Why has the military taken over Arizona?greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread |
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_dougherty/19991020_xnjdo_the_marine.shtml
The Marines land in Arizona Units engaged in urban assault training exercises
By Jon E. Dougherty ) 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
Units from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., have "landed" in parts of Arizona to conduct urban assault training and to familiarize troops with a "realistic urban combat environment," a Marine spokesman told WorldNetDaily.
However, residents are being asked not to consider the armed presence of hundreds of troops an "invasion" or preparation for the implementation of particular government policies. Rather, he said, the exercises -- underway through today -- are merely part of a continuing series of urban training drills designed to familiarize Marines and other U.S. troops with urban combat conditions.
According to Capt. Arnoux Abraham, spokesman for the exercises, the 300-plus force of Marines are training "in the greater Arizona area," in an effort to hone their urban combat skills in an environment "that cannot be duplicated" at any military training center. For security reasons aimed at protecting civilians, he did not provide the exact training locations, but did confirm that Goodyear, Ariz., was one site where troops would be engaging in mock assaults.
In describing the training, Abraham said Marines of the 15th MEU "were being prepared for their impending six-month deployment," though he gave no information where they would eventually be sent.
Abraham said the Marine Corps "has a number of military urban training (MOUT) facilities, but he explained, "Marines who continually trained in these sites would eventually become accustomed to them. Our purpose is to prepare them for ... urban operations abroad." He added that though each urban area is different, "many cities around the world are similar in nature and make-up to American cities," thus the training on U.S. soil becomes useful.
In response to earlier controversy regarding the command structure of the exercises, Abraham vehemently denied a locally published report stating that the FBI was "overseeing" the exercises. "That is, emphatically, incorrect," he said.
Abraham told WorldNetDaily that "a young reporter" from the West Valley View newspaper in Litchfield Park, Ariz., might have misinterpreted information given to her by City Council officials. He said that while the FBI was indeed on the scene, those officials were acting merely as a liaison between "the Marine Corps and local law enforcement officials."
"This is a Marine Corps training exercise," said Abraham. "At no time has the FBI assumed operational control over it."
"In fact," he added, "current federal law prohibits the military from engaging in civil law enforcement action." Abraham also debunked another report that said civilian police SWAT teams were also training with the Marines.
"We just don't conduct training with civilian authorities," he said. "We don't participate in any kind of exercises ... with local authorities -- ours or theirs."
The FBI's role, said Abraham, was to coordinate with local police to cordon off training areas and make them safe, and to ensure civilians did not stray into live-fire zones. The Justice Department normally sends an FBI agent to a planned training site "a couple of weeks" before the training actually begins, "to start the coordination process."
Abraham also said one of the proposed training sites near Goodyear, which belongs to a local company called Unidynamics, was reported as unsafe by local residents concerned that Marines could be contaminated by chemicals that had allegedly escaped into the building and surrounding environment. But the Marine captain told WorldNetDaily he had personally met with a Unidynamics representative, who assured him "the Marines were safe," that "no surface contaminants existed," and that any contaminants that might be in the area were "about a hundred feet below" the training site.
Regarding the concern some local residents have about seeing armed Marines in town, Abraham said there is no reason to worry.
"The training that we provide is strictly in preparation for our operations abroad," he said. "Our purpose ... is not to use it on our own citizens. We're all Americans too, and we took an oath to protect the people we serve."
"This is an effort to ensure the U.S. Marine Corps is properly trained to execute its mission abroad," he added.
Related stories: Domestic rapid deployment forces War games come to Monterey More Marine training in U.S. cities There are black helicopters Bush says maneuvers not his business
Jon E. Dougherty is a staff writer for WorldNetDaily.
-- Helium (Heliumavid@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999
The message is clear for anyone who wants to read it.They are planning and training for urban deployment.
"The words of the poets are written on subway walls."
-- no talking please (breadlines@soupkitchen.gov), October 20, 1999.
