Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Like most of us I have been watching the developments in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon tragedy throughout the week. Because I’m retired I probably logged more hours of viewing it on TV than most people who are younger. The initial bombings on Monday and their aftermath made me terribly sad at the loss of innocent lives and the maiming of so many, which will have future pain and consequences for the entire lives of the victims. As a father and grandfather how could I not feel painful tears for the death of an 8 year old and the lifelong pain of his parents? Yet beyond that sadness, I also felt a sense of anxiety in my chest as I listened to the hour upon hour of cable news coverage and the analysis of “terrorism experts” aligned with prognosticators telling us what it all means.
My anxiety did not stem from fear of terrorism, because that fear is irrational. This is so not because terrorism is a chimera, but because this type of terrorism is an all too real fact of the lives of humanity and indeed while we in America have suffered it, so has the rest of the world to an even greater degree. Great Britain, Spain, Iraq, Israel, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia etc. and so on and so forth. Life itself is always uncertain and unseen death lurks as a constant possibility for even the most protected of us. This has always been the human condition and the truth is that as the eons of human history have passed we are far safer now than our ancestors ever were. Yet it is also a human necessity to maintain the illusion of our own safety and indeed immortality. When horrors like the Boston Marathon bombings occur it tends to shake up our human illusions and engender fear. In the aftermath of these horrors though come the “explainers” whose attempts to soothe us only increase the fears. Following the “explainers” come those who would exploit the aroused fears for their personal gain or predilection. This happened in America from 9/11 and in its wake the false meme “This Changes Everything” was transformed into a reality of war, torture and the shredding of our Constitution. My anxiety was raised because as I watch this all unfold on TV I became fearful of how this new attention arousing horror would be used by those intent upon transforming this country into a Police State under the guise of saving it from terror.
Last night I watched the TV coverage from 5:00 pm until Midnight. In the aftermath of the successful capture of the second suspect and with the bows taken by the innumerable Law Enforcement Officers (LEO’s), my anxiety reached a point of fruition where I saw that this whole incident does not bode well for us all and for our freedoms. The climax of that during the self-congratulatory press conference was the introduction of the vile U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who will be handling this prosecution. For those where the name Carmen Ortiz doesn’t ring a bell please follow these links to recent blogs by Jonathan Turley and me: http://jonathanturley.org/2013/01/30/the-obama-administrations-inspector-javert-federal-court-rejects-forfeiture-effort-by-the-office-of-carmen-ortiz-in-stinging-rebuke/ and: http://jonathanturley.org/2013/01/26/carmen-ortiz-prosecution-for-political-ego/ and this: http://jonathanturley.org/2013/01/18/the-obama-administrations-inspector-javert-speaks-ortiz-issues-statement-in-swartz-case/
Ms. Ortiz responded to a question by confirming the “Public Safety Exception” would be invoked in this case, which would delay informing the suspect of his Miranda rights and keep him from seeing an attorney. The use of this Court approved “exception” basically takes away the Constitutional Rights of defendants presumed to be terrorists and yes this is something that we as ordinary citizens should worry about as explained here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/04/dzhokhar_tsarnaev_and_miranda_rights_the_public_safety_exception_and_terrorism.html
There had been speculation throughout the day that this “Exception” would be invoked, indeed the “estimable” Senator Lindsay Graham has called on the President to invoke this “exception” and now after the successful capture we get confirmation that the Administration would do just that and this information is relayed by a U.S. Attorney who has exhibited the tendency to use the power of the office to harass at least one person into suicide.
There was more though about the whole way this case played out that disturbed me further and it is something that I have written about recently: http://jonathanturley.org/2013/03/09/swat-is-america-coming-under-martial-law/
After the death of the older brother in the shootout in the middle of night and the escape of the younger brother initiating the massed manhunt, the entire City of Boston was in effect shut down. Maybe I’m too blasé in attitude but this seemed to be an extraordinary measure. Even in the direct aftermath of 9/11 only Lower Manhattan below 42nd Street was shut down and that was due to the chaos and disruption in the aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center disrupting the subways and other New York City services. In this case the citizens of an entire large City were ordered to remain indoors indefinitely. Now I can understand this precaution taken in the Watertown area alone, but all of Boston seems excessive. It essentially held an entire City hostage to the whims of one admittedly dangerous 19 year old, where all the evidence would lead one to presume was on foot, since LEO’s quickly discovered the abandoned, hijacked Mercedes he drove through a police barricade to escape. I found this troubling.
It was ironic in the end, that the suspect was eventually located as a direct result of the “shutdown” being lifted, by a man who came out of his house, noticed blood on the tarp of his boat and peeked in to see the suspect covered in blood. Also troubling to me was that once the suspect had been located it seemed like every sort of LEO from the area drove down congesting the streets with an abundance of vehicles, armored cars, ambulances and trucks of various kinds. Actually an hour into the siege I saw three Federal Government, Black SUV’s pull up into the crowd of vehicles and LEO’s and these were presumably the FBI arriving on the scene. Actually, the Agencies represented there were beyond count. There were at least the Watertown PD, the Boston PD, the FBI, and the DEA (why?), the ATF, the Massachusetts State Troopers, the National Guard (why?) and who knows who else. The show of force to capture one cornered and bloody young man was extraordinary and I think far out of proportion to the mission at hand. Indeed it seemed that many officers came down to feel like they had gotten into the action, rather than out of need. That this terrorist was captured alive is indeed salutary, but the show of force seemed out of place and will no doubt serve as a model for future situations. This indeed seemed to be the “Martial Law” that I discussed in my blog linked above.
