From: hal@rain.org
Date: Mon Feb 15 1999 - 20:07:48 MST
Ian Goddard, <Ian@Goddard.net>, writes:
> A local FEMA official has said that the Operation-Last-Dance
> attacks on Texas are part of training for massive gun-roundup
> operations. The FEMA official said that this was the official
> wargame scenario of the special forces attack on Kingsville:
>
> "Martial law has been declared through
> presidential powers and war powers act, and
> some citizens have refused to give up their
> weapons. They have taken over two of the
> buildings in Kingsville. The police cannot
> handle it. So you call these guys in. They
> show up and they zap everybody, take all the
> weapons, and let the local P.D. clean it up,"
No, he didn't. When you read the article carefully, you see:
> The head of emergency management for
> Kingsville is the Federal Emergency
> Management Agency coordinator Tomas
> Sanchez. He is a highly decorated Navy
> veteran, wounded in Vietnam and retired after
> 30 years of service. He now continues to
> serve as the head of the military police unit of
> the Texas State Guard, which is under the
> National Guard.
> [...]
> "Martial law has been declared through
> presidential powers and war powers act, and
> some citizens have refused to give up their
> weapons. They have taken over two of the
> buildings in Kingsville. The police cannot
> handle it. So you call these guys in. They
> show up and they zap everybody, take all the
> weapons, and let the local P.D. clean it up,"
> described Sanchez of the scenario the Knight
> Stalkers were likely given.
^^^^^^
See the weasel word here? "Likely" given? Sanchez is *speculating*
about the kind of scenario involved. He apparently does not have direct
knowledge of the soldiers' orders, but given the overall scenario he
has concluded that it is some kind of extraction simulation, and he is
fleshing it out with some made-up details.
Military simulations in urban environments have been going on for some
time, and there are legitimate concerns about safety and notice to
local officials. However there is no need to assume that these are
rehearsals for a government takeover. Many overseas operations will
have to be carried out within cities. It may well be that these are
intended to train troops for a variety of legitimate military operations.
Hal
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