Homeland Security Gets Brigade for Domestic Use

[techres]

No joke:

Army Times: 3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission. Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army

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.

That is some serious teeth to have too. Teeth under FEDERAL authority working in conjunction with local authority. But FEDERAL teeth they are.

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.”

Combat soldiers with tazers and standard crowd control tools. Ok, remember the mantra: soldiers are for fighting. Cops are for doing policing. Blurring the separation is bad news.

“I can’t think of a more noble mission than this,” said Cloutier, who took command in July. “We’ve been all over the world during this time of conflict, but now our mission is to take care of citizens at home ... and depending on where an event occurred, you’re going home to take care of your home town, your loved ones.”

While soldiers’ combat training is applicable, he said, some nuances don’t apply.

“If we go in, we’re going in to help American citizens on American soil, to save lives, provide critical life support, help clear debris, restore normalcy and support whatever local agencies need us to do, so it’s kind of a different role,” said Cloutier, who, as the division operations officer on the last rotation, learned of the homeland mission a few months ago while they were still in Iraq.

Oh, boy. These are great points FOR BEING IN THE GUARD UNDER STATE AUTHORITY.

Glad we have decided in the last decade to create a huge new government department, give it all new authorities, and now issue it a combat brigade. I guess posse comitatus is truly dead and buried.

 

[mar_2343]

does this scare the hell out of anybody, I remember being 21 yr old buck Sgt in the regular army. I don't think I would have been all that enlightened to listen to someone ( "now our mission is to take care of citizen at home") especially a civillian............. take care in what sense. I know this speaker (in print ) probably means it in the enlightened way but I can see major abuses of this depending on who is elected to offices on the federal level. How would anybody here like it if they ( our duly elected gov officials ) decided no more guns turn them in. Who do you ya think the Feinstein's ,Boxer's and that crowd of socialist's are gonna call on and have coming and asking for your personal property in that Orwellian sort of way

 

[ATM]

Warm fuzzy package containing a ticking bomb? Red flags, man, serious red flags. Scary part is, it will be cheered by the masses.

 

[NateIU10]

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

~Ronald Reagan

'Nuff said

 

[JetGirl]

Holy CRAP! That's not good.

 

[BloodEclipse]

Anybody seen Jericho?

I'm wondering if the Feds have found it difficult to get the National Guard Units trained in these things? With all of the deployments of the NG does it make it impossible to train the units to work together? I do not like the sounds of Active Duty military having any role on the home-front with the possible exception of us being invaded. And no illegal aliens do not qualify.

 

[NateIU10]

I do not like the sounds of Active Duty military having any role on the home-front with the possible exception of us being invaded.

Kind of reminds me of that movie The Siege. Can you say "Martial Law"?

 

[SavageEagle]

Sure illegal aliens qualify. If anyone wanted to take over the Country, the mexicans could bring us to our knees. But that's not the point. Is anyone connecting the dots here? Iran, Syria, Taliban, North Korea, Russia, Axis of Evil. Dot. Economy collapsing. Dot. Calls for Global Economic Regulation. Dot. ACTIVE DUTY ARMY being handed to local "authorities" to control. Dot.... Does anyone see a pattern here? Is anyone as terrified as I am? I mean you'd have to be blind to not see what's going down here. I'm stocking up on supplies ASAP because when I'm kicked outta my house because the banks have to make up for their money through property I'm not getting stuck in the cold unarmed, no food, and no way to survive. I've been trying to find a job for a couple weeks now and I've NEVER had this much trouble finding work. I'm facing facts that flipping burgers is all I'm going to get. This world is going to hell in a hand basket. Brace yourselves.

BTW, you tube "Man of Truth". My dad turned me on to him and everything he's predicted in the last year or two has come to happen. Check him out!

 

[Prometheus]

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
~Ronald Reagan

Truer words have never been spoken.

Lets not forget the nut job responsible for all this GEORGE W BUSH. Sorry kids, if kerry was in office the republicans would be screaming form the roof tops about this.

 

[mar_2343]

Truer words have never been spoken.

Lets not forget the nut job responsible for all this GEORGE W BUSH. Sorry kids, if kerry was in office the republicans would be screaming form the roof tops about this.

Bull, river boat annie is not in office and Republicans (conservative) are screaming

 

[rhino]

Given the level of civil unrest that is likely to accompany the imminent economic woes we will face sooner or later (sooner if that stupid $Trillion bailout actually happens), this sort of thing was inevitable. The Federal gov't's escalation in the level of resources that they INTEND to use against US citizens is going to increase more rapidly, both in terms of amounts as well as diversity.

A lot of people laugh derisively at the "tinfoil cap" crowd, but we may see sooner than we expected that they weren't so silly after all.

 

[Disposable Heart]

For foreign or rogue military elements (which I consider the usage of military force, even if it warmed up police rogue military usage), I use the following. If a military is called out to reinforce arbitrary laws or laws which violate the Constitution (the will of the TRUE rulers of the nation, the people):

Just remember:
They use rubber, we use lead.
They use CS, we use molotovs with match heads in them.
They let blood in the streets, we fill their neighborhoods full of hot brass.
They stop and harass one innocent, we shoot up a convoy.
They "accidentally" murder a person, we decapitate their leadership.
They pull off another Kent State, we pull off the retribution of God's own thunder.
They portray us as terrorist, we act as animals.

