Department of Homeland Security Might Result in Secret Police and Dictatorship in Ten Years

[GulliverSwift]

The new Department of Homeland Security may seem benign at the moment, but it can become an instrument of terror and tyranny in the hands of future leaders.

This new department would worry about policing the homefront, kind of like Nazi or Soviet Secret Police. It may seem nice right now because we're all imaging Bush as the head of this Department. Can you imagine what XXXClinton would have done with all this homeland power? Nowadays you see Bush detaining people without questioning and without charge, including one American citizen. It's not horrible when Bush does it becuase we know he's not a lying scumbag; but all this detaining of people sets a precedent, for future presidents. For example, what if Bill Clinton were to come in for a third term after Bush? With a new Department of Secret Police--I mean Homeland Security, Clinton would full exercise the powers the FBI has been given, including permission for agents to now monitor at will without permission.

Clinton's new Homeland Security department would monitor for "terrorists" such as conservative groups and political enemies. We already know he did some of this in Arkansas, and Vince Foster? (Anyone know more about this? What happened in Arkansas and with Foster?)

With Bush setting the precedent of holding people, although evil Muslim terrorists, without charge, Bill Clinton would do that and a little bit more, all in the name of "security." Who knows who he would hold without charge? Could be anybody, and we definitely may never even hear about it. If the CIA is recruited to cooperate with this new department, we could have CIA domestic assasinations and wiretaps. The main function of the new Department of Homeland Security is to monitor communications for future terrorists attacks. With that new emporwerment, anything communications from anyone could be monitored, all with a blank check.

If any of you have seen Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, you have seen the Emperor starting to get power. He secretly starts a war and then says, "look at these enemies, we need an army to protect ourselves." He also had been secretly building an army of clones who are Storm Troopers (ever wondered why they're so dumb and can't outshoot an outnumbered Princess Leah?) He eventually persuades the Imperial Senate to grant him "temporary" powers over the entire army. At the end of the movie he still is one of the "good" guys and the Storm Troopers even save the day and rescue a bunch of Jedis. (too many women Jedis and goofy looking ones. I used to think Jedis were cool until I saw a hundred goofy looking ones grouped together.)

Anyway, you can see that a perceived threat can result in a something that's ten times worse -- and it's not a threat, but a reality.

Now you know what a future president can do. Now let's look at what someone in the past was able to do while in charge of "homeland security."

Joseph Stalin was low-level and insignificant. He played no major role in the ingenius and bold takeover of Czarist Russia, unlike others such as Lenin and Trotsky. After the Communists had secured power Lenin was passing out jobs, asking which one of his confidants would like which job. "Would anyone like foreign affairs?" he asked. Someone chose the job. He asked other prominent positions and others volunteered. Then he asked, "Would anyone like the charge of security and the police force around Moscow?" What a low-ranking, worthless job! No one wanted that, so Stalin "humbly" volunteered. But he knew, as he confided to a friend, that he had just been the power, the literal, concrete power, over Moscow. It took time, but after Lenin's death he was able to eliminate one enemy after another, all prominent people in the Russian Revolution.

Many prominent former revolutionaries such as Trotsky posed a threat so he had them carted off to Siberia or shot. Although his personal Department of Homeland Security seemed benign (if you don't know, look it up at dictionary.com) at first, and quite low-level, the Department enabled him, a lowly, timid and insignificant role player in the Revolution to become the absolute dicator of the Soviet Union for decades.

Boy, that Tom Ridge is a nice guy, isn't he?

But I'm not so sure about 2008 president John F. Kerry's Homeland Security head (surrounded by his personal Secret Police.):

[SamAdams76]

Good points. I too am uncomfortable with the concept of a federal "Homeland Security Department." To be frank, it sounds like something out of Germany from 1933. If this department was created by Bill Clinton, this forum would have gone utterly ballistic.

[gwynapnudd]

Can you envision what this department will do in the Gore-Clinton administration.

