ey label an "enemy combatant." It is impossible to overstate the significance of this power. It has totally upended the relationship of the military and civilian in the United States. The assumption of this particular power easily constitutes one of the most monumental revolutions of liberty and power in history. It is a revolution that every American must confront now, not later. If people wait until later to confront the expanded use of this power, it will be too late, because by that time it will be too dangerous to do so.

As long as this particular power is permitted to stand, there is no possibility for Americans to be considered a free people. A necessary prerequisite for restoring freedom to our land is the removal of this power from the arsenal of government officials.

Everyone needs to understand the nature of this power and its enormous significance. Historically, the U.S. military has lacked the power to arrest, incarcerate, or inflict harm on American civilians. If Americans committed a federal crime, they were subject to being indicted by a federal grand jury and then prosecuted in U.S. District Court. The Bill of Rights guaranteed that the accused would be accorded certain rights of due process of law, such as the right to defend himself with the assistance of an attorney, to confront the witnesses whose testimony the prosecutors were relying on, to summon witnesses in his behalf, to remain silent, and to have a trial by jury. Everyone was presumed to be innocent and the government had to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Those constitutional protections and guarantees were upended on 9/11, without even the semblance of a constitutional amendment. On 9/11 the president and the Pentagon assumed to themselves the power to take any American into custody and inflict violence on him, without according him any of the protections provided by the Bill of Rights. Today, the Pentagon has the authority, on orders of its commander in chief, to send American soldiers into any neighborhood in the country and take into custody any American citizen and inflict harm on him simply by labeling him an "enemy combatant" in the "war on terror."

Let me emphasize something important here, especially for libertarians, who have long committed their lives to the achievement of a free society: There is no way - none - to reconcile the assumption of this power with a free society. In fact, it is the most powerful government power of all - the ultimate power that can ever be wielded by a tyrannical government. No infringement on economic liberty - hyperinflation, confiscatory taxation, oppressive regulation, or the like - can compare in significance with the omnipotent power of a government official to arbitrarily pick up anyone he wants for any reason he wants and incarcerate him, torture him, and execute him.

Here's how this revolution of liberty and power occurred.

After 9/11, U.S. officials declared what they called a "war on terror." They said that this was akin to a real war, such as World War I and World War II, despite the fact that terrorism was still listed on the federal statute books as a federal crime. The "war on terror" was a "global" war, they said, one in which the president, the CIA, and the Pentagon would have to fight terrorists all over the world. Since it was a real war against illegal combatants, the CIA and the Pentagon did not need to heed legal and constitutional procedures. They were "taking off the gloves" to keep Americans safe from the terrorists.

The CIA and the Pentagon assumed the authority to kidnap, capture, arrest, torture, "rendition," and execute suspected terrorists all over the world. There were a few indictments, prosecutions, and convictions for terrorism in federal court, such as that of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. But for the vast majority of foreigners U.S. officials picked up for terrorism, there was torture, indefinite incarceration, and in some cases extra-judicial executions. Sometimes the torture occurred at the hands of U.S. personnel. Other times, the torture was outsourced ("renditioned") to police or intelligence forces of brutal, but friendly, foreign regimes.

Through it all, Americans innocently and naïvely assumed that the power now being exercised by the CIA and the Pentagon applied only to foreigners, not to Americans. Engaged in wishful thinking, they were blinding themselves to reality. As U.S. officials repeatedly emphasized after 9/11, the war on terror was /global/ in nature, which meant that the military power to wage the war on terror included going after the terrorists right here inside the United States.

(continued)

--"We are the generation that shook up the old order and dared to dream big"...Susan Crandell "Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." -- John F. Kennedy "Fascism will come to this country and it will come disguised as Americanism." -- Governor Huey Long.

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http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Find-Freedom.htm?At=017083&From=News

Welcome to Infoshop News Monday, April 09 2007 @ 03:46 AM PDT Pittsburgh

Police Attack and Brutalize Anti-War Protesters Thursday, April 05 2007 @ 08:10 AM PDTContributed by: AnonymousViews: 1,020 Pittsburgh police hit, choke and arrest anti-war demonstrators protesting new marine officer recruiting station in Shadyside.Thanks to those of you who attended Pittsburgh Organizing Group's anti-war picket, this past Tuesday, at the new military recruiting station in Shadyside. Without the support of those of you who continue to put yourselves on the line, in spite of the violence and oppression we continue to face, we would not be able to continue effectively opposing the war and our community's connections to it. For those who didn't make it yesterday we wanted to make you aware of a number of disturbing police incidents that occurred and ask for your help.Pittsburgh Police Attack and Brutalize Anti-War ProtestersPittsburgh police hit, choke and arrest anti-war demonstrators protesting new marine officer recruiting station in Shadyside.Thanks to those of you who attended Pittsburgh Organizing Group's anti-war picket, this past Tuesday, at the new military recruiting station in Shadyside.

