(no subject)

[rm]

If there's one thing I'm hating about this election cycle is that it's making me feel like a paranoid loon.

McCain suspending his campaign is making my spidey sense tingle in a really fucked up way. I wouldn't bet anyone $20 that something totally outrageous isn't about to happen.

Comments

[tommx.livejournal.com]

Like postponing the election itself as a precursor to facism? That occurred to me as well, but I don't think this is anything more than McCain trying to make political cowardice look like patriotism.

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

In this case, you're likely right - just McCain antics. That said, we're scooting closer to fascism every day. Seen the reports of the active duty Army unit being redeployed to Northern Command (the area that includes the U.S.). They're being retrained in (among other things) fighting "civil unrest".

see : http://propheticheretic.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/us-army-unit-to-be-deployed-for-domestic-operations/ (though I'm sure there are more authoritative links out there)

What *are* they getting ready for, I wonder?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the thing I saw yesterday that would have only mildly alarmed me if I wasn't putting plus signs on either side of it with this economic mess (and the bail out plan they've apparently been hashing out for months), among other things.

[tommx.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been saying for years that all this administration is currently lacking is shirts of the proper shade of brown.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

They lack a military and constabulary that would support them.
Oh, and a lot of really rich people wouldn't like it-bad for business.
That doesn't mean that they aren't staring wistfully with their noises pressed up against Fascism's window.
But fascists in high places do not themselves fascism make.

[zillah975]

So, since Army Times is quoted in the story I thought I'd look and see what they had to say about it. I didn't do an exhaustive search, but in the first three searches the only thing I could find is this article, from 10/17/2006: U.S. Army North up and running.

It says, in part:

Located at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USARNORTH achieved initial operating capability in September 2005, and is responsible for specific missions, including:

• Execute homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions.

• Provide training and readiness oversight of certified weapons of mass destruction--civil support teams.

• Conduct the Army-to-Army portion of the theater cooperation mission with Canada and Mexico.

• Coordinate the activities of defense coordinating officers and their elements assigned in each Federal Emergency Management Agency region.

• Organize up to two task forces that, with augmentation, can become joint task forces and deploy within the operational area to command and control Department of Defense forces responding to homeland defense or civil support operations.

Now I'm NO expert on the military, and I'm certainly pre-disposed to assume the worst about the current administration (and am very inclined to believe they'll steal or cancel the election if they can), but that sounds to me like just what we're talking about here. That they've been doing this since '05 or '06, just as part of the whole Homeland Defense thing.

So, I dunno...? I dunno. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

On the face of it, it seems to be one of the few things this administration has done that actually does make sense in light of 9-11 and Katrina.
If I saw signs that troops were being vetted for "patriotism" I'd worry. I don't.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

but I don't think this is anything more than McCain trying to make political cowardice look like patriotism.

Well said.

Granted, it has the nasty smell one associates with fascism, in the sense of being unwilling to brook opposing opinions, but I think in this case McCain's campaign just knows it's pretty much licked on this issue and is trying to regroup before it goes for Obama's ankles all over again. Obama isn't buying into it, apparently.

Interestingly, looks like Bush is trying to charge to McCain's rescue with an "unscheduled" press conference the media has been told about in advance. (How unscheduled is "unscheduled" these days?)