THREADS 10/30/08

GORT 2.4 “Klaatu barada nikto”

Contents
Editorial The Day the US Stood Still
-A Note From My Desk
The most efficient way to
Page One
enslave a nation is through the
-The Day The US Stood Still
legal system. Passing laws that
Page Two
slowly remove citizen’s rights,
-US stood still Cont’d
history has proven, will suffocate
Page Three
any democratic state and make
-US stood still Cont’d
the people vulnerable to the
Page Four
whims of the leader. The
- MOVIE REVIEW
objective is to make it appear President Bush signing HR 5122
Page Five
these laws are being passed for
-Meet The Candidates
the safety and security of the population. These laws are passed with the
Page Six
justification of an arbitrary threat (i.e. terrorism) - but what these laws
-New Face/ Social Networking
really do is remove the power from the people and put it in the hands of
Page Seven
the government. This is happening in America today.
-The MRAP
Page Eight
There is very little transparency in our government any more, laws are
-The Grapes of Rats being made and signed in secret, bills being passed using threats, and
-In The News fear is being used to manipulate the public. In American history, the
A NOTE FROM MY DESK: government has perpetrated numerous harmful agendas under false
pretenses, but never to the degree that is being done today.

D
on’t you hate it when
you go to a party and
see all the couples "A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike
dressed up in matching to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of the
costumes? Well I do too, which night… Beyond actual insurrection, the president may now use military
is why Threads and I decided to troops as a domestic police force in response to a national disaster, a
do just that.
disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any "other condition." remarks an
This year for Halloween Threads editorial in the New York Times about the amendment made to the
decided to go from inbox to Insurrection Act of 1807. The revision (now referred to as the John
inbox dressed up as Gort from Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 (HR 5122)gave the president
the movie “The Day the Earth the power to decide what he felt was a threat - and to disregard the
Stood Still”, and I decided that provisions of the Posse Comitatus Act and allow the Army to police the
I’d be supportive and go as people.
Klaatu from the same movie.
Although parts of HR 5122 were repealed due to its conflicts with the
This issue will be slightly
Constitution, President George W. Bush attached a signing statement to
different than previous issues.
For the feature story, I am
the bill saying he did not feel bound by the repeal. Two years after
demanding all my readers to signing the bill, 4,000 soldiers were deployed to the US to patrol citizens.
respond to what is put forth. My
readers are smart, and I’d like In April of 1984, President Reagan signed Presidential Director Number
the responses to reflect that. 54, also known as REX 84. REX 84 is an exercise that FEMA would carry
out in the case of a national emergency. REX 84 was testing FEMA's
I hope this issue will at least ability to assume military authority. In order to successfully carry out the
make everyone think. …Enjoy exercise, REX 84 required the 1) suspension of the Constitution of the

