Daily Kos

Concentration Camps Being Built on US Soil?

by ab imo pectore

Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 02:54:31 PM PDT

On Tuesday, January 24th, the KBR division of Halliburton issued a press release announcing that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded them a contract to build "detention and processing ... facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs."
In 1933, in the wake of the Reichstag Fire, the Nazi partied rallied for and won the legal passage of the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz in German).  This act granted largely dictatorial powers to the Nazi regime, as it allowed them to bypass the legislative branch of the German government, and to create and enforce laws from the executive branch.

On of the first actions of the newly enabled regime was to hire contractors to build detention camps at various locations throughout Germany.  One of the most famous was Dachau.  These camps were used initially to imprison political enemies of the Nazis, largely the leadership of the opposition parties.  Over time, the Nazis began the systematic imprisonment of those persons undesirable to the regime, including Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Jehovahs Witnesses, Masons, and others.

Since they've come to power, the Bush administration has exhibited a pattern of blatant and unprecedented abuses of power, extra-legal activities, and violation of basic human rights.  In addition, they have undermined our Constitution, particularly the First and Fourth amendments through their highly clandestine activities.

While it would be irresponsible to claim that the Halliburton detention centers being built on U.S. territory are indeed concentration camps, I request that you prompt your Senators and U.S. Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the true motives behind the construction of these detention facilities.

Thank you for reading my first diary!

Tags: Homeland Security, Dictatorship (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 39 comments

  •  These camps... (none / 0)

    ...have existed since WWII.  FEMA has always been in charge of them but now they're Homeland security so...

    You are entitled to express your opinion. But you are NOT entitled to agreement.

    by DawnG on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 02:58:01 PM PDT

    •  Re=awarding of contract (none / 1)

      With a maximum total value of $385 million over a five-year term, consisting of a one-year based period and four one-year options, the competitively awarded contract will be executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. KBR held the previous ICE contract from 2000 through 2005.

      So this is actually year 6 of KBR having this contract.

      Senator McCain, we don't have to twist everything that comes out of a Republican's mouth - you guys come pre-twisted.

      by PatsBard on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:05:44 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Is that true? (none / 0)

      Are they just vacant camps that just sit there with no one living there?

      It's not that I don't believe you but I'm trying to create a mental picture of these and I strain to figure it out. There are so many questions. Do you have any links that would help?

      I'm Ron Shepston and I'm not done yet. There's much left to accomplish.

      by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:06:45 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Just wondering . . . (4.00 / 2)

      If that's the case, why didn't FEMA use these for NOLA/Katrina relocation?  Or did they?  

      by pammo on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:25:28 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  That's a great quesition! (none / 1)

        What are they saving them for if not for something like Katrina?

        I'm Ron Shepston and I'm not done yet. There's much left to accomplish.

        by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:35:58 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  There was rumor of that... (none / 1)

        I had heard of this just after it happened and then got sidetracked and never followed up on it again.  Strangely enough, I came across this link just this morning.

        I know nothing regarding the authenticity of this material, but there is also a rebuttal linked in the update from the local Emergency Management offical.

          http://www.abovetopsecret.com/...

        by Voodoo on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:36:22 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Katrina refugees deliberately scattered (none / 1)

        I'm sure it was a conscious decision to disperse Katrina refugees all over the place, rather than allow them to have a larger voice by concentrating them.  The refugees' cultural cohesion is likewise destroyed, as NO natives are separated from their communities and from each other.  The damage is already done; most of these folks will never find their way back to the life they had in NO; the place isn't there anymore, and they can't get together to protest.

        Most of the dispersees were the poorest and least able to stand for their rights; they are fast disappearing into the vast American underclass, deprived of their only grasp of being a unique people.

        As far as the camps go, I can remember lefties and hippies forty years ago breathlessly exposing the existance of such camps, most of the infrastructure being leftovers from camps used to intern the local Japanese, only 25 years earlier. The facilities do exist, and have been upgraded over the decades. Old news, but worthy of reminding the kids about.

        don't always believe what you think...

        by claude on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 05:25:41 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Sketchy stuff, but (none / 0)

    I'd really nuke the Nazi references. I generally applaud people's willingness to bust out the truth in that regard, but in this situation they really make me want to side with the above poster who says that these are typical FEMA-style facilities.

    for the animals | for the earth | for yourself :: go vegan

    by kennyt on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:04:55 PM PDT

    •  When we see history repeating itself... (4.00 / 4)

      ...why o why is it such a crime to state so?

