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| July 6, 2012 |
U.S. Army Internment and Resettlement Operations Manual
FM 3-39.40 Internment and Resettlement Operations
- 326 pages
- Distribution authorized to the DOD and DOD contractors only to protect technical or operational information from automatic dissemination under the International Exchange Program or by other means.
- February 12, 2010
- 3.59 MB
I/R operations facilitate the ability to conduct rapid and decisive combat operations; deter, mitigate, and defeat threats to populations that may result in conflict; reverse conditions of human suffering; and build the capacity of a foreign government to effectively care for and govern its population. This includes capabilities to conduct shaping operations across the spectrum of military operations to mitigate and defeat the underlying conditions for conflict and counter the core motivations that result in support to criminal, terrorist, insurgent, and other destabilizing groups. I/R operations also include the daily incarceration of U.S. military prisoners at facilities throughout the world.
This manual continues the evolution of the I/R function to support the changing nature of OEs. In light of persistent armed conflict and social turmoil throughout the world, the effects on populations remain a compelling issue. The world population will increase from 6 billion to 9 billion in the next two decades, with 95 percent of the growth occurring in the developing world. By 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Coexisting demographically and ethnically, diverse societies will aggressively compete for limited resources.
Typically, overpopulated third world societies suffer from a lack of legitimate and effective enforcement mechanisms, which is generally accepted as one of the cornerstones of a stable society. Stability within a population may eliminate the need for direct military intervention. The goal of military police conducting detainee operations is to provide stability within the population, its institutions, and its infrastructure. In this rapidly changing and dynamic strategic environment, U.S. forces will compete with local populations for the same space, routes, and resources. The modular force’s ability to positively influence and shape the opinions, attitudes, and behaviors of select populations is critical to tactical, operational, and strategic success.
An adaptive enemy will manipulate populations that are hostile to U.S. intent by instigating mass civil disobedience, directing criminal activity, masking their operations in urban and other complex terrain,
maintaining an indistinguishable presence through cultural anonymity, and actively seeking the traditional sanctuary of protected areas as defined by the rules of land warfare. Such actions will facilitate the dispersal of threat forces, negate technological overmatches, and degrade targeting opportunities. Commanders will use technology and conduct police intelligence operations to influence and control populations, evacuate detainees and, conclusively, transition rehabilitative and reconciliation operations to other functional agencies. The combat identification of friend, foe, or neutral is used to differentiate combatants from noncombatants and friendly forces from threat forces.
…
Civilian Internees
1-10. A CI is a civilian who is interned during armed conflict, occupation, or other military operation for security reasons, for protection, or because he or she committed an offense against the detaining power. (JP 3-63) CIs, unless they have committed acts for which they are considered unlawful combatants, generally qualify for protected status according to the GC, which also establishes procedures that must be observedwhen depriving such civilians of their liberty. CIs are to be accommodated separately from EPWs and persons deprived of liberty for any other reason.
1-11. Protected persons are persons protected by the Geneva Convention who find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a party to the conflict or occupying power of which they are not nationals. (AR 190-8). Protected persons who are interned for imperative reasons of security are also known as CIs. Protected persons under the Geneva Conventions include—
Note. If protected persons are detained as spies or saboteurs or are suspected of or engaged in activities hostile to the security of the state or occupying power, they may be interned or imprisoned. In such cases, they retain their status as a protected person and are granted the full rights and privileges of protected persons.
- Hors de combat (refers to the prohibition of attacking enemy personnel who are “out of combat”).
- Detainees (combatants and CIs).
- Wounded and sick in the field and at sea.
- Civilians.
…
DISLOCATED CIVILIANS
1-19. The term dislocated civilian is a broad term that includes a displaced person, an evacuee, an expellee, an internally displaced person, a migrant, a refugee, or a stateless person. (JP 3-57) DCs are individuals who leave their homes for various reasons, such as an armed conflict or a natural disaster, and whose movement and physical presence can hinder military operations. They most likely require some degree of aid, such as medicine, food, shelter, or clothing. DCs may not be native to the area or to the country in which they reside. (See chapter 10.) The following DC subcategories are also defined in JP 3-57:
…
- Displaced person. A displaced person is a civilian who is involuntarily outside the national boundaries of his or her country. (JP 1-02) Displaced persons may have been dislocated because of a political, geographical, environmental, or threat situation.