~CALIFORNIA KARM@~
 THREADS 10/30/08

United States, 2) turn control of the government to "President Bush, without so much as issuing a press
FEMA, 3) appoint military commanders to run state statement, on May 9 signed a directive that granted
and local governments and 4) a Declaration of near dictatorial powers to the office of the president
Martial Law. in the event of a national emergency declared by the
president."
Recently on the internet there has been a lot of buzz
about impending Martial Law, much of this In the event of a national (or 'catastrophic')
originates from Representative Brad Sherman's emergency, the president would, under this bill, be
comment when he spoke to congress about the granted powers unforeseen in this country. The
$700 billion bailout bill that would save banks from article in the Chatanooga continues;
completely failing.
"The directive loosely defines "catastrophic
"The only way they can pass this bill is by creating emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location,
and sustaining a panic atmosphere. That atmosphere that results in extraordinary levels of mass
is not justified. Many of us were told in private casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting
conversation that if we voted against this bill on the US population, infrastructure, environment,
Monday, that the sky would fall, the Market would economy, or government functions.
drop two or three thousand points the first day -
another couple thousand the second day and a few "NSPD-51 / HSPD-20 also makes no reference
members were even told that there would be whatsoever to Congress. The language of the May 9
Martial Law in America if we voted no. That’s what I directive appears to negate any requirement that
call fearmongering. Unjustified." the President submit to Congress a determination
that a national emergency exists, suggesting instead
Shortly after this statement was given, many people that the powers of the executive order can be
began to speculate about a $385 million contract implemented without any congressional approval or
that was given to a subsidiary of Halliburton, Kellogg oversight."
Brown & Root, in 2006 that was for the construction
of detention centers 'somewhere' in the United Suddenly Sherman's short speech before Congress
States. At the time, KBR stated that the detention seems more plausible. In short, an economic failure
centers were being built to deal with "an emergency equals justification for Martial Law. The President
influx of immigrants into the US, or to support the has given himself the power to declare almost any
rapid development of new programs." (Emphasis crisis a 'national emergency'. With the 2007
added.) National Defense Authorization Act, the president’s
ability to "federalize" the Guard during a national
Kellogg Brown & Root built over 600 of these emergency such as terrorist attacks, natural
detention centers throughout the country, right now disasters, pandemics and "other emergencies" was
these detention centers are fully operational, fully greatly expanded in that he'd no longer have to
staffed, and completely empty. Each detention consult with state Governors to do so.
center can hold up to 5,000 people. At capacity all
the detention centers will hold in excess of 400,000 Due to the haste in passing the $700 billion bailout
people. Four known locations of these empty bill (formally known as the Emergency Economic
detention centers in Michigan are in Camp Grayling, Stabilization Act), there wasn't much time for
Bay City, Berrien County and Lansing. Congress to add certain regulations for the money,
as far as what the banks receiving the aid could do
The contract with KBR, combined with HR 5122 and with it. Recent reports indicate that the banks do not
NSPD - 51 / HSPD - 20, (also known as the National intend on using the money for its intended purpose,
Security and Homeland Security Presidential instead some banks want to buy other banks, pay
Directive), not to mention knowledge of REX 84 got dividends, give employees raises and executive
many people uneasy. NSPD - 51 is a Directive, passed bonuses, or in some cases, some banks want to just
in secret, which would give the President complete "sit on" the money given to them. It doesn't appear
power in the case of a national emergency, of his that the money will be used to help the
declaration. As an article in Tennessee's homeowners, pressed for money, keep their homes
Chattanooga from May 24 explains; from being foreclosed.
 THREADS 10/30/08

If these banks use this money in the ways they in prison because of it. As the bill defines
suggest they will, it will only worsen the current homegrown terrorism;
economic problems already present in America. The
haste in passing this bill could very well make the "(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM - The term
economy far worse than it is, truly turning an 'homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use,
economic crisis into a "catastrophic emergency." or threatened use of force or violence by a group or
individual born, raised, or based and operating
On Labor Day, the first day of the Republican primarily within the United States or any possession
National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, a crowd of the United States to intimidate or coerce the
of two hundred people who were gathered in the United States government, the civilian population or
Harriet Island Regional Park were surrounded by the United States, or any segment thereof, in
police and all of them were arrested, furtherance of political or social objectives."
indiscriminately, without probably cause. Not one of
these citizens was read their Miranda Rights, but The Bill of Rights does not give any parameters to
because they were in proximity of 600 protesters freedom of speech - only that one individual's rights
who were arrested, they were also arrested. ends when they infringe on other individuals rights.
This election year, our rights as American's may just
The entire situation that happened in Minnesota hang in the balance.
seems puzzling. As Americans we are given the right
to "Peaceably Assemble", the right to "Freedom of On October 1 of this year, the First Brigade of the
Speech" and the right to "Petition the Government Third Infantry Division, which is nearly 4,000
for a redress of grievances" in the first Amendment soldiers, were deployed in the United States. Their
of the Bill of Rights. Not to mention the fourth mission is crowd control to subdue "unruly
amendment’s right that every citizen has, in which individuals" and manage a national emergency. The
probable cause must be ascertained before any soldiers will have access to both lethal and non
arrest is made. lethal crowd control technologies and tanks. They
will be called the chemical, biological, radiological,
If, yet another bill that was passed in the House by nuclear or high-explosive Consequence Management
404 of our elected representatives, were to become Response Force (CCMRF, pronounced "sea-smurf").
law, mass arrests like what happened in Minnesota They have been deployed for twelve months.
could become normal. The Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (HR What is unraveling in America really fast is a
1955), dubbed the "Thought Crime Prevention Bill" complete undercutting of democracy as we know it.
would make any "extremist belief system for the How all this will play out is still unknown, but noting
purpose of facilitating ideological based violence in what has already taken place, we can only speculate
advance political, religious, or social change" illegal. that things will get worse long before they get
better. Both presidential candidates John McCain
The bill is directed at the American people and its and Barack Obama have already been briefed at the
aim is to silence any dissent among the people White House by the FBI about a terrorist threat that
against the government that the government deems could take place within the first 250 days either
harmful. The definitions of "violent radicalization" candidate takes office.
and "homegrown terrorism" are so vague that
anything from a large group of protesters to a small The bills being signed in the White House, and then
group of anarchists could be deemed a threat to the later implemented will continue to happen - despite,
US government - simply because their views or unfortunately, who becomes the next President.
beliefs differ from that of the US government. The President has given himself (and possibly
successors) a lot of power, power that was taken
HR 1955 would no longer require that an actual from American citizens. How did this happen?
crime be committed for the government to take Perhaps it was when we, as a nation, stopped
action against a group. Outrage at the government questioning our government and instead decided to
could, if this bill is passed, be perceived as a threat stand still.
and the government can put the individual or group
MOVIE REVIEW THREADS 10/30/08

