Detention Camp being set up in Iowa? - LBN?

[DU9598]

I didn't want to post this news in the LBN catagory because I am not sure if anyone else has already posted it early this AM before I logged on.

<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS10/805060374>

U.S. lease of Waterloo fairgrounds raises questions

Federal officials have imposed a news blackout at the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds in Waterloo, where they have leased almost the entire property through May 25. Tim Counts, a Midwest spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, declined to say Monday whether an immigration raid is pending that would use the fairgrounds as a detention center.

The Waterloo Courier on Sunday reported that contractors have installed generators adjacent to many buildings at the fairgrounds. In addition, windows on many buildings have been covered up, blocking views inside. A number of mobile-home-size trailers have been transported to the privately owned grounds.

Representatives of Gov. Chet Culver and U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley said they had no information about what was happening at the Cattle Congress fairgrounds. At Grassley's request, his staff called ICE officials on Monday. "During the call, the ICE officials would neither confirm nor deny anything to Senator Grassley's staff," said Beth Pellett Levine, a Grassley aide.

Armando Villareal, administrator of the Iowa Division of Latino Affairs, said he hadn't heard any reports about impending immigration raids. But he added that many Latinos in Iowa are feeling tension and fear. "Folks have resigned themselves that something terrible is going to happen between now and the election. It is more like a resignation that something is going to happen," Villareal said.

[madrchsod]

1. good way to raise food prices and cause problems in the cities

just in time for the election....

[SpiralHawk]

2. "...something is going to happen between now and the election." - Villareal

Wow - this realization of how plug-ugly totalitarian the republicon homelanders are, and what they are likely to pull on America, is alive in the Heartland ?

The jig is, like, totally freaking up.

[OregonBlue]

12. I've been saying for a year now that I thought the Repukes were going to make immigration

a huge deal during the next election. Perhaps they plan to start the roundups. Many, Many otherwise sane Democrats are insane about illegal immigration.

[zonmoy]

28. They are more likely to cause a false flag attack to blame either on iran

or on the anti war movement so they can declare martial law and round up all dissenters.

[leftofcool]

3. Keeeerist! Can you keep us updated on this?

[chat_noir]

4. Death by Detention

A chilling article by Nina Bernstein* in The Times on Monday recounted the secrecy, neglect and lack of oversight that are a few of the shameful symptoms of the booming sector of the nation’s prison industry — the detention of undocumented foreigners.

Ms. Bernstein chronicled the death of Boubacar Bah, a tailor from Guinea who was imprisoned in New Jersey for overstaying a tourist visa. He fell and fractured his skull in the Elizabeth Detention Center early last year. Though clearly gravely injured, Mr. Bah was shackled and taken to a disciplinary cell. He was left alone — unconscious and occasionally foaming at the mouth — for more than 13 hours. He was eventually taken to the hospital and died after four months in a coma.

snip

Secrecy and shockingly inadequate medical care are hardly the only problems with immigration detention. Immigrants taken into federal custody enter a world where many of the rights taken for granted by people charged with real crimes do not exist. Detainees have no right to legal representation. Many are unable to defend or explain themselves, or even to understand the charges against them, because they don’t speak English and lack access to lawyers or telephones.

snip

As authorities at the federal and local level continue rounding up illegal immigrants in these harsh days of ever-stricter enforcement, the potential for abuse will continue to grow — largely out of sight. Although immigration law is every bit as complex as tax law — and the consequences for violators more dire — the detention system seems designed to sacrifice thoughtful deliberation and justice to expediency and swift deportation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/opinion/06tue1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


* Few Details on Immigrants Who Died in Custody
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: May 5, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/nyregion/05detain.html

[smoogatz]

5. Immigration may just be the cover.

Looks more and more like Cheney's preparing to impose martial law.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. If they go through with an attack on Iran, they'll have to. nt

[Zywiec]

14. Martial Law until May 25th?

That's when their lease is up.

[smoogatz]

18. So, they renew.

Or if there's martial law, maybe they just seize the property.

[Zywiec]

19. Well, of course

those all seem like reasonable possibilities

:eyes:

[smoogatz]

20. Then no doubt this will seem perfectly reasonable to you, too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/national/04halliburton.html

Especially this quote: "KBR would build the centers for the Homeland Security Department for an unexpected influx of immigrants, to house people in the event of a natural disaster or for new programs that require additional detention space, company executives said," paying particular attention to that "new programs" part.

