As a formerly dumbed down Democrat, I start this blog to counter the division created by the left / right paradigm. There are the the Elite and then there are the rest of us. This left / right paradigm is used to divide and conquer. This technique is as old as time.
Was Sought In Controversies Over E-Voting And Missing White House E-Mails; His Death Sparks More Controversy
- (CBS/AP) Federal investigators are looking into a small plane crash in Ohio which claimed the life of its pilot, a Republican media consultant who was instrumental in the presidential and gubernatorial campaigns of three members of the Bush Family.
Michael Connell,45, of Akron died Friday when his plane crashed near a vacant house in Uniontown while attempting to land at nearby Akron-Canton Airport.
But the fatal accident is also raising questions about Connell and his work for key political figures and lobbyists, which has targeted him in investigations over missing White House e-mails and a lawsuit alleging electronic voting fraud.
Following Last Friday's fatal accident, CBS Affiliate WOIO reported that Connell, who had recently been subpoenaed to testify in relation to a lawsuit alleging vote rigging in the 2004 Ohio election, was warned at least twice about flying his plane because his plane might be sabotaged.
Quoting an anonymous close friend of Connell's, WOIO correspondent Blake Chenault also reported that twice in the past two months Connell, who was an experienced pilot, canceled flights because of suspicious problems with his plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash.
Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw said that Connell's plane hit a flagpole two miles from the runway and crashed on the front lawn of a vacant Ohio house. The crash sparked a fire that damaged the house's garage, but no one was inside the Uniontown home.
There were no passengers on the plane, and no one on the ground was injured.
Neighbors told The Canton Repository that they heard what sounded like an engine sputtering before the crash and that the noise sounded like it was coming from a plane.
A Republican Loyalist
(New Media)
Beginning as a political campaign worker and Congressional staffer, Connell became a key Republican media consultant who developed Internet strategies for the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney campaigns. He was founder and CEO of Cleveland-based New Media Communications, which built Web sites for President Bush and former presidential nominee John McCain, according to the company's Web site, and he was the chief IT consultant for Karl Rove.
Connell's ties to the Bush family extend back to working on campaigns for George H.W. Bush and Jeb Bush, for whom he built the campaign site jeb.org. In 1999 he told the Cleveland magazine Inside Business, "I'm loyal to my network, I'm loyal to my friends, and I'm loyal to the Bush family."
He was also quoted as saying, when asked to predict the Internet's role in the upcoming presidential race, "There are things we will be doing on Election Day that haven't even been dreamt of yet."
The rise of the Republican Party in Washington in the '90s, and esepcially after the 200 Election, meant that Connell's network of connections was expanding as well. Having worked with Ohio Congressman Bob Ney and Governor Bob Taft, Connell's IT skills were sought after for the campaigns and Congressional sites for dozens of GOP candidates and officeholders. The New Media Communications Web site (now turned off, with a memorial to Connell in its place) boasted, “New Media’s client list reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Republican politics.”
In 2000 Connell cofounded with his wife Heather GovTech Solutions to pursue government contracts.
GovTech's clients for databases, content management systems and other services included the White House, the Energy Department, several Republican-led Congressional committees and a few dozen congressional members' Web sites.
The Center for Public Integrity reported that in 2002 and 2004, the General Services Administration allowed federal agencies to purchase services directly from GovTech without a full bidding process.
In 2004 Connell helped form an online advertising firm called Connell Donatelli, which administered the Web site for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 developed to attack Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.
Connell’s central role in building the IT infrastructure of the White House and his association with Karl Rove has brought him into the controversy surrounding missing White House e-mails relating to the firing of U.S. Attorneys and other topics, and the fate of e-mail communications sent by Rove and other administration staffers which were sent via a Republican Party Web site, gwb43.com, rather than through a whitehouse.gov address.
Connell's Internet expertise also led him to be subpoenaed earlier this year to testify in an Ohio federal court regarding alleged voter fraud in the 2004 election. Despite exit polls showing a lead by Democratic nominee John Kerry of more than 4 percent, Mr. Bush won the state's vote by 2.5 percent, along with its crucial electoral votes.
Much has been written about problems at the polls in Ohio that year, where voters in many (predominantly Democratic) precincts were forced to wait hours because of a shortage of working voting machines. A lawsuit being pursued by attorney Clifford Arneback seeks to answer questions about this and other ballot problems. [For example, in Franklin County Mr. Bush received 4,258 votes in a precinct where only 638 voters cast ballots.]
