The Second American Revolution

[jjw1965]

The Second American Revolution
The deployment of mercenaries in New Orleans is an act of war against the American people

by Mike Whitney

September 16, 2005

(Image: Blackwater USA Training Center, "Where Professionals Train," in North Carolina. Link.)

The deployment of mercenaries onto the streets of New Orleans is an act of war against the American people. It has been accompanied by the equally provocative order to strip the remaining survivors of their "legally registered firearms", thus depriving them of the 2nd amendment rights.

Who appointed Bush as God?

The safety and security of the city's people is now in the hands of armed militias who have no allegiance to the Constitution and whose relationship to the government is uncertain. These hired goons are not required to conform to "The Military Code of Justice" or to any legal and moral restrictions governing the conduct of military personnel.

There is no scenario, neither natural disaster nor terrorist attack, which justifies the use of paid killers on the streets of America's cities.

None!

The presumption that these units are assisting in the relief effort is patently false. The order is clearly intended to militarize a critical American port and establish a precedent to place the nation under military rule. This will undoubtedly become clearer tonight when Bush makes his address to the country and asks for additional powers in the event of another natural catastrophe or terror attack.

The appearance of the Blackwater mercenaries in New Orleans has produced the effect for which it was designed; to strike fear into the hearts of the local people and to convey a feeling of pervasive repression in the wake of a major disaster. They have succeeded admirably on both accounts.

Blackwater's record is consistent with the amoral behavior that we expect from mercenary organizations. They have been directly connected to the abusive treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, the random killings and brutalizing of Iraqi civilians, and the extortion of information from resistance-suspects. They operate according to no law or ethical guidelines excluding the insatiable desire to increase profits for themselves and their investors.

Blackwater represents the globalization of repression; a free-market progeny that is transforming the people's army into privately-owned militias for multi-national corporations. The deployment of these armed-units is a clear and present danger to both personal liberty and democratic institutions.

The decision to send Blackwater mercenaries to New Orleans was not made haphazardly. Over a month ago, Donald Rumsfeld in a Washington Post article promised to use the military more extensively within the US if there was another terrorist attack on American soil. It's clear now that the use of mercenaries was integral to that plan and that Rumsfeld wants Americans to acclimate to the idea of seeing troops deployed within their cities.

The danger of this strategy cannot be overestimated. If, for example, organized resistance sprung up in New Orleans in response to Bush's disarmament orders or to the current brutal evacuation plan, we could see skirmishes that could explode into city-wide fighting.

Or, if peaceful protests broke out in New Orleans, and dissenters were shot by mercenaries, as they were in Falluja, Najaf and Baghdad, the situation could quickly escalate into massive riots and rebellion.

The deploying of mercenaries is an openly provocative and hostile act intended to incite widespread violence. We should not allow Rumsfeld or Bush to thrust the nation towards greater strife and misery by applying their failed theories of social order within the country.

The nation has never been more polarized. Rumsfeld's reckless move could provide the spark for violent conflagration.

Is that what he wants; a second American Revolution?

 

[JomZ]

I guess one can say, "Welcome to Fortress America".

 

[JomZ]

But seriously,

Civil war in the U.S. (however unlikely) will totally destabilize the entire global economy.

Money values will change, resource values will shift, and gas prices will rise ( well I guess not everything will change)

Seriously the way to defeat the current system is not by the use of force (Lord knows how it has been tried) but by utilizing the means of the system against them. The only problem is the movement is leaderless while the otherside has too many leaders.

I mean we all like to think that the inevitiable collapse of America will be in one bloody bang, but it will be more like a whimper like the Soviet Union. Where people will finally see that enough is enough and it is time for change.

 

[Karlin]

Maybe America's government will run out of money, and these mercenaries will not be paid [to kill their neighbors] and they will go find something less insane to do for a "living".

Its come to this, that a job, any job, is so precious that having to kill isn't asking too much of an employee.

Recruitment efforts might stumble and become a trickle -
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091805Z.shtml

There is some law about legal limits on the use of federal troops on U.S. soil. That could change soon :
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091805G.shtml

The way out of this "military-corporate-Elite imperialism that is quashing all hope in average people" must be GRADUAL , and PEACEFULL. The way things start is the way they continue, and so far we start off with a violent bang and the result is violent society.

If majority opinion means anything in the great American democracy, there must be changes. And,as you also said, JZ, collapse seems inevitable, but the problem is organising our opposition to it, leadership.

We need to define the cohesive opinion of that majority , something like principles.A whole charter seems a bit much, but a platform could be achieved.

It is more than just the anti-war, it is about the corruption that would exist in any political system, and simply getting the present 'Elites and their corporat-ism' out of power would do the trick, until the new leaders get settled into graft as usual.

Maybe it is really about a new attitude in the way we live our lives - a Consciousness shift almost. Kinder-gentler VS the competitive capitialists? The values of Cindy Sheehan for example - she just wants the small potatoes to be good, because thats what counts....without family [alive] life seems meaningless - just a basic acknowledgement of those values.



On the basis of morality alone we could agree that we oppose 'government-sanctioned killing' . Or is that to broad?

Or No Killing for reasons other than urgent threat to life, a 'clear and present danger'. { And that violaters would be kept in prison]

No bombing of civilian areas, cities, evacuated or not. [can't americans remember what even ONE bomb does in a city -Oklahoma, for eg.?]

No invasions of soveriegn nations.

because our "system" isn't objectionable, its the way it is being used. the Revolution is about ousting THEM, and using the same system once they are gone.

 

[Karlin]

Maybe America's government will run out of money, and these mercenaries will not be paid [to kill their neighbors] and they will go find something less insane to do for a "living".

Its come to this, that a job, any job, is so precious that having to kill isn't asking too much of an employee.

Recruitment efforts might stumble and become a trickle -
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091805Z.shtml

There is some law about legal limits on the use of federal troops on U.S. soil. That could change soon :
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091805G.shtml

The way out of this "military-corporate-Elite imperialism that is quashing all hope in average people" must be GRADUAL , and PEACEFULL. The way things start is the way they continue, and so far we start off with a violent bang and the result is violent society.

If majority opinion means anything in the great American democracy, there must be changes. And,as you also said, JZ, collapse seems inevitable, but the problem is organising our opposition to it, leadership.

We need to define the cohesive opinion of that majority , something like principles.A whole charter seems a bit much, but a platform could be achieved.

It is more than just the anti-war, it is about the corruption that would exist in any political system, and simply getting the present 'Elites and their corporat-ism' out of power would do the trick, until the new leaders get settled into graft as usual.

Maybe it is really about a new attitude in the way we live our lives - a Consciousness shift almost. Kinder-gentler VS the competitive capitialists? The values of Cindy Sheehan for example - she just wants the small potatoes to be good, because thats what counts....without family [alive] life seems meaningless - just a basic acknowledgement of those values.



On the basis of morality alone we could agree that we oppose 'government-sanctioned killing' . Or is that to broad?

Or No Killing for reasons other than urgent threat to life, a 'clear and present danger'. { And that violaters would be kept in prison]

No bombing of civilian areas, cities, evacuated or not. [can't americans remember what even ONE bomb does in a city -Oklahoma, for eg.?]

No invasions of soveriegn nations.

because our "system" isn't objectionable, its the way it is being used. the Revolution is about ousting THEM, and using the same system once they are gone.