What The Government Cant Do For You: Troops

Showing posts with label Troops. Show all posts

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Will U.S. Troops Fire On American Citizens?

Who would believe that in the year 2012 one would have to ask if the U.S. Military would fire on American Citizen’s?

FORT MCCOY, WI – JUNE 18: U.S. Army reserve Specialist William Bagley (front) of Fall River, Massachusetts serving with the 888th Transportation Control Detachment out of Providence, Rhode Island pretends to be mortally wounded as his fellow soldiers return small-arms fire after their vehicle was hit by a simulated improvised explosive device (IED) during training in the Patriot Warrior exercise June 18, 2006 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. About 4000 reserve soldiers are participating in the 21 day exercise which is designed to prepare the units for deployment within the next two years. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

by Avalon & Shepard Ambellas
Intellihub.com
April 28, 2013

The question of troop involvement in a possible upcoming Martial Law scenario that is being predicted is no imaginary possibility – nor is it a ‘conspiracy theory’.

Other tough questions are being discussed such as, “Will the U.S. government confiscate Gold and Silver in an economic collapse?” and “Will there be a round-up of American Citizens to be put into FEMA Camps?”

Many believe that the United Nations will be given authority to step in to keep the peace in any civil unrest or economic collapse. This is a strong possibility.

Silver: The Achilles Heal – Physical Silver is a Stake in the Heart of the Financial Vampires (Ad)

Readers should be familiar with the term ‘Hidden In Plain Sight’. How this applies to the United Nations is simple.

The United Nations main purpose is to be the centerpiece of the coming World Government that will control nearly of aspect of the global population.

For years their military strength has grow as they are now increasingly tasked with upholding law and order in conflicts around the world.

Research into the U.N and prove to yourself that this is or isn’t the case. The U.N. is the governing body of The New World Order – Hidden In Plain Sight.

Investigate their corporate operation as well as the growing number of sites they control and you will discover they now even own the World Weather Service.

An update to this article will list the number of organizations that the United Nations has established, you will be amazed.

A recent Senate Armed Services Committee conference with Sen. Sessions and the Pentagon’s Leon Panetta clearly shows that the United Nations would be involved in authorizing Military Action in Iran, similar to the Libya and Iraq invasions.

Two of the most widely known United Nations programs are Agenda 21 and Codex Alimentarius.

These are beyond the scope of this article but one other program is of significance which is the U.N. Rapid Deployment Police.

The United Nations Rapid Deployment Police and Security Force Act of 2001(House Resolution 938) Status of H.R. 938 CosponsorsThe United Nations Rapid Deployment Police and Security Force (H.R. 938) was introduced on March 8, 2001 by Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY) in the House of Representatives. The legislation calls upon the President to use the United States’ “voice, vote, and influence” to urge the UN:

to establish a United Nations Rapid Deployment Police and Security Force (Police and Security Force) that can be quickly dispatched under the authority of the UN Security Council; to recruit volunteer personnel for the force; and to provide equitable and reliable funding for the Police and Security Force.

Additionally, the legislation calls upon the President to:

urge UN member nations to enter into regional partnerships for the purpose of forming Rapid Deployment Brigades, made up of on-call units of national forces, capable of deploying within 30 days of a Security Council resolution;

and direct the Secretary of Defense to undertake a study to determine the availability of and feasibility of using U.S. forces as part of the rapid deployment brigades.

What would the Police and Security Force do? It would:

be able to deploy within 15 days of a Security Council resolution to establish international peace operations, with a limited deployment of no more than six months for any given mission;

only be deployed when the Security Council determines that violations of human rights and/or breaches of the peace require a rapid response to ensure adherence to negotiated agreements to prevent or end hostilities;

consist of at least 6,000 volunteers employed directly by the UN, who train together and are appropriately equipped expressly for international peace operations, including civilian policing; and

be given the authority to protect itself, execute negotiated peace accords, disarm combatants, protect civilians, detain war criminals, restore the rule of law, and to carry out other purposes as detailed in Security Council resolutions.

Many readers will recall the survey given to U.S. Marines at the 29 Palms Marine Corps base in California.