* * * 19991020 WednesdayWhoa!!!
"The FBI's role, said Abraham, was to coordinate with local police to cordon off training areas and make them safe, and to ensure civilians did not stray into live-fire zones" That's "live-fire zones," folks. What on earth is deemed so urgent (Y2K) that there isn't enough (Y2K) time to build (Y2K) base facilities to conduct (Y2) training without jeoparding the physical well-being and psychologically (Y2K) desensitization of REAL USA civilian population to such (Y2K) military maneuvers?
For crying out loud, the US Air Force has ceased "live-fire" War Game exercises on the Puerto Rico Island of Vieqes (sp?) due to local population objections.
We'll see, first hand, just how the sheeple will bend to this intrusion and violation of domestic peace and tranquility on the USA mainland.
The fan is ramping up to blow the Y2K sh*t in everyone's face.
How long will it take to wake the herd?
Regards, Bob Mangus
* * *
-- Robert Mangus (rmangus1@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
"The training that we provide is strictly in preparation for our operations abroad," he said. "Our purpose ... is not to use it on our own citizens. We're all Americans too, and we took an oath to protect the people we serve."All it takes is the activation of certain Executive Orders to change Capt. Abraham's tune.
JJ
-- Jeremiah Jetson (laterthan@uthink.y2k), October 20, 1999.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/ndstue02.htm
FBI: Militias a threat at millennium
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON - With some extremists attaching apocalyptic significance to the new millennium, the FBI is quietly warning local police about possible threats posed by anti-government militias and hate organizations.
The campaign includes the national distribution of a report titled Project Megiddo in which federal authorities assess threats posed by hate groups and explain the significance of biblical references the groups use to discuss Y2K.
The project, which is named for an ancient battleground in Israel associated with Armageddon, will be the centerpiece of an FBI seminar this month before the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Charlotte, N.C.
Unlike the rest of the meeting, the seminar will be closed to the public, a sign of how sensitive the subject of militias has become.
One workshop is titled "Millennium, militias, and mayhem: what to expect in the coming year."
A senior government official said the 40-page report was meant to heighten awareness among local police departments to the possibility that militias might use the new millennium as an opportunity to initiate acts of violence or general disruption.
The FBI has urged police to be alert to changes in behavior of known militias and cult groups and to the possible stockpiling of weapons.
Anti-government groups, particularly the loose network of militias, drew considerable attention after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which killed 168 people.
Convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, shared the anti-government views of militia organizations, and Nichols attended militia meetings.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the militia movement reached its peak in 1996, when there were 858 such organizations across the country. By last year, there were 435.
What concerns officials now, however, is the possibility that extreme members of militias might undertake missions of their own.
They cite as an example Buford Furrow, who belonged to a white supremacist group and is accused of killing a mail carrier and shooting six people at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles this summer.
-- Helium (Heliumavid@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
Practicing again?Uh huh.
Diane
BTW, Arizona has several of the 120 cities...
Glendale, Ariz.
Mesa, Ariz.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Tucson, Ariz.
See...
Domestic Preparedness -- 120 Cities (I swear they keep changing the URL on this link, BTW!)
The ultimate goal of the Domestic Preparedness Team is to train and assess 120 cities. These cities include list...
http:// in1.apgea.army.mil:80/ops/dp/fs/fs_120c.htmlHome page...
The U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM)
http://www.sbccom.army.mil/Search
http:// www.sbccom.army.mil:8090/compass
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
And then there is that old joke about the three most common lies told. The second of which is "Hi! We're from the government and we're here to help you... With martial law will go what's left of our rights.
-- chairborne commando (what-me-worry@armageddon.com), October 20, 1999.
See threads...