- Evacuee. An evacuee is a civilian removed from a place of residence by military direction for reasons of personal security or the requirements of the military situation. (JP 3-57)
- Internally displaced person. An internally displaced person is any person who has left their residence by reason of real or imagined danger but has not left the territory of their own country.Internally displaced persons may have been forced to flee their homes for the same reasons as refugees, but have not crossed an internationally recognized border.
- Expellee. An expellee is a civilian outside the boundaries of the country of his or her nationality or ethnic origin who is being forcibly repatriated to that country or to a third country for political or other purposes. (JP 3-57)
- Migrant. A migrant is a person who (1) belongs to a normally migratory culture who may cross national boundaries, or (2) has fled his or her native country for economic reasons rather than fear of political or ethnic persecution. (JP 3-57)
- Refugee. A refugee is a person, who by reason of real or imagined danger, has left their home country or country of their nationality and is unwilling or unable to return.
- Stateless person. A stateless person is a civilian who has been denationalized or whose country of origin cannot be determined or who cannot establish a right to the nationality claimed.
AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH INTERNMENT AND RESETTLEMENT
1-40. External involvement in I/R missions is a fact of life for military police organizations. Some government and government-sponsored entities that may be involved in I/R missions include—
1-41. The U.S. Army National Detainee Reporting Center (NDRC), supported by theater detainee reporting centers (TDRCs), detainee accountability, including reporting to the ICRC central tracing agency.
- International agencies.
- UN.
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
- International Organization of Migration.
- U.S. agencies.
- Local U.S. embassy.
- Department of Homeland Security.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- Federal Emergency Management Agency.
1-42. There are also numerous private relief organizations, foreign and domestic, that will likely be involved in the humanitarian aspects of I/R operations. Likewise, the news media normally provides extensive coverage of I/R operations. Adding to the complexity of these operations is the fact that DOD is often not the lead agency. For instance, the DOD could be tasked in a supporting role, with the Department of State or some other agency in the lead. (See appendix E.)
…
SUPPORT TO CIVIL SUPPORT OPERATIONS
2-39. Civil support is the DOD support to U.S. civil authorities for domestic emergencies, and for designated law enforcement and other activities. (JP 3-28) Civil support includes operations that address the consequences of natural or man-made disasters, accidents, terrorist attacks and incidents in the U.S. and its territories.
2-40. The I/R tasks performed in support of civil support operations are similar to those during combat operations, but the techniques and procedures are modified based on the special OE associated with operating within U.S. territory and according to the categories of individuals (primarily DCs) to be housed in I/R facilities. During long-term I/R operations, state and federal agencies will operate within and around I/R facilities within the scope of their capabilities and identified role. Military police commanders must closely coordinate and synchronize their efforts with them especially in cases where civil authority and capabilities have broken down or been destroyed.
…
PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS OFFICER
3-55. The PSYOP officer in charge of supporting I/R operations serves as the special staff officer responsible for PSYOP. The PSYOP officer advises the military police commander on the psychological impact of military police or MI actions to prevent misunderstandings and disturbances by detainees and DCs. The supporting I/R PSYOP team has two missions that reduce the need to divert military police assets to maintain security in the I/R facility. (See appendix J.) The team—
3-56. The PSYOP team also supports the military police custodial mission in the I/R facility. The team—
- Assists the military police force in controlling detainees and DCs.
- Introduces detainees or DCs to U.S. and multinational policy.
…
- Develops PSYOP products that are designed to pacify and acclimate detainees or DCs to accept U.S. I/R facility authority and regulations.
- Gains the cooperation of detainees or DCs to reduce the number of guards needed.
- Identifies malcontents, trained agitators, and political leaders within the facility who may try to organize resistance or create disturbances.
- Develops and executes indoctrination programs to reduce or remove antagonistic attitudes.