The survey asked the respondents to consider the following statement: “I would fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of firearms banned by the United States government.”

The current situation is even more alarming, for example:

The passing of the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, which THEBLAZE covers in an article titled, “Can the ‘Indefinite Detention’ Bill Send Americans to Military Prison Without Trial?” (12-08-11) has caused even the most skeptic to be concerned for their personal safety – especially those fighting for liberty.

The National Defense Resources Preparedness: Comparing Previous Executive Orders article that intellihub.com posted online is another example of the emergence of a Fascist Police State taking complete control.

Lastly, the purchase by the Department of Homeland Security of 450,000,000 rounds of ammunition over a five year period should be warning enough that something is definitely wrong.

Who are these rounds to be used on? Even at 80,000,000 rounds per year, that’s one bullet for every dissenter at a minimum.

The fact that the United Nations is the unelected yet-to-be Global Government should be warning enough that the United States of America is in great peril. The only intelligent thing to do is… PREPARE.

There is also the chance that the powers that be will play out a pandemic type scenario in which the military will receive orders from the top brass to quarantine US citizens.

This scenario may be the most probable – let’s entertain it.

It would likely go something like this:

A loudspeaker (megaphone) attached to a UN (United Nations) van passing through a middle-class neighborhood resinates a pre-recorded message,

“This neighborhood has been declared a pandemic zone… Pandemic level 6 martial law is now in place… Please stay in your homes as a quarantine has been imposed… If you are found in violation of this order you can be fined, imprisoned, or even shot… Food will eventually be dropped at your doorstep” (message repeating)

Essentially at one point people will get hungry and from there chaos will ensue.

Shepard Ambellas host of The Intellihub Radio Show once asked a military caller on air what they would do in a pandemic situation (like the one laid out above).

The caller replied;

“That would be a tough one.”

Further Research and Sources:

Obama Admin Cites ‘Int’l Permission,’ Not Congress, As ‘Legal Basis’ For Action In Syria

http://youtu.be/5zNwOeyuG84

Uploaded by SenatorSessions on Mar 7, 2012

WASHINGTON, March 7—Under question from Sen. Sessions at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey indicated that “international permission,” rather than Congressional approval, provided a ‘legal basis’ for military action by the United States.

Selected Executive Orders on National Security

Is the Soros-Sponsored ‘Agenda 21’ a Hidden Plan for World Government? (Yes, Only it Is Not Hidden)

What is Agenda 21? If you do not know about it, you should.

Agenda 21 is a two-decade old, grand plan for global ’Sustainable Development,’ brought to you from the United Nations. George H.W. Bush (and 177 other world leaders) agreed to it back in 1992, and in 1995, Bill Clinton signed Executive Order #12858, creating a Presidential Council on ‘Sustainable Development.’ This effectively pushed the UN plan into America’s large, churning government machine without the need for any review or discussion by Congress or the American people.

‘Sustainable Development’ sounds like a nice idea, right? It sounds nice, until you scratch the surface and find that Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development are really cloaked plans to impose the tenets of Social Justice/Socialism on the world.

At risk from Agenda 21;

Private Property ownership

Single-Family homes

Private car ownership and individual travel choices

Privately owned farms

The Agenda 21 plan openly targets private property. For over thirty-five years the UN has made their stance very clear on the issue of individuals owning land;

Land… cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice; if unchecked, it may become a major obstacle in the planning and implementation of development schemes. The provision of decent dwellings and healthy conditions for the people can only be achieved if land is used in the interest of society as a whole.

Source: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat I),Vancouver, BC, May 31 – June 11, 1976. Preamble to Agenda Item 10 of the Conference Report.

There are two more, very good reasons to be wary of Agenda 21 and the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) that supports it: George Soros and the United Nations. Soros money has been tracked to funding parts of ICLEI ;

In 1997, George Soros’s Open Society gave ICLEI a $ 2,147,415 grant to support its Local Agenda 21 Project

Creating a Force for Peace Operations: Ensuring Stability with Justice

The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC®)

Creation of a US force for stability is consistent with statements by senior officials in the Bush Administration and expressions of congressional interest in creating effective US forces to handle peacekeeping missions. Even before

taking office, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said the incoming Administration would “think hard” about developing forces to perform police functions and might replace soldiers with international police to perform peacekeeping missions.

