Tuesday February 21st 2006, 3:13 pm
David Horowitz, on the paycheck of the reactionary Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and CIA collaborator
Richard Scaife’s foundation, ranted and raved back at the outset of the
Iraqi invasion in early 2003, issuing shrill warnings about a "Fifth
Column … preparing to move into action to attempt to defeat America in
its war against Saddam." According to Horowitz, the incipient "peace
movement is not about peace" but is instead "a fifth column communist
movement" determined "to destroy America and give victory to our
totalitarian enemies." Horowitz predicted a violent communist
revolution in the streets of America—possibly a flashback to earlier
times when Horowitz was an antiwar radical responsible for
orchestrating an often violent "peace" movement with his high profile
Ramparts Magazine (until he decided working for the Straussian neocons
was more profitable)—a hateful bedlam that did not occur because the
2003 antiwar movement primarily consisted of average Americans, not
"communists" or "America-haters," as Horowitz would have it in his
paranoid fantasies.
"On the day after the U.S. military action in Iraq begins, the Fifth Column is preparing to begin its own war at home," Horowitz prognosticated.
"The plan is to cause major disruptions—illegal in nature—in cities
across the country to disrupt the flow of normal civic life. These
actions will tie up Homeland Security forces and create a golden
opportunity for domestic terrorists. The Fifth Column left is also
planning to invade military bases." Of course, none of this happened
because it is no longer 1970 and Horowitz is no longer editorializing
for Ramparts or hanging out with the Black Panthers, as he was wont to
do in the day.
Nonetheless, paranoids such as David Horowitz have managed to infect influential Congress critters such as Lindsey Graham,
Republican from South Carolina, heir apparent of the reactionary
reptile Strom Thurmond, and member of the Armed Services and Judiciary
committees in the Senate. Earlier this month, during a Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing "on Wartime Executive Power and the National Security
Agency’s Surveillance Authority," Graham, in an exchange with AG
Alberto Gonzales, declared "the administration has not only the right,
but the duty, in my opinion, to pursue fifth column movements" and "I
stand by this president’s ability, inherent to being commander in
chief, to find out about fifth column movements, and I don’t think you
need a warrant to do that."
In other words the Bill of
Rights does not apply to U.S. citizens who "sympathize with the enemy
and collaborate with the enemy," even though the idea of Americans
collaborating with the resistance in Iraq is nothing short of absurd on
its face and, moreover, sympathizing with the victims of Bush’s
invasion is hardly illegal, although millions of Americans obviously
find it offensive. "Senator, the president already said we’d be happy
to listen to your ideas," Gonzales enthusiastically responded.
In
fact, as we know, the NSA snoop program is not about listening in on
"al-Qaeda" phone calls (which do not exist) but rather is more
precisely about snooping the email and phone calls of Americans, in
particular Americans involved in "a fifth column communist movement,"
as Horowitz would have it, exercising their one-time constitutional
right to petition the government and speak their mind in the commons.
"In
less paranoid times, Graham’s comments might be viewed by many
Americans as a Republican trying to have it both ways—ingratiating
himself to an administration of his own party while seeking some credit
from Washington centrists for suggesting Congress should have at least
a tiny say in how Bush runs the War on Terror," writes Nat Parry.
"But recent developments suggest that the Bush administration may
already be contemplating what to do with Americans who are deemed
insufficiently loyal or who disseminate information that may be
considered helpful to the enemy."
For instance, this
blog—and thousands of other websites—may be considered outlets
disseminating information "considered helpful to the enemy" simply
because they do not "support the troops," or rather support the "war
effort," in fact an effort to illegally occupy a once sovereign nation.
For diehard Straussian neocons and their facilitators such as Lindsey
Graham, opposition to the invasion and occupation makes one a direct
supporter of Osama bin Laden (or his ghost), Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (or
his ghost), and Saddam Hussein (or his many doubles). As we know, Bush
and the Straussian neocons live in a Manichean world where polarized
black and white is the order of the day—you’re either with the neocons,
neoliberals, and the Zionists or you’re with the terrorists, who
consist of millions of Muslims in the Middle East (and possibly a
billion or more if you throw in the Muslims of Asia and Africa).
There
"was that curious development in January when the Army Corps of
Engineers awarded Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root a
$385 million contract to construct detention centers somewhere in the
United States, to deal with 'an emergency influx of immigrants into the
U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs,’ KBR said,"
Parry continues.
Later, the New York Times
reported that "KBR would build the centers for the Homeland Security
Department for an unexpected influx of immigrants, to house people in
the event of a natural disaster or for new programs that require
additional detention space." [Feb. 4, 2006]
Like most news
stories on the KBR contract, the Times focused on concerns about
Halliburton’s reputation for bilking U.S. taxpayers by overcharging for
sub-par services.
