Glenn,

The fact that so many of the police/federal forces were not wearing their identification badges and driving unmarked vans during the raids is a clear attempt of concealing the identity of the agencies involved. Do you have any information on whether the federal government used Blackwater or any other military contractor on us soil during the preemptive raids and ongoing crowd control efforts during the GOP convention. As we know, military contractors don't tend to follow the written rule of law and it might explain at least some of the abuses. Also, if military contractors were used, can this be categorized as a training mission for a larger scale effort to seize control of Local Police and National Guard, in an effort to declare martial law? I know the second point is a reach but I would like to know if contractors were used.

You're right ....... the police are just blue-collar workers whose ultimate function is to protect the rich from the proletarian herd ......

Give anybody a uniform and it makes them feel important ....... witness the effect of giving simple brown shirts and pants to the unemployed and dislocated in Germany by the Nazi party ...... and the feeling that you are part of something important ....the SA

I hate to point our the obvious again ...... the problem is not the corruption and plutocracy ...... the problem is those who have allowed it to happen ....

The problem is the American people themselves who have totally lost any ability to think or reason for themselves ...... ie, I see no hope .....

The problem with being amoral is that you then have no principles to believe in or fight for ......

The original purpose of the National Guard was as protection for the states against a corrupt and rogue federal govt.

The Guard was even conceived as a force to be used by the states to march on Washington if need be.

The American public (fools) sat by and let the Guard be federalized (put under the command of the federal govt and taken from the governors as the intended controllers) by George Bush ....... thus totally neutralizing their original purpose.

"This is why much of America hates the left."...

You and your three friends dont make up much of America. Recent polls indicate that 80% of the country think we are headed in the wrong direction. This was your public service announcement since I know how you hate to deal with facts.

And by the way where is that video?

This whole 'surge' in police activity is just part of the baggage that comes with America now officially being a torture state.

Good to see you again.

I'd really love to see that discussion, but I have ulterior motives. ;-}

Why do you support a party who, unless you are a multi-millionaire considers you a fool and trash?

Instead of mouthing off with yet another long winded piece of your ignorance on this subject for all to see, and your and fake outrage for all to see, why don't you read the transcript of Democracy Now from this morning. I directed you to that a couple of hours or so ago because you kept saying that there was no information about before and after the videos when, in fact, there actually was.

Also, Glenn posted the link to it in one or another of his last two updates. If you weren't so busy trying play Detective Dung you might have caught either my directing you to it or Glenn's update about it.

I know you'll have a whole new batch of fake bullshit to regurgitate after reading it but at least you'll have new material to work with.

maotsetung,

I was aware of the federalization of the National Guard and wrote letters to try to prevent it. I'm also aware of why the National Guard used to be controlled by the individual states. Bush federalized the National Guard after Katrina under the guise that it would improve cooperation of different agencies by placing them under a unified command. That sounds logical when faced with a national catastrophe like Katrina but as we saw during the last few days it can be heavily abused when the government is trying to protect their political interests against Americans trying to exercise their constitutional rights. I'm trying to get a sense of who was involved,( Blackwater?) and what role did each individual agency play and is playing. I would also like to know what intel led to the raids. I doubt very much it was just plants inside of these groups. Did the NSA illegally wire tap these groups even before the new FISA legislation was written into law. What did they wire tap?..Internet, cell phones, land lines. What did they know? When did they know it? What types of surveillance were used and were they legally obtained at the time they obtained it?

The so-called "terrorist threat" is just the natural hatred and desire for revenge by some people in middle eastern countries as a result of our intervention and heavy handed policies since the early 50's ........ it is natural and to be expected.

But it is no more a "threat" than it was 20 years ago ........ Al-Quaida itself is the result of and a product of our "so-called friends" , the Saudis ....

9/11 was a catastrophe ...... not because of two buildings because of what it has allowed the govt to do using fear to manipulate the american fools .....

In my opinion, "Homeland Security" (oh Hitler would have loved the name and irony here) was never meant to be anything but a tool to be used against the american people ...... not a witch hunt for "terrorists" - people who don't like us ....

With its huge budget and lierally nothing else to do, it makes Hoover's "I have a file on everybody" shenanigans seem insignificant.

There is no doubt in my mind that "Homeland Security" is nothing but the Gestapo and the central gathering agency now for info on the american people.

Hundreds of millions no doubt spent to harass a few hundred protestors ........ yes, we are proud of our priorities.