7 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told European defense ministers in Brussels on 18 December 2001 that NATO forces in Bosnia should be replaced by an armed European constabulary unit that would deal with organized crime.

8 Such Administration thinking seems to parallel similar thoughts in Congress. The United Nations Rapid Deployment Act of 2001 (HR 938), which was introduced by Representative James McGovern with 17 cosponsors, calls for the

President to help establish aUNRapid Deployment Police and Security Force, utilizing the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams as part of Rapid Deployment Brigades.

DoD Memorandum, June 4, 2004, signed by Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense

http://www.un.org/en/peace/index.shtml

DPKO provides political and executive direction to UN Peacekeeping operations around the world and maintains contact with the Security Council, troop and financial contributors, and parties to the conflict in the implementation of Security Council mandates.

United Nations Peacekeeping Group Chart

Troop and police contributors

Our military and police personnel are first and foremost members of their own national services and are then seconded to work with the UN.

UN Summary of Military and Police Contributions 2005 – 2012

Peacekeeping operations

A peacekeeping operation is led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), and works to create the conditions for lasting peace in a country torn by conflict.

The following survey was given to U.S. Marines at the 29 Palms Marine Corps base in California:
DD Form 3206 (Rev 2/96)JOINT SERVICES TRAINING COMBAT ARMS SURVEYPart A (Confidential when filled in)This questionnaire is to gather data concerning the attitudes of combat trained personnel with regard to non-traditional missions. All responses are confidential and official. Write your answers directly on the form. In Part II, place an “X” in the space provided for your response.Date:_____________Part 1. Demographics.1. Branch of Service: Army ( ) USAF ( ) Navy ( ) Marines ( ) ANG ( ) NG ( ) USCG ( ) Other: ( )2. Pay Grade: (E-6, O-4, etc) ( )3. MOS, AFSC or Specialty Code and Description: ( )4. Highest level of education: Less than 12 ( ) 13 ( ) 14 ( ) 15 ( ) (16) ( ) More than 16 ( )5. How many months did you serve in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield?( )6. How many months did you serve in Somalia? ( )

7. Where did you spend most of your childhood?

City: ( ); County: ( ) State: ( )

Part II. Attitude:

Do you feel that U.S. combat troops should be used within the U.S. and bordering countries for any of the following missions?

(Strongly Disagree) (Disagree) (Agree) (Strongly Agree) (No Opinion)

8. Drug enforcement

9. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)

10. Security at national events (e.g. Olympic Games, Super Bowl)

11. Environmental disaster clean-up including toxic and nuclear

12. Substitute teachers and school workers in public schools

13. Community assistance programs (e.g. landscaping, environmental clean-up,road repair, animal control)

14. Federal and State prison guards and auxiliary police

15. National emergency police force/international security force

16. Advisors to SWAT units, the FBI, or the BATF

17. Border Patrol (e.g. prevention of entry of illegal aliens into U.S. territory)

18. Drug enforcement and interdiction

19. Disaster relief in bordering countries (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, etc.)

20. Environmental disaster clean-up in bordering countries including toxic and nuclear.

21. Peace keeping and local law enforcement and internal security forces

22. National building (reconstruct civil governments, develop public school system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.)

23. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary housing and clothing and domestic care).

Do you feel that U.S. combat troops should be used in other countries, under command of non-U.S. officers appointed by the U.N. for any of the following missions?

24. Drug enforcement.

25. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)

26. Environmental disaster clean-up including toxic and nuclear.

27. Peace keeping including local law enforcement and internal security forces

28. National building (reconstruct civil government, develop public school system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.

29. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary housing and clothing and domestic care)

30. Police action (e.g. Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm but serving under non-U.S. officers)

31. The U.S. runs a field training exercise. U.N. combat troops should be allowed to serve in U.S. combat units during these exercises under U.S. command and control.