“Rachel Getting Married:” A Study in Lividity has as its pinnacle a finite and completed verb/action. The
participial phrases are the most important part of these
By Krista McNeil sentences—it is where all other action takes place. This
movie is not about a grand story with a resolved plot, it is
Amidst the cacophony of life there is a string quintet about the day-to-day ongoingness of trying to live, but
playing funeral dirges from India. Or, so it is in the nomos never quite making it, in the face of the death of Ethan.
of the provocative movie, “Rachel Getting Married.” By Rachel gets married, but not completely. We never see
provocative, I mean it in the strictest literal fashion the union consummated; we never see her and her spouse
possible: this movies calls to its viewers so subtly they are “living happily ever after.” Nothing is resolved with Kym.
unaware. Completion is always just out of reach for these
characters.
Aesthetically, it is also provocative. It is as if Tim Burton
latched on to “The Family Stone,” and added his own The reason the film works is because each scene is a verse,
unique flare. A single camera at times, and a shaky one coddled by a selah. This is one of my favorite narrative
makes it feel like a reality show. Other times the camera techniques, and perhaps one of the most difficult for
remains in scenes that would normally be cut-off. It forces writers to master. It is a reflection of psalmistry, and
the viewers to be just as uncomfortable as the characters Jenny Lumet writes as though she studied at the feet of
in the awkward scenes. At other points it makes it feel as King David himself. The family’s fighting is balanced by the
though you are eavesdropping on painfully personal antiphon of the wedding string quartet practicing in the
moments and conversations. The movie does not fear to background; Kym’s self hatred and attempts to heal
call forth and elicit feelings and emotions other movies go herself at addicts’ meetings are embraced by the solemn
out of their way to avoid. dirges. It is simultaneously a lament and a praise psalm.

