Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security - washingtonpost.com

"The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials. "

This is wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Here's why.

First of all, active troops on domestic postings are not "civilian protection": they are government protection. In other words, their mission is to do what the government says, when the government says and in the manner the government--the government, NOT the citizens--choose. State rights? Screw them, this is the U.S. of part of A.'s freaking Armed Forces We're talking about here, governor "I will shoot you dead if you dare to interfere."

Second, every military unit has three ongoing functions: training, planning and reconnaisance. Though training and planning for domestic crises are already a part of every branch's mission profile, reconnaisance--which means gathering intelligence, including spying--has so far been aimed outward, to potential enemies and flashpoints around the world. What is armed forces' reconnaisance called when it is turned inward, towards the citizenry the military is "protecting"?

It's called fascism, the use of military strength--that only the government has and controls--to subdue, subvert, threaten or otherwise dominate a nation.

There is NO other word for it, NO other explanation and NO reason for this to be done. Except to continue a fascist policy of national self-destruction, aided and abetted by Our indifference.