Recruiting DU agents!

I'm getting that queasy feeling that we're going to miss something important - and I have seen I'm not alone.


So we need to make an attempt to make sure that at least one post in every Pope thread suggests that WE KEEP OUR EYES OPEN for what the BFEE will be doing while no one is paying attention.

Nothing fancy, just a simple;

"May he rest in peace, but we should stay aware of what Rove is doing while no one is looking" sort of thing.

And spread the meme by leaving a link to this post.

I might also suggest compiling various activities going on on Capitol Hill in this or other threads.

If I had unlimited time I would implement this personally, but if only a few of us remind everyone to watch the other hand- we may be able to catch something.

Who's up for a short-term mission?

time. First, we had to go through the declining days culminating in death; now, the funeral process will begin, which may take up to a week or more; then, there will be papal elections, which could last for weeks rather than days. Then, the hoopla and coronation of the new Pope. I figure the month of April will be "Roman Catholic" month.

We lost most of the month of March to "Watch Terri die."

Since Prince Rainier of Monaco is also on his deathbed, that just might take up May.

Meanwhile the scuzzbuckets at the Capital will be scurrying around the hallways and and byways -- trying to play down any number of issues or creating new ones with little public scrutiny. And, the media is busy with funereal pomp and public breast-beating.

but I think our anti war efforts have possibly changed that. Just my own theories based on nothing specific.

because that will be the only way ** will get American support to invade Iran and instate a draft.

Keep telling people what you are afraid of.
That way if it happens, they will share your fears.
If it doesn't - we can count ourselves lucky.

Since you mentioned it...


New Jersey/Conn. -Keep an eye out April 4th-10th 2005 ** WARGAMES**

TOPOFF 3 Exercise
New Jersey Venue Brief
NJ Domestic Security PreparednessTask Force

What is Topoff?
TOPOFF, an abbreviation for Top Officials, is a two-year cycle of seminars, planning events, and exercises
mandated by Congress and designed to strengthen the nation's capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond
to, and recover from terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), TOPOFF 3, as the
name implies, is the third in the biennial TOPOFF series. The two-year TOPOFF 3 exercise cycle will
culminate internationally in a sever-day exercise in April 2005 involving the Federal government, New
Jersey, Connecticut, the United Kingdom and Canada. In New Jersey, a five-day full-scale exercise will take
place from April 4 to 8 and will focus on a bioterror event, with the core of the action taking place in Union
and Middlesex counties. Participants will include top officials, such as the Governor, senior executives of
numerous state agencies, elected county and municipal officials, as well as first responders,
representatives of law enforcement, public health and emergency medical services personnel and public
communicators. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for State and Local Coordination
and Preparedness, sponsors The TOPOFF series,

pdf document-
http://njslom.org/TOPOFF_3_Exercise.pdf
------

Most wargames involve mostly government agencies such as the DOD (pentagon) NORAD and various branches of the US Military. TOPOFF is a wargame that involves all of those, and also state and local agencies on the 'ground' level. The weeklong exercise simulates a biological release in New Jersey and attack on a chemical facility in New London Conneticut. It goes so far as to have mock victims played by voulunteers brought into local hospitals.

------

Here is some information on the UK part of the exercise, codenamed 'Atlantic Blue'

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=1268
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/govprotect/resilience/atlantic.html

It says the UK is a command post for the event.

Also-Quote:

What happens if a terrorist incident occurs during the exercise?

• In the event of a major incident of any sort a decision would be taken to halt the exercise. There will be no impact on the level of policing or security within London during the week of the exercise.


Surely the powers that be wouldnt be stupid enough to pull another stunt like 911 on another drill day ?

=======

Taken from the homeland security website-
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=47&content=4346&print=true

The TOPOFF 3 Full-Scale Exercise

TOPOFF 3 Exercise >> Full Scale Exercise

Most Realistic Test Yet

The TOPOFF Full Scale Exercise (T3 FSE) will take place from April 4-8, 2005, and involve more than 10,000 participants representing more than 200 Federal, State, local, tribal, private sector, and international agencies and organizations and volunteer groups. The FSE offers agencies and jurisdictions a way to exercise a coordinated national and international response to a large-scale, multipoint terrorist attack. It allows participants to test plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment and gain the in-depth knowledge that only experience can provide.

TOPOFF 3 In Brief:

Full-scale exercise: April 2005.
Five venues: Interagency, Connecticut, New Jersey, United Kingdom, Canada.
New Jersey scenario: Simulated biological attack in Union and Middlesex Counties.
Connecticut scenario: Simulated chemical attack in New London.

Exercise Scenario

The TOPOFF 3 scenario will depict a complex terrorist campaign and drive the exercise play through the homeland security system, beginning in Connecticut and New Jersey, and leading to national and international response.

