Ranting, Raving, and Rocking by Sal Canzonieri

This was my eleventh column in AMP magazine. This one Rants on the impending martial law in USA by Bush & pals, Raves on Jim Gibson's Noiseville Records label, and Rocks on about Be Your Own Pet !

Welcome to my eleventh column for AMP magazine.

This month’s Rant:

Why do all signs point to something happening so that Bushass doesn't leave in 2008? Before I get into that though, I want to explain something to people. I am, personally, all for responsible capitalism, the real deal, not the corporate welfare stuff. I am not for Socialism. And we have had two kinds of opposing socialism in history: Soviet Socialism system, where the State owns everything, including private property and companies, all the means of production; and National Socialism, where the State doesn't own private property and companies work in support of the State (Hitler's Fascist Nazi system). Like I said in last month's column, the joke about the present Bushit administration is that most of the things it calls for are LEFTIST National Socialist ideas, and none of them are for the good of the people ever. The Neo-Cons (via the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations) are National Socialists that are betraying our country to create a one-world government and economy that they will run. Little wonder that President George W. Bush has signed executive orders giving him sole authority to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus, and ignore the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits deployment of U.S. troops on American streets. This would give him absolute dictatorial power over the government with no checks and balances.

Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. Martial law is instituted most often when it becomes necessary to favor the activity of military authorities and organizations, usually for urgent unforeseen needs, and when the normal institutions of justice either cannot function or could be deemed too slow or too weak for the new situation; e.g., due to war, major natural disaster, civil disorder, in occupied territory, or after a coup d'état. The need to preserve the public order during an emergency is the essential goal of martial law. However, declaration of martial law is also sometimes used by dictatorships, especially military dictatorships, to enforce their rule. Usually martial law reduces some of the personal rights ordinarily granted to the citizen, limits the length of the trial processes, and prescribes more severe penalties than ordinary law. In many countries martial law prescribes the death penalty for certain crimes, even if ordinary law does not contain that crime or punishment in its system. In many countries martial law imposes particular rules, one of which is curfew. Often, under this system, the administration of justice is left to a military tribunal, called a court-martial. The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus is likely to occur.

Bush discussed imposing martial law on American streets in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by activating "national security initiatives" put in place by Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. The scary thing is that the authority to declare what is or is not a national emergency rests entirely with Bush who does not have to either consult or seek the approval of Congress for permission to assume absolute control over the government of the United States. He's the only president that has talked about martial law openly and so many times and the only president to have said more than once that it would be easier if he was the dictator. Don't you find that odd? He's brought it up for: 9/11, Katrina, the bird flu, some imaginary scenario where 200,000 Mexicans would invade our borders, etc. Disturbingly, the full facts and final contents of Mr. Reagan's national plan for Martial Law remain uncertain. This is in part because President Bush took the unusual step of sealing the Reagan presidential papers last November. However, many of the key figures of the Reagan era are part of the present administration, including John Poindexter, to whom Oliver North later reported.
What people don't realize is that Bush has already declared himself the dictator of the USA. The man who keeps telling the American public that he is a "war time president" has clearly stated on television and in the press to everyone that he will "do anything in my power" to impose his will on the people of the United States. I just figured out who the War On Terror is against. Is it against Bin Laden & Al Queda or Iraq/Iran or Moslem fanatics?

No, it is against us! The American people. This War is against We the People. It's plain to see, just look around you. Has America been made safer in any way whatsoever since 9/11? Don't make me laugh. But what has happened that we have a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that is made mostly to not capture real terrorist criminals but to spy on the free press and any average Americans that may have complaints about what is going on today.

The "war on terrorism" is the central building block of the administration's foreign policy and domestic security agendas. In the words of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff:
"Homeland security is one piece of a broader strategy [which] brings the battle to the enemy... But while one key to defense is offense, it is not the entirety of our security picture. For we also need a "defense in depth" as part of the strategic whole. That means even as we pursue terrorists overseas, we work AT HOME to prevent infiltration by terrorists and their weapons; to protect our people and places if infiltration occurs; and to respond and recover if an attack is carried out. This is embodied in our strategy of building multiple barriers to terrorist attacks."