"It’s hard to believe that the
administration has decided to entrust Halliburton with even more
taxpayer dollars," remarked Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California.
Less
attention centered on the phrase "rapid development of new programs"
and what kind of programs would require a major expansion of detention
centers, each capable of holding 5,000 people. Jamie Zuieback, a
spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declined to
elaborate on what these "new programs" might be.
Some
of us, however, have a pretty good idea what these "new programs" might
very well be. Rex-84 Alpha Explan (Readiness Exercise 1984, Exercise
Plan) was a "gaming exercise" created specifically by FEMA and DoD—with
the participation of other federal agencies, including the CIA, the
Secret Service, the Treasury, the FBI, and the Veterans
Administration—to "fight subversive activities" and provide
"authorization for the military to implement government ordered
movements of civilian populations at state and regional levels,"
"arrest of certain unidentified segments of the population" and impose
"martial rule," according to scholar Diana Reynolds.
Rex-84 was part of "Operation Garden Plot," or Department of Defense
Civil Disturbance Plan 55-2, an outgrowth of the Kerner Commission
"study" of "civil disorder" during the Johnson administration in the
1960s. "Garden Plot evolved into a series of annual training exercises
based on contingency plans to undercut riots and demonstrations,
ultimately developed for every major city in the United States.
Participants in the exercises included key officials from all law
enforcement agencies in the nation, as well as the National Guard, the
military, and representatives of the intelligence community According
to the plan, joint teams would react to a variety of scenarios based on
information gathered through political espionage and informants. The
object was to quell urban unrest," Donald Goldberg and Indy Badhwar
wrote for Penthouse Magazine in 1985 (see Frank Morales, U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning: the War at Home).
In
2002, a few months after nine eleven, then AG Ashcroft made the Gestapo
round-up aspect of REX-84 a frightening reality, although the corporate
media buried the story in characteristic fashion. "Atty. Gen. John
Ashcroft’s announced desire for camps for U.S. citizens he deems to be
'enemy combatants’ has moved him from merely being a political
embarrassment to being a constitutional menace," Jonathan Turley
wrote for the Los Angeles Times. "Ashcroft’s plan, disclosed last week
but little publicized, would allow him to order the indefinite
incarceration of U.S. citizens and summarily strip them of their
constitutional rights and access to the courts by declaring them enemy
combatants…. The camp plan was forged at an optimistic time for
Ashcroft’s small inner circle, which has been carefully watching two
test cases to see whether this vision could become a reality. The cases
of Jose Padilla and Yaser Esam Hamdi will determine whether U.S.
citizens can be held without charges and subject to the arbitrary and
unchecked authority of the government."
Hamdi’s case went
before the Supreme Court on June 28, 2004, and, as Justice O’Connor
stated, "a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it
comes to the rights of the nation’s citizens." However, O’Connor has
since retired, replaced by the Federalist Society reactionary, Samuel
Alito, who will undoubtedly rule in favor of an imperial presidency in
the not too distant future. On November 22, 2005, José Padilla was
indicted on charges he "conspired to murder, kidnap and maim people
overseas" after being held without charge since May 8, 2002, thus
suspending the Constitution’s Fifth and 14th Amendments ("due process
of law") and Sixth Amendment (trial by "an impartial jury") for several
years.
"It is clear that the Bush administration is thinking
seriously about martial law," Peter Dale Scott wrote earlier this
month, following a January announcement Halliburton subsidiary KBR had
received the little-known $385 million contract from the Department of
Homeland Security to build "temporary detention and processing
capabilities." In the wake of nine eleven, "new martial law plans began
to surface similar to those of FEMA in the 1980s," Scott explains. "In
January 2002 the Pentagon submitted a proposal for deploying troops on
American streets. One month later John Brinkerhoff, the author of the
1982 FEMA [continuity of government] memo, published an article arguing
for the legality of using U.S. troops for purposes of domestic
security" in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.
"Many
critics have alleged that FEMA’s spectacular failure to respond to
Katrina followed from a deliberate White House policy: of paring back
FEMA, and instead strengthening the military for responses to
disasters," Scott concludes. "A multimillion program for detention
facilities will greatly increase NORTHCOM’s [specifically tasked with
domestic U.S. military operations] ability to respond to any domestic
disorders," apparently including the "disorder" created by "fifth
column movements," or people opposed to the invasion and occupation of
Iraq and, soon enough, the invasion or at minimum "shock and awe"
attack on the next target on the Straussian neocon roster, Iran.
"Contrary to popular belief, there is no absolute ban on [military]
intelligence components collecting U.S. person information," states a
2001 Defense Department memo that surfaced in January 2005. "MI
[military intelligence] may receive information from anyone, anytime," Lt. Gen. Robert W. Noonan Jr., the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, wrote in the memo.