- Identifies political activists.
- Provides loudspeaker support (such as administrative announcements and facility instructions when necessary).
- Helps the military police commander control detainee and DC populations during emergencies.
- Plans and executes a PSYOP program that produces an understanding and appreciation of U.S. policies and actions.
DETAINEE PROCESSING TECHNIQUE
4-33. Upon capture, Soldiers must process detainees using the “search, silence, segregate, speed, safeguard, and tag (5 Ss and T)” technique. This technique provides a structure to guide Soldiers in conducting detainee operations until they transfer custody of detainees to another authority or location. Complete the “5 Ss and T” technique as follows:
…
- Search. Neutralize a detainee and confiscate weapons, personal items, and items of potential intelligence and/or evidentiary value.
- Silence. Prevent detainees from communicating with one another or making audible clamor such as chanting, singing, or praying. Silence uncooperative detainees by muffling them with a soft, clean cloth tied around their mouths and fastened at the backs of their heads. Do not use duct tape or other adhesives, place a cloth or either objects inside the mouth, or apply physical force to silence detainees.
- Segregate. Segregate detainees according to policy and SOPs (segregation requirements differ from operation to operation). The ability to segregate detainees may be limited by the availability of manpower and resources at the POC. At a minimum, try to segregate detainees by grade, gender, age (keeping adults from juveniles and small children with mothers), and security risk. MI and military police personnel can provide additional guidance and support in determining the appropriate segregation criteria.
- Speed. Quickly move detainees from the continuing risks associated with other combatants or sympathizers who may still be in the area of capture. If there are more detainees than the Soldiers can control, call for additional support, search the detainees, and hold them in place until reinforcements arrive.
- Safeguard. Protect detainees and ensure the custody and integrity of all confiscated items. Soldiers must safeguard detainees from combat risk, harm caused by other detainees, and improper treatment or care. Report all injuries. Correct and report violations of U.S. military policy that occur while safeguarding detainees. Acts and/or omissions that constitute inhumane treatment are violations of the law of war and, as such, must be corrected immediately. Simply reporting violations is insufficient. If a violation is ongoing, a Soldier has an obligation to stop the violation and report it.
- Tag. Ensure that each detainee is tagged using DD Form 2745. Confiscated equipment, personal items, and evidence will be linked to the detainee using the DD Form 2745 number. When a DA Form 4137 is used to document confiscated items, it will be linked to the detainee by annotating the DD Form 2745 control number on the form.
6-8. When constructing a facility, planning considerations may include, but are not limited to—
6-9. The facility layout depends on the nature of the operation, terrain, building materials, and HN support. Each facility should contain—
- Clear zones. As appropriate, mission variables determine the clear zone surrounding each facility that houses detainees. Construct at least two fences (interior and exterior) around the detainee facility and ensure that the clear zone between the interior and exterior fences is free of vegetation and shrubbery.
- Guard towers. Locate guard towers on the perimeter of each facility. Place them immediately outside the wall or, in case of double fencing, where they permit an unobstructed view of the lane between the fences. The space between towers must allow overlapping observation and fields of fire. During adverse weather, it may be necessary to augment security by placing fixed guard posts between towers on the outside of the fence. Towers must be high enough to allow an unobstructed view of the compound and low enough to permit an adequate field of fire. The tower platform should have retractable ladders and should be wide enough to mount crew-served weapons. Another consideration involves using nonlethal capabilities from guard towers.
- Lights. Provide adequate lighting, especially around compound perimeters. Illuminating walls and fences discourages escapes, and illuminating inner strategic points expedites the handling of problems caused by detainees. Lights should be protected from breakage with an unbreakable glass shield or a wire mesh screen. Ensure that lights on the walls and fences do not interfere with the guards’ vision. Provide secondary emergency lighting.
- Patrol roads. Construct patrol roads for vehicle and foot patrols. They should be adjacent to outside perimeter fences or walls.
- Sally ports. A sally port is required to search vehicles and personnel entering and leaving the main compound. It is recommended that a sally port be placed at the back entrance to the facility.