So, that sounds like they are going to create and find "enemies" so that they can keep their jobs and maintain this giant agency forever. Their objective is to sustain the "war" and national security agenda --and of course the possibility of martial law-- within the governmental, nongovernmental and corporate business sectors. Ultimately, the objective is develop across the land, an unequivocal acceptance by key officials (and of their coworkers and subordinates), from the federal to the local level, for an emergency situation, where civil liberties and the rights of citizens would be suspended.

These "national security initiatives," hatched in 1982 by controversial Marine Colonel Oliver North, later one of the key players in the Iran-Contra Scandal, charged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, whose main role is disaster response, is also responsible for handling US domestic unrest) with administering executive orders that allowed suspension of the Constitution, implementation of martial law, establishment of internment camps, and the turning the government over to the President. Bush used parts of the plan to send troops into the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In addition, FEMA hired former special forces personnel from the mercenary firm Blackwater USA to "enforce security." Blackwater USA, in its promotional materials, describes itself as "the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world," adding that "we have established a global presence and provide training and operational solutions for the 21st century in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere." Blackwater is also a major U.S. contractor in Iraq and has a contract with the Bush White House to provide additional security work "on an as-needed basis."

FEMA, that joke of an agency, as seen during Katrina disaster (if it wasn't done on purpose), taking over the control of the whole USA? At the time of the Reagan initiatives, the then attorney-general, William French Smith, wrote to the national security adviser, Robert McFarlane: "I believe that the role assigned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the revised Executive Order exceeds its proper function as a co-ordinating agency for emergency preparedness ... this department and others have repeatedly raised serious policy and legal objections to an 'emergency czar' role for FEMA."
It's no better today, obviously.
A Code Red alert, according to FEMA, would create conditions for the ("temporary" we are told) suspension of the normal functions of civilian government. According to FEMA, code red would: Increase or redirect personnel to address critical emergency needs; Assign emergency response personnel and pre-position and mobilize specially trained teams or resources; Monitor, redirect, or constrain transportation systems; and Close public and government facilities not critical for continuity of essential operations, especially public safety. (FEMA, http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/security.pdf ) Several functions of civilian administration would be suspended, others would be transferred to the jurisdiction of the military. More generally, the procedure would disrupt government offices, businesses, schools, public services, transportation, etc.

Getting ready to move to Canada yet? We are just one step away at any moment from a full take over. Somehow something, this imaginary Bird Flu epidemic, another "attack", a mass demonstration against the administration's policies, etc., could sent this president into a frenzy to become the first dictator of the USA. The Department of Homeland Security established the "Northern Command for National Defense," a wide-ranging program that includes FEMA, the Pentagon, the FBI and the National Security Agency. Executive orders already signed by Bush allow the Northern Command to send troops into American streets, seize control of radio and television stations and networks and impose martial law "in times of national emergency." Why are they spending so much time and money building these internment camps all over the US? Enough to hold hundreds of thousands of people, and all already full manned and staffed, just waiting. Waiting for what? For you, buddy.

Interestingly, Mr. Tom Ridge, the Director of Homeland Security, has just advocated a review of US law regarding the use of the military for law enforcement duties. Meanwhile, ex Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O Conner just gave speech this past March 12th warning that USA is sliding toward a dictatorship. Pretty heavy words coming from her. This past June 7 the former presidential counsel John Dean spoke of America's sliding into a "constitutional dictatorship" and martial law. Martial law could be triggered even in the case of a bogus terror alert based on fabricated intelligence. Even in the case where it is known and documented to senior military officials that the "outside enemy" is fabricated, a martial law situation, characterized by detailed command military/ security provisions, would become operational almost immediately.
A secret "Shadow government" under the classified "Continuity of Operations
Plan" was installed on September 11, 2001.
(See http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20584-2002Feb28?language=printer ).