Questions have also been raised about how votes from Ohio Counties were tabulated. Computer expert Stephen Spoonamore, a Republican who works in detecting fraud in network architecture and protecting computer infrastructures, has testified that the Ohio election returns he saw were indicative of a "KingPin Attack," in which a computer is inserted into the communications flow of an IT system, with the intent to change data as it passes to its destination.
Last month, U.S. Judge Soloman Oliver refused Connell's request to quash a subpoena connected to the lawsuit, King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association v. Blackwell, and demanded his testimony relating to his IT work.
In his deposition given in November, Connell denied any knowledge of vote rigging.
Since his death Friday, the Internet has buzzed with news about an IT entrepreneur, until now in the background of Republican politics, whose sudden death has sparked conspiracy theories and thrust him into the center of continuing controversies involving White House communications and electronic voting.
Meanwhile, a man the Akron Beacon-Journal recounts as a devout Catholic who organized annual missions to aid communities in El Salvador with as much passion as he devoted to the businesses he built, leaves behind his wife of 18 years and four children.
Weather appears clear; 'Ear-witnesses' heard on tape describing sounds leading to crash
UPDATE: Audio interview with OH attorney who recently deposed Connell, asked for his protection from AG, in election fraud case...
I'm not sure what, if any, light this video --- as shot by local eye and ear-witnesses in Akron, OH --- sheds on the plane crash and death of high-ranking GOP IT operative Mike Connell. But, as it may reveal something, to somebody, in the still-unexplained, and surprisingly-timed crash, I suppose it may useful to put it on the record here.
For example, despite scattered reports that bad weather may have contributed to the cause of the crash, the weather seems to have been clear, at least on the ground, at least by the time the witnesses arrived, as seen in the video. Reports of "mist" seem to be belied in the early part of the video, shot through the front window of the car which does not appear to have its windshield wipers on. [UPDATE: RAW STORY also reports weather data during the hour of the crash, noting visibility was clear, and temperatures just above freezing.] Also, several descriptions of what was heard by the "ear-witnesses" as the crash occurred, may be of value as well...
VelvetRevolution.us' Emily Levy, who pointed the footage out to me, wrote: "This is disturbing for a couple of reasons at least. One is just that it shows ten minutes of the fire, in which we now know Connell's body was burning up. The second is that there's no concern expressed for the pilot or any passengers by the guys doing the filming. Near the beginning they refer to it as 'awesome.'"
Of course, as the folks who were video-taping drove to the scene and described the noise as "awesome," they didn't necessarily know what they were going to find when they got there, which was burning wreckage, eventually attended to by the fire department, as also seen in the video. Connell, as the pilot of the small single engine plane, was the only passenger on board.
Our original story on the crash is here. Our followup post, an exclusive interview with Cliff Arnebeck, the attorney who had subpoenaed Connell as part of a federal election fraud conspiracy case in OH (and had asked for protection for Connell from both the U.S. and OH Attorneys General after tipsters reported threats to Connell by Karl Rove) is here. Both stories offer links to previous BRAD BLOG coverage of the case involving Connell.
NOTE: Arnebeck, whom we also interviewed on last night's Peter B. Collins Show (I'll try to post the audio shortly) is also scheduled to be on this evening's Lou Dobbs' Tonight on CNN to discuss the crash and the Connell case.
UPDATE: Here's the audio from last night's PBC Show. I've broken it into two halves to make it easier to download/listen. Of most note, at least to me, were the comments from Arnebeck (which RAW STORY's Larisa Alexandrovna, who joined us in the first part of the hour, also referred to when she was on) about Connell's attorneys being unwilling to confirm or deny the reports of threats to Connell by Karl Rove, but their insistence on any questions about such threats being sealed in the deposition that he was compelled by a federal judge to give on 11/3/08. I tried to press Arnbeck on that point as much as I could, and on the possibilities of unsealing that portion of the depo, now that Connell is dead, near the end of the interview...
• Brad w/ Peter B. and RAW STORY's Larisa Alexandrovna. Download MP3 or listen online (appx 19 mins)...
• Brad w/ Peter B. and attorney Cliff Arnebeck. Download MP3 or listen online (appx :23 mins)...