"Despite
the Posse Comitatus Act’s prohibitions against U.S. military personnel
engaging in domestic law enforcement, the Pentagon has expanded its
operations beyond previous boundaries, such as its role in domestic
surveillance activities," writes Nat Parry. One such operation falls
under the Pentagon’s Counterintelligence Field Activity (or CIFA; see
my CIFA: The Pentagon’s COINTELPRO)
"The White House is considering expanding the power of a little-known
Pentagon agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA,
which was created three years ago," noted the Washington Post
last November. "The proposal, made by a presidential commission—to one
that also has authority to investigate crimes within the United States
such as treason, foreign or terrorist sabotage or even economic
espionage," and more than likely "fifth column" behavior considered
treason by at least one senator from South Carolina and no shortage of
Straussian neocons, both in the White House and Pentagon.
As
the NSA snoop program revealed, "investigating crimes" such as
"treason" is not strictly for the likes of CIFA and the Pentagon. "This
receipt of information presumably would include data from the National
Security Agency, which has been engaging in surveillance of U.S.
citizens without court-approved warrants in apparent violation of the
Foreign Intelligence Security Act. Bush approved the program of
warrantless wiretaps shortly after 9/11," Parry summarizes. "There also
may be an even more extensive surveillance program. Former NSA employee
Russell D. Tice told a congressional committee on Feb. 14 that such a
top-secret surveillance program existed, but he said he couldn’t
discuss the details without breaking classification laws."
"Tice
said he believes it violates the Constitution’s protection against
unlawful search and seizures but has no way of sharing the information
without breaking classification laws," United Press International
reported on February 14. "He is not even allowed to tell the
congressional intelligence committees—members or their staff—because
they lack high enough clearance." As an example to what whistleblowers
can expect in the future, the UPI article concludes: "Tice was
testifying because he was a National Security Agency intelligence
officer who was stripped of his security clearance after he reported
his suspicions that a former colleague at the Defense Intelligence
Agency was a spy. The matter was dismissed by the DIA, but Tice pressed
it later and was subsequently ordered to take a psychological
examination, during which he was declared paranoid. He is now
unemployed."
Horowitz’s reactionary paranoia and mistrust of
"communist" antiwar citizens and anti-Bush activists has infected the
very highest reaches of the White House and Pentagon, where dissent is
considered treason and the Bill of Rights viewed as an impediment to
the Straussian neocon plan to destroy Muslim societies and culture.
According to Horowitz, "this country was too tolerant toward the
treason of its enemies within" and should not repeat the mistake of the
Vietnam era, for which he shares partial responsibility. But as Newsweek
noted on a sarcastic note, these "seem to be lonely days for the
Birkenstock-and-beads set," and for good reason, although unmentioned
by the likes of David Horowitz—because the vast majority of people
opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq are wholly average, not
especially radical and certainly not communist, middle class Americans.
It is David Horowitz who lives in the past, not the antiwar "movement,"
which is in fact not even a movement as we understand it, taking the
late 60s and early 70s as our yardstick.
Of course, the
Straussian neocons running foreign policy and now the national security
state out of the Bush White House, Pentagon, Justice and State
Departments are not especially concerned with Horowitz’s paranoid
interior monologue as he chases "communist" ghosts from his antiwar and
Black Panther past. Instead, as is the habit of all authoritarians and
fascists, the Straussian neocons are simply interested in neutralizing
and rendering ineffective any possible opposition—from Code Pink to
legions of soccer moms—to their long-held master plan to decimate Islam
and establish "American global military supremacy and to thwart the
emergence of a rival superpower in Europe, Asia or the former Soviet
Union," as spelled out in a 1992 "Defense Planning Guidance" memo
crafted under then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz,
then the Pentagon’s Under Secretary for policy, and subsequently
adopted by the Project for the New American Century in 1997. In order
to run "multiple wars" in "multiple theaters," there will need to be
zero tolerance for dissent on the home front—and that is what the
Ministry of Homeland Security, the NSA snoop program, and CIFA are all
about.
In the months ahead, we will see if the Halliburton
camps are little more than another stupendous waste of taxpayer money
or if the Straussian neocons sincerely intend to populate them with
domestic enemies after some "catalyzing event" such as yet another "new
Pearl Harbor" designed to light a fire under Iran or other targets on
the neocon hit list. If history serves, chances are the latter will
come to pass, and with a vengeance, as even a cursory examination of
the Straussian philosophy reveals these guys are playing hardball and
their teachers consist of the antediluvian Constitution hater Leo
Strauss, the master of deception Niccolò Machiavelli, the "overman"
theorist Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, and Nazi jurist and "concept of
the political" (belligerent totalitarianism) proponent Carl Schmitt. If
you throw these together and mix in a bit of Thomas Hobbes ("war of all
against all") you certainly have a recipe for not only a crisis of
civilization, but nuclear Armageddon.