Elliot D. Cohen: This Summer, Will America Officially Become A Totalitarian State?
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D.
The unfolding of events over the past 7 years and the recent emergence of certain key facts point to the prospect of an ominous conclusion: before the summer is up, America will be brought under martial law with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney at the helm.
In May 2007, Bush posted a national continuity policy to the White House Web site that bypasses Congress and puts him in charge of all three branches of the federal government if there is a "catastrophic emergency" -- vaguely defined to include anything from a destructive hurricane to a terrorist attack. This leaves democracy in America dangling on a thin thread of chance that such a "catastrophe" doesn't happen.
On Wednesday, Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said he has a "gut" feeling that Al Qaeda will launch another terrorist attack on the U.S. mainland sometime this summer. Chertoff's "gut feeling" comes on the heels of the latest National Intelligence Estimate, which maintains that in the past year, Al Qaeda has reconstituted its core structure and has grown stronger along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.
This information is disconcerting in itself. But it becomes even more so when considered in the context of the Bush administration's unrelenting quest for power. Consider these facts, for example: The September 11 attacks were foreshadowed by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in its report on Rebuilding American Defenses (2000) when it stated, "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor . . ." This would not be significant were it not for the fact that the Vice President, among other key members of the Bush Administration, were founding members of PNAC.
This neoconservative organization also prescribed forced regime change in Iraq and buildup of a permanent U.S. military presence there. The primary goal for invading Iraq was not to quell tensions or stop the threat of terrorism posed by the Hussein regime but instead to advance U.S. interests in the region through military force. The 2000 report stated, "while the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." Regime change was therefore pretense for the invasion.
Clearly, the invasion of Iraq was never conceived as a means of stopping Saddam Hussein from instigating terrorism. This was made plain in the official British documents known as the Downing Street memos, which said that Bush was attempting to make the facts "fit" the policy in order to justify invading Iraq -- since Hussein's WMD capability was in fact "less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran." The redeployment of U.S. troops and special forces to Iraq was done in spite of the fact that the hub of Al Qaeda was in Pakistan and Afghanistan. So the Bush administration permitted Al Qaeda to regroup and strengthen in Pakistan and Afghanistan to pursue its ideology of global dominance in Iraq.
Add to these facts that the Bush administration has displayed consistent disregard for the rule of law by canceling habeas corpus, disregarding the Geneva Conventions in the torture of prisoners of war, using signing statements to override congressional lawmaking authority, eavesdropping on Americans without court warrants, summarily refusing to comply with Congressional subpoenas, firing federal prosecutors for political reasons, outing a covert CIA agent, threatening to jail journalists for disclosing leaked government documents, censoring mainstream media and infusing it with government propaganda ("prepackaged news" staged by PR firms working for the government), placing "gatekeepers" in all federal agencies who report directly to the White House, eliminating legal protections for government whistle blowers, arresting peaceful protestors, manipulating the terror alert system to instill fear in Americans, and stacking the Supreme Court.
In a press conference on Thursday regarding the war in Iraq, Bush indicated that he will not be discouraged by what the American people believe. He said that, while he preferred to be loved, he had to do the right thing.
Do what is right by whose standards? Not those of the generals; and certainly not those of the majority of Americans. While the mainstream media brought out its analysts to comment on Bush's press conference, none drew the obvious conclusion. In a democracy, it is the will of the people, not that of a single man, that is paramount. But, according to Bush, respecting the will of the American people would be nice if it happened to accord with his own will, but not in the least essential to shaping U.S. policy, even if that policy happened to affect the lives and limbs (and tax dollars) of the American people. This is dictatorship (or "decidership") at its core, not democracy.
All of these facts, among others, point to the willingness of this administration to stop at little or nothing to advance its ideology. It has proven its resolve to lie to the American people, violate their civil liberties, and discount their will. It has shown little respect for the rule of law or the U.S. Constitution.
So, this summer (or sometime before the 2008 presidential elections), will America officially become a totalitarian state brought under martial law by a ruthless dictator? If Chertoff's gut is right, just add the current national continuity policy and the conclusion follows.
Like a game of chess drawing to a close, there is a chilling aura that the final checkmate is imminent. In the least, democracy in America is in grave danger and at best dependent on chance.
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D. is a media ethicist and critic. His most recent book is The Last Days of Democracy: How Big Media and Power-Hungry Government are turning America into a Dictatorship. He is also first prize winner of the 2007 Project Censored Award.
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New Executive Order
Looks like Dr. Cohen was right.
See it here.
National Continuity Policy Presidential Directive
To Elliot Cohen and Buzzflash:
Please provide a link to the Presidential Directive (or perhaps it's another kind of document?) that Dr. Elliot refers to. I tried to find it on the White House web site, but a quick review of several pages didn't turn anything up. In addition, I googled for "national continuity policy" but only came up with one cite: the same place I found a reference to it in the first place.
Speaking of totalitarian governments, I have been reading about the Comintern and Cominform party structures that ran the government of the Soviet Union, whereby the government is effectively an arm of the Party (as Karl Rove and Grover Norquist so devoutly would wish for the Republican Party). Especially striking in its similarity to the Bush administration is the institution of the Nomenklatura, the list of Party apparachiks and wannabes through which individuals grew their personal power and influence over governmental institutions via the Soviet Union's particular type of cronyism. It's worth looking into for more insights into where we are headed.
