human fatalities or > disability. Article I, Section 104(g). Terrorism need not be > involved; any threat of an epidemic would suffice. > > The Act does not define " substantial risk. " Could it mean a > 1-in-1,000,000 chance? Risks of that magnitude are already being > invoked as a cause for alarm, say of a measles outbreak with > transmission through an unvaccinated child, and a pretext for > removing exemptions to mandatory vaccines. The EPA also uses such > low (and purely hypothetical) risk as the rationale for very costly > regulations, so the precedent is well-established. > > Is a " significant number " five (the number of deaths from anthrax as > of the date of this writing); 24 (the number of deaths from > chickenpox in 1998 and 1999 combined, 12 of them in persons under > the age of 20, used as a reason for mandatory childhood > vaccination); 100 cases of AIDS; or is it thousands of deaths from > smallpox, as most readers may assume-or a single case? > > It could be any of these because the definition is at the sole > discretion of the Governor. The most plausible of the dire threats > generally cited is a smallpox outbreak. > > However, given the nature of the disease and advanced medicine and > sanitation, such an outbreak could be contained without any of the > extreme measures in this Act, just as in the 1970s. (See, for > example, " Super Smallpox Saturdays? " by Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., > and Robert J. Cihak, MD, http://WorldNetDaily.com, Nov. 15, 2001.) > > Because of the adverse side effects of the vaccine (including > death), more harm than good could be done by an ill-advised, > unnecessary mass vaccination campaign. > > Patient Privacy Abolished: The Act would impose significant new > reporting requirements on physicians and pharmacists, further > diminishing the confidentiality of medical records. > > Personal identifying information would have to be reported in > writing, without patient consent, in the event of " an unusual > increase " in prescriptions related to fever, respiratory, or > gastrointestinal complaints that might represent an epidemic disease > or bioterrorism, or of any other illness or health condition that > could represent bioterrorism or epidemic or pandemic disease. Such > conditions are legion. > > Gostin concedes that his privacy provision is based on his own model > privacy act of 1999, which apparently no state has adopted. Like the > Clinton privacy regulations that AAPS is now challenging in court, > Gostin's view of privacy is to allow unrestricted disclosure to > federal authorities. Section 506. > > Unlimited Power: How would the Governor handle the emergency? By > whatever means he chose. He is under no obligation to use > scientifically valid methods, or to choose the least destructive > method, or to perform any kind of risk-benefit analysis. > > He may suspend any regulatory statute, or the rules of any state > agency, if they would " prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action. " > Article III, Section 303(a)(1). Among the laws to be suspended would > probably be those permitting religious, medical, or philosophical > exemptions to mandatory vaccines. > > The Governor may not only utilize all the resources of the State and > its political subdivisions, but commandeer any private facilities or > resources considered necessary, and " take immediate possession > thereof. Such materials and facilities include, but are not limited > to, communication devices, carriers, real estate, fuels, food, > clothing, and health care facilities. " > > Article IV Section 402(a). He may " compel a health care facility to > provide services, " but it is not clear what means he may use to > compel its personnel to work (Article IV Section 402(b)), except > that any physician or other health care provider who refuses to > perform medical examination or testing as directed shall be liable > for a misdemeanor. Article V Section 502(b). > > The Governor may destroy any material or property " of which there is > reasonable cause to believe that it may endanger the public health. " > Article IV Section 401(b). And while the State shall pay just > compensation to the owner of any facilities that are " lawfully > taken " or appropriated (Article IV Section 406), there is a huge > exception: > > " Compensation shall not be provided for facilities or materials that > are closed, evacuated, decontaminated, or destroyed when there is > reasonable cause to believe that they may endanger the public health > pursuant to Section 401. " Article IV Section 406. > > The Governor is in charge of determining " reasonable cause. " There > is a strong incentive for him to declare any losses to private > owners to be noncompensable. > > " Reasonable cause " might mean " contaminated. " Is the Senate Hart > Office Building contaminated with anthrax? Yes. Should it therefore > be destroyed, or subjected to fumigation with chemicals that would > destroy much of the equipment and furnishings? Most think not. > > The problem is that given a sufficiently sensitive testing method, > everything is probably " contaminated " with almost everything else. > Moreover, every testing method has some level of false positives. > > The late Conrad Chester of Oak Ridge National Laboratory stated that > any place that has ever supported cattle has anthrax contamination > (lecture before Doctors for Disaster Preparedness annual meeting, > 