Homeland Security’s fundamental transformation

George Rebane

As reported here, LA and other American cities are the new training ground for our military.  They’re not exactly saying who the enemy is, but you have to be pretty dense not to figure it out.  Prominent LA radio station KFI reports that these “closed to the public” exercises in the city “are designed to ensure the military's ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments, and meet mandatory training certification requirements”.

Maybe President Obama will tell us tonight about these “upcoming overseas deployments”.  I thought that he was hell bent on bringing our troops home.  As usual, the government’s stories don’t fly in tight formation.  But not to worry, all things will be ‘clarified’ in the coming weeks, you think?

Having lived in LA all my life, we never witnessed the military training in the city to “ensure (its) ability to operate in urban environments”.  Over the years, when the riots came, so did the California National Guard, and that was that.  Now American cities are becoming training grounds for the regular military.  How does all this tie in with the promised Civilian National Security Force that is supposed to make sure we don’t get too uppity?  (H/T to a couple of RR readers on the heads up.)

Comments

[Gregory]

Checking, there are no TFRs (Temporary Flying Restrictions) issued for LA. That means either this thing just isn't that big of a deal, or that all of the 'training sites' are within the LAX Class B inner area, where Federal traffic controllers have positive control of everything flying all the way to the ground.

[Douglas Keachie]

As it is obvious that corporate America is not planning on doing anything about the current predicament of most jobs exported, and most Americans are experiencing a freefall in standard of living expectations, it is possible that Corporate Team USA expects more internal revolution from the unhappy masses, and are moving towards a state of readiness to deal with it. Other factor: Far more of the world is urbanized than was the case 50 years ago.

[George Rebane]

DougK 727am - I would say the former is more of a worry. The TSA and military have several facilities across the country where training for combat in 'built-up areas' (i.e. cities/towns) is conducted. These exercises seem to be site specific to high risk areas.

[Douglas Keachie]

"These exercises seem to be site specific to high risk areas."

Several great American values listed here, if this is indeed the case:

1. Via sterotyping, we conclude which neighborhoods are most likely to go Watts on us.

2. We put certain people on notice, ahead of any overt actions on their part, that they will be crushed. Great form of intimidation. Love to see them do LOP as well, as there are gated communities around the world.

[Douglas Keachie]

On a tactical note, they should be practicing in the subway systems, as that's an area that the helicopters are excluded from. Have to do it on Sundays, so as to not mess up the commute.

[Paul Emery]

I ran stories on this years ago during the Bush admin about military maneuvers in Portland. It was coming from the left at that time. Why not add chemtrails to the mix of government conspiracies.

http://www.chemtrails911.com/

[Douglas Keachie]

We could do a bangup job of urban renewal with tanks. Please set your satire toggles to "on."

[George Rebane]

PaulE 1017am - "mix of government conspiracies"? Were you thinking that these exercises in public spaces are government conspiracies? I think that our Homeland Security views it simply as prudent preparations for the state to guard itself against what it considers probable and palpable threats. But if you do have info on some government conspiracies in this vein, please let us know.

[Paul Emery]

You were implying that the exercises were to prepare for domestic unrest something I think would be denied by those in charge. If indeed we are deceived as to the purpose of the maneuvers I would be inclined to use the "C" word to give it a general envelope.

Check out chemtrails for general entertainment purposes.

[Brad Croul]

George, you seem to be inferring that "we" (or, at least the 99%) are the threat the government is training to go up against That is how I read your original post although you did not say this outright in your post. Makes sense though. Those pesky corporations and 1%ers need to keep the workers in line somehow.

If you don't think the government is preparing or "conspiring" to put us under military curfew then your post doesn't have much relevance. Without the "government is out to get us" inference the post becomes sort of a, "and you are telling us this because???", moment.

What I saw of Iraq videos depict our army trying to maneuver through a bustling city. Without Iraq and Afghanistan to shoot up we need urban training areas. I guess we could go after narco-trafficers in Mexico and lock down some of their towns but the Mexican government would probably get pissed off.

Just because we are withdrawing from a couple of places in the Mid East doesn't mean we should not practice or prepare for overseas conflicts. And we are also putting peacetime troops in Australia.

I guess we could take all that freshly printed money and have the government build fake towns to play war games in. Maybe the government could just take by adverse possession some rust belt cities and use them for practice. Banks are bulldozing abandoned houses there anyway.

[George Rebane]

PaulE 1110am - I disagree that the feds would offer those denials. Homeland Security has already identified 'rightwing terrorists' as the biggest threat to internal law and order. And not even the far left believes that we need to use our armed forces to fight mass attacks by Islamists in our own cities.

BradC 1134am - Yes indeed. Along with the exercises, the govt is prepared to incarcerate tens of thousands into already prepared concentration camps on American soil. None of this is required for bringing in foreign POWs from overseas campaigns. I have posted on the FEMA preparations for civil disorder (google it). Recall also that now tens of govt departments have set up their own para-military units.

[Paul Emery]

George

For my satisfaction can you document this statement?

"Homeland Security has already identified 'rightwing terrorists' as the biggest threat to internal law and order."