Without the support of those of you who continue to put yourselves on the line, in spite of the violence and oppression we continue to face, we would not be able to continue effectively opposing the war and our community's connections to it. For those who didn't make it yesterday we wanted to make you aware of a number of disturbing police incidents that occurred and ask for your help.How you can help:We have several important events coming up that need community support. The first is a candlelight vigil on Thursday, April 12th at 7:30pm outside the home of Sgt. Vollberg, 1705 Cosmos St, Pittsburgh, PA 15207 (in West Mifflin), the officer who brutalized people at the protest.The second is another picket at the Marine Officer Recruiting Station, 3587 Ellsworth Ave. In Shadyside on April 14th, at 6pm.What happened yesterday was an attack on our ability to continue regular pickets. If we lose the space to be in front of the station, or to even document police response to our events, it is difficult to see how we could continue our campaign.

We will be picketing the Oakland recruiting station, 3712 Forbes Ave, again on Tuesday, April 17th at 5:30pm.With two people arrested, we are in need of donations for legal defense costs. Please consider making a donation at: http://www.organizepittsburgh.org/index.php?page=donate or mail a donation to POG c/O TMC, 5125 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224.What happened:On April 3, Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) held its first picket at the new Marine Officer recruiting station in Shadyside as part of a two-year-long campaign to expose and confront those facilitating the continuation of the war.As usual, protesters lined the edge of the street holding signs such as "honk for peace" and handed out flyers about the realities of enlistment and the misrepresentations used by recruiters. Two plainclothes police were in a garage across the street watching the protest with binoculars and taking pictures, two bicycle cops were riding around the area watching the protest, and four more police were standing about 10 feet away from the protest observing.An hour into the picket, protesters were at the edge of the sidewalk on both sides of the street and the sidewalk was otherwise clear to pedestrians who continued to pass.

Many passing cars honked in support. After three female drivers honked in the span of a minute, Sgt. Vollberg (Badge #3618) turned to his partner and commented, "Did you notice all of these women are fat, ugly bitches," eliciting a laugh from the other officer. A protester who was attending the picket to document events (he wasn't holding a sign) turned around from the edge of the sidewalk and took a picture of the two officers. Sgt. Vollberg became visibly belligerent and started asking why his picture was being taken. Upon being told that the picture was related to his comment, he stated that protesters were cowards for not attaching their names to the pictures they post and stating that people lacked the "balls" he had. At this point, the protester with the camera attempted to take another picture. As soon as the camera was raised, Vollberg began shouting, "Get the fuck out of here!" and pursued the backing away protester for 30 feet, hiting him in the chest numerous times and shouting for him to "get the fuck away" from the picket entirely because "he was done."During these completely unprovoked acts of violence, other protesters merely observed what was happening and verbally objected to what was occurring. Vollberg next attacked the other witness to his initial comment, a young man who had been verbally protesting the police violence. The officer twisted the young man's arm, banged his head of a brick wall and arrested him.

Another Welcome to Infoshop News Monday, April 09 2007 @ 03:46 AM PDT Pittsburgh Police Attack and Brutalize Anti-War Protesters Thursday, April 05 2007 @ 08:10 AM PDTContributed by: AnonymousViews: 1,020 Pittsburgh police hit, choke and arrest anti-war demonstrators protesting new marine officer recruiting station in Shadyside.Thanks to those of you who attended Pittsburgh Organizing Group's anti-war picket, this past Tuesday, at the new military recruiting station in Shadyside. Without the support of those of you who continue to put yourselves on the line, in spite of the violence and oppression we continue to face, we would not be able to continue effectively opposing the war and our community's connections to it. For those who didn't make it yesterday we wanted to make you aware of a number of disturbing police incidents that occurred and ask for your help.Pittsburgh Police Attack and Brutalize Anti-War ProtestersPittsburgh police hit,choke and arrest anti-war demonstrators protesting new marine officer recruiting station in Shadyside.Thanks to those of you who attended Pittsburgh Organizing Group's anti-war picket, this past Tuesday, at the new military recruiting station in Shadyside.

Without the support of those of you who continue to put yourselves on the line, in spite of the violence and oppression we continue to face, we would not be able to continue effectively opposing the war and our community's connections to it. For those who didn't make it yesterday we wanted to make you aware of a number of disturbing police incidents that occurred and ask for your help.How you can help:We have several important events coming up that need community support. The first is a candlelight vigil on Thursday, April 12th at 7:30pm outside the home of Sgt. Vollberg, 1705 Cosmos St, Pittsburgh, PA 15207 (in West Mifflin), the officer who brutalized people at the protest.