[Zywiec]

21. That article is more than two years old

"The contract with the Corps of Engineers runs one year, with four optional one-year extensions."

What this extended in 2007 or 2008, or did it expire? Do you have anything more recent?


-snip-

A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Jamie Zuieback, said KBR would build the centers only in an emergency like the one when thousands of Cubans floated on rafts to the United States. She emphasized that the centers might never be built if such an emergency did not arise.

-snip-

Mr. Church said that KBR did not end up creating immigration centers under its previous contract


Was anything ever built?

[smoogatz]

23. Does it not sound to you as though they're building one in Iowa?

:shrug:

[smoogatz]

24. Here's another interesting link

http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=eed74d9d44c30493706fe03f4c9b3a77

[Zywiec]

25. Another two year old article? n/t

[smoogatz]

26. That's when the contract was made public.

The story has since gone swirling down the memory hole. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, isn't still happening, and won't come back to bite us in the ass. But whatever: don't worry your pretty little head.

[Echo In Light]

32. Two yrs old?!...why, that means it doesn't mean anything. Didn't you know that?

:sarcasm:

...amazing, isn't it?

[smoogatz]

35. Yep.

If it didn't happen this news cycle, it didn't happen. That's where we are, pretty much.

[BeHereNow]

36. I swear, some people just DON'T get it.

Someone I respect VERY much said it perfectly.
"Americans have the attention spans of gnats."

Two years old, Oh MY!
:sarcasm:

The PNAC doc is now nearly FIFTEEN years old
and it's ALL coming to pass.

Must mean it was irrelevant...

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I guess it's true- people DO get the government they deserve-
including many here on DU...
Unfortunately, the rest of us get that government too.

BHN

[warren pease]

37. And because the executive branch is absolutely infested with honorable men...

... it's entirely reasonable to expect that ICE, on direct orders from the very top, will honor that lease and abide by their contractual obligations to the letter. Probably obsessively so.

In fact, because they've proven over the years that their word is their bond, I'd expect them to vacate the place a couple of days early just to give the Merry Maids crews plenty of time to make everything spotless for the next tenants.

Unfortunately, the next lease is just a three-day use permit for a rodeo, so maybe that army of Merry Maids is a little excessive after all. But if anything, that just shows what a profound sense of duty these people have.

They'd rather blow a bunch of money needlessly, fulfilling the clause that holds them responsible for restoring the premises to pre-occupancy condition, than risk their hard-won reputations by half-assing the project.

Think about it... What else would anyone expect from an administration that's been perhaps as candid and forthright with the American people as any in history? They'd no sooner duck their obligations than lie to us about the need to battle the evil doers over there so we don't have to fight them over here.

If their seven plus years in the white house has demonstrated nothing else, it's that these are the kind of people you'd be proud to trust with your money, your wife, your property or your life. And I defy anyone to suggest otherwise.


wp


Oh, and for the irony challenged:


:sarcasm:

[shanti]

22. exactly

it's too convenient.

[nichomachus]

6. But they didn't have the resources to help the people of New Orleans

This just shows that they can do this sort of thing when they want to, telling us that in New Orleans they just didn't want to.

It also shows how quickly they can move to set up detention centers if they want to impose some kind of martial law.

[treestar]

8. Exactly. This is such a waste of resources, too.

They should be spending money on equipment for the troops, or helping people with healthcare, or something useful, rather than the quixotic quest of cleansing America of low wage farmworkers.

[Wiley50]

7. Prison planet is one thing, but the DesMoines Register is something else entirely

Any rumors of anything like this going on elsewhere in the country?

It could be immigration

But, then again

It could be prep for possible riots if we attack Iran

or

Maybe they plan some obviously stolen primaries to fix the nomination.

They sure seem like they really want to run against Hil

and, considering who they're running, they may even want her to win in November

Strange Days Indeed!

[madokie]

15. Yes there is no doubt in my mind anymore that they want the hil in the wh

bill and poppys huggy huggy father son relationship is troubling in light of what is going on right now in the primaries. Things are not as they seem indeed

[bdamomma]

9. Any concerned Iowan has to call their Reps and keep on questioning

them about this, and voice that this could be a ? detention center.