Levee watchdog group says angry posts coming from inside Corps offices
10:34 PM CST on Monday, December 15, 2008
Dennis Woltering / Eyewitness News
A local levee watchdog group says that computer equipment at the Corps of Engineers has been used to send messages attacking her group on a couple of Internet blogs they operate.
Sandy Rosenthal of Levees.org says she believes that someone or some people at Corps' offices are behind some angry posts on her organization's blog.
The group, Levees.org is a citizens-led group who has been highly critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, especially over the failure of the levees that flooded a majority of the city of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
The group’s founder, Sandy Rosenthal, said she had begun noticing increasingly hostile posts on the site. She said the posts attacked her credibility and her information.
Among the comments were one that said local people had blocked the Corps’ wishes and thus locals are responsible for the flooding. Another was more blunt.
“Sure, blame the Corps for the floodwall failures,” it read. “But who do you blame for your own stupidity for putting your families in such a situation?”
The comments prompted Rosenthal to try to find where the e-mails were coming from. She said she plugged the screen names into an Internet search that showed they were coming from a computer at the Corps’ office.
“This is the use of taxpayer money for none other than… these are attempts at intimidation,” she said. “The statements are going after me and all I am is a citizen.”
The Corps responded with a written statement.
“There are over 1,600 people working at the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District to reduce risk for the metro New Orleans area. As each day passes, we are reducing risk. This isolated incident involved one person out of 1600 people that make up the New Orleans District."
Rosenthal said she thinks the use of multiple names and IP addresses indicate that more than one person is behind the posts.
The Corps’ response did not mention whether any effort would be made to track down the computer used and the people who used it to make the posts.
CLIFF ARNEBECK, lead attorney in the controversial King-Lincoln v. Ohio Sec. of State lawsuit, talks about the aim of the suit and the impact on the planned fix of the recent election of deposing under oath Mike Connell, head IT operative for the Republican Party and the McCain campaign, on the day before the vote.
Bush Insider Who Planned To Tell All Killed In Plane Crash:
To: STATE EDITORS
Contact: Ilene Proctor PR, +1-310-858-6643
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michael Connell, the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush's 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport. Velvet Revolution ("VR"), a non-profit that has been investigating Mr. Connell's activities for the past two years, can now reveal that a person close to Mr. Connell has recently been discussing with a VR investigator how he can tell all about his work for George Bush. Mr. Connell told a close associate that he was afraid that George Bush and Dick Cheney would "throw [him] under the bus."
A tipster close to the McCain campaign disclosed to VR in July that Mr. Connell's life was in jeopardy and that Karl Rove had threatened him and his wife, Heather. VR's attorney, Cliff Arnebeck, notified the United States Attorney General , Ohio law enforcement and the federal court about these threats and insisted that Mr. Connell be placed in protective custody. VR also told a close associate of Mr. Connell's not to fly his plane because of another tip that the plane could be sabotaged. Mr. Connell, a very experienced pilot, has had to abandon at least two flights in the past two months because of suspicious problems with his plane. On December 18, 2008, Mr. Connell flew to a small airport outside of Washington DC to meet some people. It was on his return flight the next day that he crashed.
On October 31, Mr. Connell appeared before a federal judge in Ohio after being subpoenaed in a federal lawsuit investigating the rigging of the 2004 election under the direction of Karl Rove. The judge ordered Mr. Connell to testify under oath at a deposition on November 3rd, the day before the presidential election. Velvet Revolution received confidential information that the White House was extremely concerned about Mr. Connell talking about his illegal work for the White House and two Bush/Cheney 04 attorneys were dispatched to represent him.
An associate of Mr. Connell's told VR that Mr. Connell was involved with the destruction of the White House emails and the setting up of the off-grid White House email system.
Mr. Connell handled all of John McCain's computer work in the recent presidential campaign. VR has received direct evidence that the McCain campaign kept abreast of the legal developments against Mr. Connell by reading the VR dedicated website, www.rovecybergate.com.
VR demands that the Ohio Attorney General and the United States Justice Department conduct a complete investigation into the activities of Mr. Connell and determine whether there was any foul play in his death. VR demands that federal law enforcement officials place the following people under protective custody pending this investigation. Heather Connell who
is the owner of GovTech Solutions, Randy Cole, the former President of GovTech Solutions, and Jeff Averbeck, the CEO of SmartTech in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Both GovTech and SmartTech have been implicated in the rigging of the 2000 and 2004 elections and the White House email scandal. Our prior request to have Mr. Connell protected went unheeded and now he is dead.
