Gen. Franks Doubts Constitution Will Survive WMD Attack

News Max.Com ^ | 11-21-03

[meadsjn]

From the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The U.S. government exists only because the delegates of the sovereign people of the several sovereign states contracted, via the U.S. Constitution, for the federal government to exist, and the purpose and duties of the U.S. government are outlined in that same document.

If, for any reason, the U.S. Constitution is declared or rendered invalid, the federal government ceases to exist as a legal entity. All those people running around trying to tell the people what to do and where to go, will be no more valid than any other self-possessed band of thugs, regardless of their armament.

The people are the sovereigns in this nation, and no legal authority exists without the consent of the people.

They would be like employees who, after quitting or being fired, attempted to take over and run someone elses's company.

I'm aware that this is not what they teach in the government schools these days, but it is the gospel truth to the 80 million or so Americans who will make the difference.

[MattAMiller]

We had no idea what was going to happen after 9/11 and we all stayed calm. People seriously underestimate just how deeply ingrained order is in our society.

[Eastbound]

That was my first thought when I read the header.

[PLMerite]

"Does anybody doubt that in the event of a WMD attack they would declare Martial Law? Of course not. That would have to happen in order to avoid mass panic, the public executing the entire Muslim population, etc."

True. I'm sure that's actually in the job description somewhere as far as "defending the country" goes. The tricky part is getting them to recognize when the time for martial law has passed.

[Publius6961]

Gen. Tommy Franks says that if the United States is hit with a weapon of mass destruction that inflicts large casualties, the Constitution will likely be discarded in favor of a military form of government.

Well, to a guy with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

I think the Constitution can and will survive with a minimum of tweaking.
That the Constitution applies only to U.S. Citizens is a clear start.
Citizenship is granted only to children of citizens and legal permanent residents.

Visitors, which would include students, of all foreign countries will be ruled according to the rules of their own countries, as applied to the benefit of the United States. i.e. restrictions on dress, speech, involvement in political speech, ability to exercise their religion or not.
Violators are subject to immediate deportation; no appeals or delays.

No foreign countries are permitted to fund churches or "cultural" centers in the United States, if such is prohibited to Americans in that foreign country.

It may be obvious that "military rule" is not a necessity to accomplish any of the above.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Hey hope, please do not feel that way. I can see how you inferred that. I think we should all defend GWB exactly as you did.

Besides, I see you have been around here a long time as well. Do you remember infiltrators such as ash, etc? On FR, it seems we can never be too sure as to who is popping in to get in a few digs at us Patriots.

[meadsjn]

But as I said, if I have to bet, I will bet that a temporary military Govt., as in Japan right after WWII will probably happen to maintain order and keep our society civilized, until stability is restored.

You seem to put a whole lot of faith in these magical "authorities" who keep our society civilized. That sounds suspiciously like the British aristocrats who wanted so much to "put those uppity colonists back in their proper place", which was to serve the crown.

What civility there is left in this country is only the result of the people who remember that they are free people, responsible citizens, and good neighbors.

Civility is not a gift from overly self-important government employees. The people are civil, in most of the country, in spite of the government.

[PLMerite]

"How did Japan survive the destruction of Hiroshima?"

Technically, they didn't. Not with the form of government they had before the surrender. For the people of Japan that was actually an improvement.

For us, I doubt that it would turn out as well.

[MissAmericanPie]

Should we ever be attacked by a WMD and some squinty eyed politician attempts to set aside the US Constitution, they will find they have stirred a hornets nest and will be fighting a battle for survival on many fronts.

[MattAMiller]

So the banks are closed and the freeways are clogged until everybody cools off, big deal. The economy would be slammed, but we'd survive it.

[Political Junkie Too]

I guess my point was that we already have a constitution, unlike Japan at the end of WWII. Having a constitution allowed them, as a people, to continue. Why would we want to suspend ours?

Would Western Civilization come to our aid or dance on our graves if we were hit? If they don't help us, they will be next. Would a military take-over of our government from within be an extreme result of a WMD attack? Couldn't we react without internally tossing out 227 years of constitutional rule on day WMD+1?

And surrendering to the enemy will not preserve our constitutional freedoms, either.

-PJ

[Publius6961]

The story is very believable, the sleepers are already here.

So?
I don't care how many there are; I give them a longevity of 10 days, max.
Same goes for their supporters.

[Calpernia]

placemark

[EDINVA]

removed from WHAT? He's retired

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[Publius6961]

the logical thing to do would be to nuke all military and weapons production targets in Pakistan, North Korea and Iran. And for it to be effective, it would have to happen within 1 hour of the attack on us. We can't sit around and debate it for 6 months.

Not nearly enough.
All Muslim capitals and industrial and communications centers must also be utterly destroyed.
They should be rebuilding their pathetic culture for generations funded entirely by themselves. With no help from the oil fields, which will be no longer theirs.
Imagine all the Middle East Oil divided between Russia, China, the U.S. anf Great Britain.

[potlatch]

Scary article.

[Publius6961]

Any WMD attack will have to be targeted at high population density areas. They don't have the resource to affect more than a small fraction of the country.

Not entirely a bad thing...

[B4Ranch]

"I would be thrilled if 20% actually had the fortitude to step up and ensure that our country doesn't devolve into a military dictatorship."

The 20% of which you speak is all above 45 years old. You and I do share the same dream, unfortunately, I think that's what it is, just a dream. We have been outfoxed by the best criminals in the world.

[Publius6961]

If a major WMD attack occurs in a big city or more than one, we can expect the market and the economy to collapse. As it happens here, so goes the world. All the western economies will collapse. All global commerce will cease, all air travel will cease for the most part.

Fifty years ago perhaps.
Today? No way.

Y2K rotted your brain.