[George Rebane]

PaulE 105pm - Do you not recall the famous 'confidential' memo from Napolitano to the nation's police departments??? Just google 'rightwing extremism, napolitano', or please recall my post. This caused quite a kerfuffle nationwide in 2009, the year you were off-planet ;-)
http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2009/04/ruminations-17apr2009.html

[Douglas Keachie]

"Homeland Security has already identified 'rightwing terrorists' as the biggest threat to internal law and order."

I went there, read the article, and could not find that conclusion. Where is it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keachie/6763321739/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Douglas Keachie]

Actually, journalists, even bloggers, are now in Homeland Security's sights. http://news.yahoo.com/homeland-security-given-green-light-monitor-american-journalists-072933420.html

[Douglas Keachie]

Picard's comments on the freedom of speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O92ZbSAftuI

[Douglas Keachie]

Ooops, wrong link, try this instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=jkXtf_FZKbA

[Paul Emery]

George

I printed and read the link you referred to and I saw no reference to "righwing terrorists being the biggest threat to internal law and order". Can you direct me to where you derived that statement?

[George Rebane]

Apologies gentlemen, I confused "rightwing extremists" for "rightwing terrorists". The former was the only group called out in the memo against whom law enforcement should be on the lookout. You may have missed it, but the ENTIRE memo was an alert against rightwing extremism as we see from its title - 'Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment'; see also page 6.

[Paul Emery]

Still I see no reference to it being the "biggest threat". Can you point me to where that came from?

From reading the memo mostly they were on the lookout for Timothy McVeigh types, abortion clinic bombers, white supremacist groups, militas, lone wolves and rogue ex-military zealots. It was not a classified document and meant to be an alert for local jurisdictions. Referring to the group as "Rightwing Extremists" in my opinion, is misleading as to the purpose of the assessment. I'm confused as to the extrapolation you give the memo as to it being the "biggest threat" Homeland Security faces. Without further documentation I must take your view as a personal opinion without merit therefore fatally clouding the message of your post.

What's real creepy to me was Rumsfields "Information Operations Roadmap" that laid plans to sabotage information systems and the Internet if deemed necessary.

[Douglas Keachie]

"What's real creepy to me was Rumsfields "Information Operations Roadmap" that laid plans to sabotage information systems and the Internet if deemed necessary."

Another example of Bush helping the Chinese? They can't do that without establishing a completely separate internet for the military to use.

I think the best measure of "biggest threat" would be "most arrests" in the last six years [three for Bush, three for Obama, to avoid bias]. Who have they actually arrested, and who have they actually convicted, broken down by which groups they fall into, for any of this?

[Douglas Keachie]

With 80 million boomers in the chutes, and the cost of healthcare and food going sky high, how many will say, "screw it" and head for the nearest bank, for a lifetime of free medical and food? Void out Obamacare at your own risk. http://yubanet.com/regional/Nevada-Man-Dubbed-The-Fedora-Bandit-Is-Charged-With-Serial-Bank-Robbery.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YubanetRegional+%28YubaNet.com+-+Sierra+Nevada+News%29#.TyGXuvm9ZPk

[George Rebane]

PaulE 953am - Our assessment of these kinds of communications are worlds apart. I am a child of history, and can only give this memorandum a lesser interpretation as soon as you can show me equivalent memos describing domestic threats by Islamist ragheads (q.v.) for which our current government has more polite appellations.

[Douglas Keachie]

"show me equivalent memos describing domestic threats by Islamist ragheads"

How about an entire governmental department. and it's police forces in place 24/7/365 at our airports? TSA and Homeland Security. Please find new article that talks about the establishment of this dept. without mentioning your supposedly not profiled main terrorist groups, and including the rightwing extremist terrorists on an equal footiong.

BTW, once the banks have built up security mudroom airlocks at their entrances, people will simply turn to bricks through windows downtown. " You wanna by bricks, show us your building permit! "

It's going to be a very goofy next forty years.

[Paul Emery]

George

That was too easy. Start herehttp://www.counterterrorismtraining.gov/pubs/09.html

I don't intend to do your homework for you. You made the statement as a fact not an opinion.

[George Rebane]

PaulE 1113am - you misunderstand, I'm talking here about the characteristics of domestic terrorist groups that HSA is worried about, not about the worldwide Islamist threat. It is the domestic targeting that FEMA, HSA, TSA, and other agencies do that concerns us in this post. It is which and what American citizens will suffer in the hands of our own military that I'm talking about.

[Douglas Keachie]

Who is better armed, and has more members? The rightwing terrorists, or the leftwing terrorists? If you cannot come up with numbers and groups, then you cannot not decide the correct answer as to: "Who's the biggest threat?"

[Douglas Keachie]

And that would, of course, following your line of thought, be domestic home grown terrorists, not the whole blessed planet.

[George Rebane]

DougK 1159am - counting guns without consideration of what motivates the guns is a rather simplistic approach understanding anti-American terrorism. Throughout all of our history, we Americans have been the best armed large population in the world, and that with no hint of organized domestic terrorism seeking to impose a new ideology on the land through violence.