Source : ohio.com UPDATE: Pilot killed as plane crashes in Lake Twp.
By Jewell Cardwell, John Higgins and David Knox Beacon Journal staff writers
POSTED: 11:30 p.m. EST, Dec 19, 2008
LAKE TWP.: A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot.
Michael Connell, 45, of Bath Township, was alone in the plane, according to State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Sheppard.
Connell was a prominent Republican political consultant. He founded New Media Communications in Richfield, which developed campaign Web sites for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and President George W. Bush.
The plane was attempting to land around 6 p.m. Friday at Akron-Canton Airport when it crashed about three miles short of the runway.
Taylor Fano, who lives two doors away from the crash site on Charolais, said she heard the crash.
''It blew up and shook the ground a little bit,'' Fano said. ''I was standing in the kitchen and I looked out the window and all I saw was fire.''
Fano said the plane came down in the front yard at 2017 Charolais, then skidded along the side of the house.
The plane came down between two houses, separated by about 100 feet, in the upscale neighborhood. Neighbors said one of the homes was unoccupied, while the other was lighted with holiday decorations.
They said wreckage from the plane could be seen sticking up from the ground.
''It took out the flagpole and the cement blocks surrounding the flagpole like a little planter,'' Fano said. ''It skidded across the driveway and right in between a line of pine trees and a small fence around an in-ground pool.''
Neighbor Julie Hufstetler, who lives across the street from the crash site, said she was getting ready for a party at their home when she heard the explosion.
''It was kind of a swish and a boom,'' she said.
When she looked outside, she saw flames billowing from the garage.
Greentown Fire Department Capt. Lorin Geiser said he arrived within three minutes of getting several 911 calls about a plane down.
Geiser said the crumbled fuselage from the plane was fully engulfed. It took less than five minutes to extinguish the flames.
The burning debris apparently set fire to the side of the garage of the unoccupied home.
There was no interior damage to the house.
Several neighbors, bundled up against the frigid temperature, were walking around taking pictures with their cell-phone cameras.
The plane was on final approach to Akron-Canton Airport's Runway 23 when it went down, said Kristie Van Auken, spokeswoman for the airport.
Van Auken identified the plane as a Piper Saratoga, a single-engine propeller craft capable of carrying up to seven passengers.
The plane, which was made in 1997, is owned by a Richfield corporation, Sierra-November Aviation, at 3046 Brecksville Road, according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.
FlightAware, a Web site that tracks flight plans, reported that the plane was coming from College Park, Md., departing at 3:31 p.m. and scheduled to arrive at Akron-Canton at 5:43 p.m.
The plane had flown from Akron to College Park Thursday morning.
Van Auken didn't think the plane was based at the Akron-Canton Airport, but added, ''We can't verify that at this time.''
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were expected at the crash site Friday night. An FAA spokeswoman said investigations typically take weeks and even months or longer to complete.
In addition to the Greentown Fire Department, others responding included firefighters from Hartville, Uniontown, Plain Township and North Canton.
Van Auken said several members of the airport operations staff were also at the crash scene.
LAKE TWP.: A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot.
Michael Connell, 45, of Bath Township, was alone in the plane, according to State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Sheppard.
Connell was a prominent Republican political consultant. He founded New Media Communications in Richfield, which developed campaign Web sites for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and President George W. Bush.
The plane was attempting to land around 6 p.m. Friday at Akron-Canton Airport when it crashed about three miles short of the runway.
Taylor Fano, who lives two doors away from the crash site on Charolais, said she heard the crash.
''It blew up and shook the ground a little bit,'' Fano said. ''I was standing in the kitchen and I looked out the window and all I saw was fire.''
Fano said the plane came down in the front yard at 2017 Charolais, then skidded along the side of the house.
The plane came down between two houses, separated by about 100 feet, in the upscale neighborhood. Neighbors said one of the homes was unoccupied, while the other was lighted with holiday decorations.
They said wreckage from the plane could be seen sticking up from the ground.
''It took out the flagpole and the cement blocks surrounding the flagpole like a little planter,'' Fano said. ''It skidded across the driveway and right in between a line of pine trees and a small fence around an in-ground pool.''
