Do you believe that post Katrina NOLA was a martial law dry run?

[Earth_First]

I finally had the opportunity to read through a voluminous amount of REX-84 websites today, which in my googling, led me to the post-Katrina military response. What I read was deplorable. Some information which I had suspected through reporting on DU. Others I am almost ashamed that I didn't investigate myself earlier immediately following the disaster. What follows are paraphrased instances:

Martial law was declared for a period of time on August 30th 2005.
The governing executive body was FEMA/National Guard.
Civilians were told that no civilian individual was permitted to posses firearms.
During such period, civilians were rounded up for mass evacuation/relocation.
Civilians were taken to military complexes in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico without disclosed location details.
Evacuees (detainees) were reported to obtain/posses FEMA ID cards.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but with the publishing of this recent KBR contract information, this seems like a cause and effect relationship based on "market research" to better implement the plan...

[Captain Hilts]

1. And it's a good idea. Sept. 11th, Washington was chaos. nt

[applegrove]

2. It was another example of how neocons & GOP types today believe

in disaster as a tool. They believe fear - not love - is the only reality. And the only transformational tool.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Yes,

fortunately it didn't go very well for them.

[Lerkfish]

4. how could it be otherwise? Blackwater mercs were there day one, water

and rescue, not so much.

[LoZoccolo]

5. Here are twelve features of conspiracy theories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory#Features

Ask yourself if you would accept conservative propaganda which displayed these characteristics.

[incapsulated]

6. The problem with that theory is...

They took so long to actually get the military in there. In fact, people had to beg them to send in the National Guard. It was chaos.

After that, however, the tactics were definitely those of "martial law", not "humanitarian rescue". The way people were treated before and after was despicable.

[PassingThrough]

7. Greetings and huh?

Greetings! I am one of those people that normally just reads Democratic Underground every once and a while. I live in the New Orleans area but was much more fortunate then most. Anyhow... The reason I posted was I keep seeing incorrect things posted about my area. Martial law was never declared here. Not in anyway, shape or form. The Constitution was not suspended. People were not denied due process etc. Nothing was any different here in those respects then in the rest of the state or MS or AL. Nothing was any different then after any other natural disaster in the US.

Please give a link to your info. FEMA id cards? No firearms? NG governing? Forced relocation? Militart bases? Huh?


Peace Out

[Silverhair]

8. Martial Law was NOT declared.

I don't think you really know what Martial Law is. Most people here on DU don't either.

Martial Law is a change in the court system. Troops may enforce emergency orders, but that is NOT martial law. Further, a federal judge ruled that the firearms confiscation was illegal.

[zulchzulu]

9. Friend from Nawlins says about 200 people were shot/killed from troops

The story will come out some day...

[Silverhair]

11. Proof please? We have already seen that rumors can be wildly...

...exegerated. Further, how many shootings were by law inforcement, and how many were by criminals taking advantage of the LEO's being overwhelmed by the situation?

[zulchzulu]

12. Here's what I know...

My friend, who was part of a group of six people who worked for the water department for many years, was there to take care of a water pump station near one of the main levees during Katrina's attack on the city.

He and his group manned the station all by themselves for over 96 hours by themselves without any contact from others...except for a few people who floated by while they were tied to the catwalk of the water station during the first few days. They were by themselves from that Sunday through late Thursday. What happened then is another story...

When the National Guard and some vigilante types showed by on Friday morning with MREs and some other support, they all hung out and told stories to each other about what was happening and what to do next. That was when some members of the National Guard shared stories about how at least 200 people were shot dead if they were suspected of having a weapon. Shoot and ask questions later...there was an unofficial martial-law circumstance going on in the city for at least a few days.

My friend has asked to remain anonymous for the time being about these and other hair-raising events that occured. He needs his job and also fears for his life if he exposed the truth. This person, who in the past was one of the most happy fun-loving people I know, is remorseful and sullen when talking about the subject.

[Silverhair]

13. In other words - he is repeating a rumor.

And what makes him think those guys were well informed? I have nine years of active duty (One in Vietnam) and one year in the reserves, and I know that the rumor mill runs rampant among troops.

[zulchzulu]

15. Actually he was there...not somewhere else...

The discussions he had with them was when they were handing out MREs and decompressing about the sordid events that were happening. He was there in the trenches discussing these events, not somewhere away from the events.

Yes, it could have been bravado and all that...I believe my friend when he said he had discussions with those guys...whether they were bullshitting him is another matter...why would they make something like that up?

BTW, thank you for your service.

[Silverhair]

16. Because that is the nature of rumors.

The troops would not have been deliberately lieing, as such. They could have believed it themselves. But it is the nature of rumors to grow as they are repeated. That is just the way things are. And when solid information is scarce, speculation breeds rumors which are then believed.

[Catherine Vincent]

10. A dry run for no martial law probably.

They wanted to see how folks survive without the help of guards. The next disaster will be the real dry run.

[Lone_Wolf]

14. Of course.. Google 'CONPLAN 2002' and 'Operation Urban Warrior'

They are some very scary stuff. Combine this with KBr building domestic detention facilities and we should all be worried.