Grenade Launchers?? Check Out The Security For **'s Coronation!

[leftchick]

I mean Really? Grenade Launchers??




U.S. Army Sgt Jeremy McClellan of Borger, Texas, brandishes his M4 firearm equipped with a M203 grenade launcher during a show of the security in place for the Presidential Inauguration, in Washington, January 11, 2005. Washington is preparing for its first presidential inauguration since the September 11, 2001 attacks and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said security at the January 20 event will be unprecedented. REUTERS



U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (R) inspects heavily-armed soldiers as he listens to a briefing by General Golen Jackman, Commander of the military district of Washington, during a tour of the security in place for the inauguration of U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites), in Washington January 11, 2005. Washington is preparing for its first presidential inauguration since the September 11, 2001 attacks and Ridge says security at the January 20 event will be unprecedented. REUTERS/Jason Reed

[RuleofLaw]

1. Legal?

I thought there was something in US law that made it illegal for the military to perform police duties within the borders of the US?

[Kelvin Mace]

4. Yep, posse comitatus

But who pays attention to the law these days.

David Allen
www.thoughtcrimes.org

The taste of Republican butt does not improve with age.

"The NeoCons can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They do not feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

[leftchick]

5. exactly!

these criminals in charge have done NOTHING legal these last four years. Why change what works?

:grr:

[BrotherBuzz]

37. Sadly, there's tons of wiggle room in todays Posse Comitatus Act

The erosion of the Posse Comitatus Act through Congressional legislation and executive policy has left a hollow shell in place of a law that formerly was a real limitation on the military’s role in civilian law enforcement and security issues. The plethora of constitutional and statutory exceptions to the act provides the executive branch with a menu of options under which it can justify the use of military forces to combat domestic terrorism. Whether an act of terrorism is classified as a civil disturbance under 10 U.S.C., 331–334, or whether the president relies upon constitutional power to preserve federal functions, it is difficult to think of a domestic terrorism scenario of sizable scale under which the use of the military could not be lawfully justified in view of the act’s erosion. The act is no longer a realistic bar to direct military involvement in counterterrorism planning and operations. It is a low legal hurdle that can be easily cleared through invocation of the appropriate legal justification, either before or after the fact.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

42. Does Posse Comitatus have standing in D.C.?

Because of the District's unique political situation, the law may not apply there. I don't know for sure, though.

[Darknyte7]

26. These thugs break laws almost daily...

Just put this over there with all of the other disregarded laws...

[Darknyte7]

27. Duplicate post...

Self delete

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[In Truth We Trust]

3. People do NOT let this BS intimidate you. This is all the more reason to

protest these a**holes!

[Mist]

6. Just a question

Wouldn't the "unprecedented" security speak to the extreme unpopularity of this pRes.? I find myself hoping for an icy downpour on the 20th. An empty, icy procession, no bystanders. At least no one would get hurt.

[Stephanie]

8. The whole world hates him

And he clearly knows it.

[grasswire]

33. forecast for Washington Jan 20

Partly cloudy, high of 36 degrees. Brr!

[LifeDuringWartime]

34. where i come from

36° is warm this time of year! although this year is a bit of an exception :shrug:

[greyfox]

7. They ALL know....

how hated the Shrub is -- even by the citizens of the US!!!

[Laurab]

14. Yup - although he pretends not to know

I don't believe for a minute that it has to do with 9/11, which is what they're trying to imply. He KNOWS he's hated. Anyway, I thought he's made our country safer now? Why would he need all that security in such a "safe" country? Someone in the administration must be telling him the truth about how people feel about him, as unlikely as that seems.

[greyfox]

17. It must be ....

a weird feeling to wonder where the bullet will come from in a crowd of what he THINKS are well-wishers... glad I am not gonna be there and standing anywhere close to him...

[Laurab]

30. It sure must...

Maybe he'll be encased inside some kind of bubble - a real one, I mean - not the everyday bubble he seems to travel in. I mean, after all his changes to the intelligence community, FBI, etc., I'm not so sure I'd trust any of their information if I were him.

Didn't the "much hated" (according to the RW) Bill Clinton travel pretty much freely in crowds? I know he certainly does now. THIS guy is never gonna be able to walk freely in crowds.