Known internally as "Continuity of Government" or COG, the secret Shadow government would become functional in the case of a code red alert, leading to the redeployment of key staff to secret locations. Code red alert would suspend civil liberties, including public gatherings and/ or citizens' protests against the war or against the Administration's decision to declare martial law. The emergency authorities would also have the authority to exert tight censorship over the media and would no doubt paralyze the alternative news media on the internet. To top things off, legislation inherited from the Socialist Clinton administration, not to mention the post 9/11 Patriot Acts I and II, "blurs the line between military and civilian roles". It allows the military to intervene in judicial and law enforcement activities even in the absence of an emergency situation. In 1996, legislation was passed which allowed the military to intervene in the case of a national emergency (e.g.. a terrorist attack). In 1999, Clinton's Defense Authorization Act (DAA) extended those powers (under the 1996 legislation) by creating an "exception" to the Posse Comitatus Act, which permits the military to be involved in civilian affairs "regardless of whether there is an emergency".
(See ACLU at http://www.aclu.org/NationalSecurity/NationalSecurity.cfm?ID=8683&c=24 ).

More disturbing, despite this 1999 "exception" to the Posse Comitatus Act", which effectively invalidates it, both the Pentagon and Homeland Security, have been actively lobbying Congress for the outright repeal of the 1878 legislation. The ongoing militarization of civilian justice and law enforcement is a bi-partisan project. Senator Joseph Biden (a Democrat), former Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been waging, since the mid-1990s, in consultation with his Republican counterparts, a battle for the outright repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act. Isn't it odd that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have any clear serious contender for the 2008 elections? Can you name one person that isn't a joke that would be running for election in 2008? Nope, neither can I. Really weird, normally by now, less than 2 years away from campaign season there would be lots of people starting to making their moves, but no one is making a peep. Nothing. Ha, with the way that they so obviously rigged the electronic voting machines during the last two elections, if suddenly good ole brother Jeb at the last minute "decides" to run, it's clear who will be the winner. And then, it would be truly time to get the hell out of this country, cause with no real vote, we have no country and you know martial law is not far behind. The worrisome thing is that we might not make to 2008. Face it, there is no Democrat party anymore, it is a weak and pale shell of itself on a national level. What opposition are they? They are so afraid of offending anyone that they don't make a clear and firm stand about anything. Can you tell me what the present Democrat Party platform is? What ideas do they have to move our country forward, out of the mess Bushit has forced us into? What strategy do they have to improve daily life? What plans do they have to build up our infrastructure and make us a prosperous nation again ("us", I mean to be the Middle Class, fuck the rest of the rich and poor leeches who just exist to suck the Middle Class dry). I know what the Republicans are going to do: bleed us to death with deficit spending and corruption, and then enslave us via their Neo-Con Socialist programs. What are the Democrats going to do?

Are they even going to exist in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Is the USA as we know it going to exist in 20 years?

Even under a functioning civilian government, the PATRIOT Acts have already instated several features of martial law. The extent to which they may be applied is at the discretion of the military authorities. The 2003 Patriot Act II goes much further in extending and enlarging the "Big Brother functions" of control and surveillance of people. It vastly expands the surveillance and counterinsurgency powers, providing government access to personal bank accounts, information on home computers, telephone wiretapping, credit card accounts, etc. Did you know that if you pay off your credit cards, like $5,000 a time, that transaction has to now be reported to the Homeland Security Department, and once they okay it, THEN you get the credit towards your account? Isn't that totally fucked? But, that's the truth, it's happening everyday here. They even have to know if you are paying your bills off? Amazing!