Please understand I’m not implying that the capture of the suspect and the solving of this act of terror, at least of the immediate perpetrators wasn’t a good bit of work by law enforcement, because it was. Yet if you think about it, as with most stupidly committed crimes a good deal of the work done was not trailblazing a new path, but actually using long established law enforcement methods updated by our digital age. The cameras that captured the original pictures belonged to Lord and Taylor, not the City of Boston. The video of the two men that was played over and over was a direct analogy to something that we’ve used in this country for hundreds of years, the wanted poster. While it might come out that the video of the perpetrators initiated leads as to the men’s identities from friends and acquaintances, it was the killing of the MIT policeman that focused the attention of the area where the bombers were confronted. Finally, even though a supposed perimeter had been established that cornered the younger brother, he was as admitted by the police holed up in a boat one block outside that perimeter and only discovered by a private citizen. This was good police work, but not astounding police work and yet the hagiography has already begun about this case and precedent will be established based upon it. I am glad for the capture, interested in discovering the reasons for this terrible act, but depressed that it may represent a further step towards a police state in America, under possibly martial law. What do you think?
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/03/09/swat-is-america-coming-under-martial-law/
Bruce E. Woych 1, April 21, 2013 at 11:23 am
Dredd: Sympathies are not in question here, nor empathy.
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When you figure out where “here” is we can talk.
Blouise,
🙂
nick,
The day Elaine, SwM, and I get guns is the day you all need to “shelter in place”.
When Elaine said, “I’m still packing” I first thought she meant she had a gun! That would have knocked me off my chair. Books makes much more sense.
Why would anyone believe Obama/Bush/Clinton & their associated mafia type goon forces hate the total concept of the founders of the USA & why would many in this current generation of leaders sponsor groups like Al CIAda & likely are bad actors at the Boston area events of late?
Looking at things from a different angle you can see they are looking for heavy cover for their criminal friends running the Transnational Wallst/London Banks.
They don’t give a dam about the rest of us or our families.
I personally trust the info I receive from Greg, Paul & Bill that I post below here.
I’ve not listened to Bill Black’s latest below, but I will.
**
Crisis They Can’t Avoid-Paul Craig Roberts
http://usawatchdog.com/crisis-they-cant-avoid-paul-craig-roberts/
**
Felons in Charge of Our Largest Financial Institutions-Professor William Black
http://usawatchdog.com/felons-in-charge-of-our-largest-financial-institutions-professor-william-black/
Elaine,
If you’ll recall Genes thread on here about the 100 mile rule…. DHS coulda done what the unified forces did without fear of reprisal….. Well maybe reprisal…. But clearly within there authority….
That is one of the main reasons I am against a Federal Firearm Regulation… Leave it up to each state to determine what’s appropriate…. Once the mouse gets under the door…. It’s capable of having babies…. That’s why I’m opposed to even one mouse in the house…. Look what Bush did to the Constitution and Obama is doing this very instance…
Now for the fine job the response team did… I am greatful….just as I am for the fine job the locals did in West, Texas….. Because it could not be classified anything other than an industrial accident and not within 100 miles of the US border I would be opposed to a SWAT taking command…. But I believe that if they, The ATF and E….could have gotten in somehow they would have….
nick spinelli 1, April 21, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Dredd, Never mind.
=======================
Horny for war?
Blouise,
“… and still some missing.”
about 60 missing last I heard.
Elaine,
Oh well, they do all seem grateful in Boston and I’ve listened carefully to the interviews and watched the videos that many of them took while their homes were being searched … I guess I’d have to go along with it if it were to happen here though I do wonder how the 4 year old would react … not to mention my neighbor’s German Shepherds.
BTW … those poor souls down in Texas, 14 dead, 200 injured, and still some missing.
Elaine M. 1, April 21, 2013 at 2:09 pm
…
How would I feel …
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I saw a woman with a young child come to the door when a squad of space alien looking types with guns knocked on her door.
They had guns and other odd looking things hanging off them everywhere.
It was like professor Gadget turned red neck after drinking potions.
They told the startled woman with her kid to get the @#$% out on to the side walk NOW so they could search her house.
I am sure that if the terribly dangerous near dead kid was in there that would have saved her.
Yep. They are the saviors of Mithra. Praise the Lard.
Marching up to the door with an irresistible squad would bring any wounded, sleep deprived renegade rational calm, as it does with every other on-the-loose, crazy with fear, wanted person.
Those stories of killing the kidnapped then oneself are just urban myth.
He would drop what he was doing and that would be the end of it.
At least they did try to sneak up on him by keeping it down to a dull roar that could only be heard on only one block at a time.