Neighbor Julie Hufstetler, who lives across the street from the crash site, said she was getting ready for a party at their home when she heard the explosion.
''It was kind of a swish and a boom,'' she said.
When she looked outside, she saw flames billowing from the garage.
Greentown Fire Department Capt. Lorin Geiser said he arrived within three minutes of getting several 911 calls about a plane down.
Geiser said the crumbled fuselage from the plane was fully engulfed. It took less than five minutes to extinguish the flames.
The burning debris apparently set fire to the side of the garage of the unoccupied home.
There was no interior damage to the house.
Several neighbors, bundled up against the frigid temperature, were walking around taking pictures with their cell-phone cameras.
The plane was on final approach to Akron-Canton Airport's Runway 23 when it went down, said Kristie Van Auken, spokeswoman for the airport.
Van Auken identified the plane as a Piper Saratoga, a single-engine propeller craft capable of carrying up to seven passengers.
The plane, which was made in 1997, is owned by a Richfield corporation, Sierra-November Aviation, at 3046 Brecksville Road, according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.
FlightAware, a Web site that tracks flight plans, reported that the plane was coming from College Park, Md., departing at 3:31 p.m. and scheduled to arrive at Akron-Canton at 5:43 p.m.
The plane had flown from Akron to College Park Thursday morning.
Van Auken didn't think the plane was based at the Akron-Canton Airport, but added, ''We can't verify that at this time.''
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were expected at the crash site Friday night. An FAA spokeswoman said investigations typically take weeks and even months or longer to complete.
In addition to the Greentown Fire Department, others responding included firefighters from Hartville, Uniontown, Plain Township and North Canton.
Van Auken said several members of the airport operations staff were also at the crash scene.
CLIFF ARNEBECK, lead attorney in the controversial King-Lincoln v. Ohio Sec. of State lawsuit, talks about the aim of the suit and the impact on the planned fix of the recent election of deposing under oath Mike Connell, head IT operative for the Republican Party and the McCain campaign, on the day before the vote.
CLIFF ARNEBECK, lead attorney in the controversial King-Lincoln v. Ohio Sec. of State lawsuit, talks about the aim of the suit and the impact on the planned fix of the recent election of deposing under oath Mike Connell, head IT operative for the Republican Party and the McCain campaign, on the day before the vote.
PLEASE SEE THIS RELATED POST FOR MUCH MORE DETAIL.
Gary Daigneault ( news director from kcdz fm ) on the Alex Jones Radio Show.
Subject : California State Police and the Marines conducting DUI drunk driving check points. Gary and local bloggers catch the Marines lying about the military involvement with check points.
CHP CHECKPOINT INVOLVED MILITARY, NO LOCATION EVER GIVEN THE LOCAL CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL STATION HELD A HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE DUI / LICENSE CHECKPOINT FRIDAY NIGHT. WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THE CHECKPOINT THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE DOING IT ALONG WITH MILITARY POLICE. Z107-7 RAN AN EDITORIAL REMINDING THE CHP ABOUT FEDERAL LAWS PROHIBITING THE MILITARY FROM ENFORCING CIVILIAN LAWS. AT ABOUT 11:30 FRIDAY MORNING WE RECEIVED A FAX FROM THE LOCAL CHP OFFICE ANNOUNCING THE ACTION WOULD NOT INCLUDE MILITARY POLICE. ALSO, BY LAW, TO AVOID "ENTRAPMENT", THE CHP IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE LOCATION OF THE CHECKPOINT TO THE MEDIA AT LEAST TWO HOURS PRIOR. THEY DID PROVIDE Z107.7 WITH A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL AT 7:00PM TO GET THE LOCATION...BUT, DEFENSE LAWYERS TAKE NOTE, NO ON EVER ANSWERED THE PHONE. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, WHEN THE CHP HELD THE CHECKPOINT IN FRONT OF HOME DEPOT IN YUCCA VALLEY THEY DID INDEED INCLUDE MARKED MILITARY POLICE CARS AS WELL AS UNIFORMED MILITARY POLICE. http://www.kcdzfm.com/localnews.html
How Rahm Emanuel Made Mega-Millions and Bought His Way to Power
By Ben Protess, ProPublica. Posted December 9, 2008. http://www.propublica.org/ New details emerge of Emanuel's days as an investment banker.
