The Journal of HistorySpring 2010TABLE OF CONTENTS

America's Concerns
                                                 Martial Law in America: No Longer Just a Possibility!

By Gary D. Barnett

Recently by Gary D. Barnett: Terrorism Is Terrorism: An American Contradiction in Terms

http://www.lewrockwell.com/barnett/barnett17.1.html

The power of the state, especially since the events that took place on September 11th, 2001, has exploded and spread like a mushroom cloud from an atomic blast; harming or killing all in its wake! This statement is no exaggeration, as unfounded and murderous wars were initiated and continue to this day in Afghanistan and Iraq. New unjustified attacks by the U.S. military and its private contractor agents (unlawful combatants) are now taking place against Pakistan and Yemen, and threats against Iran continue. Killer drones controlled by impotent cowards are being directed from afar to murder innocent civilians. The threat of more war and more killing is constant and there is no end in sight to this barbaric assault on mankind. Civil liberty has all but disappeared. Body searches, nude body scans, wiretaps, communication surveillance, spying, suspension of habeas corpus, and financial monitoring are now common everyday occurrences. The domestic police have become completely militarized, and combat soldiers are now on American streets.

What else has to occur before the masses of bondservants in this country understand what is happening right before their very eyes? What new form of forced government bondage will finally cause them to wake up? Will Martial Law on a national scale have to be solidly in place before the sheep attempt to escape the slaughter? Certainly, Martial Law has happened on a localized basis already; in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and most recently in the small town of King, North Carolina due simply to a snowstorm. These events, and many more I might add, should cause great concern, but only a few defenders of liberty seem to grasp the serious implications of these isolated abuses.

In January of this year, President Barrack Obama, the professed “leader” of the free world, signed Executive Order 13528. This order, which establishes a “Council of Governors,” these appointed directly by the president, is for the expressed purpose of building a national/domestic police partnership. The opening statement of this order reads:

“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1822 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-181), and in order to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State governments to protect our Nation and its people and property,” it is hereby ordered as follows:

This executive order was issued for one purpose only, and that is to build a “legal” partnership between the federal government’s national military force and the domestic police state so that they become one and the same. But in reality, this “partnership” would be controlled by the executive branch of the federal government; this being the most dangerous kind of fascism. Nothing could be more treacherous or more of a threat to liberty than for one man, the president of this now “United State,” to have the power to control and use in domestic matters the entire federal military, the National Guard, the Reserves, the Coast Guard and all state police organizations. This would effectively give the president the power to establish Martial Law over the entire country at any given time of his choosing.

One reading of Section 2 of this order which outlines the functions should be enough to scare the living daylights out of even the most strident supporter of government. It says:

Sec. 2. Functions.

The Council shall meet at the call of the Secretary of Defense or the Co-Chairs of the Council to exchange views, information, or advice with the Secretary of Defense; the Secretary of Homeland Security; the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement; the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs; the Commander, United States Northern Command; the Chief, National Guard Bureau; the Commandant of the Coast Guard; and other appropriate officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, and appropriate officials of other executive departments or agencies as may be designated by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security. Such views, information, or advice shall concern:

(a) matters involving the National Guard of the various States;

(b) homeland defense;

(c) civil support;

(d) synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States; and

(e) other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities.

Besides the fact that virtually every major agency of force, both federal and domestic, is listed here, the one standout is the inclusion of the United States Northern Command or “NORTHCOM.” On October 1st, 2008, the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, an elite combat squad returning from Iraq, became the first active-duty military unit to be dedicated and deployed for domestic duties. They are under direct control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of NORTHCOM. In addition, 20,000 more federal troops are to be added before 2011. Of course, this violates the Posse Comitatus Act and the original Insurrection Act; those two acts that forbid the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement, but since when has the constitution or written law ever stopped this out-of-control government from doing as it pleases? Any restriction on the use of federal troops in domestic affairs however, has now basically been rendered moot. That is due to new wording in the Insurrection Act that allows for federal intervention in cases of “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition.” This is simply an open-ended invitation for the feds to be able to implement Martial Law any time and any place and for any reason they choose.

With the changes I’ve listed above and the new executive order signed by Obama on January 11th, 2010, the stage is set for the federal government to take over this country, and by force, should “we the people” get out of line. Considering the horrible economic situation we’re in, the high and growing rate of unemployment, the constant increase of brutality by the police, the unwarranted searches and seizures, the nearly complete loss of civil liberties and continuous wars, could anyone honestly believe that a state of Martial Law is not only possible but probable?

If any of you out there think of this as some sort of conspiracy theory, you may be exactly right. The government does seem to be conspiring to gain the power to control by military force the citizenry of this country. It seems very clear to me, and there is a voluminous amount of evidence to support the conclusion that a government conspiracy is in fact already in place.

Every move we make is monitored. Every call we make can be traced. Every email we send can be captured. Every financial transaction we do is data-based. We can’t travel even in our own country without being strip-searched and abused by the cretins at TSA. And if the government decides for no reason at all to label us as “enemy combatants,” they can throw us in prison and torture or kill us without even the benefit of trial. So why would anyone think that this government could not and would not take the next step in its progression of control? That next step is Martial Law, and once implemented might turn out to be the final step in ending our history of freedom!

February 15, 2010

Gary D. Barnett <gbarnett@midriver.com> is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.

Copyright © 2010 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.

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