This Summer, Will America Officially Become A Totalitarian State?

[Elliot D. Cohen]

Elliot D. Cohen: This Summer, Will America Officially Become A Totalitarian State?
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 10:26am. Guest Contribution
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D.


The unfolding of events over the past 7 years and the recent emergence of certain key facts point to the prospect of an ominous conclusion: before the summer is up, America will be brought under martial law with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney at the helm.

In May 2007, Bush posted a national continuity policy to the White House Web site that bypasses Congress and puts him in charge of all three branches of the federal government if there is a "catastrophic emergency" -- vaguely defined to include anything from a destructive hurricane to a terrorist attack. This leaves democracy in America dangling on a thin thread of chance that such a "catastrophe" doesn't happen.

On Wednesday, Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said he has a "gut" feeling that Al Qaeda will launch another terrorist attack on the U.S. mainland sometime this summer. Chertoff's "gut feeling" comes on the heels of the latest National Intelligence Estimate, which maintains that in the past year, Al Qaeda has reconstituted its core structure and has grown stronger along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

This information is disconcerting in itself. But it becomes even more so when considered in the context of the Bush administration's unrelenting quest for power. Consider these facts, for example: The September 11 attacks were foreshadowed by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in its report on Rebuilding American Defenses (2000) when it stated, "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor . . ." This would not be significant were it not for the fact that the Vice President, among other key members of the Bush Administration, were founding members of PNAC.

This neoconservative organization also prescribed forced regime change in Iraq and buildup of a permanent U.S. military presence there. The primary goal for invading Iraq was not to quell tensions or stop the threat of terrorism posed by the Hussein regime but instead to advance U.S. interests in the region through military force. The 2000 report stated, "while the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." Regime change was therefore pretense for the invasion.

Clearly, the invasion of Iraq was never conceived as a means of stopping Saddam Hussein from instigating terrorism. This was made plain in the official British documents known as the Downing Street memos, which said that Bush was attempting to make the facts "fit" the policy in order to justify invading Iraq -- since Hussein's WMD capability was in fact "less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran." The redeployment of U.S. troops and special forces to Iraq was done in spite of the fact that the hub of Al Qaeda was in Pakistan and Afghanistan. So the Bush administration permitted Al Qaeda to regroup and strengthen in Pakistan and Afghanistan to pursue its ideology of global dominance in Iraq.

Add to these facts that the Bush administration has displayed consistent disregard for the rule of law by canceling habeas corpus, disregarding the Geneva Conventions in the torture of prisoners of war, using signing statements to override congressional lawmaking authority, eavesdropping on Americans without court warrants, summarily refusing to comply with Congressional subpoenas, firing federal prosecutors for political reasons, outing a covert CIA agent, threatening to jail journalists for disclosing leaked government documents, censoring mainstream media and infusing it with government propaganda ("prepackaged news" staged by PR firms working for the government), placing "gatekeepers" in all federal agencies who report directly to the White House, eliminating legal protections for government whistle blowers, arresting peaceful protestors, manipulating the terror alert system to instill fear in Americans, and stacking the Supreme Court.

In a press conference on Thursday regarding the war in Iraq, Bush indicated that he will not be discouraged by what the American people believe. He said that, while he preferred to be loved, he had to do the right thing.

Do what is right by whose standards? Not those of the generals; and certainly not those of the majority of Americans. While the mainstream media brought out its analysts to comment on Bush's press conference, none drew the obvious conclusion. In a democracy, it is the will of the people, not that of a single man, that is paramount. But, according to Bush, respecting the will of the American people would be nice if it happened to accord with his own will, but not in the least essential to shaping U.S. policy, even if that policy happened to affect the lives and limbs (and tax dollars) of the American people. This is dictatorship (or "decidership") at its core, not democracy.

All of these facts, among others, point to the willingness of this administration to stop at little or nothing to advance its ideology. It has proven its resolve to lie to the American people, violate their civil liberties, and discount their will. It has shown little respect for the rule of law or the U.S. Constitution.

So, this summer (or sometime before the 2008 presidential elections), will America officially become a totalitarian state brought under martial law by a ruthless dictator? If Chertoff's gut is right, just add the current national continuity policy and the conclusion follows.

Like a game of chess drawing to a close, there is a chilling aura that the final checkmate is imminent. In the least, democracy in America is in grave danger and at best dependent on chance.


Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D. is a media ethicist and critic. His most recent book is The Last Days of Democracy: How Big Media and Power-Hungry Government are turning America into a Dictatorship. He is also first prize winner of the 2007 Project Censored Award.

[whistle]

1. It is already, just not official yet

[defendandprotect]

9. We have a dictatorship in WH now; but in order to take total control . . .

what do they need to do -- ???

For those who think that "Watergate" was just a third rate burglary . . .
we should keep in mind the "Huston Plan" . . . which was a civilian version of "Operation Northwoods" and was intended to create sufficient chaos which would necessitate the calling off of elections in 1972 . . . !!!!