Since Rahm Emanuel was appointed the next White House chief of staff last month, ProPublica has been retracing his previous life as an investment banker, which earned him more than $18 million in less than three years.
The New York Times recently shed new light on Emanuel's Wall Street days -- and how they helped send him to Congress.
In late 1998, Emanuel left the Clinton White House to work for Wasserstein Perella, a now defunct investment bank run by Bruce Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor.
"I had this idea that this could work and that it had upside," Wasserstein told the Times. "It worked out better than I could have hoped."
Indeed, as we previously noted, Emanuel used his political connections to broker major deals while at the firm. (One deal was a $16 billion merger that created Exelon Corp., now one of the nation's largest electric utilities. Another involved SBC Communications, the telecommunications company run by William Daley, Clinton's commerce secretary and the brother of Chicago's mayor.)
After leaving the bank in 2001 to run for Congress, Emanuel benefited from the sale of Wasserstein Perella, which gave him an unusually large payout. Russ Gerson, global head of financial markets for A.T. Kearney Executive Search, told the Chicago Tribune in 2003 that Emanuel's compensation would put him "in the top 3 to 5 percent" of investment bankers at that time.
The cash proved helpful when Emanuel found himself in a tough fight for a seat in Congress. He contributed $450,000 out of his own pocket to the primary campaign, and his leading rival accused him of trying to buy his seat, the Times reports.
The financial industry also heavily financed Emanuel's campaign. From the Times:
After Emanuel left banking to run for Congress, members of the securities and investment industry became his biggest backers, donating more than $1.5 million to his campaigns dating back to 2002, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Mr. Emanuel also leaned heavily upon the industry while he was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2006 midterm elections. Financial industry donors contributed more than $5.8 million to the committee, behind only retirees.
Once he reached Congress, Emanuel served on the Financial Services Committee, which handles legislation involving financial markets and banks.
Neither the Times nor anybody else has suggested Emanuel went on to do the bidding of the financial industry. But there's little question his days as a banker have helped shape Emanuel's perspective. From the Times:
Former colleagues said the insight it afforded him on the financial services sector is invaluable especially now. But Mr. Emanuel built up strong ties with an industry now at the heart of the economic crisis, one that will be girding for a pitched lobbying battle next year as the incoming Democratic administration considers a potentially sweeping regulatory overhaul.
Friends of Mr. Emanuel's from his private-sector days said he still checks in with them regularly to plumb their insights on economic issues.
In an interview with the Times, Emanuel said he often acted against the wishes of the financial industry. "I would say I've been as tough on my friends as others," he said. "I call it like I see it."
The Marine Corps Air and Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Provost Marshal (head of a unit of military police) and the local California Highway Patrol office will begin working together 12/12 — and through the holiday season — in a joint effort to reduce accidents and drinking and driving. The combined mutual cooperation between the Marine Corps Military Police and State enforcement officers will begin somewhere along Highway 62. The CHP will set up DUI roadblocks with the presence of Military Police. A violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.
Gary Daigneault discussed the ramifications of this joint effort today on his 107.7 F.M. Talk Back show. Mr. Daigneault and his callers seemed to be very concerned. On its face, one may think this is a good idea. But it’s not. I agree with Mr. Daigneault and his callers. Most of which seemed to think this is a very bad idea. Mr. Daigneault contacted a Constitutional Law expert, and the attorney informed him this is absolutely unconstitutional. It’s NOT permitted under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, 8 U.S.C. § 1385. It’s my understanding that the Constitutional Law expert said CHP officers could be arrested out there working with the Military Police because it’s a “felony.”
Democracy depends upon abiding by the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, I challenge anyone to go out there and put a citizens arrest of the CHP officers, then call 9-1-1 and have a sheriff come out and take charge of your prisoner. Just kidding, of course, but a very brazen citizen legally could attempt to such a thing. But don’t even think about it.
Many of his callers vocalized that this joint effort or mutual cooperation between the military and the CHP is going to be very intimidating. They (as I) are very concerned the CHP is going through with this action. It’s not really clear what the specific role of the Military Police will be… To assist; to observe; to train; to make a strong military presence; to take charge of military offenders detained by the CHP? Nonetheless, whatever, it’s unconstitutional; it’s a felony. I contacted the Morongo CHP office.* The dispatcher said the program will be in effect tonight. When I asked here were it was going to be, she said call back tonight after 7:00 P.M. But I politely protested, these DUI check stops are public. She said I have to speak with CHP Public Affairs officer after seven.* A call to the CHP Public Affairs Officer’s number* after seven got a recorded message to call from 9-5 during business hours. Query: why wasn’t I told that?
