This article has been contributed by Ron Holland
Is Washington considering a firepower solution to unrest? The Department of Homeland Security just ordered 450 million rounds of special “hollow point” .40 caliber ammunition from defense contractor ATK. The high performance HST bullets are designed for law enforcement and ATK says they offer “optimum penetration for terminal performance.” While we can only guess in what situations this type of domestic firepower might be used by Homeland Security, American citizens should also remember this type of ammunition has been outlawed in international warfare by the Hague Convention Declaration III since 1899.
In addition, the Department has an open bid to stockpile rifle ammo, up to 175 million rounds of .223 caliber ammo, the same used by NATO forces.
Why? The answer is clear: The Federal government is gearing up for the unprecedented social unrest (worse than Greece or Spain) when Washington is forced to impose “austerity” plans next year, after this November’s elections. Either that or face runaway inflation to pay for the costly welfare programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps and massive unfunded liabilities.
Protestors could be denied basic civil rights. The new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) takes away basic rights of American citizens who are considered “terrorists” or “enemy combatants,” who can now be held indefinitely without trial and without legal representation. (After signing the bill, President Obama later said he would “never” impose this Act on Americans. Don’t bet on it.)
The Obama administration is getting desperate. As part of the federal-aid highway bill, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) has added a provision that allows for anyone who owes the IRS more than $50,000 to be denied a passport. (Senate Bill 1813 is now in the House.)
The TSA is expanding rapidly its power. It’s not enough for swarms of government agents to invade our privacy with enhanced pat-downs at airports, but they are also now engaging in random car stops on highways across America.
And this just in: What if you go to jail as a dissident or enemy of the state? Or even for a traffic violation? In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled last week that police can strip search anyone who is taken to jail. According to the High Court decision, jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for “minor offenses.” This travesty of justice was made in the case of Albert Florence, a black man who was arrested in New Jersey on a warrant for an unpaid fine, even though he had paid it and had proof of that payment on him when he was arrested. The guards forced him to strip naked and expose his mouth, nose, ears and genitals to a visual search in case he was hiding anything. Who cast the deciding majority vote? Justice Anthony Kennedy, the man who will decide the fate of ObamaCare in June.
Ron Holland is the author of several books, including The Threat to the Private Pension System and Escape the Pension Trap, and of numerous special reports and hundreds of articles on investment and political topics, many of which focus on the interplay between politics and the investment markets.