      (¯`*._(¯`*._(-IMPEACH-)_.*´¯)_.*´¯) It's not too late!

      by nehark on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:05:58 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Why Do You Hate America? (none / 1)

      Don't you know there's a Daily Kos Daily Kwota of "we're two weeks away from Dachau" references?

      The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

      by DHinMI on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:27:58 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Nazi References (4.00 / 6)

      Thanks for your comments.  Interesting point regarding the Nazi references.  Since high school, I have studied the events in Germany from the end of WWI through WWII with great thoroughness, including the tragic events of the Holocaust.  I could not understand why I was so drawn to this dark experience in humanity's history, but made a commitment to myself that if I ever saw like patterns emerge in future times, I would raise awareness around parallels.

      The creation of detention camps is symptomatic of any dictatorial regime.  Perhaps the more disturbing parallels between the two times relate to the attempts by a government to obtain dictatorial control of a democratic government through a process of incrementalism.

      The Nazi Party in Germany first tried to seize power through a coup.  Rebuffed, they realized that they could only assume power through a path that was constitutional.  They endeavored for many years to consolidate power, finally breaking through with the Enablement Act.

      The Bush administration is similarly seeking to consolidate power, incrementally, into the executive branch.  They are doing so through many means, both legal and extra-legal.

      As with persons who have given me cause to distrust them through their actions, I distrust the Bush administration.  When I distrust a government, as when I distrust a particular person, I demand evidence that they are not doing wrong when even the slightest suspicion exists.  

      This is one such case.

      by ab imo pectore on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 05:14:51 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I dunno (none / 0)

      what's it going to take till you would say Nazi references are ok? Jack boots and goose stepping?

      My family was there, this country is going there and fast.

      Call it . . . what it is.

      by ZappoDave on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 09:42:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  So, they're finishing the camps built under Bill? (none / 0)

    (sorry, I just remember that was one of the big schemes, that somehow Clinton was building camps, and they had reflective stickers on signs to help the UN out)

    Those were the days. Ha.

    "Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right" - Carl Schurz

    by RBH on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:09:21 PM PDT

  •  No comments. No ratings. (none / 0)

    Ab Imo Pectore is new.

    Makes me wonder.

    OTOH -- welcome.  Write some comments so we can get to know you.

    Two war crimes make 'the right', not 'a right'. Defeat the liar John McCain.

    by Yellow Canary on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:15:28 PM PDT

    •  New Indeed (4.00 / 9)

      I've been reading Kos for the past 1 1/2 years, and really enjoy the community that's been formed here.  I'm about to begin my thesis for an MA in Communications, and am focusing my studies on communitarian journalistic enterprise, i.e., citizens picking up where the MSM has failed.  I hope you don't find this diary too sensational, but I'm genuinely disturbed by the wording of the press release in light of both our current government's MO, and historical parallels.  Thanks for your comments.

      by ab imo pectore on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:19:42 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I also read somewhere that they were using (none / 0)

        illegals to build the camps but I can't find that article.

        To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men~~ Abraham Lincoln

        by Tanya on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:24:02 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Greetings! (none / 0)

        Many of us are disturbed, and there are peculiar parallels both in the flow of the river and the deeper, unseen currents.  Still, I think it is "too sensational" -- it relies on "truthiness" in place of truthfulness.  And there is some truth in the truthiness, but perhaps not enough.  What are these things?  How long have they been around?  What are they used for?  What about their funding or existence has changed since Herr Anuslipz slipped the magic ring on his index finger?  How parallel is the parallel?

        I don't know.  I'd like to.