32. The U.N. runs a field training exercise. U.S. combat troops under U.S. command and control should serve in U.N. combat units during these exercises

33. The U.N. runs a field training exercise. U. S. combat troops should serve under U.N. command and control.

34. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N.missions as long as the U.S. has full command and control.

35. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N. missions under U.N. command and control.

36. U.S. combat troops should be commanded by U.N. officers and non- commissioned officers at battalion, wing and company levels while performing U.N. missions.

37. It would make no difference to me to have U.N. soldiers as members of my team.

38. It would make no difference to me to take orders from a U.N. company or squadron commander.

39. I feel the President of the U.S. has the authority to pass his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief to the U.N. Secretary General.

40. I feel there is no conflict between my oath of office and serving as a U.N. soldier.

41. I feel my unit’s combat effectiveness would not be affected by performing huminatarian and peace keeping missions for the U.N.

42. I feel a designated unit of U.S. combat soldiers should be permanently assigned to the command and control of the U.N.

43. I would be willing to volunteer for assignment to a U.S. combat unit under a U.N. commander.

44. I would like U.N. member countries, including the U.S., to give the U.N. all the soldiers necessary to maintain world peace.

45. I would swear to the following code:

“I am a United Nations fighting person. I serve in the forces which maintain world peace and every nation’s way of life. I swear and affirm to support and defend the Charter of the United Nations and I am prepared to give my life in its defense.”

46. The U.S. government declares a ban on the possession, sale, transportation, and transfer of all non-approved firearms. A 30-day amnesty period is established for these firearms to be turned over to the local authorities. At the end of this period, a number of irregular citizen groups and defiant individuals refuse to turn over their firearms to authority.

Consider the following statement:

“I would fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of firearms banned by the United States government.”

End of Survey

Originally posted in 2012.

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Intellihub.com

Will U.S. Troops Fire On American Citizens?

Monday, April 22, 2013

GOP lawmakers: Declare suspect "enemy combatant," eBay CEO rallies troops against online sales tax bill, Cruz vs. Rubio, Globe endorses Markey, Ricin suspect"s ex: He was framed

GOP LAWMAKERS WANT BOSTON SUSPECT DECLARED ‘ENEMY COMBATANT’ – Charlie Savage writes in the New York Times: “Some Republican lawmakers want President Obama to declare the surviving Boston bombing suspect an enemy combatant in order to question him without a lawyer and other protections of the criminal justice system, intensifying a recurring debate over how to handle terrorism cases arising inside the United States. But while the suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a naturalized American citizen, is a Muslim, there is no known evidence suggesting that he is part of Al Qaeda. The United States is engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, not all Muslim extremists. As a result, the dispute is pushing beyond familiar arguments and into new territory.

– “Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, is among the earliest and most vocal proponents of declaring Mr. Tsarnaev an enemy combatant. Others include Senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and John McCain of Arizona, as well as Representative Peter T. King of New York, all also Republicans. The Obama administration has said it thinks terrorism suspects arrested inside the United States should be handled exclusively in the criminal justice system. It has indicated no intention to do otherwise in Mr. Tsarnaev’s case, but the issue is taking on political currency, underscoring a major divide on national security legal policy.

– “Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that the laws of war did not apply to Mr. Tsarnaev and that there was so far no evidence that he was “part of any organized group, let alone Al Qaeda, the Taliban or one of their affiliates — the only organizations whose members are subject” to detention as a part of war.” http://nyti.ms/ZgsNly

BLAME GAME: GRAHAM SUGGESTS THE FBI DROPPED THE BALL after interviewing one of the Boston bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, two years ago following a tip from Russian authorities, reports CNN’s Ashley Killough. “The ball was dropped in one of two ways,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The senator from South Carolina said the FBI either “missed a lot of things” in its investigation, or federal laws did not allow the FBI to “follow up in a sound, solid way.” http://bit.ly/17HZRCh

REP. PETER KING (R-N.Y.) was much more direct: “This is at least the fifth case I’m aware of where the FBI has failed to stop someone,” the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence said on “Fox News Sunday.” http://politi.co/108UhnN