[progressoid]

11. My representative would applaud this

He (King) is usually in the top 3 most conservative in the nation. He'd probably advocate expanding it. :banghead:

Well, I don't think of him as my Rep. More like the guy that represents the knuckle-draggers that vote for him over and over.

[Echo In Light]

13. K&R

[The Straight Story]

16. The comments at the link are sad and a little scary

sigh.

[The Straight Story]

17. One of the comments I saw there:

"Those aren't generators, those are air conditioning units. Just look at the ducting. Sheesh, Mexicans should to be used to hot weather. Like I said, ICE is a pussycat compared to Mexican police."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS10/805060374#pluckcomments

[CoffeeCat]

27. Just my gut feeling...?

Our government is slowly getting us used to the "rounding up" of people and also the detention of
people in camps.

First, they start with "illegals" that they have worked so diligently to dehumanize and incite hate against.
They figure, if we see these people as less-than-human--we won't care so much when they are rounded up and
put in closed-off camps.

Then, when our brains are accustomed to this happening--others will be rounded up--dissenters, anti-war activists, etc.

Are people in this country, really so slovenly and ignorant? Do they not realize what is happening? After
what happened with the Jewish people and the detention camps there---no country should ever be allowed to
create circumstances that are similar. No groups of people should be "rounded up." No groups of people
should be detained in camps, in situations where they are closed off from the public.

That's just sick.

Why would our government even want to behave in this inhumane way?

These actions are the precursors to a concentration-camp-type situation. This shouldn't be happening.

Does anyone trust that the thugs in charge now...are doing nothing wrong and that this is all very innocent?

[Zywiec]

29. But won't this all end on January 20, 2009?

Or do you think Hillary or Obama will continue slowly getting us used to the "rounding up" of people and also the detention of
people in camps?

[Echo In Light]

33. Answer: how well have the candidates addressed the long list of these shadowy trends?

Exactly.

[Echo In Light]

34. Another way of looking at it:

Note how only one poster, besides myself, commented on this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3250171

[warren pease]

39. What makes you think the Bushies have any intention of leaving next January...

...peacefully and on schedule just because the 22nd amendment says they have to? Which other parts of the Constitution have they obeyed to the letter? The part about how it's OK to use signing statements in place of the usual legislative process? The part that specifies that rule by executive fiat is the ultimate form of egalitarian government? The part prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment?

The part that says they're committed to honoring international treaties that the US has signed? The part that says people have the right to vote and that those votes shall be counted accurately? What about the Bill of Rights, of which at least 3/5 are now null and void?

And against that backdrop of absolute disregard for the rule of law, we have all these really disturbing dictatorial powers they've awarded themselves and various pieces of oppressive legislation they've shoved through our useless Congress. They've even encouraged various shadow agencies to ratchet up their overt exhibitions of open hostility toward the American people, who used to be their bosses until the Fourth Reich showed up and seized power in the coup of 2000.

They've all but come right out and admitted to something like: Yup. We're tired of you fucking dissidents talking all that shit on the Intertubes. HR 1955 says we're out of the tolerance business and in serious suppression mode. DHS calls it "Endgame" for a good reason.

Check these things out and see if you detect some kind of disturbing pattern:

The law of the land now includes various pieces of repressive legislation, executive orders and presidential directives; massive federal invasions of privacy regarding medical and http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/washington/23intel.html?ex=1308715200&en=168d69d26685c26c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">financial records; monitoring US citizens' electronic communications; re-targeting spy satellites for domestic surveillance; the TSA cavity search specialists (for attractive young women only; the rest are presumed to pose no threat to the state); no-fly and terrorist watch lists; Halliburton/KBR's detention camps; RFIDs in all new passports and in the new national ID cards scheduled to be issued this year; new TSA "behavior detection officers" to spot those who don't "look quite right;" all this wonderful new stuff from the DHS; private armies featuring mercenaries from companies like Blackwater and SAIC springing up like mushrooms after a light rain... All that and the Patriot Act, the http://www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/commissions.html">Military Commissions Act, http://www.aclu.org/safefree/extraordinaryrendition/22203res20051206.html">extraordinary rendition (whatever the hell that means) and torture, too. (Note: the torture link is graphic and disgusting.)