The two old ladies next to me hated it. They said it was The casting of Anne Hathaway as the lead actress is the
“interesting,” and I thought maybe they were on to only aspect that weakens the provocative resolve of the
something; maybe it was just “interesting.” But then, the film. I get it—sex sells—Jonathan Demme had no other
old ladies couldn’t figure out how to cross the street choice. Had he not picked a sexy, traditionally beautiful
outside the theater, even with the crosswalk signs. female lead, the film never would have gotten off the
ground. Lumet’s narrative is one in which nothing is
The film doesn’t follow the traditional introduction, climax,
perfect, as I said, where nothing is completed. For Demme
resolution pattern. It’s more, introduction, climax,
to have casted such a beautiful person as Kym weakens
restoration to introduction. The climax, in fact, doesn’t
Lumet’s theme. The motif of a pale white, drug addicted,
occur until very near the end and so subtle that I would
beautiful female is one that shows like “Law and Order”
bet money on 90% of the audience missing it altogether
and “CSI” have beaten to death. All of the other
(just like the two old ladies, who remarked, “Why is she
characters in the movie are imperfect—from the
sending that little boat out onto the swimming pool? It is
stepmom’s overly tanned skin and sunspots, to Sidney’s
a waste of film time.”)
huge nose—these imperfections perfect the characters as I
imagine Lumet imagined them. Hathaway is not how I
It’s sort of like the title being a participial phrase, the
suspect Lumet imagined Kym. Hathaway, as Kym, makes
reader has to finish the sentence in order for it to move
her come across as someone who was not ever strong, and
beyond the realm of mere “interest.” It’s like those old
someone who will never be strong. Yet, the essence of the
kitschy Mad Lib books we all had as children: “Rachel,
character Kym is someone who, though painfully
getting married, caused Kym to come home.” Or, maybe
shattered, is unbreakable.
Rachel shouldn’t be the subject, maybe, Kym should be:
“Kym, seeing Rachel getting married, felt abandoned.”
In any matter though Hathaway is stunning, as are all the
characters. And they, like Lumet’s writing and Demme’s
The true brilliance of a participial phrase as the title is that
directing draw the audience into a world where lividity is
it explains the lack of traditional plotline. The Greeks can
critiqued by the clear stillness of a pool of water and the
be credited with refining the use of participial phrases to
selah of a praise psalm.
describe ongoing action. When penned by the greatest
Greek linguists the ongoing action is woven into a fine Read this and more at; [Link]
tension and juxtaposed to the rest of the sentence, which
 THREADS 10/30/08

Charles Baldwin Robert L Barr Jr Cynthia Ann McKinney

Constitutional Party – Write In Libertarian Party – Write-In Green Party – Write-In

Barack H. Obama Jr.

John S. McCain III With 341 Presidential Candidates
running this year, including "Santa
Claus", "God J. Lally", "Jesus B.
Muhammed", "Savior", "Da Vid"
and "Watchman" - most of them
being write - ins, how will we ever
know who to vote for?

In Michigan there will be eight

potential candidates to choose
from, including John McCain and
Barack Obama, so let’s take a look
at who’ll be on the ballot.
Democratic Party
Republican Party

Ralph Nader Alan L Keyes Brian P. Moore

Socialist Party – Write-In

No Party Affiliation – Write-In American Independent – Write-In
 THREADS 10/30/08