[Texasforever]

You are aware I hope that there are, with the possible exception of INS enforcement and Coast Guard, no police agencies in this department

[ThePythonicCow]

I think this article overestimates the increased power accorded the Office of Homeland Security (it will be more another beauracratic layer wrapping existing offices), underestimates the damage that Clinton managed to wreck on our nation without such an Office, and very much underestimates the force that our tradition of electing a new President every 4 years has on keeping us free.

[sneakypete]

The new Department of Homeland Security may seem benign at the moment, but it can become an instrument of terror and tyranny in the hands of future leaders.

That's the whole purpose behind creating it. It's all about increasing the size and power of gooberment while reducing the rights of citizens. It has absolutely nothing to do with stopping terrorism.

[GulliverSwift]

Anything that seems impossible now could be very possible in ten years. The more threat people feel from terrorists, the more they'll want to rely on a department with more and more powers to "protect" us at home.

[SamAdams76]

I agree with the poster of the article that we have little to worry about with Bush in office. But if somebody like Bill Clinton was to get into office again, they could very quickly ramp up this Homeland Security department into something entirely different.

[sneakypete]

You are aware I hope that there are, with the possible exception of INS enforcement and Coast Guard, no police agencies in this department

And you are aware,I hope,of there already being talk of having Special Operations forces like Delta Force come under it,right? There was a thread right here on FR about this within the last couple of days.

[cva66snipe]

No new act of leglislation, no new department, no new program, no new act should be inacted without serious consideration to it's potential abuses in the future. Precedents are the worst of the worst in Pandora's Boxes of which abuses are born. Once both parties agree that something is constitutional or gives approval {as I no longer believe constitutionality is any longer considered a deciding factor in our political process} then it is only a matter to what degree either of them decides to abuse that new found power.

You are fixing to get some post about the impossible third term of Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton as POTUS would indeed be a third Clinton term. This should sober up anyone drunk on the illusion all is well because it's our guys in charge and doing it.

[Texasforever]

And you are aware,I hope,of there already being talk of having Special Operations forces like Delta Force come under it,right? There was a thread right here on FR about this within the last couple of days.

Post the link.

[ThePythonicCow]

Hillary Clinton as POTUS

Now that scares me, Office of Homeland Security or not.

[GulliverSwift]

You are fixing to get some post about the impossible third term of Bill Clinton.

Yeah, I know. I guess I didn't make it clear enough that that's impossible (thank goodness). Unfortunately, a Hitlery Clinton presidency is not impossible.

[Red Jones]

interesting story about Stalin's rise to power.

Also, the CIA already has become very troubling in that it kills way too many US citizens. They killed William Colby (spelling?) who had previouslu been director of CIA. If they killed him, they'll kill anybody.

Remember what our government did at Waco!! They're already capable of a lot of very bad things.

[Don Joe]

1. We are at war. This is not "business as usual."

2. The Constitution is not a suicide pact. See 1.

3. When all is said and done, we still have government by the consent of the governed. Don't want to see scoundrels in office? Then work to keep them out of office.

[GulliverSwift]

Don't want to see scoundrels in office? Then work to keep them out of office.

I sure will, but if those scoundrels get countrol of the new powers, we're all in trouble, especially conservatives, in big trouble.

"President Hillary" (I hated typing it) would probably assign people to monitor FreeRepublic, and use special technology to know about each and every poster. All under the guise of some "terror threats" that they secretly posted on the site.

[Texasforever]

Just one question; should Hillary be elected what makes you think that she would not form the exact same agency as a true secret police force? Should no Republican president act if those actions can be used differently by a future administration? Are Republicans just placeholders?

[philman_36]

For example, what if Bill Clinton were to come in for a third term after Bush?
He can't.
The Constitution of the United States of America
Amendment XXII
Section 1. (of 2) No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Gotta go global or be "second rate".

[rwfromkansas]

oooh....how scary. :)

[brat]

I too am very concerned about this. Bush I trust, but what happens under another Bill/Hill/Reno team? Once these things come into being they are not only permanent but dangerous. We know a Christian persecution lies ahead....are these the future enforcers?