The Obama administration is working to expand the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) beyond its traditional role of fighting terrorism, giving the enforcement agency broad powers over cybercrime, disease control, immigration enforcement and other areas of American life.
The proposed changes could turn DHS into a powerful national police agency with broad control — a move that some civil libertarians worry could become an “American Gestapo.”
White House officials outlined the proposed changes in a document called the “Quadrennial Homeland Security Review,” delivered to Congress recently but embargoed for public release.
The review expands the DHS role from enforcing four areas of terrorism-related activities to 14 areas that extend beyond terror threats and allows the department to become the primary federal agency when dealing with disaster relief, computer crime, “transnational crime,” border control, pandemics and other non-terror activities.
“Homeland security will only be optimized when we fully leverage the
distributed and decentralized nature of the entire enterprise in the
pursuit of our common goals,” homeland security Janet Napolitano writes in the cover letter that accompanied the report to Congress.
Former President George W. Bush created DHS in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the agency quickly grew into the nation’s largest federal bureaucracy. DHS quickly came under scrutiny for its broad powers that circumvented Constitutional safeguards of individual liberty.
As a candidate for President, Obama criticized the many excesses of the Bush administration in the so-called “war on terror” but at President Obama has expanded the role of agencies like DHS and the use of “warrantless wiretaps” to snoop into the lives of ordinary Americans. The President also backed away from promises to curtail abuses under the USA Patriot Act and now supports expanded the Constitutional threats posed by the controversial laws.
Civil libertarians have filed numerous lawsuits against DHS, seeking access to records on the agency’s intrusive questioning and search of U.S. travelers and for intruding more and more into the privacy of Americans.
“When the government searches your books, peers into your computer, and
demands to know your political views, it sends the message that free
expression and privacy disappear at our nation’s doorstep,” says Sharin Sinnar, a staff attorney for the Asian Law Caucus, a San Francisco-based group that joined in one lawsuit..
But Obama’s proposed expansion of powers of DHS is already drawing praise from the right wing. James Jay Califano, homeland security expert for the conservative Heritage Foundation, calls the proposals “an incredible achievement.”
30 thoughts on “Obama wants to expand DHS into an American Gestapo”
Hi Griff,
Somewhat a stale post, but when I thought about your referenced number; then it hit me that it takes a little over 2 million goverment shepherds to manage the remaining flock of 298 million plus tax slaves/sheep for the benefit of the shadowy oligarchs that own our nation lock, stock and barrel… / : |
Carl Nemo **==
The New York Times is reporting that 2010 federal emplyment is the largest in history at 2.15 million.
Hi Dockside et al. …
The QHSR was released yesterday February 2, 2010.
I surely didn’t catch it on C-Span maybe some other site members did so?
Anyway here’s three links concerning both the source and the .pdf version of QHSR.
Indeed they are now in the business of overreaching and expanding their tentacles into areas heretofore not within their domain.
https://www.hlswatch.com/2010/02/02/qhsr-released/
https://www.dhs.gov/xabout/gc_1208534155450.shtm
https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/qhsr_report.pdf
Enjoy and weep at the same time. No good will ever come from our so-called ‘Homeland Security’ efforts. All this crap is uber expensive and in spite of all their ‘trained’ personnel and technology still failed this nation on Christmas day 2009 and there will be even more horrifying events in the future where the administrators of this “Orwellian nightmare” will simply burp, fart, scratch their privates and go to sleep during the routine, followup investigative hearings…no?!
I.E., …Business as Usual! X-(
Carl Nemo **==
p.s. Time for another tuneful round of “AmeriKa over all”.
Yo Dockside,
I’m supplying a link and some background concerning the overdue release of the QHSR. Supposedly the Department of Justice has put a hold on it relative to release to the public. No doubt they are having their “jailhouse” level lawyers comb it for it’s soundness relative to creating a more perfect “police state” in lieu of a “more perfect union”…no?!
A link from “Homeland Security Watch” has a comment as to where and when is the current release of the QHSR? which is seemingly overdue and should have been released by January 15, 2010.
https://www.hlswatch.com/2010/01/14/where-is-the-quadrennial-homeland-security-review/
***
There is a certain sense in that, especially since in Presidential Study Directive 1, the president (or someone who works for the president) wrote:
“I believe that Homeland Security is indistinguishable from National Security — conceptually and functionally, they should be thought of together rather than separately. Instead of separating these issues, we must create an integrated, effective, and efficient approach to enhance the national security of the United States.”
***
The above quote shows there are adviser/operatives in the White House who evidently believe Homeland Security and National Security are one and the same. Possibly so in simple terminology, but not so in terms of their respective missions.
Another rumor said the Department of Justice wanted a hold placed on the QHSR. I have no clue why other than my above comment concerning their lawyers seeing how far they can push the envelope relative to evermore incremental destruction of protections provided under the “Bill of Rights” and the Constitution itself.
I hope this helps. Although I don’t recall your handle as to posting before on the site there’s no reason to bolt and run in a “huff” as one of our loyal readers.
Doug Thompson posts these articles as I’ve learned recently; I’m sure he’s used solid resources for having done so.
As far as the supplied art photo is concerned, I think it’s excellent in that it portrays the intensity of “Gestapo” era mentality. I believe it’s from a collection which I’ve seen before concerning Nazi era art or possibly post era to convey the dark, menacing side of the National Socialist state.
Carl Nemo **==
The FAQ should get you started. If you then follow Doug’s ramblings over the years you will get some better picture of the man and what this site are about. This is a unique virtual place in cyberspace and it should not be dismissed lightly, even when you disagree with some of the content.
By the way, thanks for the wonderfully entrepreneurial idea – a tinfoil had company – think I’ll look into it.
—W—
Who wrote this column? Who decided on the accompanying photo? Obviously, they didn’t have the cojones to sign their name. How do we know any of this is true since it has been “embargoed”? And the spin put on this is truly high up in the ranks of conspiracy theories.
This article is not worthy of the name “journalism”. After five years of reading and posting on CHB, I can no longer return. The article is in the same ranks as Red State and Glen Beck.
I didn’t vote for Obama and don’t like much of what he has or has not done since becoming president. But, this takes the cake in being over the top.
And those posting above surely have lots of stock in tin foil hat companies.
Good-bye.
I’ve seen some sites calling for national general strike April 15-18, 2010. They are saying pull all your money out of the banks and stay home with your family on those days. Plan ahead and don’t spend a dime those days. They say at 4 days the banks will have to freeze every account that has money left to cover their losses and it could force major pain on banks and Wall Street possibly triggering another collapse.
Since another collapse is inevitable as the TARP/bail-out bubble bursts, at least this time it’s the people choosing the timing instead of the bankers. It would force the plutocracy to take notice.
As soon as we overcome the fear, or when things get so bad there’s no other options.
Hey, when do we stand together and fight this tyranny? When does the rage kick in that I know we all harbor against this type of dictatorship that we all know is wrong but sit and take it anyways? When do we say, “ENOUGH”!? Where will we draw the line and stand firm in our convictions?
I don’t post that often but I always read your comments fellow CHB’ers and the one of many tidbits I remember from quite a while back was our Governator in Kalifornia wanted to use Blackwater to supplement the national guard here and that absolutely gives me the creeps thinking about that in the event of the ‘big one’ meaning the big quake that is due here in my state in the next 3o years. The thought of those Blackwater thugs from Iraq roaming around here in the event of disaster is frightening. Thank you all for the links and great commentary you all posit on this post.
The Fourth Reich is alive und well…in Washington.
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