I don't neccessarily see this as gloom and doom, martial law in effect come this time in two years... but I do feel like this is a cover your ass move.
This administration has a really terrible track record for making sure protestors aren't seen, or are dismissed - what I see this as, is a move to make sure that if need be the military can be called in to beat protestor heads.
Which serves the Republicans in three ways - it means that there's more muscle to legally beat heads, but it also means that protestors would be up against soldiers (don't we all support our troops? Wouldn't it be horrible if American leftists were badly behaved to our brave men and women in uniform?).
It's also occured to me that, in my experience, cops love beating heads - but there are limits. I don't know how most police feel about doing illegal actions in their own communities. Soldiers? You look at precedents like what happened in Trenton, in the projects and at Kent State. I suspect a policeman has the ability to protest to a superior in ways soldiers don't.
I'm married to military. He started out his career as a cop, and moved on to counterterrorism. He has fought in the desert.
Neither he, nor amy of his fellow soldiers, cops or otherwise, "love beating heads". You get the occasional corrupt cop or soldier who is in the business for the wrong reasons, but I can assure you that the vast majority get absolutely no pleasure in causing anyone else pain or death.
I absolutely believe that. My brother is in the Canadian Armed Forces, will probably be spending time in Afghanistan within the next year or two, and he's the same way. As with any other profession, though, a very small proportion of bad apples can make the rest of the barrel seem rotten. How many people assume all teachers are authoritarian monsters waiting to make kids cry, because of the bad experiences they had in school twenty years before? It's really hard to see the stereotypes and know that it isn't that way for most - but the fact that it is that way for SOME makes it even harder to deal with, because it's not something anyone can categorically deny.
Right now, I sure as hell wouldn't count on any soldier below the rank of general carrying out orders to bust American heads and I wouldn't even count on the generals issuing those orders downwards. I think our military will still beat in foreign heads when commanded, but with the number of recently mustered out vets becoming political active, I don't think there's a whole lot of support for the man in the office. I damned sure wouldn't put National Guard units to a test of loyalty like this. This is of course if I were wannabe tin-pot dictator. I would've also commissioned a party based militia way back in 2000 that was loyal to the party and not the state just for this kind of contingency.
I don't know how much cops like to beat heads and how much they just get so frustrated they come to beat heads. Depends on the department I suppose. The feeling I've always gotten about the way cops deal badly with protestors is that they are used to dealing with disorganized criminal idiots. Criminals usually have the IQ of an ashtray and do stupid things. Cops know how to deal with stupid and impulsive. I don't think they know how to deal with smarter than stupid and organized. I honestly think they kind of freak and panic. A guy with nothing in his hands and no training runs away. The dude with a baton or gun and his hands falls back on his training in how to use those things.
I absolutely believe that. My brother is in the Canadian Armed Forces, will probably be spending time in Afghanistan within the next year or two, and he's the same way. As with any other profession, though, a very small proportion of bad apples can make the rest of the barrel seem rotten. How many people assume all teachers are authoritarian monsters waiting to make kids cry, because of the bad experiences they had in school twenty years before? It's really hard to see the stereotypes and know that it isn't that way for most - but the fact that it is that way for SOME makes it even harder to deal with, because it's not something anyone can categorically deny.
I doubt it will be used to acquire a third term for Bush, it will most likely being pushed to make sure if there are protests over the legalization of torture, they have an effective way to silence and disperse the protesters. It's becoming increasingly more likely that Bush is going to see violent protests before the end of his term.
Ironically, if the Republicans lose control of Congress in the upcoming elections, it will likely decrease the probably of large demonstrations against Bush.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 10:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 10:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 11:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 11:47 pm (UTC)This administration has a really terrible track record for making sure protestors aren't seen, or are dismissed - what I see this as, is a move to make sure that if need be the military can be called in to beat protestor heads.
Which serves the Republicans in three ways - it means that there's more muscle to legally beat heads, but it also means that protestors would be up against soldiers (don't we all support our troops? Wouldn't it be horrible if American leftists were badly behaved to our brave men and women in uniform?).
It's also occured to me that, in my experience, cops love beating heads - but there are limits. I don't know how most police feel about doing illegal actions in their own communities. Soldiers? You look at precedents like what happened in Trenton, in the projects and at Kent State. I suspect a policeman has the ability to protest to a superior in ways soldiers don't.
I dunno, maybe I'm just being paranoid.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 02:30 am (UTC)Neither he, nor amy of his fellow soldiers, cops or otherwise, "love beating heads". You get the occasional corrupt cop or soldier who is in the business for the wrong reasons, but I can assure you that the vast majority get absolutely no pleasure in causing anyone else pain or death.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 10:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 02:59 am (UTC)I don't know how much cops like to beat heads and how much they just get so frustrated they come to beat heads. Depends on the department I suppose. The feeling I've always gotten about the way cops deal badly with protestors is that they are used to dealing with disorganized criminal idiots. Criminals usually have the IQ of an ashtray and do stupid things. Cops know how to deal with stupid and impulsive. I don't think they know how to deal with smarter than stupid and organized. I honestly think they kind of freak and panic. A guy with nothing in his hands and no training runs away. The dude with a baton or gun and his hands falls back on his training in how to use those things.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 03:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 10:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-30 07:36 pm (UTC)Ironically, if the Republicans lose control of Congress in the upcoming elections, it will likely decrease the probably of large demonstrations against Bush.