By the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, 20 Stat. 152, 18 U.S.C. § 1385, it was provided that “it shall NOT (emphasis added) be lawful to employ any part of the Army of the United States, as a posse comitatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of executing the laws, except in such cases and under such circumstances as such employment of said force may be expressly authorized by the Constitution or by act of Congress… .” The effect of this prohibition, however, was largely nullified by a ruling of the Attorney General “that by Revised Statutes 5298 and 5300 [10 U.S.C. §§ 332, 334] the military forces, under the direction of the President, could be used to assist a marshal. 16 Ops. Atty. Gen. 162.” B. RICH, THE PRESIDENTS AND CIVIL DISORDER 196 n.21 (1941).
Okay, as far as I know the President has not given direction to the local CHP to deploy the USMC on public roads in order to setup a military presence during routine DUI check stops in the Basin. It’s not allowed. Whoever came up with plan in the CHP in my opinion is abusing their powers. Where is the public necessity or authority to do this? There is none — unless the Commander in Chief made the call. It’s also my opinion, the CHP has made a very bad choice in their joint venture with the Marine Corps. Though I have intrinsic belief that the CHP has the very best of intentions, however, good intentions does not override the U.S. Constitution.
I know the Marine Corps has the best of intentions too. But the best of intentions is not cause to trump the Constitution.
Late this afternoon, I spoke with the Provost Marshal office, Corporal Knuesn. He indicated this may happen. I then spoke with the MCAGCC Public Affairs Chief, Gunny Sgt. Chris Cox.** He was very cooperative and informative about the mutual efforts of the Military Police and the CHP: “They will be working closely over the month to cut down of traffic accidents,” he said, “the Military Police will observe DUI check points and watch for their own guys. The intent is to have Military Presence out there.”
Gunny Cox explains that Hwy. 62 is one of the most dangerous highways out here. No doubt it is.
The Public Affairs Chief also explained, “they will not participate [assist the CHP] because they are not concerned [lack of jurisdiction] with California law.” I must say, Gunny Sgt. Cox is one extremely nice guy. And his good intentions — to save his guys from injuries or worse — was certainly manifested. May good fortune be with this Marine.
It’s little encroachments like this that undermine the Constitution. Then one day you wake up, and it gone. [See Franklin quote, infra-]. I can see numerous scenarios during those DUI check stops. To name a few: The Military Police go to the aid of the CHP to take down a civilian bad guy. A drunken teen. Unruly tweakers. Will the Military Police be armed? Do they have any sort orders of engagements?
* ** The bottom line: I urge anyone and everyone who believes in the Constitution, United States Codes, and Posse Comitatus — to do something! What can you do? To begin with, I suggest you contact the local Joshua Tree CHP Public Affairs Officer, Officer McLoud, at: 760. 366.3707 and voice your concern. Further, you can contact the MCAGCC Public Affairs Chief on the base at: 760.830.5476 or 760. 830.6213. Moreover, contact the Provost Marshal office at: 760.830.4215.
Voice your concerns. That’s just a start. Contact state officials and legislatures. Write letters to the editor.
Thank you, Branson Hunter
“What type of government,” a woman asks, “have you given us?” To which Benjamin Franklin replies: ” A democratic Republic, madam, if you can keep it.” — “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Walter Isaacson (2003)
Branson Hunter, writing for the Big Bear Observation Post blog, reports that the Marine Corps Air and Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) and the local California Highway Patrol will be working together over the holiday “in a joint effort to reduce accidents and drinking and driving” in San Bernardino County.
A clip from Alex Jones’ 9/11: The Road to Tyranny. Military invades the town of Swansboro, North Carolina
Hunter contacted Corporal Knuesn of the MCAGCC Provost Marshal office and MCAGCC Public Affairs Chief, Gunny Sgt. Chris Cox. Both confirmed the USMC will be present on public roads in order to setup a military presence during routine DUI check stops. “They will be working closely over the month to cut down of traffic accidents,” said Cox, “the Military Police will observe DUI check points and watch for their own guys. The intent is to have military presence out there.”
Infowars attempted to contact the MCAGCC Provost Marshal office and MCAGCC Public Affairs to confirm the story but we were unable to reach them.