[soup]

23. From surface-to-air missiles on the roof of the resort on 09/10/01

to soldiers weilding grenade launchers on 01/20/05.

[unpossibles]

9. well, he may need tear gas and smoke grenades to enforce his mandate...

ok, this is crude, but is this Mandate Rape?

sorry... I have a sick sense of humor

[JHB]

10. When I was growing up...

...displays like this from Moscow were pointed at as proof that we had the superior system.

[underpants]

11. DING DING DING DING DING DING

Exactly

[elehhhhna]

12. Tiannamen, squared.

[DELUSIONAL]

13. I wished the young-uns would listen to my generation

The military assigned to Prez "security" duty are training to deal with civilians -- and they are pumped to come down hard on protesters.

In fact many will be disappointed if they can't beat the crap out of some protesters -- they are over armed and don't have a whole lot of sense.

Those of us who lived through the Nixon era -- know that all peace groups were infiltrated by spies and often the spies tried to turn the peace group violent.

To show off this much force serves notice to anyone coming to DC to protest the ongoing Coup -- King George will not tolerate even peaceful dissent.

I sure hope that we don't have another Kent State in the making.

[goclark]

16. Good point to make, spys will be all over the March

take cameras and lots of pictures.

Stay calm and remember that TRUTH is on our side and TRUTH is stronger than BUSH.

[yurbud]

28. It's time to plan a Tianamen Square

[peacetalksforall]

15. Personally, I think they brought in Arnold and Hollywood

to show them how to do it and how to look.

Right out of those terrorism movies.

Speaking of popularity...I've lost count...has England talked Bush out of going there for a state visit two times now or is it three times?

[greyfox]

18. My cyber friend in Manchester....

tells me that Britain HATES Bush with a passion and little Tony Blair not far behind...

[HeeBGBz]

19. Do you have a link to the Reuters page for these pix?

So I can back them up when I post this elsewhere.

[leftchick]

20. here you go....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/ts/121004bushinaug&a=&tmpl=sl&ns=&l=1&e=14&t=&prev=15

[HeeBGBz]

22. Thanks leftchick. eom

[leftchick]

25. I am curious....

where do you post these that people would not believe the photo credits alone?

[HeeBGBz]

31. Peeps would probably accept them as is

I just always like to post a link to the source. It's a habit. Especially when I'm dealing with an annoying bunch of conservative wankers.

[canadianbeaver]

21. all protesters make sure you give him the ...

Canadian One Finger Wave.....

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. Pictures from a "democracy" kept in place with arms.

The only things missing are the swastikas.

[GreenPartyVoter]

29. And they like to tout W as a much-loved leader

If that's the case, why the maximum security?

:eyes:

------------------------------------------------------
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[OutsourceBush]

32. Janet Reno started this sh$t with Elian & Waco

Note, their finger "is not on the trigger". Remember that one? Same Nazis, different Prez. But now they don't have to wait till 5am and get caught on candid camera, they operate openly.

[flordehinojos]

39. Janet Reno did the right thing--she gave chance after chance tothegonzalez

family and the cuban mafiosi in miami to return elian... the mocked, and mocked and challenged her, and laughed at her ... she did the right thing and in her case--she stood up for democracy. she returned the boy to her father which is what should have been!

[renegade000]

35. well to be fair, regarding the M203

i think its probably just a part of the guy's weapon (it wasn't put on just for the inauguration security), i believe every squad has one or two 'grenadiers'...

though, yes...it is really creepy that we need a praetorian guard for the shrub's inauguration.

[slutticus]

36. Maybe for tear gas?

Who uses grenades for crowd control? Wait...don't answer that....

[DoNotRefill]

38. Ummm...

That's not a big deal. During the various riots in the '80s and '90s, the NG troops called out also had grenade launchers...but no grenades for them.

Each unit has a standard TO&E. So many guys with M-4s, so many guys with M-4s and M-203s, so many guys with M-249s. They generally "take what's issued" as opposed to "take what's needed".

[Bluebear]

40. It's like something out of some banana republic

Well, you 'elect' a chimp and that's what you get, I suppose.

[pinniped]

41. * probably wanted ICBMs paraded down the street like the Russians...

used to do at Red Square.

[OneTwentyoNine]

43. Tin Soldiers and Bush coming,we're finally on our own....

True then,true now.....