1996). The same probably applies to any land that has supported > sheep or goats, or any land that has had the wind deposit soil from > such an area. > > In other words, anthrax spores are probably ubiquitous, though at a > concentration that very rarely causes any harm. Such harm as was > done may have been misdiagnosed by physicians who were unfamiliar > with anthrax and not specifically looking for it. > > Under this law, nothing would stop the Governor from ordering a > citizen to turn over his house to be used as an isolation facility, > and later destroying the house on the grounds that it is > contaminated. This order, like any other, could be enforced at > gunpoint by any law enforcement officer. > > In a time of public hysteria, fanned by press coverage based on the > " if it bleeds, it leads " policy, common sense is likely to be an > early casualty. It is even possible that terrorists-or persons bent > on radical transformation of society and the American form of > government-could deliberately raise a false alarm and influence a > Governor to take action that would result in more damage to freedom > than the terrorists themselves could ever accomplish. > > Or radical environmentalists (who haven't, to date, generally had > the label of terrorist applied to them) could bring about the > destruction of an activity that they object to (such as logging, > cattle ranching, or modern farming). There are no checks and > balances in this Act to prevent such an occurrence, and no > meaningful accountability for the public officials who carry out a > basically misguided policy, however destructive. > > Command and Control: The Act assumes that the best method to use in > an emergency is force and central control. There is no evidence that > force works better than leadership, which can bring out the best in > citizens coming together to meet the crisis, just as firefighters, > police, medical professionals, hotel owners, and other businessmen > did in New York City. > > Totalitarianism is not only evil but has had uniformly disastrous > results. > > Although the world has 40 centuries of experience to show that the > effect of price controls on the economy is comparable to that of an > asteroid impact on the earth, the Act empowers the Governor to > ration, fix prices, and otherwise control the allocation, sale, use, > or transportation of any item as deemed " reasonable and necessary > for emergency response. " > > This specifically includes firearms. Article IV Section 402© and > Section 405(b). Moreover, the Governor can simply seize such items. > Article IV Section 402(a). > > The Act grants Governors the exclusive power to control the > expenditure of funds appropriated for emergencies; the intent and > priorities set by the Legislature would be irrelevant. > > The Governor may delegate powers at his sole discretion to unelected > political appointees. > > Criminalizing Refusal of Medical Treatment: The Act empowers the > public health authority to decide upon medical treatment or > immunizations and to impose its view on individuals, who are liable > for a misdemeanor should they refuse. > > Article V Section 504(b). Although it might in some circumstances be > prudent and justified to quarantine a person who refuses > immunization during an outbreak, it is tyrannical to criminalize the > medical choice to decline a treatment. > > An immunization or treatment might well cause serious harm to > certain individuals even if the public health authority does not > recognize that it is " reasonably likely " to lead to " serious > harm " -another two important undefined terms. Article V Section > 504(a)(4). > > The Act gives the public health authority the right to isolate or > quarantine a person on an ex parte court order, with no hearing for > at least 72 hours. If the public health authority decides that an > unvaccinated person is a risk to others, even if uninfected, he > could be quarantined. > > Article V Section 503(e). It is quite possible that public health > authorities could force such a person from his home to a place of > quarantine, where he will be exposed to infected persons. Such > places shall be maintained in a safe and hygienic manner " to the > extent possible, " and " all reasonable means shall be taken to > prevent the transmission of infection among isolated or quarantined > individuals. " > > Article V Section 503(a). The Act itself thus implies that an > uninfected person is at risk by being placed in such a facility; it > is quite likely that he could be at greater risk than if he had the > freedom to protect himself as he saw fit. It is assumed that public > health authorities will be " reasonable " ; however, this assumption is > questionable. > > Even now, children not vaccinated against hepatitis B are being > excluded from school even though there is NO risk that an uninfected > child can transmit the disease and a minuscule risk that he can > acquire the disease at school. > > Zero Accountability: If the State does more harm than good through > unfettered use of its draconian power, it can rely on the state > immunity clause: > > " Neither the State, its political subdivisions, nor, except in cases > of gross negligence or willful misconduct, the Governor, the public > health authority, or any other State official referenced in this > Act, is liable for the death of or any injury to persons, or damage > to property, as a result of complying