TOP DEMS: ‘DEATH PENALTY’ APPROPRIATE – “Federal prosecutors should seek the death penalty in the case of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, top Senate Democrats said Sunday, Alan Zibel reports for the Wall Street Journal. “Speaking on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the Tsarnaev case is ‘just the kind of case’ that should merit the death penalty under federal law. Mr. Schumer compared the case of Mr. Tsarnaev, a naturalized U.S. citizen, to that of Timothy McVeigh, who was executed under federal law in June 2011 after being found guilty in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings, which killed 168 people. … Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) also indicated she favored the death penalty for Mr. Tsarnaev.” http://on.wsj.com/17dmK2b

– The Boston bombing suspects were not licensed to own guns where they lived, Reuters reports: http://nyti.ms/10ttF8j

eBAY CEO RALLIES TROOPS AGAINST ONLINE SALES TAX BILL – Alistair Barr reports for Reuters ahead of tonight’s cloture vote in the Senate: “EBay Inc Chief Executive John Donahoe began emailing millions of users of the company’s online marketplace on Sunday in an unprecedented lobbying effort to change looming Federal sales tax legislation. The e-commerce giant plans to send emails from Donahoe to at least 40 million eBay users, including most sellers on the marketplace. The first messages were sent out Sunday morning. In the emails, Donahoe said the legislation, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, unfairly burdens small online merchants and asked eBay users to send an email message to members of Congress asking for changes. The legislation, due to be voted on by the Senate in coming days, gives states the power to compel retailers outside their borders to collect online sales tax. … The legislation includes an exemption for merchants that generate less than $ 1 million in annual out-of-state revenue. Donahoe argued in the emails that merchants with less than $ 10 million in annual out-of-state sales, or fewer than 50 employees, should be exempt. Reuters viewed copies of the emails.

– “In emails to eBay sellers, Donahoe singled out Amazon.com Inc, eBay’s main rival, which supports the current legislation. ‘This legislation treats you and big multi-billion dollar online retailers – such as Amazon – exactly the same,’ Donahoe wrote. ‘Those fighting for this change refuse to acknowledge that the burden on businesses like yours is far greater than for a big national retailer.’” http://fxn.ws/XZAugt

BILL BACKERS PUSH BACK – A coalition that includes Best Buy, Amazon, Retail Industry Leaders Association, National Retail Federation and International Council of Shopping Centers swiftly responded to the eBay chief in a letter sent to Huddle: “This legislation would level the playing field for the industry with the largest private workforce in America. eBay’s opposition to the Marketplace Fairness Act is a transparent attempt to maintain an unlevel playing field and benefit a very small number of their largest sellers. … Mr. Donahoe wants you to believe that the Marketplace Fairness Act would somehow penalize small online businesses. This is disingenuous because it overlooks the fact that this legislation exempts small sellers with less than one-million dollars in annual remote sales to address concerns about small business compliance. To put this in perspective: the Marketplace Fairness Act exempts 99% of all sellers and over 40% of all online commerce.

– “Mr. Donahoe suggests that leveling the playing field and treating all sellers equitably is bad policy. We could not disagree more. The current system can no longer be justified and it is time to modernize how sales taxes are collected, level the playing field for all sellers, and protect the states’ right to make their own policy choices. That is why a broad coalition of sellers, states, and municipalities from across the country and in your district are waiting for Congress to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act and end the uncertainly of the current sales tax collection system. The Marketplace Fairness Act will fuel competition and create real value for consumers based on service, price, and convenience: not unfair sales tax collection rules. All businesses, large and small, must be given the chance to succeed and grow. We exist in a 21st century marketplace and the law must reflect this reality.” View the letter here: http://bit.ly/ZHE8qB

10 A.M. TODAY: 23 WITNESSES ARE SET TO TESTIFY AT IMMIGRATION HEARING – Expect the Boston bombing suspects, immigrants from Chechnya, to once again come up in today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, just as it did during a similar hearing on Friday. Witnesses include: Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza; former Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.); and Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Location: Hart 216.

