All in the name of national security, of course. Jeremy Scahill’s blog in The Nation asks, “Were US Special Forces involved in the arrest of Faisal Shahzad?” His painstaking research suggests that they were.
An executive order signed by President Clinton and used by President George W. Bush purportedly allows U.S. Special Forces to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act. We have to say “purportedly” because—of course—key parts of the executive order are classified. Scahill asks the natural followup question: “To what extent are U.S. Special Forces permitted to operate on U.S. soil under President Obama?”
An imperial executive unchecked by an impotent Congress. Massive government agencies whose operations in the U.S. are routinely kept secret. A Patriot Act and other Bush Administration garbage that remains in force. All it will take is another 9-11 to impose formal military control domestically, and does anyone seriously think Obama would hesitate?
10:59 am on May 6, 2010