It also included murders, "terrorist" attacks, etc.
Thanks Nixon!!!
Rumsfeld and Cheney and Daddy Bush are part of that camp.

So, I think if they see a big loss coming in '08 . . . something like the Huston Plan may appear.

And, presuming they will have attacked Iran by then adding to the confusion . . .
who knows . . . what could then stop them???? Holding the Congress where it is now, with a swing from Liebrmann and a dead . . . Tim Johnson? . . . they could easily claim a Republican majority.

Two things are obvious: They need to hold Bush's identity as a "Commander in Chief" which means keeping us in "war time" and if the Democrats bring the troops home, that would spoil most of their plans.

I doubt it . . . but if the Dems are idiotic enough to think that they're safer politically in keeping Bush's war going until nearer the elections and letting Bush's numbers drop further . . . then I think we're simply watching dueling evils.

If the Dems are honest, they have to pull the plug on IRAQ and on the whole "Commander-in-Chief" powers . . .

And it's those GROWING powers and defiance of any laws upon this administration that is really frighteing -- !!!

AND . . . the lack of what seems like any rush by the Democrats to reverse things like the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act, Habeas Corpus --

Signing acts -- over 1,000 of them!!!

Where in the hell are the Democrats -- ??????????



PS: Part of Iran Contra was Ollie North working in a section of government which was intended to
take the Constitution apart -- invalidate it.

[AdHocSolver]

19. The second goal of the war in Iraq may have already given them "total" control.

Most people here are already aware that the primary goal of the war in Iraq was to steal their oil. That hasn't been completely successful as the puppet government set up by Bush/Cheney has yet to sign away their oil rights to the US oil companies (and BP). The reason the Iraqi government won't sign is that they know that as soon as they do, they have signed their own death warrants. The successful bombings inside the "green zone" demonstrated to the Iraqi Parliament that US troops will not be able to protect them, should they sign.

The US went into Afghanistan, not to get Osama bin Ladin, but to put in place a puppet government that would agree to building a gas pipeline through that country on very favorable terms to US oil interests. As soon as that deal was signed, we invaded Iraq. Bush/Cheney won't pull US troops out of Iraq until the deal is signed. Then a contingent large enough to secure the oil fields and enforce the oil contracts will be left behind.

The second goal of the Iraq war was to weaken the US military and gut its experienced leadership and replace them with "yes men" who couldn't contemplate going against Bush/Cheney even if it were to uphold and defend the Constitution. The regular troops have been denied proper equipment, forced to perform multiple tours in Iraq, wounded soldiers were denied medical treatment or forced to reimburse the government for treatment they received. This was not incompetence. This was purposely done to demoralize the troops.

We saw this kind of treatment played out in the Justice Department, Homeland Security, FEMA, FDA, EPA, etc. Idiots were put in charge, competent people driven out, and departments defunded. The same tactics are being applied to the military. The goal is to crush the U.S. government, "drown it in the bathtub."

At the same time, Bush/Cheney is "privatizing" the military, that is creating an army of highly paid private mercenaries that are beholden to Bush/Cheney for their "jobs". Halliburton, Carlyle Group, KBR, etc. They were given support jobs to the regular military so that they could "pull the plug" on the U.S. troops whenever given such an order. You can fill in the rest by yourself.

In order to understand what is going on you have to erase your preconceived notions of how things are supposed to work. Bush/Cheney are not incompetent, if you understand THEIR goals. Study the overall pattern as I just described, and ignore the noise from the pundits and the "experts". Study the pattern inherent in what they are doing, and getting away with, and hope it's not too late to turn this around.

[Vincardog]

2. When the "Check" is called; Plan X goes into IMMEDIATE effect

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. K & R. Shaping up that way. nt.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Welcome to DU. Good post.

[frogcycle]

5. my money is on yes

I haven't decided which way to bet on the reaction once it is made official.

I lean toward expecting an insurgency, but then I look at the "most trusted name in news" repeatedly running a story about the "Obama Girl" imitators and say, nahhhh, people will just say "ok, can I have another piece of pie?" or some such.

[kenny blankenship]

6. I think it's more realistic to worry about Democrats choosing not to reverse

the damage Bushler has done but taking the path of "continuity" with Bushler's Imperium and adopting for their own the new features of Bushler's police & permawar state, rather than to worry about new horrors that Bushler will inflict in the next 17 months. Bush and Cheney are on thin ice: they are kept around now largely through the good graces of Congressional Democrats--in defiance of the wishes of the Democratic Party base.

That's how authoritarian government will become permanent in the USA. One party in the name of national security will "innovate" gross abuses of the structure of Constitutional government and of individual civil liberties (this part's already done), and the other party--taking its turn at wielding power--will accidentally fail to halt and reverse these abuses. Ooopsy! If one full cycle of alternate powersharing completes without a total redress of the distortions and abuses of the Bush Years, the damage will never be undone. At this point in 2007 with the primary process all but obsoleted and forgotten, one has to try hard to avoid imagining certain elitist elements within our own party looking at the dazzling array of powers Bushler has piled up and licking their chops in anticipation of wielding these powers themselves.