Dispatching Marines on California highways is an obvious violation of the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C. § 1385) passed on June 16, 1878. The Act prohibits members of the federal uniformed services, including military police, from working with state and local police and law enforcement.
However, since September 11, 2001, the federal government has increasingly ignored Posse Comitatus. On October 1, 2008, the U.S. Army announced its 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team will be under the day-to-day control of the Northern Command, ostensibly “on call” to respond to emergencies and disasters.
“They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack,” the Army Times reported on September 30. “Training for homeland scenarios has already begun at Fort Stewart and includes specialty tasks such as knowing how to use the ‘jaws of life’ to extract a person from a mangled vehicle; extra medical training for a CBRNE incident; and working with U.S. Forestry Service experts on how to go in with chainsaws and cut and clear trees to clear a road or area.”
It is not explained how assisting in traffic accidents falls within the purview of Homeland Security and the military. It appears that the Marines are using this very pretense in San Bernardino County to “cut down of traffic accidents,” a task normally reserved for local law enforcement.
Alex Jones’ 9/11: The Road to Tyranny. Marines work with cops serving search warrants.
Last month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates added yet another dimension to this incremental domestic militarization when he ordered the Pentagon “to conduct a broad review to determine whether the military, National Guard and Reserve can adequately deal with domestic disasters and whether they have the training and equipment to defend the homeland,” according to CBS News. According to a report issued by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, the Pentagon “must use the nation’s citizen soldiers to create an operational force that would be fully trained, equipped and ready to defend the nation, respond to crises and supplement the active duty troops in combat.”
On December 1, the Washington Post reported that the “U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed [rapid reaction] troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.” The Pentagon admitted that this move represented a “long-planned shift in the Defense Department’s role in homeland security,” never mind the obvious violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. “But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
Alex Jones’ 9/11: The Road to Tyranny. Military stages "Operation Urban Warrior" in California.
Gunny Sgt. Chris Cox explained more than he probably intended when he told Branson Hunter that the “intent is to have military presence” on California’s roads. As Alex Jones documented in his film The Road to Tyranny, the military has trained for more than a decade in domestic military operations and specifically “training for urban warfare against the American people,” as Marty Proctor, owner of the Main Street Deli in Swansboro, North Carolina told WorldNetDaily in April, 2000, when the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune invaded her town. “Members of the elite unit have been in Swansboro all week training with the local police at checkpoints and neighborhood patrols,” David M. Bresnahan wrote at the time.
In addition to the incremental dispatching of soldiers to assist local law enforcement in operating checkpoints and other duties, the federal government has largely taken over the financing, training, and direction of local police. “Under the 1981 ‘Military Cooperation with Law-Enforcement Officials Act,’ the US Department of Defense is supplying the local police with paramilitary training and equipment, especially for SWAT teams, for use against civilians. According to Peter Kraska in his article ‘Militarizing the Police’ in Social Problems (issue #1, 1997), many SWAT teams are being trained by former military special operations officers,” Fred E. Foldvary wrote for the Progress Report in 1999. It should be noted that this was well before the events of September 11, 2001, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
Militarized police at the Boston DNC, 2004.
The purpose of this “heightened homeland military role” and the militarization of local law enforcement has little to do with a potential terrorist attack or natural disasters. It is part of a long-standing plan to implement martial law in America and control the populace through a military dictatorship. The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive,” otherwise known as PDD 51, was signed into law through executive order by George Bush on May 9, 2007. It allows Bush — and soon enough, Barack Obama — to “take total control over the government and the country, bypassing all other levels of government at the state, federal, local, territorial and tribal levels, and thus ensuring total unprecedented dictatorial power,” as Paul Joseph Watson has noted.
In order to effectively establish a dictatorship and martial law, the government will need troops stationed in the country and that is precisely what the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team and the Pentagon’s 20,000 rapid reaction troops are all about. It has nothing to do with al-Qaeda, the CIA contrivance, or Fox News hyped homegrown terrorism. In addition, numerous TOPOFF (Top Officials) national-level domestic and international exercises staged around the country are desgined to get the populace ready for the possiblity of a false flag terrorist attack and the presence of troops on the streets.
Controlling our food: a new documentary was aired on French television - a documentary that Americans won’t ever see. The gigantic bio-tech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years