with or attempting to comply > with this Act or any rule or regulations promulgated pursuant to > this Act. " > > Article VIII Section 804. > > Note that the law would grant certain immunities even for deaths > improperly caused, and allows such immunity even for advisors who > made recommendations based on conflicts of interest. > > An Alternate Proposal > > Although this Act should be rejected, there are certain measures > that State governments might want to consider: A reevaluation of > the procedures for effectively quarantining persons who are a > significant demonstrable risk to others, while preserving due > process and substantive rights; Improving overall preparedness for > attacks with weapons of mass destruction: upgrading and expanding > facilities for the prompt detection and identification of infectious > agents, toxins, chemical weapons, and radioactivity; evaluating and > augmenting State and local supplies of vaccines, antibiotics, > protective gear for first-responders and medical personnel, > isolation facilities for treatment of casualties, shelters against > radiation, potassium iodide, other essential equipment and supplies, > and information on self-protection available for rapid public > distribution; Measures to protect private citizens, including > physicians, against civil liability resulting from efforts to aid > others in an emergency (suggested in Article VIII Section 804); > Permitting the State to waive certain licensure requirements for the > duration of the emergency to permit recruitment of additional > personnel (Article V Section 507(a)); and Suspending State, federal, > or local regulations or ordinances that interfere with prudent > response to an emergency while providing no scientifically proven > significant benefit, subject to ultimate review and rescission or > post-emergency resumption without retroactive penalties, based on > scientifically valid methods. > > There are many EPA requirements, for example, that are not based on > good scientific evidence and could be disastrous in a real > emergency. At the time of the World Trade Center fire, the EPA had > to acknowledge that asbestos controls were totally excessive, in > order to prevent a public panic about inhaling the white dust. > (Indeed the ban on the use of asbestos above the 64th floor might > have hastened if not caused the collapse of the buildings-see Jon > Dougherty, http://WorldNetDaily.com, November 20, 2001). > > The ban on DDT (imposed despite the overwhelming preponderance of > scientific advice and evidence opposed to this action) would > severely inhibit the containment of an outbreak of mosquito or other > insect-borne diseases. > > The ban on incinerators because of exaggerated concerns about > insignificant releases of dioxins would prevent the safest and most > expeditious method of destroying dangerously contaminated materials. > > Conclusions > > States can and should improve their ability to respond to disaster, > including bioterrorism. However, having the Governor play doctor and > dictator is not the right response. Citizens should distribute > information about the actual content of the Model Emergency Health > Powers Act to opinion leaders, newspaper editors, columnists, the > Chamber of Commerce, business groups, medical society officials, > legislators, and the Bush Administration. > > Action Step > > You can go to http://www.aapsonline.org/ and click on the Emergency > Dictorial Powers act in the left column. Then click on the December > 13th Action Alert which will provide information on how to respond > to your legislators on this issue. > > Additional Resource > > http://www.publichealthlaw.net/ > -- > ------------ > ©Copyright 1997-2001 by Joseph M. Mercola, DO. . > This content may be copied in full, with copyright; contact; > creation; and information intact, without specific permission, when > used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, > permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required. > - > ------------- > Disclaimer - Newsletters are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola. > They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a > qualified health care professional and they are not intended as > medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and > information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his > community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care > decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a > qualified health care professional. The above is ONLY A SYMPTOM of the real TREASON perpetrated on us and our Country!!!! Below is the " rest of the story " !!!! Billy-Joe..Mauldin FEMA Executive Orders http://www.trunkerton.fsnet.co.uk/ Some people have referred to it as the " secret government " of the United States. It is not an elected body, it does not involve itself in public disclosures, and it even has a quasi-secret budget in the billions of dollars. This government organization has more power than the President of the United States or the Congress, it has the power to suspend laws, move entire populations, arrest and detain citizens without a warrant and hold them without trial, it can seize property, food supplies, transportation systems, and can suspend the Constitution Not only is it the most powerful entity in the United States, but it was not even created under Constitutional law by the Congress. It was a product of a