Over the course of several days fire personnel will conduct search and rescue, hospitals will treat the injured (played by role players), subject-matter experts will analyze the effects of the attack on public health, and top officials will deploy resources and make the difficult decisions needed to save lives.

An internal Virtual News Network (VNN) and news website will provide real-time reporting of the story like an actual TV network would. The mock media will keep players up-to-date on unfolding events and enable decision makers to face the challenge of dealing with the real world media. Only participating agencies can view the VNN broadcast.

did TOPOFFs 1 and 2 take place?

I agree that something is up. If they want to keep going in war they have to find someway to get more troops.

and Bush has already signed off on it...
I think that came out in January or so.

Just when I feel that the Lame Duck Admin can't do something as egregious as before, I'm caught with my mouth hanging open, my mind stunned into numbness.

Just when I think that the media might suddenly come back into its own and take control over the news and how it's spun, I'm left looking like a fool.

I have to admit that I've never been this upset over a combination of issues from the environment to the economy. I've never felt that the government was this incompetent at dealing with either present or future issues. I'm feeling quite grim about the future.

but I have been and will continue to hide every thread that has the word "POPE" in it. If people don't have enough sense to look where the magician isn't pointing, then perhaps we deserve what we'll get.

and reveal a thing or two.

It's better to expend a small effort than to wash one's hands of a thing.

I should know - my hands tend to stay clean.

media event(s) in the death of the Pope and the election of the next Pope. We all must be on our toes for the next two to three weeks. Rove probably has something sneaky up his sleeve that he's been planning and just waiting for the right moment.

GD is for general discussions. All the pope threads are expected, he was considered a "world leader".

I like this article discussed in LBN
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1363862

You definietly always need to keep a look out with Rove. Especially with all the other stuff going on. They could easily slide something through. Call me paranoid. :tinfoilhat:

is that a tinfoil hat? On your happyface?

Thanks for your post. :-) I was so happy to see it this
evening. I came across this a couple days
ago, but with the "Florida Fiasco" I hesitated to even
mention it...I don't have enough posts to start a thread.
This "under the radar" introduction of Senate Bill
S520 on March 3, 2005, and House Bill HR1070, definitely
needs DUers attention.

snip:

Tired of waiting for the Second Coming to enforce Christ's rule on Earth? Fortunately, so is your Congress and they know how to "bring it on.".

Just when you thought the corporatist/Christian Coalition had milked the 9/11 "surprise" for all it was worth in powers, profits and votes, we regret to report that you may have to think again. Just in case you've briefly fallen behind on your rightwing mailing lists, you might have missed the March 3rd filing of Senate bill S. 520 and House version is H.R. 1070, AKA the "Constitution Restoration Act" (CRA).


snip:

This is not a joke, a test, or a fit of libertarian paranoia. The CRA already has 28 sponsors in the House and Senate, and a March 20 call to lead sponsor Sen. Richard Shelby's office assures us that "we have the votes for passage."

Link: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0503/S00266.htm

Maybe one of you could start a new thread about this.

God Bless the Pope...may he rest in peace.

I have read up on the CRA with great interest. Some things are falling into place for me.

I may be wrong but I believe the Terri Schiavo uproar was staged just for this bill. Of course I believe it happened but I think they were looking for something. to use, to achieve a means to an end. You know how Georgie Boy wanted to get at Saddam and 9/11 allowed him to do this? Well I think he needed a way to get congress in a tailspin. Congress passing a bill and then being ignored by judges must have left them feeling pretty impotent. Now the stage is set to give them their dose of Viagra so they do not feel this way any more. They feel the judges did not do the right thing and ta-dah, here is just the thing to fix that feeling. This was the perfect case to get this bill passed.

This is very scary and about the only 'real' information I find on it is religious sites. Most of that says this is the only important thing they need to concentrate on.

Yes, he's been chatting with Jerry Falwell... maybe they are hatching something together.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0504010079apr01,1,2314400.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Having given up reading US papers for lack of content, I like the online editions of Asia Times, The Guardian,and German papers such as Der Spiegel. I will keep my eyes open.

It is time for everybody to go the extra mile, TODAY, to save the filibuster. Several groups have launched campaigns to stop the “nuclear option”. Frist could do this at any time and there is no better time than when the country is distracted with the death of the Pope.

What is important is that liberals, progressives, Democrats and Greens, in ALL FIFTY STATES, take feet to the street action. This may be the single most critical action anyone takes in the next four years. There is always another election, judges are forever.

There are links to downloads, letters, talking points, Senators to target, phone numbers here:


http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=661

for perhaps one day, there will be a Democratic majority in the senate, and a Democrat in the WH.

Then we can watch the hypocrites squirm under their own lack of foresight.

But I know this cannot come about unless those machines are destroyed.