Blouise,
Mike wrote:
“It was ironic in the end, that the suspect was eventually located as a direct result of the “shutdown” being lifted, by a man who came out of his house, noticed blood on the tarp of his boat and peeked in to see the suspect covered in blood.”
That is a good point…and something to think about.
Blouise,
We’re still packing! Lots of books to move.
How would I feel about a house to house search? I’m not sure. I heard someone on TV talk about his house being searched. I guess police looked in rooms and closets–but not through cabinets, etc. I think if police made a mess of my house and weren’t respectful, I’d be upset. If I thought one of the bombers might be in my neighborhood, I might be thankful the area was being carefully searched. I think it’s hard to know how you’d react until you are actually faced with a situation like that.
nick spinelli 1, April 20, 2013 at 12:07 pm
They had bombs and were suicidal, that makes them quite different than other killers.
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Oh, so the bad killers, who we should lock-down in Pavlovian response, when they kill, and the bad killers who we should not.
Or vice versa?
The first time an American city went in lock down because of a near-dead wounded kid … but the gestapo looking bad actors never found?
The 19 year old kid who forty gazillion red necks could not find?
Who one citizen found after they all went to the dognut shop to watch themselves save American on TV.
Bullshit.
Blouise,
Anything can happen. I doubt, however, that “#2” would have fled/been able to flee on foot to my neck of the woods. It would have been quite a trek for him. Still, the drive into Boston from where I live when traffic is especially heavy might take longer than traveling by foot.
Dredd, Never mind.
Elaine, Thanks for a thoughful response and I agree, I would have done the same for my kids.
nick spinelli 1, April 21, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Dredd, Let’s just discuss how the people who were most affected reacted to the lockdown and search. I’m very serious, have you seen anyone in Boston complaining. I’m sure there are some. I’ve looked on websites most likely to write about them but haven’t found any to date.Can we agree people most hurt see this differently than us sitting in our living room[mother’s basement was a bit over the line..I admit].
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We are all Bostonians, and they are all Americans.
Even if an entire state such as Texas wants to secede, or a bunch of southern states want what is not American, I will resist them no matter what, until they are gone or I am gone.
The good people of Germany, and I do mean good people, became seduced by strong, strong (did I mention strong?) propaganda.
Except for many that did not, like Oskar.
I am a follower of Oskar Schindler (“Schlinder’s List”).
My kind of hero.
The gestapo pigs do not impress me, whether they have on robes, wear jack boots, or have diarrhea mouth.
Elaine,
I’m glad you posted about the sheltering in place for I agree that that was a wise move on the city’s part. I am wondering though, and since you do live so close to the area, it is conceivable that the suspects could have gone 20 miles before being spotted and the shoot-out and subsequent escape of #2 on foot could have happened in your neck of the woods … other than perhaps inveigling a couple policemen to help you with your packing ( 😉 ), how would you have felt about a house to house search?
I ask because I’m so far away and only watching on T.V. and find my imagination limited by those two factors.
Oops, spell ck: Below are some pictures that are in that movie of what it govt sponsored torture/terrorism looks like in the USA “Without” Miranda Rights:
I guess on April 19, 1775 & again on July 4, 1776 the people of the Boston area, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison & the boys should have turned over their rifles, gun powder & cannons & got down on their knees & licked the horse crap off the mentally ill King George 3rd’s Red Coats boots.
Geezzzz, what the heck is wrong with some of you? Are you on Dope?
If you are you need to get some different stuff because the rest are not buying into your Commie Nazi Fascist Crap.
What just has been happening in Boston by “Bad Guys” got inside our Govt is unacceptable.
Legal action needs to be bought against them & have them immediately removed from positions of power.
(Obama, Holder, DHS, TSA…& they can dragnet the Bush/Clintons & their crews while were at it.)
If you love the Commie/Nazi crap do the rest of us a favor crawl out from hiding under your blankets, shaking in fear & move to England/North Korea, Mexico, but get the heck off our block.
(Geezz, How do I add , I respectfully submit to you that willfully Aid & Abet to False Flag Terrorism? Sorry, it ain’t happening!)
“There Is Something Greater Then Fear” people, grow a pair & get up off your begging helpless knees.
From the looks of it some of you didn’t bother looking at that movie & how OKC bombing is directly related to events like Boston that I posted above: A Noble Lie.
Below are some pictures that are in that movie of what it govt sponsored torture/terrorism looks like in the USA with Miranda Rights:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=881&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3Rt0UaDdIMbK2gW8loHoCA&sqi=2&ved=0CC4QsAQ&q=jesse%20trentadue
I live less than twenty miles from Boston. When my husband and I were watching TV Friday morning and heard about the events of Thursday evening and Friday morning and about the lockdown/closing of certain communities near Boston, we discussed whether or not it was a good decision.The first thing that came to my mind was the young kids who’d be walking to and from school on Friday. It would have been another tragedy had a child/some children gotten caught in a crossfire…had a grenade thrown at them…been run over during a high-speed chase. I think I would have kept my child home from school and off the streets that day if I lived in Watertown.