OPINION I believe Bluehoo will cause a lot of people to miss out on

some very good potential friendships. Finding friends etc.
The New Face In Social Networking shouldn't be like picking out a melon at the grocery store.
In my experience, the friends that are least like me happen
By: Chadwick Heller to be the ones I enjoy being around, I get the feeling
Once upon a time there was Friendster, then MySpace, Bluehoo will attempt to match people up on their
then Facebook, then Twitter, now there is a new kid on similarities, which may be ok for some instances, but I feel
the block that wants to change the face of social it's the asynchronicities of life that really pull us together.
networking altogether. Meet Bluehoo, born Friday, People like challenges, and even the small differences
September 5th 2008, barely out of diapers and it wants to amongst friends hold them together as much as the
take the virtual social networking world by storm. similarities simply because those differences are
something we feel we must 'figure out' and understand.
Bluehoo, also known as Hoobert is a blue-tooth based Differences amongst friends forces people into trying to
networking application that desires to make actually understand one another. In order to understand another
talking to other people obsolete. Bluehoo will run person, we are obligated to get to know them.
exclusively on cell phones and it is designed to scan the
area the cell phone is in to see if other people have the I believe Bluehoo will catch on amongst the "tech-savvy"
application as well - the scan will be done using bluetooth. first before it is realized that there are some bugs in this
When your phone detects another person with the new technology that won't be able to be fixed, mainly the
application, you will then be able to view their profile on bug being that human relationships cannot be calculated.
your phone and determine if that person is someone you'd Sure, some websites like to assert that they have found a
like to get to know. way to match up individuals, but their methods go a little
further than a simple profile. Although I can't foresee this
Bluehoo is currently in its beta stage and it's site claims to catching on mainstream like MySpace, Facebook and
have just under 130,000 "hoos". Bluehoo, using bluetooth Twitter, I am kind of curious to see Bluehoo in action. I
will constantly be "talking" back and forth to its home wonder if, once a person is detected a small GPS screen
servers, therefore the application is likely to use up a lot of pops up with an arrow on it pointing at the potential
a cell phone users data allowance. Bluehoo will also work target.
on Windows Azure.
But outside of social networking, how else could a
As it looks now, Bluehoo will become any individuals technology like this be used - or misused? A part of me
ultimate "people detector", presumably being used for believes Bluehoo is a derivative of a technology already in
those of us who aren't sure how to identify another use for spying on civilian's through FISA - but that is the
human being. Thanks to Bluehoo, you will no longer find slight paranoia in me talking. But lets look at the reality,
your self having deep, engaging conversations with a chair there is already a problem with "MyStalking" in which
at your next party engagement. individuals learn about every social engagement of
another individual through the more "primitive" social
I personally am subscribed to four "social networking" networking sites. At least MySpace and Facebook don't
websites, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Helium and use reveal where a person (or, at least their cell phone) is at
them all to keep in contact with different people in my any given second of the day. We all are aware of the
social sphere. All of these sites at one point had critics powers of hackers. This is the scenario I envision:
claiming that people would "stop talking to one another
like normal people", but in reality, except for an expansion All, or at least a large majority of cell phones have GPS
in our lexicon - socializing amongst other humans hasn't locaters built in to them. With Bluehoo, the application is
changed. Bluehoo however may just be that social always searching for others who use the same application.
networking utility that the critics have been warning us So in theory, a person could "link" up to a persons cell
about. phone via their bluetooth signal that their social
networking pal, Bluehoo is constantly sending out and
I am not sure how I'd feel if someone came up to me and simply tap into the users internal GPS on the cell phone.
said "Hey, Chadwick Heller! My phone just told me that I Although I know very little about the ins and outs of
should talk to you - so, your profile says you like to read "hacking", tracking a potential target this way seems way
and write and listen to Against All Authority, and that your too easy and, at least in my mind, inevitable to happen.
favorite authors are Jack Kerouac and Jose Saramago,
guess what, mine too!..." I'd sure be dumbfounded, until I Currently I am reading two books, The Brothers Karamazov
opened my phone and looked at their profile to respond, and Thomas L Friedman's The World Is Flat and I really like
"Uh, it says here your favorite authors are Dr. Seuss and the contrasting social dynamics described in both books,
Tom Cruise, and that 'Miley Cirus really just rocks my face but for a moment I'd like to discuss The World Is Flat.
off so much - she is SO hardcore!!!!' I'm sorry, Disney is
calling, they want their mousekateer back."
 THREADS 10/30/08

OPINION Continued Even with the downsides that I see with

Due to the advancements in internet Bluehoo, there is one potential upside to
related technology, Friedman puts forth the new technology. Maybe Bluehoo will
that the world is leveling (or flattening) out. allow us to judge one another, not by our
Competition and business is no longer conducted within outward appearances alone, but rather by the "content of
just the city, state or countries borders any more, but our character" - if that can be displayed on a profile that is.
rather globally. Conference calls can be made between Maybe Bluehoo is the first step in breaking down social
business partners in San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, barriers amongst people. Again, I don't know exactly how
London and New Delhi via large flat screen monitors that Bluehoo will work as far as what information will be
are connected wirelessly. Students in Colorado can be shared in these "profiles", nor it's range of coverage, but
tutored in Geometry via the internet from a teacher in maybe it will weaken some of the walls that society has so
India. Perhaps Bluehoo is the first step in truly flattening carefully built.
the social world.