- Communications. Ensure that communication between the towers and the operation headquarters is reliable. Telephones are the preferred method; however, ensure that alternate forms of communication (radio and visual or sound signals) are available if telephones are inoperable.
…
- Barracks (may be general-purpose medium tents in the early stages of an operation).
- Kitchen and dining facilities.
- Bath houses.
- Latrines.
- Recreation areas.
- Chapel facilities.
- Administrative areas with a command post, an administrative building, an interrogation facility, a dispensary, an infirmary, a mortuary, and a supply building.
- Receiving and processing centers.
- Maximum security areas with individual cells.
- Parking areas.
- Trash collection points.
- Potable water points.
- Storage areas.
- Hazardous materials storage areas.
- Generator and fuel areas.
Related material:
- U.S. Military Police Internment/Resettlement Operations Manual
- National Guard Looking for Internment/Resettlement Specialists
- Restricted U.S. Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) Religious Factors Analysis Manual
- Internment/Resettlement Specialist (31E)
- U.S. Army Counterguerrilla Operations Manual
- Restricted U.S. Military Multi-Service Civil Support Operations Manual
- (U//FOUO) U.S. Army Intelligence Support to Urban Operations Field Manual
- U.S. Army FM 3-19.15 Civil Disturbance Operations
Army Manual Outlines Plan To Kill Rioters, Demonstrators In America
“Warning shots will not be fired”
Paul Joseph Watson
A newly leaked US Army Military Police training manual for “Civil
Disturbance Operations” outlines how military assets are to be used
domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans
on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.
The document (PDF),
which is dated 2006 and was used for a self-learning course at the U.S.
Army Military Police School at Fort McClellan, makes it clear that the
operations described in the manual apply to both “CONUS and OCONUS,”
meaning inside the Continental United States and outside the Continental
United States.
The document outlines how military assets will be used to “help local
and state authorities to restore and maintain law and order” in the
event of mass riots, civil unrest or a declaration of martial law.
The primary function of military assets will be focused around,
“breaking up unauthorized gatherings and by patrolling the disturbance
area to prevent the commission of lawless acts,” states the document,
adding, “during operations to restore order, military forces may present
a show of force, establish roadblocks, break up crowds, employ crowd
control agents, patrol, serve as security forces or reserves, and
perform other operations as required.”
The manual also describes how prisoners will be processed through
temporary internment camps under the guidance of U.S. Army FM 3-19.40
Internment/Resettlement Operations, which as we reported earlier this year,
outlines how internees would be “re-educated” into developing an
“appreciation of U.S. policies” while detained in prison camps inside
the United States.
On page 20 of the manual, rules regarding the use of “deadly force” in
confronting “dissidents” are made disturbingly clear with the directive
that a, “Warning shot will not be fired.”
Breaking News from Western Journalism
Jul 06, 2012 02:26 pm | Dr. Kevin "Coach" Collins
Those
who think socialized medicine is just an “all good” program that keeps
you healthy while somebody else pays your medical bills ought to think
again. Socialized medicine takes whatever you have, whatever it can get
from you. If you… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 02:20 pm | Floyd and Mary Beth Brown
The light bulb just flipped on. When speaking with longtime friend (and editor at Thoughtfulwomen.org) Judy Lloyd of California, she said something that for Floyd was an “a-ha” moment. The topic was Barack Obama’s failure to work with Congress. Here is what… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 02:10 pm | Daniel Noe
Jul 06, 2012 02:03 pm | Tom Ballantyne Jr.
At
the risk of appearing sacrilegious, I here employ the phrase used by
Pontius Pilate to mock Christ shortly after He had been scourged by his
Roman captors. I do so not to compare the person of whom I will… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 02:02 pm | Dr. Kevin "Coach" Collins
Barack
Obama is lying to women with his “equal pay for equal work” message.
