Martial Law: Now Easier Than Ever...

From and Editorial in the New York Times on February 19, 2007...

Original Article Here

A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night. So it was with a provision quietly tucked into the enormous defense budget bill at the Bush administration’s behest that makes it easier for a president to override local control of law enforcement and declare martial law.

The provision, signed into law in October, weakens two obscure but important bulwarks of liberty. One is the doctrine that bars military forces, including a federalized National Guard, from engaging in law enforcement. Called posse comitatus, it was enshrined in law after the Civil War to preserve the line between civil government and the military. The other is the Insurrection Act of 1807, which provides the major exemptions to posse comitatus. It essentially limits a president’s use of the military in law enforcement to putting down lawlessness, insurrection and rebellion, where a state is violating federal law or depriving people of constitutional rights.

The newly enacted provisions upset this careful balance. They shift the focus from making sure that federal laws are enforced to restoring public order. Beyond cases of actual insurrection, the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or to any “other condition.”

Changes of this magnitude should be made only after a thorough public airing. But these new presidential powers were slipped into the law without hearings or public debate. The president made no mention of the changes when he signed the measure, and neither the White House nor Congress consulted in advance with the nation’s governors.

There is a bipartisan bill, introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, and Christopher Bond, Republican of Missouri, and backed unanimously by the nation’s governors, that would repeal the stealthy revisions. Congress should pass it. If changes of this kind are proposed in the future, they must get a full and open debate.

Govt Spending Millions To Preach Abstinence To Adults Up To Age 29...

Why does a certain portion of our society...and particularly our own Government...have such a messed up/hang up issue with Sex?

The % of sexually active people in this age range is enormous, something on the order of 90%.

Isn't this out of touch with reality? this is the wrong segment of the population to be preaching abstinence to.

Education for youngsters is what is needed. Studies in Europe, particularly in the Scandanavian countries show that the greatest positive impact on 1) unwanted pregnancies 2) teen pregnancies 3) sex out of wedlock 4) safe sex practices 5) and less sexual frequency comes from actually EDUCATING young people about Sex, about choosing partners for yourself for the best reasons, and about the realities of Sex, sexual relations, and protecting yourself from disease and pregnancy.

Educating them actually leads to less sex, and more protection, and arms them with what they need to make good and healthy choices for themselves.

Repression, which this sort of abstinence push engenders, (and I am speaking psychologically now) leads to those repressions coming out in negative ways....such as.....

Unprotected Sex...cuz you want it when you have the opportunity, not when you have planned it.

Unwanted pregancies...for the same reasons

Spread of STD's ....for the same reasons

and most likely also adds to the amount of 'date' rape sort of situations.

There is a reason why repression leads to 'dark' behavior in ...oh say, elected officials.

Sexual energy is present in us...it needs a healthy outlet. Let's start by educating people about how to do that.

The federal government's "no sex without marriage" message isn't just for kids anymore.

Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007.

Full Article Here