CRUZ VS. RUBIO – Manu Raju writes about the budding rivalry for the hometown paper: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio “have much in common as first-term senators elected with the help of the tea party from states with large Latino populations. Both have Cuban roots and are considered rising GOP stars and prospective presidential rivals. But the pair is divided on immigration legislation — a key difference that could have significant ramifications for their party and political ambitions. The Texas freshman is sharply critical of the pathway to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants, a central part of the bipartisan bill that Rubio helped write. Cruz is weighing whether to aggressively oppose the immigration overhaul, a decision that could neutralize Rubio’s outreach to conservative activists in order to minimize their opposition. …

–“[I]f Cruz were to lead the fight against the comprehensive plan, it could also spark a revolt from the large — and growing — population of Texas Hispanics who opposed his candidacy in large numbers in 2012. Cruz’s thinking will be on fresh display Monday, when witnesses testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee could be subjected to his prosecutorial style of questioning.

– “The Cruz-Rubio divide underscores the soul-searching within the GOP over immigration reform as Republicans continue to ask themselves: Should they soften their opposition to a comprehensive plan after witnessing a mass erosion of support from Latino voters in recent election cycles? Or should they stand firm and defeat any bill that could provide ‘amnesty’ to millions of illegal immigrants and instead mainly demand tougher border security laws?” http://politi.co/15yDVwZ

IMMIGRATION BILL SPRINKLED WITH PET PROJECTS – Sara Murray reports for the WSJ: “Buried within the 844 pages of the bipartisan immigration bill—amid historic shifts in policies such as a path to citizenship for 11 million unauthorized immigrants—are pet provisions of the senators who crafted it. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wants more visas for the meat industry, a major employer in his state. Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) pushed for special treatment for Irish workers; his state is home to a large population with Irish ancestry. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sought help for the cruise-ship industry, a big business in his home state of Florida. And Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado wove in a boost for ski areas.” http://on.wsj.com/11wUy6Q

** This week, members and leaders of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades will be in Washington, D.C., to talk to members of Congress about the $ 1 Billion investment it and IUPAT employers have made in training the best skilled construction workforce in the country. Find out more here: http://www.goiupat.com

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 22, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @emmaroller and @AllisonPrang.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House is out today. The Senate is in at 2 p.m. and holds a procedural vote at 5:30 p.m. on the online sales tax bill known as the Marketplace Fairness Act.

BOSTON GLOBE: MARKEY BEST CHOICE FOR SENATE – The Globe makes its endorsement: “One afternoon in 2007, Ed Markey stood outside the doors of the US House chamber, balancing plaster models in his hands. He was waiting to enter the nearly empty chamber, to make a speech for C-SPAN junkies illustrating the lack of screening of cargo on US airliners — a loophole that Markey feared a terrorist might exploit. It was a point he had hammered home after 9/11, while airlines and cargo companies insisted that existing precautions were sufficient. But he wasn’t about to give up, and, with a big smile on his face, bounded onto the House floor. Though Markey’s district included people who died on 9/11, there was no special reason why he, of all House members, should be leading this particular cause. He simply saw it as his job to do what he could to improve the country. Now, after 37 years of legislative action — sometimes fruitful, sometimes fruitless, always engaged — Markey is seeking to move to the Senate. …

– “On that afternoon in 2007, Markey could have been anywhere else in Washington — or Massachusetts, for that matter — than the floor of the House, intoning about cargo screening. But the opposition finally relented: Markey’s bill became law. On cargo screening and dozens of other issues, Markey’s legislative exertions have paid off for America and Massachusetts. He is the best choice for Bay State Democrats.” http://b.globe.com/15B6Wbt

AIRPORT DELAYS? REAL TEST COMES TODAY AFTER FAA FURLOUGHS – The Associated Press: “Commercial airline flights moved smoothly throughout most of the country on Sunday, the first day air traffic controllers were subject to furloughs resulting from government spending cuts, though some delays appeared in the late evening in and around New York. And even though the nightmarish flight delays and cancellations that the airline industry predicted would result from the furloughs did not materialize yet, the real test will come Monday, when traffic ramps up. Information from the FAA and others showed that flying Sunday was largely uneventful, with most flights on time. There were delays in parts of Florida, but those were caused by thunderstorms. … The FAA website said that flights from Philadelphia and Orlando, Fla., into John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Westchester County airports were delayed due to staffing issues.” http://abcn.ws/122PhoZ