The MRAP
A new level in army protection

Yesterday I had a chance to speak to my friend Brian Zook,

who is currently serving a one year tour in Iraq. The
conversation was brief, he couldn't share much about
what he was doing aside from the fact that he was near
the Iraq / Iran border and that things were going good in
the area he was in but that "with the elections over there
coming up that could all change but I am a driver of an
MRAP its a pretty safe vehicle." He then told me that I
The MRAP will help protect troops like Brian against
should use the 'ole Google and find out what this "MRAP"
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which are responsible
vehicle is.
for 70% of all the US casualties in Iraq. The MRAP will
replace the Humvee's in Iraq and Afghanistan due to the
The MRAP is a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP)
Humvee's vulnerability to IED's.
Armored Vehicle that, as Brian describes it is a "badass 25
tons of armor" on wheels. This 'badass 25 tons of armor on
There are two MRAP models, the Cougar JERRV and the
wheels' was designed exclusively for the conditions faced
Buffalo mine protected trucks. The Buffalo has slightly less
in Iraq. It is designed to with stand the impact of IED's,
armor than the Cougar, but it is designed for mobility and
overhead airbursts and side protection against shrapnel.
transporting troops in less hostile areas. The Buffalo is the
The windows on the MRAP are designed to withstand
heavily armored vehicle that troops will take into more
"equal to or greater than" that of the armor on the
hostile territories due to its heavy protection that it
vehicle.
provides. Some models of the Buffalo are designed with a
special arm to help clear land mine fields, without harming
any of the soldiers within the vehicle. To date, the Cougar
and Buffalo MRAP's have taken over 1,000 IED hits without
a loss of life.
 THREADS 10/30/08

The Grapes of Rats

In The News
For those who enjoy a sodium rich diet, grapes • Pakistan earthquake kills 170, leaves
have been found, in a new University of Michigan thousands homeless
study to lower the risk of high blood pressure that • Demonstrations in Syria force closure of
can develop into heart failure. The study, published US embassy
in the October issue of the Journal of Gerontology:
• Syria closes down American school in
Biological Sciences finds that the antioxidants
within green, red and black grapes may reduce retaliation of Sundays Air Strike
hypertension that can lead to heart failure. • Thousands without power in Upstate
New York due to Snow Storm
The researchers fed two groups of rats similar • Feds cut interest rate to 1%
sodium rich diets, one group, however was also fed • Lowell MI football #1 in country
a powdered form of standard table grapes. After 18 • NASA may speed up launch of
weeks, the rats that ate the grape - enriched
moonship
powder showed to have a much lower blood
pressure than the rats that did not receive the • Homeless in Ohio allowed to vote
powder mixture. o Judge declared that homeless
can list park benches and other
"These findings support our theory that something locations that aren't buildings
within the grapes themselves has a direct impact on as their address
cardiovascular risk, beyond the simple blood- • Joaquin Phoenix quits acting
pressure-lowering impact that we already know can • Schools and libraries see hundred of
come from a diet rich in fruit and vegetables," said requests to ban books
Mitchell Seymour, who manages the University of
• Sarah Palin eyeing 2012 Presidency
Michigan Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.
• Live grenade donated to Goodwill in
The "something" Seymour is referring to is believed Santa Cruz California
to be the flavanoids in the skin, flesh and seeds of • Microsoft offers reward of missing
grapes. Although the results were promising with XBOX 360 gamer after boy ran away
the rats, further studies will need to be conducted • US may already be engaging in a Proxy
to examine the degree of the effects on humans. War with Iran
• UK declares Iceland a terrorist state
The researchers were encouraged by the findings
• Britains Rat population soaring to
however and say that this information could be
very beneficial to our aging population. According record levels
to another recent study, only 35% of women and • Diebold voting machines hackable in
39% of men over age 60 consumed two servings of about 1 minute
fruit per day. Only 6% of men and women ate the • Report on Iraq security lists 310 private
recommended three servings of daily vegetables. contractors

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