The second is another picket at the Marine Officer Recruiting Station, 3587 Ellsworth Ave. In Shadyside on April 14th, at 6pm.What happened yesterday was an attack on our ability to continue regular pickets. If we lose the space to be in front of the station, or to even document police response to our events, it is difficult to see how we could continue our campaign.We will be picketing the Oakland recruiting station, 3712 Forbes Ave, again on Tuesday, April 17th at 5:30pm.With two people arrested, we are in need of donations for legal defense costs. Please consider making a donation at: http://www.organizepittsburgh.org/index.php?page=donate or mail a donation to POG c/O TMC, 5125 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224.What happened:On April 3, Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) held its first picket at the new Marine Officer recruiting station in Shadyside as part of a two-year-long campaign to expose and confront those facilitating the continuation of the war.

As usual, protesters lined the edge of the street holding signs such as "honk for peace" and handed out flyers about the realities of enlistment and the misrepresentations used by recruiters. Two plainclothes police were in a garage across the street watching the protest with binoculars and taking pictures, two bicycle cops were riding around the area watching the protest, and four more police were standing about 10 feet away from the protest observing.An hour into the picket, protesters were at the edge of the sidewalk on both sides of the street and the sidewalk was otherwise clear to pedestrians who continued to pass.Many passing cars honked in support. After three female drivers honked in the span of a minute, Sgt. Vollberg (Badge #3618) turned to his partner and commented, "Did you notice all of these women are fat, ugly bitches," eliciting a laugh from the other officer. A protester who was attending the picket to document events (he wasn't holding a sign) turned around from the edge of the sidewalk and took a picture of the two officers. Sgt. Vollberg became visibly belligerent and started asking why his picture was being taken.

Upon being told that the picture was related to his comment, he stated that protesters were cowards for not attaching their names to the pictures they post and stating that people lacked the "balls" he had. At this point, the protester with the camera attempted to take another picture. As soon as the camera was raised, Vollberg began shouting, "Get the fuck out of here!" and pursued the backing away protester for 30 feet, hiting him in the chest numerous times and shouting for him to "get the fuck away" from the picket entirely because "he was done."During these completely unprovoked acts of violence, other protesters merely observed what was happening and verbally objected to what was occurring. Vollberg next attacked the other witness to his initial comment, a young man who had been verbally protesting the police violence. The officer twisted the young man's arm, banged his head off of a brick wall andarrested him. Another protester tried to document the incident on his camera phone. Vollberg smacked the phone out of the protester's hand, grabbed the protester by the throat, and slammed him into the car. Other officers also used force shoving people for no apparent reason.

During the confrontation, traffic stopped and residents witnessed the police reaction. Appalled passersby vocalized their discontent with the officers' unprofessional handling of the demonstration.After the police violence was over, the police ordered protesters to leave the sidewalk in front of the station. The picket continued without additional police aggression until 8pm � the official ending time of the protest. The two arrestees were eventually released; one with a summary, the other will recieve a court summons in the mail.On April 3rd, Pittsburgh police violated the civil rights of individuals who sought to legally photograph police officers on public property. One was chased away from the protest and another was arrested. While that alone sets a chilling precedent, perhaps more disconcerting is the fact that the police misconduct on April 3rd is part of a continuing pattern of criminalizing dissent in connection with POG's counter-recruitment work.

Over the course of POG's two year campaign, police have photographed and surveilled protesters while interfering with our right to photograph them; dehumanized protesters with antigay and sexist epithets; detained or wrongfully arrested protesters; used Tasers and pepper-spray and other excessive force on non-violent protesters; and conspired with Federal agencies to track counter-recruitment activity.If you were present and witnessed the attack, or have more information or personal accounts to add, please contact pog@mutualaid.org See www.organizepittsburgh.org for more info on our efforts. protester tried to document the incident on his camera phone. Vollberg smacked the phone out of the protester's hand, grabbed the protester by the throat, and slammed him into the car. Other officers also used force shoving people for no apparent reason. During the confrontation, traffic stopped and residents witnessed the police reaction. Appalled passersby vocalized their discontent with the officers' unprofessional handling of the demonstration.After the police violence was over, the police ordered protesters to leave the sidewalk in front of the station. The picket continued without additional police aggression until 8pm � the official ending time of the protest.

The two arrestees were eventually released; one with a summary, the other will recieve a court summons in the mail.On April 3rd, Pittsburgh police violated the civil rights of individuals who sought to legally photograph police officers on public property. One was chased away from the protest and another was arrested. While that alone sets a chilling precedent, perhaps more disconcerting is the fact that the police misconduct on April 3rd ispart of a continuing pattern of criminalizing dissent in connection with POG's counter-recruitment work. Over the course of POG's two year campaign, police have photographed and surveilled protesters while interfering with our right to photograph them; dehumanized protesters with antigay and sexist epithets; detained or wrongfully arrested protesters; used Tasers and pepper-spray and other excessive force on non-violent protesters; and conspired with Federal agencies to track counter-recruitment activity.If you were present and witnessed the attack, or have more information or personal accounts to add, please contact pog@mutualaid.org See www.organizepittsburgh.org for more info on our efforts.