–WaPo, A14, “Major furloughs spur uncertainty at U.S. agencies”: The first round of sequester-related furloughs begins this week, affecting thousands of federal workers, reports Steve Vogel: http://wapo.st/XQPMlx

RICIN SUSPECT’S EX-WIFE: HE WAS FRAMED – Sarah Robinson writes for the Northeast Mississippi News: “Laura Curtis of Booneville, his former wife, contacted the Daily Journal on Saturday to say she fully supports her ex-husband and among friends and family members ‘none of us believe he did this.’ Curtis appeared in court on Friday but after three hours of proceedings Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander recessed the hearing until Monday. Defense attorney Christi R. McCoy called the only witness on Friday, FBI Special Agent Brandon Grant. Grant testified investigators are currently unable to link Curtis to ricin and found no evidence of his fingerprints on any of the letters. The agency is awaiting DNA and other lab results from evidence they collected from Curtis’ home. Grant testified in court Friday that Laura Curtis told investigators that Kevin Curtis suffers from bipolar disorder and had been extremely violent toward her and that he had threatened to kill her and had raped her. Laura Curtis did not dispute the accuracy of Grant’s testimony but claimed ‘only one percent of the truth came out.’ She said she and her children remain very close to her ex-husband. …

– “She has spoken to Kevin Curtis since his arrest. She said, ‘I asked him, did he do this, and he said ‘I did not.’’ Laura Curtis said she gave the FBI the names of other people she believes might have sent the letters in an attempt to frame her ex-husband. ‘Anybody could get his tagline,’ she said. The letters in question were signed ‘I am KC and I approve this message,’ a phrase often used by Curtis in his writings about the alleged conspiracy. The three letters also said: ‘To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance,’ a quote Kevin Curtis posted on his public Facebook profile.” http://bit.ly/17dryV6

THE ROGERS REPORT: NEW FIGHT OVER FOOD STAMPS – “‘Where are the jobs?’ Speaker John Boehner likes to ask. But do his fellow House Republicans really want to kick the unemployed off food stamps if they can’t find the jobs either?” David Rogers writes for POLITICO. “That’s the question behind a simmering farm bill battle over reimposing work requirements on millions of able-bodied adults enrolled in the nutrition program. Most have no reported earnings, and without added job training or workfare slots, the change could spell real hardship in today’s economy. For this reason, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) is resisting the move. But back home, the Oklahoma state Legislature recently took steps to reinstate work requirements. And the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has repeatedly raised the issue with Lucas as a way to win conservative votes for his farm bill, now slated for markup May 15.” http://politi.co/15xBZ7U

HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES PROGRAM TO KEEP MAJORITY – Alex Isenstadt reports for POLITICO: “Congressional Republicans, seeking to counter efforts by President Barack Obama and Democrats to win the House next year, are launching a program Monday aimed at preserving their 17-seat majority. The National Republican Congressional Committee will unveil what it dubs the ‘Patriot Program,’ which will provide support to the party’s most endangered incumbents. Republicans say the objective is to shore up members facing the toughest races before the 2014 election season heats up in earnest. They say they want to spend much of next year focusing their firepower on vulnerable Democrats with an eye toward building on their majority. …

– “The 11 Republicans who are being named to the Patriot Program are: Reps. Mike Coffman of Colorado, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Jeff Denham and David Valadao of California, Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Bob Gibbs and David Joyce of Ohio, Chris Gibson of New York, Joe Heck of Nevada, Steve Southerland of Florida and Jackie Walorski of Indiana.” http://politi.co/17RwjVG

DSCC OUTRAISES NRSC BY $ 2M – James Hohmann reports for POLITICO: “The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $ 5.2 million in March, beating their Republican counterpart by $ 2 million. Senate Democrats have grown their money advantage so far in 2013, as incumbents from red states last week and now the committee reported sizable first-quarter hauls. The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $ 3.2 million for the month, ending with $ 5.3 million cash and $ 9.5 million in debt. The DSCC raised $ 13.7 million over the last three months, their best first quarter ever and $ 6.9 million more than the NRSC. They say that $ 5.6 million of that came from grassroots donors by mail, phone and online.” http://politi.co/17RwaBL

FRIDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Ross Kapilian was first to correctly answer that Alice Roosevelt Longworth had a child with a senator to whom she was not married. He was Sen. William Borah.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Geoff Simon has today’s question: Who was the first president or ex-president to fly in an airplane? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** In 1937, Congress and President Roosevelt signed the National Apprenticeship Act. It established an important federal role in private apprenticeship training by bringing labor and management together to ensure that the training provided was fair, safe and in the best interest of the contractors and the end user. Today, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the Finishing Trades Institute and other Building and Construction Trades Unions annually spend more than $ 1 billion in private funding on apprenticeship instructors, curriculum and training the next generation of construction workers. Any planned expansion of registered apprenticeship or federal role in apprenticeship should proceed outward from resilient and high quality construction programs that currently exist in nearly every community in the United States. Find out more here: http://www.goiupat.com

POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle

GOP lawmakers: Declare suspect "enemy combatant," eBay CEO rallies troops against online sales tax bill, Cruz vs. Rubio, Globe endorses Markey, Ricin suspect"s ex: He was framed

Sunday, April 14, 2013

RT News reports 20,000 more troops on U.S. streets by 2011

Friday, April 12, 2013

US Sets DEFCON 3 as Chinese Troops Mass at North Korean Border

DEFCON 3 has been set in the US Friday after tensions with North Korea build up.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 12: U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry (L) and South Korean Foreign minister Yun Byung-Se (R) attend a joint press conference on April 12, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. Kerry is on a tour of Asia, visiting South Korea and Japan and will discuss issues surrounding North Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

by Shepard Ambellas
Intellihub.com
April 12, 1013

WASHINGTON — For the first time since the terror attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, the US has now set its DEFCON status to level 3.

According to Wikipedia, “A defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military, and increase in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations.

DEFCONs are a subsystem of a series of Alert Conditions, or LERTCONs, that also includes Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs). DEFCONs should not be confused with similar systems used by the U.S. military, such as Force Protection Conditions (FPCONS), Readiness Conditions (REDCONS), Information Operations Condition (INFOCON) and its future replacement Cyber Operations Condition (CYBERCON), and Watch Conditions (WATCHCONS), or the former Homeland Security Advisory System used by the United States Department of Homeland Security.”

Now with the recent escalation of activity in and around the Korean Peninsula the Pentagon announced that, “There are currently no imminent nuclear threats against the United States at this time, however the situation is considered fluid and can change rapidly.” However, the Pentagon did state that, “North Korea probably has nuclear weapons that can be mounted on ballistic missiles” raising the eyebrows of some.

Other reports show Chinese troops are now massing along the North Korean border in response to a medium range missile that was relocated last week to the East coast of North Korea. It also appears North Korea is now also planning another “test” missile launch for around the 15th of April provoking Japan to issue orders to shoot down any test missile entering or flying over Japan’s airspace.

North Korea has been warned about this test. In fact, an excerpt from the New York Times reads, “Secretary of State John Kerry warned North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, on Friday not to proceed with a test launching of its Musudan missile and underscored that his nation would be defeated if a conflict broke out.

The missile has a range of up to 2,500 miles, according to American officials, which means it has the potential to strike targets in South Korea, all of Japan and even Guam. South Korean officials said earlier this week that North Korea had made preparations to test the missile, and an American official told reporters on Friday that a launching could come at any time.”

As of now US officials claim that the threat to the mainland is low, but the situation remains volatile and could progress rapidly.

Some US sources claim that the North Koreans have the capability to also launch a high altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) strike against the US. This could explain why various bases around the US were placed on alert for just that, according to sources.

Sources:

^http://defconwarningsystem.com/

^http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFCON

^http://www.debka.com/article/22893/US-raises-nuclear-alert-to-DEFCON-3-China-mobilizes-masses-troops-on-North-Korean-border

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