The bottom line on White House salaries proves he pays women less than
men and does so in a clever and devious way typical of Democrats.… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:56 pm | Daniel Noe
Jul 06, 2012 01:55 pm | Anne Hendricks
President
Barack Hussein Obama’s recent decision to grant asylum to the DREAMers,
the offspring of illegal immigrants, has been termed by him as being
“the right thing to do.” It does not grant them “a pathway to
citizenship” – or… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:48 pm | Bryan P. Björnson
When
Great Britain put the tax on tea that caused the Boston Tea Party, it
was three pence (3¢) a pound. In colonial America, they bought about
562,000 pounds of tea a year. The amount of the tax paid by… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:46 pm | B. Christopher Agee
Of
all the professions in the land (with the possible exception of
politicians), lawyers are the most universally reviled. Coming from
someone who has covered district courts for years as a journalist, I can
say that many of the complaints… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:40 pm | Daniel Noe
Jul 06, 2012 01:34 pm | Bryan P. Björnson
There
are plenty of things wrong with America. None of them will get fixed as
long we deal with the symptoms and ignore the problem. Do we really
know what America’s problems are? Or are we just dealing with their… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:33 pm | Richard Larsen
Well,
it’s official. It’s now constitutional for politicians to tell huge
lies, and not only get away with doing so, but be rewarded for doing so.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare this past week confirmed what
most of us… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:31 pm | Breaking News
The
verification comes amid some confusion, as the Missouri newspaper first
printed an editor’s note denying any relation between the letter writer
and movie star. That was later replaced with a second editor’s note,
reading, “To clear up earlier confusion,… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:27 pm | Daniel Noe
The
results of our latest poll show that 35% of our readers think that at
least three quarters of total government spending should be cut. This
would likely include large yet necessary cuts to entitlements,
defense/military spending, and welfare programs.… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:26 pm | Daniel Noe
Jul 06, 2012 01:21 pm | Breaking News
President
Barack Obama told an Ohio campaign crowd that the outcome of the
November election will determine the nation’s economic future for the
next 10 to 20 years. I wholeheartedly agree. If he gets elected,
America’s economic future will be… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:21 pm | Daniel Noe
Jul 06, 2012 01:15 pm | Breaking News
WOLFEBORO,
N.H. (AP) — A chorus of prominent conservative voices is worrying aloud
that Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s play-it-safe strategy is
jeopardizing his chance to win the presidency.
As President Barack Obama’s campaign intensifies criticism of Romney’s
background, influential Republicans… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:13 pm | Breaking News
Reporters from several news organizations, including RealClearPolitics,
interviewed Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod in Parma, Ohio,
Thursday after President Obama’s speech there.
What’s your response to the $100 million raised by Romney campaign and
announced today?
Congratulations, they had a… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:12 pm | Breaking News
Industrial
Policy: For a $9 billion investment, the administration created just
over 900 new, permanent jobs. We could’ve had 20,000 jobs building a
pipeline with not a dollar of taxpayer money being wasted.
According to the report by the National… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 01:10 pm | Breaking News
Former
U.N. Ambassador John Bolton says he’s concerned about the possibility
of terrorists trying “to get their message across” at the Olympics and
worries they could be British citizens who might be hard to detect.
Appearing Thursday night on Fox… Continue to Post
Jul 06, 2012 12:21 pm | Breaking News
DES
MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Republican officials say GOP presidential
candidate Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee combined
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Jul 05, 2012 07:30 pm | Cagle Cartoons
U.N. Agreement Should Have All Gun Owners Up In Arms
Larry Bell
It may not come as surprising news to many of you that the United
Nations doesn’t approve of our Second Amendment. Not one bit. And they
very much hope to do something about it with help from some powerful
American friends. Under the guise of a proposed global “Small Arms
Treaty” premised to fight “terrorism”, “insurgency” and “international
crime syndicates” you can be quite certain that an even more insidious
threat is being targeted – our Constitutional right for law-abiding
citizens to own and bear arms.
What, exactly, does the intended agreement entail?
While the terms have yet to be made public, if passed by the U.N. and ratified by our Senate, it will almost certainly force the U.S. to:
Have no doubt that this plan is very real, with strong Obama administration support. In January 2010 the U.S. joined 152 other countries in endorsing a U.N. Arms Treaty Resolution that will establish a 2012 conference to draft a blueprint for enactment. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to push for Senate ratification.
Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton has cautioned gun owners to take this initiative seriously, stating that the U.N. “is trying to act as though this is really just a treaty about international arms trade between nation states, but there is no doubt that the real agenda here is domestic firearms control.”
Although professing to support the Second Amendment during her presidential election bid, Hillary Clinton is not generally known as a gun rights enthusiast. She has been a long-time activist for federal firearms licensing and registration, and a vigorous opponent of state Right-to-Carry laws. As a New York senator she ranked among the National Rifle Association’s worst “F”-rated gun banners who voted to support the sort of gunpoint disarmament that marked New Orleans’ rogue police actions against law-abiding gun owners in the anarchistic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
President Obama’s record on citizen gun rights doesn’t reflect much advocacy either. Consider for example his appointment of anti-gun rights former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as an alternate U.S. representative to the U.N., and his choice of Andrew Traver who has worked to terminate civilian ownership of so-called “assault rifles” (another prejudicially meaningless gun term) to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Then, in a move unprecedented in American history, the Obama administration quietly banned the re-importation and sale of 850,000 collectable antique U.S.-manufactured M1 Garand and Carbine rifles that were left in South Korea following the Korean War. Developed in the 1930s, the venerable M1 Garand carried the U.S. through World War II, seeing action in every major battle.
As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama was an aggressive advocate for expanding gun control laws, and even voted against legislation giving gun owners an affirmative defense when they use firearms to defend themselves and their families against home invaders and burglars. He also served on a 10-member board of directors of the radically activist anti-gun Joyce Foundation in Chicago during a period between 1998-2001when it contributed $18,326,183 in grants to anti-Second Amendment organizations.
If someone breaks into your home when you are there, which would you prefer to have close at hand: 1) a telephone to call 911, or 2) a loaded gun of respectable caliber? That’s a pretty easy question for me to answer. I am a long-time NRA member, concealed firearms license holder and a regular weekly recreational pistol shooter. And while I don’t ordinarily care to target anything that has a mother, will reluctantly make an exception should an urgent provocation arise. I also happen to enjoy the company of friends who hunt, as well as those, like myself, who share an abiding interest in American history and the firearms that influenced it.
There are many like me, and fewer of them would be alive today were it not for exercise of their gun rights. In fact law-abiding citizens in America used guns in self-defense 2.5 million times during 1993 (about 6,850 times per day), and actually shot and killed 2 1/2 times as many criminals as police did (1,527 to 606). Those civilian self-defense shootings resulted in less than 1/5th as many incidents as police where an innocent person was mistakenly identified as a criminal (2% versus 11%).
Just how effectively have gun bans worked to make citizens safer in other countries? Take the number of home break-ins while residents are present as an indication. In Canada and Britain, both with tough gun-control laws, nearly half of all burglaries occur when residents are present. But in the U.S. where many households are armed, only about 13% happen when someone is home.
Recognizing clear statistical benefit evidence, 41 states now allow competent, law-abiding adults to carry permitted or permit-exempt concealed handguns. As a result, crime rates in those states have typically fallen at least 10% in the year following enactment.
So the majority in our Senate is smart enough to realize that the U.N.’s gun-grab agenda is unconstitutional, politically suicidal for those who support it, and down-right idiotic—right? Let’s hope so, but not entirely count on it. While a few loyal Obama Democrats are truly “pro-gun”, many are loathe to vote against treaties that carry the president’s international prestige, causing him embarrassment.
Also, don’t forget that Senate confirmation of anti-gun Obama nominee Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Many within the few who voted against her did so only because of massive grassroots pressure from constituents who take their Constitutional protections very seriously.
Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to stick by our guns in demanding that all Constitutional rights be preserved. If not, we will surely lose both.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
What, exactly, does the intended agreement entail?
While the terms have yet to be made public, if passed by the U.N. and ratified by our Senate, it will almost certainly force the U.S. to:
- Enact tougher licensing requirements, creating additional bureaucratic red tape for legal firearms ownership.
- Confiscate and destroy all “unauthorized” civilian firearms (exempting those owned by our government of course).