Presidential Executive Order. No, it is not the U.S. military nor the Central Intelligence Agency, they are subject to Congress. The organization is called FEMA, which stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Originally conceived in the Richard Nixon Administration, it was refined by President Jimmy Carter and given teeth in the Ronald Reagan and George Bush Administrations. FEMA had one original concept when it was created, to assure the survivability of the United States government in the event of a nuclear attack on this nation. It was also provided with the task of being a federal coordinating body during times of domestic disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. Its awesome powers grow under the tutelage of people like Lt. Col. Oliver North and General Richard Secord, the architects on the Iran-Contra scandal and the looting of America's savings and loan institutions. FEMA has even been given control of the State Defense Forces, a rag-tag, often considered neo-Nazi, civilian army that will substitute for the National Guard, if the Guard is called to duty overseas. THE MOST POWERFUL ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES. Though it may be the most powerful organization in the United States, few people know it even exists. But it has crept into our private lives. Even mortgage papers contain FEMA's name in small print if the property in question is near a flood plain. FEMA was deeply involved in the Los Angeles riots and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the black helicopter traffic reported throughout the United States, but mainly in the West, California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado, are flown by FEMA personnel. FEMA has been given responsibility for many new disasters including urban forest fires, home heating emergencies, refugee situations, urban riots, and emergency planning for nuclear and toxic incidents. In the West, it works in conjunction with the Sixth Army. FEMA was created in a series of Executive Orders. A Presidential Executive Order, whether Constitutional or not, becomes law simply by its publication in the Federal Registry. Congress is by-passed. Executive Order Number 12148 created the Federal Emergency Management Agency that is to interface with the Department of Defense for civil defense planning and funding. An " emergency czar " was appointed. FEMA has only spent about 6 percent of its budget on national emergencies. The bulk of their funding has been used for the construction of secret underground facilities to assure continuity of government in case of a major emergency, foreign or domestic. Executive Order Number 12656 appointed the National Security Council as the principal body that should consider emergency powers. This allows the government to increase domestic intelligence and surveillance of U.S. citizens and would restrict the freedom of movement within the United States and grant the government the right to isolate large groups of civilians. The National Guard could be federalized to seal all borders and take control of U.S. air space and all ports of entry. Here are just a few Executive Orders associated with FEMA that would suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These Executive Orders have been on record for nearly 30 years and could be enacted by the stroke of a Presidential pen: EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals. EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period. EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has broad powers in every aspect of the nation. General Frank Salzedo, chief of FEMA's Civil Security Division stated in a 1983 conference that he saw FEMA's role as a " new frontier in the protection of individual and governmental leaders from assassination, and of civil and military installations from sabotage and/or attack, as well as prevention of dissident groups from gaining access to U.S. opinion, or a global audience in times of crisis. " FEMA's powers were consolidated by President Carter to incorporate: The National Security Act of 1947, which allows for the strategic relocation of industries, services, government and other essential economic activities, and to rationalize the requirements for manpower, resources and production facilities; The 1950 Defense Production Act, which gives the President sweeping powers over all aspects of the economy; The Act of August 29, 1916, which authorizes the Secretary of the Army, in time of war, to take possession of any transportation system for transporting troops, material, or any other purpose related to the emergency; and The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which enables the President to seize the property of a foreign country or national. These powers were transferred to FEMA in a sweeping consolidation in 1979. HURRICANE ANDREW FOCUSED ATTENTION ON FEMA. FEMA's deceptive role really did not come to light with much of the public until Hurricane Andrew smashed into the U.S. mainland. As Russell R. Dynes, director of the Disaster Research Center of the University of Delaware, wrote in The World and I, " ...The eye of the political storm hovered over the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA became a convenient target for criticism. " Because FEMA was accused of dropping the ball in Florida, the media and Congress commenced to study this agency. What came out of the critical look was that FEMA was spending 