TheAgitator.com
Crisis Feeds Leviathan
Sunday, April 20th, 2008Last week, federal, state, and local police in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas conducted a massive sweep, including raids of businesses, homes, and boats; traffic roadblocks; and personal body searches. They say they were looking for “terrorists.” They didn’t find any. They did arrest 332 people, 142 of whom they describe as “fugitives”. They also issued about 1,300 traffic tickets, and according to one media account, seized “hundreds” of dollars.
Is this martial law practice?
Very good point Sheri.
That had not entered my mind and I’m one cynical SOB.
“Hundreds of dollars”? That may be a single low-level drug dealer among 332 arrests.
I think that some police/ DHS so-called informant is laughing at all the commotion he/she/it caused.
chsw
Speaking of informants, here is one who allegedly has created a civil rights crisis - the search and seizure of those LDS-polygamists and their children on the basis of her false report:
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/192350.php
Ignore the spin of the article which tries to attach some responsibility to a political candidate (the candidate, IMHO, has none) and think about the destructive implications of this woman’s alleged acts. She absolutely must be prosecuted or else any flimsy rumor can be a pretext for a police raid.
chsw
This sound like a soviet operation. Have the police break into homes and businesses and arrest anyone for anything. All to put fear in the citizenry.
Three stories by local reporters and three stories that fail to ask any hard questions, e.g., how much was spent on what looks like a strained attempt to justify getting federal money. One of the stories did at least mention the federal money: “the city is using federal grants to fight crime, which might lead to the discovery of a terrorist suspect.”
Pulling over cars on the off chance a terrorist may be driving sounds like a pretty inefficient way to find terrorists. But it’s probably a very efficient way to get big checks from the federal government.
Note: I’ve not gotten to criminal procedure, yet, so this is just my opinion of what the law should be:
Seems to me that common sense would say that if the police were “looking for terrorists,” and they didn’t find any, then the court should throw out all the other arrests.
Now, I know that’s probably not how the law views it, but that would be the approach that’s most respectful to the People.
Those numbers seem a bit high for me to believe.
“”What we have found traditionally is that terrorists are involved in a number of lesser known type crimes,” said Mark Luttrell, Shelby County sheriff.”
I’d like to know how Sheriff Luttrell has enough experience with terrorists to be making statements like this.
I’m sorry… I appear to be lost.
See, I thought I was in America… but, that can’t be right with stories such as this.
So, if you could kindly point me in the direction of the America I grew up living in… I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.
I notice not one of the stories mentions any warrants.
So what was the legal basis for the stops? (And, as others have noted, why didn’t the reporters ask those questions instead of sycophanting?)
This sounds oddly familiar.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
I could go on but I think you get the point.
to echo sheri’s comments. When i first read that, I instantly thought that it was a test run for martial law.
anyone else get that first impressoin before opening the comments? It smacks of the consuences of the Homegrown Terrorist Act. With people like Sean Hannity frivously and baselessly calling anyone and everyone a terrorist or terror-sympathizer or anti-american, it inclines one to think about the problems with such behavior, by both private and government entities.
This operation makes me wonder a few things though.
-how does issuing traffic tickets and ‘looking’ for terrorists have any common ground? Either they were not looking for terrorists, they were looking for terrorists in a way that indicates they really have no f’ing clue as to who or what lays outside of thier realm of domestic surveillance (ie, they’re really in the dark: a bad thing), or this was a combined enforcement effort to train for some martial-law-esque scenario (which would give more credit to the name of the operation: Sudden Impact).
thoughts?
From the third linked story:
The U.S. Coast Guard in Memphis was a part of Saturday’s round-up, checking a boat on the river.
“We look at everything, the safety of the tow boat in general. We also check out the crew members, just to make sure there is nobody hiding out on the tow boat, felons, criminals etc.,” says Lt. Timothy Martin of the U.S. Coast Guard in Memphis.
—–
From the second linked story:
The FBI along with hundreds of officers said they are looking for anything out of the ordinary. Agents take computers and paperwork from businesses.
—–
Pathetic fishing expeditions, plain and simple. And all three reports just took the thing at face value.
And then there’s this story:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A41348
Jesus, I’ve been googling around for more stories on this thing. Not one story explains whether the raids, and the related confiscation of business records to “look for anything out of the unusual,” involved warrants. Not one news source seriously questions the basis for these raids, or for the thousand-plus traffic stops conducted in a search for “terrorists.” This shit is beyond crazy.
I wondered how long it would take for Bushco to ramp up the fear factor. I have had the suspicion for several years that there will not be an election this November; there will be an “incident” and the current administration will call a national emergency, delay then eliminate entirely the election, seize power and create a Fourth Reich. This just looks like part of the ramp-up
I read these things and wonder how I would handle it. Would I cower and obey every command with a, “yes, officer”? Or would I mouth off and assert my rights, thereby ensuring my own destruction regardless?
This is far more frightening to me than any tale of terrorists buying smidges of enriched uranium.
Why do you have to mouth off to assert your rights. Can’t you be polite but firm at the same time?
Asserting rights is “mouthing off”, when it comes from a “civilian.”
Now shut up and do what your told.
“What we have found traditionally is that terrorists are involved in a number of lesser known type crimes,” said Mark Luttrell, Shelby County sheriff.
Thanks Sheriff Mark! In the long tradition of active terrorist cells operating in Memphis, which “lesser known type crimes” most often point to terrorism? Were the 9/11 hijackers based out of Tennessee jaywalkers? Were the WTC bombers (Headquartered in Memphis of course) of the 90’s involved in shoplifting? Mopary?
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