- Ban the trade, sale and private ownership of all semi-automatic weapons (any that have magazines even though they still operate in the same one trigger pull – one single “bang” manner as revolvers, a simple fact the ant-gun media never seem to grasp).
- Create an international gun registry, clearly setting the stage for full-scale gun confiscation.
- In short, overriding our national sovereignty, and in the process, providing license for the federal government to assert preemptive powers over state regulatory powers guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment in addition to our Second Amendment rights.
Have no doubt that this plan is very real, with strong Obama administration support. In January 2010 the U.S. joined 152 other countries in endorsing a U.N. Arms Treaty Resolution that will establish a 2012 conference to draft a blueprint for enactment. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to push for Senate ratification.
Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton has cautioned gun owners to take this initiative seriously, stating that the U.N. “is trying to act as though this is really just a treaty about international arms trade between nation states, but there is no doubt that the real agenda here is domestic firearms control.”
Although professing to support the Second Amendment during her presidential election bid, Hillary Clinton is not generally known as a gun rights enthusiast. She has been a long-time activist for federal firearms licensing and registration, and a vigorous opponent of state Right-to-Carry laws. As a New York senator she ranked among the National Rifle Association’s worst “F”-rated gun banners who voted to support the sort of gunpoint disarmament that marked New Orleans’ rogue police actions against law-abiding gun owners in the anarchistic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
President Obama’s record on citizen gun rights doesn’t reflect much advocacy either. Consider for example his appointment of anti-gun rights former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as an alternate U.S. representative to the U.N., and his choice of Andrew Traver who has worked to terminate civilian ownership of so-called “assault rifles” (another prejudicially meaningless gun term) to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Then, in a move unprecedented in American history, the Obama administration quietly banned the re-importation and sale of 850,000 collectable antique U.S.-manufactured M1 Garand and Carbine rifles that were left in South Korea following the Korean War. Developed in the 1930s, the venerable M1 Garand carried the U.S. through World War II, seeing action in every major battle.
As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama was an aggressive advocate for expanding gun control laws, and even voted against legislation giving gun owners an affirmative defense when they use firearms to defend themselves and their families against home invaders and burglars. He also served on a 10-member board of directors of the radically activist anti-gun Joyce Foundation in Chicago during a period between 1998-2001when it contributed $18,326,183 in grants to anti-Second Amendment organizations.
If someone breaks into your home when you are there, which would you prefer to have close at hand: 1) a telephone to call 911, or 2) a loaded gun of respectable caliber? That’s a pretty easy question for me to answer. I am a long-time NRA member, concealed firearms license holder and a regular weekly recreational pistol shooter. And while I don’t ordinarily care to target anything that has a mother, will reluctantly make an exception should an urgent provocation arise. I also happen to enjoy the company of friends who hunt, as well as those, like myself, who share an abiding interest in American history and the firearms that influenced it.
There are many like me, and fewer of them would be alive today were it not for exercise of their gun rights. In fact law-abiding citizens in America used guns in self-defense 2.5 million times during 1993 (about 6,850 times per day), and actually shot and killed 2 1/2 times as many criminals as police did (1,527 to 606). Those civilian self-defense shootings resulted in less than 1/5th as many incidents as police where an innocent person was mistakenly identified as a criminal (2% versus 11%).
Just how effectively have gun bans worked to make citizens safer in other countries? Take the number of home break-ins while residents are present as an indication. In Canada and Britain, both with tough gun-control laws, nearly half of all burglaries occur when residents are present. But in the U.S. where many households are armed, only about 13% happen when someone is home.
Recognizing clear statistical benefit evidence, 41 states now allow competent, law-abiding adults to carry permitted or permit-exempt concealed handguns. As a result, crime rates in those states have typically fallen at least 10% in the year following enactment.
So the majority in our Senate is smart enough to realize that the U.N.’s gun-grab agenda is unconstitutional, politically suicidal for those who support it, and down-right idiotic—right? Let’s hope so, but not entirely count on it. While a few loyal Obama Democrats are truly “pro-gun”, many are loathe to vote against treaties that carry the president’s international prestige, causing him embarrassment.