12 times more for " black operations " than for disaster relief. It spent $1.3 billion building secret bunkers throughout the United States in anticipation of government disruption by foreign or domestic upheaval. Yet fewer than 20 members of Congress, only members with top security clearance, know of the $1.3 billion expenditure by FEMA for non-natural disaster situations. These few Congressional leaders state that FEMA has a " black curtain " around its operations. FEMA has worked on National Security programs since 1979, and its predecessor, the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency, has secretly spent millions of dollars before being merged into FEMA by President Carter in 1979. FEMA has developed 300 sophisticated mobile units that are capable of sustaining themselves for a month. The vehicles are located in five areas of the United States. They have tremendous communication systems and each contains a generator that would provide power to 120 homes, but have never been used for disaster relief. FEMA's enormous powers can be triggered easily. In any form of domestic or foreign problem, perceived and not always actual, emergency powers can be enacted. The President of the United States now has broader powers to declare martial law, which activates FEMA's extraordinary powers. Martial law can be declared during time of increased tension overseas, economic problems within the United States, such as a depression, civil unrest, such as demonstrations or scenes like the Los Angeles riots, and in a drug crisis. These Presidential powers have increased with successive Crime Bills, particularly the 1991 and 1993 Crime Bills, which increase the power to suspend the rights guaranteed under the Constitution and to seize property of those suspected of being drug dealers, to individuals who participate in a public protest or demonstration. Under emergency plans already in existence, the power exists to suspend the Constitution and turn over the reigns of government to FEMA and appointing military commanders to run state and local governments. FEMA then would have the right to order the detention of anyone whom there is reasonable ground to believe...will engage in, or probably conspire with others to engage in acts of espionage or sabotage. The plan also authorized the establishment of concentration camps for detaining the accused, but no trial. Three times since 1984, FEMA stood on the threshold of taking control of the nation. Once under President Reagan in 1984, and twice under President Bush in 1990 and 1992. But under those three scenarios, there was not a sufficient crisis to warrant risking martial law. Most experts on the subject of FEMA and Martial Law insisted that a crisis has to appear dangerous enough for the people of the United States before they would tolerate or accept complete government takeover. The typical crisis needed would be threat of imminent nuclear war, rioting in several U.S. cites simultaneously, a series of national disasters that affect widespread danger to the populous, massive terrorist attacks, a depression in which tens of millions are unemployed and without financial resources, or a major environmental disaster. THREE TIMES FEMA STOOD BY READY FOR EMERGENCY In April 1984, President Reagan signed Presidential Director Number 54 that allowed FEMA to engage in a secret national " readiness exercise " under the code name of REX 84. The exercise was to test FEMA's readiness to assume military authority in the event of a " State of Domestic National Emergency " concurrent with the launching of a direct United States military operation in Central America. The plan called for the deputation of U.S. military and National Guard units so that they could legally be used for domestic law enforcement. These units would be assigned to conduct sweeps and take into custody an estimated 400,000 undocumented Central American immigrants in the United States. The immigrants would be interned at 10 detention centers to be set up at military bases throughout the country. REX 84 was so highly guarded that special metal security doors were placed on the fifth floor of the FEMA building in Washington, D.C. Even long-standing employees of the Civil Defense of the Federal Executive Department possessing the highest possible security clearances were not being allowed through the newly installed metal security doors. Only personnel wearing a special red Christian cross or crucifix lapel pin were allowed into the premises. Lt. Col. North was responsible for drawing up the emergency plan, which U.S. Attorney General William French Smith opposed vehemently. The plan called for the suspension of the Constitution, turning control of the government over to FEMA, appointment of military commanders to run state and local governments and the declaration of Martial Law. The Presidential Executive Orders to support such a plan were already in place. The plan also advocated the rounding up and transfer to " assembly centers or relocation camps " of a least 21 million American Negroes in the event of massive rioting or disorder, not unlike the rounding up of the Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The second known time that FEMA stood by was in 1990 when Desert Storm was enacted. Prior to President Bush's invasion of Iraq, FEMA began to draft new legislation to increase its already formidable powers. One of the elements incorporated into the plan was to set