Bill Creates Detention Camps in U.S. for
‘Emergencies’
Sweeping,
undefined purpose raises worries about military police state
By Dr. Jerome Corsi of WorldNetDaily.com
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, Democrat-FL., has introduced to the House of
Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the Secretary of Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish no fewer 
than
six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations.
The
proposed bill, which has received little mainstream media attention, appears
designed to create the type of detention center that those concerned about use
of the military in domestic affairs fear could be used as concentration camps
for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany.
The
bill also appears to expand the president’s emergency power, much as the
executive order signed by President Bush on May 9, 2007, that – as
WorldNetDaily (WND) reported – gave the president the authority to declare an
emergency and take over the direction of all federal, state, local, territorial
and tribal governments without even consulting Congress.
As
WND also reported, DHS has awarded a $385 million contract to Houston-based
KBR, Halliburton’s former engineering and construction subsidiary, to build
temporary detention centers on an “as-needed” basis in national emergency
situations.
According
to the text of the proposed bill, the purpose of the “National Emergency
Centers” is “to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance
to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster.” Three additional purposes are specified in
the text of the proposed legislation: 1. To provide centralized locations for
the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of federal, state and
local first responders; 2. To provide centralized locations to improve the
coordination of preparedness, response and recovery efforts of government,
private, not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; and 3. To meet
other appropriate needs, as defined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The
broad specifications of the bill’s language, however, contribute to concern
that the ‘national emergency’ purpose could be utilized by the Secretary of Homeland
Security to include any kind of situation the government wants to contain or
otherwise control.
Rep.
Hastings created controversy during the 2008 presidential campaign with his
provocative comments concerning Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah
Palin. “If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever
your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention,”
Hastings said, as reported by ABC News. “Anybody toting guns and stripping
moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just
think this through.”
H.R.
645, which seeks to allocate $360 million for developing the ‘emergency centers’,
has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
and to the Committee on Armed Services.
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi is a staff reporter for
WorldNetDaily. He received a Ph.D. from