Also, don’t forget that Senate confirmation of anti-gun Obama nominee Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Many within the few who voted against her did so only because of massive grassroots pressure from constituents who take their Constitutional protections very seriously.
Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to stick by our guns in demanding that all Constitutional rights be preserved. If not, we will surely lose both.
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK: School retreats spotlight 'kinky sex,' plastic genitals
Board member: 'No one held a gun to anybody's head. It was no big deal'
by Chelsea SchillingMen pretending to have homosexual intercourse, discussions of “kinky sex,” hats with plastic testicles and cross-dressing: It was all part of an official California public-school district retreat, a lawsuit says.
School administrators from the Lake Elsinore Unified School District have participated in the annual retreats since 2008, according to court documents.
The Press-Enterprise, a newspaper in Riverside, Calif., reported that an assistant principal has had enough, claiming she was the victim of sexual harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment.
Kathryn Jones, 42, said the retreats were not optional; administrators were required to attend the events held at Coachella Valley hotels, where district leaders allowed and participated in the risqué behavior.
“You just shake your head at something like this,” Andrew Rosenberry, Jones’ attorney, told the paper. “The conduct is so outrageous.”
According to the Press-Enterprise, district spokesman Mark Dennis declined to comment, but school-board member Jeanie Corral confirmed that she had witnessed the events described in the lawsuit. However, she said she was surprised by the allegations because the incidents didn’t upset her.
“There was nothing that I found offensive,” Corral said.
But Jones told the Press-Enterprise the sexual humor at the retreats was distasteful.
“It doesn’t belong in a workplace,” she said.
According to the lawsuit, Jones complained about the retreats several times – and then she was demoted in 2011 from associate principal at Temescal Canyon High School to assistant principal at Luiseno Elementary School. Jones, a lesbian, also claims discrimination was a factor in her demotion.
The report states that Jones” supervisor at Temescal Canyon had given her outstanding evaluations and called her the “moral compass” of the school. After she sued, she was offered her current position as assistant principal at Elsinore High School in Wildomar.
In 2008, Jones claimed the retreat featured cross-dressing skits.
In 2010, the “Wizard of Oz” theme required administrators to dress as characters from the story – including male Assistant Superintendent Alain Guevara dressing as Dorothy.
In 2011, male district employees pretended to have sex with one another and act surprised that they had been caught in a video shown at the retreat, the lawsuit alleges.
According to the Press-Enterprise report, “Another video showed Guevara lying on a table with someone pretending to insert a probe for a colonoscopy, Jones said. The video then cut to footage from an actual colonoscopy, she said.”
Former superintendent Frank Passarella, now retired, reportedly announced the video at the 2011 retreat by telling administrators “everyone should know that it is all in fun.”
According to the complaint, Guevara told district employees to draw shapes and lines that were used to determine whether each attendee liked “kinky sex.”
The newspaper notes that attorneys provided a sexual harassment training workshop after the “kinky sex” incident, but they joked about the exercise.
Jones said the retreats also involved hazing incidents meant to humiliate new hires, including mandatory “rookie hats” – some with vulgar decorations.
“Before last year’s retreat, Jones said, Passarella emailed a list of employees who would be required to wear the hats. Jones” name was on it, she said, because she had been demoted. She objected beforehand but was told wearing the hat was not optional,” the Press-Enterprise reported.
“Jones said she got into a tearful confrontation with Passarella at the retreat in which he said wearing the hats was part of the district culture. He ultimately backed down, Jones said. She never saw the hat they wanted her to wear, Jones said, but another employee’s hat had a roll of toilet paper on it, along with Tums and Imodium bottles.”
According to the complaint, Guevara wore a hat featuring underwear and plastic testicles.
But school-board member Corral told the newspaper the events were meant to provide “humorous relief” from administrators’ daily work and help them get acquainted with one another. She also claimed the retreats were not mandatory.
“No one was going to be singled out for retribution or criticism,” she said. “No one held a gun to anybody’s head. It was no big deal.”
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