up operations within any state or locality without the prior permission of local or state authorities. Such prior permission has always been required in the past. Much of the mechanism being set into place was in anticipation of the economic collapse of the Western World. The war with Iraq may have been conceived as a ploy to boost the bankrupt economy, but it only pushed the West into deeper recession. The third scenario for FEMA came with the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King brutality verdict. Had the rioting spread to other cities, FEMA would have been empowered to step in. As it was, major rioting only occurred in the Los Angeles area, thus preventing a pretext for a FEMA response. On July 5, 1987, the Miami Herald published reports on FEMA's new goals. The goal was to suspend the Constitution in the event of a national crisis, such as nuclear war, violent and widespread internal dissent, or national opposition to a U.S. military invasion abroad. Lt. Col. North was the architect. National Security Directive Number 52 issued in August 1982, pertains to the " Use of National Guard Troops to Quell Disturbances. " The crux of the problem is that FEMA has the power to turn the United States into a police state in time of a real crisis or a manufactured crisis. Lt. Col. North virtually established the apparatus for dictatorship. Only the criticism of the Attorney General prevented the plans from being adopted. But intelligence reports indicate that FEMA has a folder with 22 Executive Orders for the President to sign in case of an emergency. It is believed those Executive Orders contain the framework of North's concepts, delayed by criticism but never truly abandoned. The crisis, as the government now sees it, is civil unrest. For generations, the government was concerned with nuclear war, but the violent and disruptive demonstrations that surrounded the Vietnam War era prompted President Nixon to change the direction of emergency powers from war time to times of domestic unrest. Diana Raynolds, program director of the Edward R. Murrow Center, summed up the dangers of FEMA today and the public reaction to Martial Law in a drug crisis: " It was James Madison's worst nightmare that a righteous faction would someday be strong enough to sweep away the Constitutional restraints designed by the framers to prevent the tyranny of centralized power, excessive privilege, an arbitrary overnmental authority over the individual. These restraints, the balancing and checking of powers among branches and layers of government, and the civil guarantees, would be the first casualties in a drug-induced national security state with Reagan's Civil Emergency Preparedness unleashed. Nevertheless, there would be those who would welcome NSC (National Security Council) into the drug fray, believing that increasing state police powers to emergency levels is the only way left to fight American's enemy within. In the short run, a national security state would probably be a relief to those whose personal security and quality of life has been diminished by drugs or drug related crime. And, as the general public watches the progression of institutional chaos and social decay, they too may be willing to pay the ultimate price, one drug free America for 200 years of democracy. " The first targets in any FEMA emergency would be Hispanics and Blacks, the FEMA orders call for them to be rounded up and detained. Tax protesters, demonstrators against government military intervention outside U.S. borders, and people who maintain weapons in their homes are also targets. Operation Trojan Horse is a program designed to learn the identity of potential opponents to martial law. The program lures potential protesters into public forums, conducted by a " hero " of the people who advocates survival training. The list of names gathered at such meetings and rallies are computerized and then targeted in case of an emergency. The most shining example of America to the world has been its peaceful transition of government from one administration to another. Despite crises of great magnitude, the United States has maintained its freedom and liberty. This nation now stands on the threshold of rule by non- elected people asserting non-Constitutional powers. Even Congress cannot review a Martial Law action until six months after it has been declared. For the first time in American history, the reigns of government would not be transferred from one elected element to another, but the Constitution, itself, can be suspended. The scenarios established to trigger FEMA into action are generally found in the society today, economic collapse, civil unrest, drug problems, terrorist attacks, and protests against American intervention in a foreign country. All these premises exist, it could only be a matter of time in which one of these triggers the entire emergency necessary to bring FEMA into action, and then it may be too late, because under the FEMA plan, there is no contingency by which Constitutional power is restored. ****** Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky thehavens http://www.thehavens.com/ mail to: PerfectScience 606-376-3363 " Cancer was a blessing that continues to this day " Expect Miracles We only have one Earth. There are NO SPARE PARTS. We must PROTECT OUR WORLD! Please protect your world. ..... Ayhan Doyuk, Chairman of Perfect Science Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.