For Those Who Think That Giving Any Government Broader Powers Is a Good Idea.

It’s always worth remembering, however, that the vast majority of unnatural deaths in the last century were the direct result of government action – as often as not, action taken against its own citizens.
Casey's Daily Dispatch

The article goes on to state and then to quote from no less a source than the Atlantic:

While there is no comparison in the current context to what occurred in Germany, at least in the U.S. and other developed countries, that doesn’t mean that things can’t degrade, and quickly so.

With the economy in shreds, persistently high unemployment, and another hit to the national bottom line likely, almost anything is possible. Another Timothy McVeigh, or another Waco, or widespread societal upheavals are all certainly well within the realm of possibility. As is, of course, another 9/11.

With the government’s own threat assessment already in a semi-permanent state of Code Orange, it wouldn’t take much to tip things to Code Red, at which point we would witness – and experience – the consequences of the many legal changes that have been put into place since 9/11.

On that topic, the following is an excerpt from an article that Doug Casey sent over, from The Atlantic …

A Detention Bill You Ought to Read More Carefully

Why is the national security community treating the "Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010," introduced by Sens. John McCain and Joseph Lieberman on Thursday as a standard proposal, as a simple response to the administration's choices in the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing attempt?

A close reading of the bill suggests it would allow the U.S. military to detain U.S. citizens without trial indefinitely in the U.S. based on suspected activity. Read the bill here, and then read the summarized points after the jump.

According to the summary, the bill sets out a comprehensive policy for the detention, interrogation and trial of suspected enemy belligerents who are believed to have engaged in hostilities against the United States by requiring these individuals to be held in military custody, interrogated for their intelligence value and not provided with a Miranda warning.
(There is no distinction between U.S. persons--visa holders or citizens--and non-U.S. persons.)

It would require these "belligerents" to be coded as "high-value detainee[s]" to be held in military custody and interrogated for their intelligence value by a High-Value Detainee Interrogation Team established by the president. (The H.I.G., of course, was established to bring a sophisticated interrogation capacity to the federal justice system.)

Any suspected unprivileged enemy belligerents considered a "high-value detainee" shall not be provided with a Miranda warning.

The bill asks the President to determine criteria for designating an individual as a "high-value detainee" if he/she: (1) poses a threat of an attack on civilians or civilian facilities within the U.S. or U.S. facilities abroad; (2) poses a threat to U.S. military personnel or U.S. military facilities; (3) potential intelligence value; (4) is a member of al Qaeda or a terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda or (5) such other matters as the President considers appropriate. The President must submit the regulations and guidance to the appropriate committees of Congress no later than 60 days after enactment.

To the extent possible, the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Team must make a preliminary determination whether the detainee is an unprivileged enemy belligerent within 48 hours of taking detainee into custody.

Full article here.

All together now, let's repeat the refrain:
"It Can't Happen Here".