Also, see the blockquote in this post, which is a small part of H.R. 1585, the fiscal year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. Note the orders to prepare to use regular troops -- as opposed to the Guard or Reserves -- to respond to "natural disasters and terrorist events," which are among the triggers Bushie needs to invoke the "continuity of government" provisions in NSPD 51/HSPD-20 (see the link above). In other words, martial law.

Do you get the faintest hint that they're really not fucking around anymore? Or is this all just one big bizarre coincidence and there's really no sinister pattern at all. There nothing to indicate that the legal and physical infrastructures necessary to implement a full blown national security state are all in place and just waiting for the Bushies to flip the switch.

On the other hand, I suppose some would maintain that we're fortunate to have such men of honor and unswerving dedication to duty running the show. Their inherent nobility assures us no harm will come from any of this. It's all just a big joke and everything's still cool in the land of the free.

So take your xanax and be of good cheer.


wp

[Zywiec]

43. Bookmarking until January 20th.

We'll see who should have been taking the Xanax.

:eyes:

[warren pease]

48. I very much hope you're right...

... and that I'm just being a raging paranoid loon and way too delusional to be in the dot-connecting business.

So yeah, bookmark away.

If you're right, this country and the world at large will have survived a close encounter with the end-times, Stranglovian madmen and Armageddon/rapture groupies now running the American empire. And -- unlike more than a million Iraqi non-combatant men, women and kids -- lived to tell the tale.

If doom and gloom prevails, on the other hand, there won't be any such thing as bookmarked threads on progressive sites. Nor will there be any progressive sites. And there probably won't be very many self-identified progressives walking around either.

So may the least gullible win.


wp


Also, it's too early to roll my eyes in a digital display of superior acuity and reasoning capabilities. I will, however, split this with you if you're so inclined.


:donut:


And maybe a beer this evening if you'll condescend to hang with those of us who are in the less fortunate, logic-impaired demographic.


:toast:

[liberalla]

45. "there's really no sinister pattern at all..."

??? If you believe that, you're living in the land of make-believe.
To believe this is "all just one big bizarre coincidence", that's the fairy tale!

That's a great post you made. It deserves it's own thread. I don't doubt their desire to interrupt/interfere or cancel the election in some way, and yet I HOPE they are not successful. I am hoping powers greater than they prevent the complete usurpation of our government.

[knitter4democracy]

30. Didn't someone post about several emergency drills around the US?

They were supposed to be this month. What if they're using that as the temporary drill headquarters?

[reprehensor]

31. Great.

I'd sooner know about it than not.

[PaDem]

38. So ICE wouldn't give any informaton to Senator Grassley's office?

Who are this administration, and the government agencies that it operates, accountable to? Yes, that's a rhetorical question. What a disgrace.

[liberalla]

40. We don't even know for sure if ICE is the Federal agency

that is leasing the grounds.


It just says, U.S. lease of Waterloo fairgrounds raises questions, and "Federal officials have imposed a news blackout at the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds in Waterloo, where they have leased almost the entire property through May 25."

Federal officials. Then Tim Counts disavows any knowledge of anything. Why did they call Tim Counts with ICE? I read the whole article and nowhere is it established that Immigration & Customs is the leasing agency. They're just identified as 'U.S.' and 'Federal'.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Homeland Security training for a domestic takeover, martial law, or whatever. I fear something big is going to happen, because these folks can't risk losing in November. They are going to force the attack on Iran. The 'false flag' event mentioned up thread is not an unlikely scenario.

The only faith I have in this current administration is for them to do the wrong thing. We can't even hope they'll act wisely and reasonably. I'm split between feeling excited and hopeful with a November Democratic win, or nervous and fearful in regards as to what actions these guys (bush/cheney) will pull before they leave. I think the whole world is holding their breath, waiting to see the end of Repuke rule in America.

[Habibi]

42. From the article:

Doug Miller, general manager of the Cattle Congress, declined Monday to release a copy of his group's rental contract with U.S. General Services Administration. He also indicated he was in the dark about what's happening inside the fairgrounds.

What's "U.S. General Services Administration"?