They day the Government acts AGAINST the will of it's constituents is the day the average citizen becomes a nationless unit. If the government refuses to represent the people under it's rule is the day that the citizens answer to no authority.

I feel rather strongly regarding use of military force against citizens, armed or not. That one soldier, acting upon orders to shoot another citizen is no longer a person in my book. They become a faceless arm of a totalitarian state, they are no longer a person, a brother, a son, a daughter, a good friend, a nice guy up the road, that "guy defending our rights", a human. They act upon orders that which violate the Constitution, they become an enemy of the state, the state theoretically being the people.

I agree with Rhino, the amount of loot going into control and potential control of it's citizenry is disgusting. I understand a few more sheckles going towards more police, but the mobilization of MILITARY units towards the end of "assisting local law enforcement" is meerly a smokescreen for militarization of local and municipal resources to "protect" the citizen's from themselves.

 

[techres]

Truer words have never been spoken.

Lets not forget the nut job responsible for all this GEORGE W BUSH. Sorry kids, if kerry was in office the republicans would be screaming form the roof tops about this.

BINGO! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

So many warned that party loyalty should not excuse consolidation of powers in the executive branch that unbalance the separations of power. So many warned that "war on terror" and "everything changed on 911" is NO EXCUSE for the destruction of the Constitution. So many said that big gov't was wrong no matter which party did it or what really good excuse they had for doing it.

But no! Since it is "our guy" and "our party" surely it must be ok. Yeah, he says "trust us" and we say "ok, but could we have our rights back later at a point of time that is convenient for you?".

But so long as it is not actual gun grabbing it must be ok. And what choice do we have since the "other guys" are so much worse and are gonna gun grab day one... And it will all be ok since they are on "our side" or at least say so...

As they say, don't expect the next totalitarianism to come wrapped in red flags and little red books, it will just as easily come wrapped in a flag and carrying a Bible for show.

 

[rhino]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame any one person or even administration. This has been an ongoing thing for decades.

If anyone is to blame, it's the voting public. They vote from ignorance and pay no heed of the actions of their elected officials or the lackeys they appoint to do their dirty work. It may be the fault of bad people within the government, but it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

 

[jeremy]

This is starting a very dangerous trend. I think I just lost all my firearms.

 

[Cwood]

What really bothers me is this isn't news. There isn't anyone reporting on this, just a quick Google and there is little results of this article.

 

[techres]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame any one person or even administration. This has been an ongoing thing for decades.

If anyone is to blame, it's the voting public. They vote from ignorance and pay no heed of the actions of their elected officials or the lackeys they appoint to do their dirty work. It may be the fault of bad people within the government, but it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

I disagree. The post 911 period has been an acceleration of power and intrusion on the rights of individuals unlike any time before in my lifetime (37 years). Given the "war on drugs" that is impressive.

Don't get me on a roll here cause my tin foil hat would burn white hot, but let me just say that unchecked powers are dangerous. And only as one example, the gov't needs no ATF form to find us serious gun nuts. They already are tracking who is being called (if not what is being said) and know if you are calling AIMsurplus all the time. And if they are saying "trust us, it's not you that we are looking for" then you can make up your mind.

There was a time that what is being done these days would have been unthinkable. Now it is "accepted" only because of who is selling it and what packaging it is coming in. If Hillary were in office doing these things, the shovels would be digging all day and night (some digging up, some burying). But since it is a "Republican" in charge, then there are those that will drink the kool-aid and think it is ok, and others who will just live in the limbo between denial and a fear of admission of what was voted into office.

I do not mean that about anyone here, but I work with the types and get migraines over it...

 

[techres]

What really bothers me is this isn't news. There isn't anyone reporting on this, just a quick Google and there is little results of this article.

Yeah! I picked this up from DailyKos (I still go there now and then to see how the gun owners there are keeping up the fight). I figured it was kookery but checked it out further and found right winger sights also looking at it. Back-track it to the original source and there you have it.

Nothing in main media at all. Nada. Too busy with the bailout $ amounts to see the other things moving in the background I guess.

 

[SavageEagle]

For God's sake.... I knew I loved you people! I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy! For years I've said this stuff and everyone I talk to looks at me crazy!!

I propose we all have an OC diner and a drink! Never before have I seen so many people awake to what is really going on in this Country. Rhino, You're kinda right. THe voting public is to blame. But not so much for VOTING someone in, but for NOT VOTING at all. What was that they were saying during Iraq's elections... If only 1/3 of the people vote, that is not an election. How many decades has the voter turn out been this low and lower in our own Country? And the Popular vote doesn't even matter. The Electorial College can put in whoever serves THEIR interest best. CRAP!

 

[Jerry]

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

This article was the last thing I needed to hear today. I sat though a hour and fifteen minute lecture not too long ago in economics about how right Karl Marx may have been, how the U.S. the world is heading towards socialism, capitalism is doomed to fail, and everyone will strive toward equality (equality and personal liberties have an inverse relationship).
To be honest, I expected to hear at least one of these lectures from this professor, she is a younger doctor in Economics from Belarus, but the scary part of the lecture was when I looked around at the other students. A number of the other students that were intently listening were slightly and automatically nodding in agreement during her lecture...