[smoogatz]

7. Short answer: Maybe.

I'm not sure Bush really has the balls to try it, though, as it could result in his immediate impeachment/conviction. In a true constitutional crisis--an executive driven coup d'etat in which the president and the congress were pitted against each other in a no-holds-barred struggle for control of the country--everything would depend on the loyalty of the military: Bush couldn't make a move unless he was thoroughly assured of the loyalty of not just the top brass, but of the entire command structure. I'm not sure that's a done deal--he may be CinC, but he's roundly disliked and distrusted by much of the military, including the upper echelon people. Unlike the "loyal Bushies" in the Justice Department, everyone in the military is sworn to uphold the Constitution and only the Constitution; I think they're mostly smart enough to know a dictatorial power-grab when they see one.

[Phredicles]

8. "everything would depend on the loyalty of the military" - the real wild card, yes?

They're trained to follow their commander-in-chief, but I have to believe they're as sick as everyone else at when this excuse for such has done.

[LibertyorDeath]

10. Thank you Mr.Cohen for posting this & Welcome

The politically aware in America know we are living in

very dangerous times the foundation for a police state is set.

I and others here have been saying this for years. ( often times ridiculed for it )

I hope more will wake up to

"How Big Media and Power-Hungry Government are turning America into a Dictatorship"

before it's to late.

What are your thoughts on Iran.

Will they use a false flag operation as justification to attack Iran

and at the same time impose martial law in America?

[JohnyCanuck]

11. Paul Craig Roberts,

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration and a former Wall Street Journal editor is fearful of exactly this possibility. He even takes it a step further and acknowledges that false flag terror could be used to implement a Bush dictatorship.


Impeach Now

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran.

Bush has put in place all the necessary measures for dictatorship in the form of "executive orders" that are triggered whenever Bush declares a national emergency. Recent statements by Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff, former Republican senator Rick Santorum and others suggest that Americans might expect a series of staged, or false flag, "terrorist" events in the near future.

Many attentive people believe that the reason the Bush administration will not bow to expert advice and public opinion and begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq is that the administration intends to rescue its unpopular position with false flag operations that can be used to expand the war to Iran.

Too much is going wrong for the Bush administration: the failure of its Middle East wars, Republican senators jumping ship, Turkish troops massed on northern Iraq's border poised for an invasion to deal with Kurds, and a majority of Americans favoring the impeachment of Cheney and a near-majority favoring Bush's impeachment. The Bush administration desperately needs dramatic events to scare the American people and the Congress back in line with the militarist-police state that Bush and Cheney have fostered.

http://theprogressivemind.info/2007/07/paul-craig-roberts-impeach-now-or-face.html

[sarcasmo]

12. Yes, but it will happen in October or November.

Cheney the puppet master will be revealed as Dictator.

[Prophet 451]

13. It's a distinct possibility

They'll want it to look vaguely legal, hence the legislation already passed and they'll want it to look necessary so bet on a terrorist incident (real or manufactured). After that, it depends whether they think they can get away with it. Bush is stupid and arrogant enough to go for it regardless but Cheney and Rove are lethally clever.

[yurbud]

14. they might try but be surprised by the response. Remember the coup in Russia?

When the hardliners tried to oust Gorbachev? When people filled the streets to protest, the hardliners called out the military, but they refused to fire on their own people and instead joined them.

Bush has lost so much love with the military, intelligence agencies, and the American people, that there probably wouldn't even be a revolution. He'd just look out the window and decide to get on a plane to his compound in South America.

[grasswire]

17. yeah, and Russians weren't even armed

Americans are armed heavily. I always thought they wouldn't try to impose their tyranny on us until they had disarmed the populace.

[yurbud]

15. a scarier thought on this: to get a 9/11 public response, they have to go bigger than 9/11--nuke

or something on that scale.

Otherwise, people won't notice.

[reprobate]

18. I've been thinking the same thing. And how many of his buddies running countries

have nukes? There's Mushariff of course. And North Korea, that just got a deal on fuel oil.

[MasonJar]

16. He might declare a doctatorship, but I for one will not recognize it.

Bush has lost too much support (Isn't he at 27%?) to pull something like that off. Besides he is too incompetent.

[stfrequency]

20. Discontinuing Democracy

I'm very glad to see this being discussed. I've recently published an essay examining the May 9 continuity directive in its full historical light. I have also included many links and references to current articles discussing this issue. Find the full-text here:

http://www.realitysandwich.com/node/362

Also, I've posted a comment at the end with links and quotes from very recent articles/stories suggesting an upcoming terror attack. These are popping up every day...

-st