[liberalla]

44. GSA - General Services Administration

It's like the the shopping mall for the US Govt. www.gsa.gov
They just had an Expo in Anaheim 2 weeks ago.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is the federal government's prime acquisition agency, providing federal agencies with reliable products and services at best value. GSA's mission is to help your agency succeed in achieving its mission. That is why we are hosting the fourteenth annual International Products and Services Expo April 22-24, 2008 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

This free training conference and vendor exposition is specially designed to benefit federal, state and local government employees and military members who make or influence procurement decisions.

Expo is an invaluable experience for acquisition and program managers that provides opportunities to:

Network with hundreds of GSA and other agency experts.
Continue building your acquisition knowledge with our extensive list of over 250 CLP certified classes.
Meet with over 600 GSA vendors providing specific technical expertise.
Federal agencies can bring their regional or national staffs together and host a meeting (free of charge!) at the convention center.
FREE for all federal, state and local government employees to attend.

Plan now to include us in your spring travel budget. Experience the Service, Innovation and Value that GSA has to offer at the 2008 Expo.

Details for the Expo here: http://www.expo.gsa.gov/

"The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. government offices, provides transportation and office space to federal employees, and develops government wide cost-minimizing policies, among other management tasks. Its stated mission is to "help federal agencies better serve the public by offering, at best value, superior workplaces, expert solutions, acquisition services and management policies." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Services_Administration

Get the GSA Advantage!
"...For over 12 years, GSA Advantage has been a reliable and proven one-stop online resource for thousands of Federal employees worldwide. GSA Advantage offers the most comprehensive selection of approved products and services from GSA contracts. Thanks for choosing GSA!"
https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advgsa/advantage/main/start_page.do

[Blue Gardener]

41. I've been wondering what was going on with this

Sounds like more raids on the meat packing plants are in the works.

[Robb]

46. Well, it can't be too hush-hush

If the prom gets to go on:

"He said it is his understanding that access to the NCC fairgrounds will be restricted beginning Monday, except for next weekend's Cedar Falls High School prom at Electric Park Ballroom."

[liberalla]

47. Here's another two news items on this secret govt. event

Cattle Congress becomes home to government training exercise from the Chicago Tribune (brief)

and

Feds take over NCC fairgrounds for May training exercise This one has a bit more info:

Feds take over NCC fairgrounds for May training exercise

snip-

Miller said he has primarily been dealing with the U.S. General Services Administration on the arrangements, and that his physical facilities staff have been cooperating with federal officials on logistics and setup for the exercise.

Miller said that, other than GSA, he could not identify which agencies are involved in the exercise. But an individual on site Saturday who identified himself as an employee of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred inquiries to ICE officials in Minneapolis, who could not immediately be reached Saturday.

Miller also was referring inquiries to federal officials in Cedar Rapids, and NCC board member Tunis Den Hartog said it was his understanding the Federal Emergency Management Agency was involved.

ICE and FEMA are both under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On April 24, FEMA announced it is conducting a national level exercise in May designed "to exercise national capabilities to prepare and respond to multiple incidents including both natural disasters and terrorist incidents." The exercise is to be conducted every five years.

While the exercise scenarios involved disasters or terrorist attacks on the East or West coasts, the locations where the exercises were to be conducted were not specified. Communications capabilities and interagency coordination were among the items to be tested.

more: http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/05/04/news/metro/10318480.txt

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. Just heard the other day they are flying 3800 immigrants a month out of KC

3800 every month from one city.

Damn.

[Echo In Light]

50. Found this:

Secretive FEMA Camp Drill Running In Iowa
http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=8948

This last paragraph:

"It is incredibly suspicious that the federal government would not openly announce this exercise and even go out of their way to ensure a media blackout of their activities."

That I agree with. This, however...

"There is little doubt that this is part of their agenda to setup a large scale FEMA camp apparatus in order to house large quantities of American citizens. The Nazis used concentration camps to house and eventually exterminate the Jews and it is frightening to see that a similar infrastructure is now being setup in America."

...remains to be seen. There are of course nefarious COG plans which are very real, but whether or not this particular drill is related to this sinister outcome...?...not enough info on what's going on. Probably is related to immigration. But....Given the fascist tendencies, rumors of {more} wars, all of the anti-democratic legislation regarding this type of scenario, the secrecy of our govt and its motives, it's probably wise to always keep a wary eye open...