        Two war crimes make 'the right', not 'a right'. Defeat the liar John McCain.

        by Yellow Canary on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:30:35 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Agreed (4.00 / 4)

          The question you raise are the precise sentiments that encouraged me to pen this diary.  My intention is not to fully explore this topic.  I'll leave that task to the many skilled muckrakers and congressional investigators who are better equipped to do so than myself.  My intention is to simply raise awareness around this press release, to publicly question the true intentions behind these detention camps, and to request that there be transparence around their existence and uses.  Thanks again for your comments and good guidance!

          by ab imo pectore on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:39:27 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  i'm starting my MCIS in communication (none / 0)

        in the fall, hopefully. i hope to study something similar to you, but my studies, hopefully, will focus on advising politicians and bureaucrats how to effectively communicate their policy objectives truthfully and directly to their constituencies, particularly multicultural constituencies, without total reliance on the MSM or insidious PR. We'll see how it works out. My e-mail is posted on my profile page. I would love to read your thesis when you're done if that's okay. I'd like to talk to someone who doesn't find the masters in communication completely useless - most people I know go into HR or use it to get a promotion where they work.

        I don't find this diary sensational, but then again I am what they call around here a "tin foil hat." Hey, I take it as a compliment. We serve our purpose.

        :)

        i think they're attacking me cause i'm awesome. how's that??

        by missreporter on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:33:51 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Good luck with your program (none / 0)

          Wonderful!  Your program sounds fascinating - I hope you find it very rewarding.  I became so angry watching the video of Katie Couric attacking Howard Dean with RNC talking points - the MSM has become almost entirely irrelevant post media consolidation.

          by ab imo pectore on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:59:43 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

  •  gratuitous Python reference (none / 0)

    "I don't like the sounds of these 'ere boncentration bamps."

    "The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation." - Pierre Trudeau

    by fishhead on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:17:06 PM PDT

  •  Here's a bunch of links (4.00 / 2)

    ANd here's an interesting story

    http://www.google.com/...

    http://www.google.com/...

    To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men~~ Abraham Lincoln

    by Tanya on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:21:25 PM PDT

  •  Keyword (none / 1)

    Rex84
    see also
    depopulation

    by Lasthorseman on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:27:20 PM PDT

  •  I rec'd (none / 0)

    because I'm now wondering like pammo above "did they use these after Katrina"?

    And what the hell does "...the rapid development of new programs" mean if it doesn't mean housing refugees from Katrina?

    I'm Ron Shepston and I'm not done yet. There's much left to accomplish.

    by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 03:40:14 PM PDT

  •  'emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S' (4.00 / 4)

    This evokes the GOP 'fear of dark-skinned foreigners' meme. Immigrants? Not likely. Emergency influx? Get real. Let's see.....I remember Rwanda, and the Tutsi fleeing into Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. What would cause a sudden influx of immigrants here? Thousands, yea millions of Mexicans? I seem to remember KBR sub-subcontractors 'hiring' Mexicans to clean up after Katrina and Rita, then kicking them out onto the streets of New Orleans without paying them. Were they rounded up and sent to detention camps? I'd like to hear from some of the Katrina evacuees, to learn if any were indeed sent off to these detention camps. I've read stories about this, but I do not know whether to believe them or not, yet. Is it possible that the 'emergency influx of immigrants' is a throw-away purpose, meant to pacify the 'faithful' and terrorize the liberals? Considering the Rex 84 plan was taken seriously by the same people who rule us now, I think the diarist has a valid point

    It is unfortunate that even our own DHinMI and other esteemed front-pagers feel the need to be gatekeepers of Godwin's law. As Huey Long said: "If Fascism ever comes to America, it will come wrapped in an American flag." Of course it will not be 'Nazism'. It will be a novel American form of totalitarian regime. Give it a new name if you like. Same difference, as they say.

    Official Culture

    by Halcyon on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:14:50 PM PDT

  •  Emergency influx? (none / 1)

    I was not aware that the United States of America remained a top-shelf destination.

    More likely, the 'influx' is an influx of detainees.

    I don't think the Pubs are counting on the Hispanic vote anymore.

    new words, old song

    by cskendrick on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:22:25 PM PDT

  •  This is not right.. (none / 1)

    This is  not right..We should not be afraid of our president..We have seen evidence of unbelievable evil coming from the top..I may be old, but I would be the one standing in front of that tank..give me liberty..

    by bayside on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:24:42 PM PDT

  •  I recall over a year ago taking a guided tour of.. (none / 0)

    Honolulu.  The tour guide, a Hawaiian native, pointed certain certain large buildings from WWII that were being maintained, possibly for detention or internment purposes.  There was some buzz going around regarding a seccession movement for Hawaii.

    by antifascist2005 on Sun Jan 29, 2006 at 04:41:26 PM PDT

Permalink | 39 comments