In this context, In the wake of September 11, the Bushit Administration established its proposed Big Brother data bank: "the Total Information Awareness Program (TIAP). TIAP was operated by the Information Awareness Office (IAO), which had a mandate "to gather as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralized location, for easy perusal by the United States government." This would include medical records, credit card and banking information, educational and employment data, records concerning travel and the use of internet, email, telephone and fax. TIAP was operated in the offices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a division of the Pentagon in Northern Virginia. (See Washington Post, 11 Nov 2002 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A40942-2002Nov11 )

Ironically, when it was first set up, it was headed by a man with criminal record, former National Security Adviser ret. Admiral John Poindexter. Pointexter, who had been indicted on criminal charges for his role in the Iran Contra scandal during the Reagan Administration, subsequently resigned as TIAP Director and the program was "officially" discontinued. But, the subsequent Patriot Acts picked up where this program left off. Several US government bodies including Homeland Security, the CIA, and the FBI, respectively oversee giant "Big Brother" data banks, which are fully operational.

The coded terror alerts and "terror events", which have been announced by DHS are part of a disinformation campaign carried out by the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department and Homeland Security. US intelligence is not only involved in creating phony terror warnings, it is indirectly also behind the terror groups, providing them with covert support.( See http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO301B.html ). Bizarrely, the network news people talk about the militarization of civilian America as a "solution" to "protecting American democracy"! See you in Canada!

This month's Rave:

What's cooler than a record out on Noiseville Records? (Check out: www.noiseville.com) Noiseville started back in 1987 as an independent record label by Jim Gibson. Between 1988 and 1994, Noiseville released 50 titles (mostly 7" singles) and in that time Noiseville was involved with the production and sale of around 100,000 records and CDs worldwide. In 1994, Noiseville shifted it's attention from the indie music world towards the world of music related art and In 1997 Noiseville became the first art gallery in New York City to focus on contemporary concert poster art, hosting gallery shows by amazing artists like Savage Pencil, Alan Forbes, Derek Hess, Steve Cerio, and also the first shows featuring exclusively poster and record cover art made for bands like The Melvins and Electric Frankenstein. In 2004, Noiseville once again became an active independent music label. Noiseville is hugely popular in Europe, especially in the UK, even though the label started out in Yonkers NY. Many great influential bands (The Thing, Action Swingers, Unholy Swill, Bench, etc.) had their start as releases on the label that go for big money today on the collector's market. But, never fear, Noiseville is now busy releasing more cool stuff, like the new HELIOS CREED - "Deep Blue Love Vacuum" album, a reissue of the Radicts album, a Mortician picture disc(!), A Best of Noiseville Singles compilation album, a series of unreleased music by Bench, and lots more!

This month's Rocking:

I finally saw a new band that was doing something new! From Nashville, Tenn comes the band "Be Your Own Pet", who totally Rock but sound like something never heard before. They have moments where their songs slam into 70s style Punk Rock but then the song careen back into their own little world. The group is composed of young people (Jemina Pearl (vocals), Jamin Orrall (drums), Nathan Vasquez (bass), and Jonas Stein (guitar)) who just turned 16-18 years old, I think they said that they started the band when they were in high school. Well, I think they are the spark of a fresh Rock sound with a twisting groove, totally creative, fun, and wild. They look as nutty as their music sounds as well. There really is no comparison to anyone else when it come to their song writing. It kinda sounds like if Elvis was Devo, and the history of Rock proceeded from there. They have a bunch of cd EPs out and their brand new album is coming out anyday now (March). They have really funny and crazy videos that you can watch on this site: http://www.infinitycat.com/byop.html. They are also really funny on stage, the singer cracks great jokes at the audience's expense, the drummer keeps running to the front to make goofy comments, and the rest of the band add their own insanity.

They also have more than one page on myspace.com too, the main one is: www.myspace.com/beyourownpetmusic. They are full of originality and attitude, two things in short supply today in the music business. The cool thing is that these Nashville teenage garage rockers who have opened for Kings of Leon and scored a hit on U.K. radio -- all without graduating high school. Any band this great at this young age surely makes all the crappy popular bands look really bad! Fuck the radio music, get into Be Your Own Pet!

That's it for this issue! Click here to read column #12

Sal Canzonieri - www.electricfrankenstein.com / www.myspace.com/electricfrankenstein
salcanzonieri@att.net