Disinformation?
I'm concerned about this article, and it's certainly not because I don't believe that the corpocracy has a firm hold on this country. It's because the unstated assumption is that if there was an election in 2008, it would provide an opportunity for political redemption.
I don't for one minute believe that the banking/corporate shadow government, now openly taking the reigns of power in this country, needs any particular party or person to be in power in order to retain control. The inexorable process of wealth extraction continues unabated, regardless of the party affiliation of those whose job it is to stand in front of the cameras. The outcome of the election circus is controlled by money and media, not votes. For the most part, politics is like sales. It consists of leading people to certain conclusions and behaviors while preserving their illusion that they're making independent, "rational" decisions. The sophisticated science of mass psychological manipulation works flawlessly on an uncritical public, content to be told that if they put a bumper sticker on their car and enter a little booth once every four years they're living in a "democracy".
The corpocratic leadership would probably PREFER that a so-called "Democrat" become the face of government in 2008. After all, it really isn't going to matter who's smiling face is waving at the camera as he/she climbs the stairs onto Air Force One. When the debt-driven funny-money economy has destroyed the dollar, the public and private debt load finishes taking its toll in human flesh, oil becomes something the masses have to ration, and the shelves at Wal-Mart empty, draconian controls in the name of "homeland security" will still be necessary. But it will be somewhat less difficult to continue to manipulate the public mind if the clueless masses still cling desperately to the hope that their "leaders" are doing all that's humanly possible to restart the economic engine.
Since all of this is patently obvious to anyone who's been paying attention and isn't hopelessly enthralled with the political circus, I can only conclude that this article was either written by a person who is naive himself, or who has a vested interest in maintaining a naive perspective in the liberal-tending populace.
Totalitarian state
What no one has mentioned is that a state of martial law would be enforced by Blackwater.
But WE THE PEOPLE have the right to bear arms
Blackwater would be decimated by an angry American public, who is the real government anyway, if Bush's modern day "brownshirts" tried to strong arm us. There are just too many gun owners in America.
Personally, I think we should march on Washington this coming 9/11, completely surround the White House, Congress, the Suprem Court and the Pentagon, then occupy D.C. until both Bush and Cheney resign and then until President Pelosi declares an end of the illegal occupation of Iraq.
Bush/Cheney
jane Bianco
Thank you, Dr. Cohen. This has been my contention for several years now, but I had gotten quite tired of the 'conspiracy nut' look. If the rest of the House of Reps do not sign on to initiate impeachment proceedings, it truly is time to take to the streets. And I would lead the parade, with much pride!!
You American's are going about this all wrong.
Stop worrying about the president and what he does. Go after religion. Sue the churches for "the act of God" that left so any homeless and without lives, jobs or material posessions.
I'm not kidding when I tel you that you should consider suing God in a class action suit. You all have this "for God and country"" freak attitude that makes you as a nation and a people, pre disposed to violence, war and a general malaise about all of it.
You wanna make a difference sue God for insurance money. That menas suing all American churches and all denominations because they all claim to be the representatives of God which would make them financially accountable for all insurance claims for Hurricane Katrina. this woud force the churches into huge debt defending a class action suit, and if they lost, they would then be forced to sue the insurance companies. What you'll be doing is removing the two largest non taxed lobby groups in the nation. It's crazy, but there's a case here. A huge one!
The best part is that in order for the churches not to be held accountable for all insurance claims that are declared "acts of God" it will have to be proven that "God" doesn't exist. It's beautiful and it's a moneymaker.
I'm not kidding. What are you waiting for? Marching has done nothing, yelling has done nothing, war has done nothing... Sue God and see what happens then...
Sure it's a publicity stunt in many respects but what better way to bring attentio to the fact that GWB's base is non taxed churches who aren't using their money for good but rather to prop up political madmen.
If Mr. Cohen has a sound brain associated with that Ph.D, he'll see the abstract result in mmy proposal. Bush will come crashing down when the churches themselves have to prove there is no God.
A Time for Constitution:
IMPEACH.
AMEN
But our congress has no "Backbone!"
...and the American people
...and the American people lack the collective will to force the issue...they're all out shopping instead...
It's pretty close already....
These criminals have set up the (illegal) legal framework to rule this country like some of the most ruthless dictators in history. Have they done so yet? No - but the power is there.
It's not so much the abuse of power we should be most concerned with, but rather, the power to abuse. And, Bush/Cheney have definitely given themselves that power.
We definitely need a new path in this country. One where force, aggression, assassinations, and war are not used as a tool of policy. We've been asking for that for a long time and it never seems to change......so what to do? Maybe we need to change the system which has created this??
Some further thoughts:
"Leaders Don't Kill People..." - click here
Maybe It's Time
To start marching in the streets?
It's LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG Past time for that
Murkins, as Michael Moore so poignantly demonstrated, are captives of their fears and their ephemeral possessions.
If they're too afraid to fight for their own health care, you know goddam well their too terrified to fight the Powers for peace.
No way the average Murkin will EVER take to the streets, no matter how egregious become the affronts to our democracy and our liberties.
They'd rather have American Idol on a plasma screen, a suitcase of bud in the fridge, the pizza guy at the door, than trouble themselves with the niceties and intricasies of freedom.
They 'hate' politics...
And that'll kill the Constitution quicker than totalitarianism...