OT?: William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense: Preparing For A Grave New World (USIA)
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0018ovMilitary Test Exercises For "Urban Warrior" & National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue Web-site
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000ToLIt's only urban warfare training
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000VHTHeads Up San Antonio, Texas (Urban Warriors Coming Your Way This Week)
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000VOLFinally! Kingsville Military "Exercise" Makes It Into The Houston Chronicle
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000WiHProtests In Oakland, California About Scheduled Urban Warrior Exercises
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000Xu2Urban Warrior Exercises In No. California May Face Showdown, or Not
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000b9USan Francisco Says No To Marines' High-Tech Exercise
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000PuSTESTIMONY: DoD Department of Defense Review -- Y2K National Security Ramifications (Hamre: Senate Armed Services Committee 2/24/99)
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000aGPNavy: DOD Must Balance Y2K Preparation, Public Perception (i.e. Dont Make Panic Waves)
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000p4oNew DoD office to monitor Y2K transition
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001EPN
And a few bonus threads of interest...
!!!Everything We've Uncovered Is True !! FEMA vs Homeland Command
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=000S8YThe National Guard, FEMA, and Y2K
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000MQvUS Army Contingency Planning Guide
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000gQ9Help me understand the Navy War College site!
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000uyXRepost of the Navy War College Transcript: A Must Read.
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/admin-q-and-a- fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000uybSynopsis of Naval War College Y2K scenarios...
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000vbTFrom the Air Force Magazine
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0013Pr***FIRST DRAFT NAVAL WAR COLLEGE'S FINAL REPORT RE Y2K INTL. SECURITY DIMENSION PROJECT
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 00188W***NAVAL WAR COLLEGE Y2K NEWS***
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001DIaWhat's In Wilmington Delaware? (4-Star Marine Corps General "Retires")
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0010KrOr just bounce around in the TBY2K Military Threads category...
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-one-category.tcl?topic= TimeBomb%202000%20%28Y2000%29&category=MilitaryAnd dont forget the Military/Pentagon Papers/Hot Topics (New) Threads category...
http:// www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-one-category.tcl?topic= TimeBomb%202000%20%28Y2000%29&category= Military%2fPentagon%20Papers%2fHot%20Topics%20%28New%29
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
I wonder if this is how the Romans felt as roads & aquafiers were not repaired and the Huns gathered on the northern border. I'm watching a huge train wreck in slowmotion and the wreck is us. I felt overwhelmed when I started individual prep, but, learned to "eat an elephant one bite at a time". Watching a country unravel in front of my eyes, y2k or no-y2k, is a much more overwhelming feeling. It sickens me. I think I'll go buy some rice or beans to make myself feel better. May Thomas Jefferson rest in peace.
-- theletterz (theletterz@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
A Law Like No other:http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/167.text.html
{SNIP}
(a) Establishment. - With the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, through the Secretary of Defense, shall establish under section 161 of this title a unified combatant command for special operations forces (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ''special operations command''). The principal function of the command is to prepare special operations forces to carry out assigned missions.
(b) Assignment of Forces. - Unless otherwise directed by the Secretary of Defense, all active and reserve special operations forces of the armed forces stationed in the United States shall be assigned to the special operations command.
{SNIP}
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/milrev/English/MarApr99/byrne.htm
Defending Sovereignty: Domestic Operations and Legal Precedents by Colonel Sean J. Byrne, US Army
Exceptions to Posse Comitatus
With all the concerns about using Armed Forces in civil actions, the obvious question is, why do the executive and legislative branches continue to call on them? The answer is relatively simplein times of emergency, the Armed Forces are often not only the most effective and efficient assets available, but possibly the only assets available to maintain order, and they can greatly enhance the effectiveness of civil law enforcement by providing military technologies, equipment, information and training.15
In acknowledging this situation, Congress enacted a number of exceptions to Posse Comitatus (Title 10, US Code (USC) sections 331-335) dealing with civil disturbances and insurrections.16 "These statutes authorize the President to provide military assistance to state governments upon request (section 331) . . . or upon his own initiative to use the Armed Forces or federalized militia to suppress any rebellion that makes it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States . . . by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings(section 332). Section 333 also permits military intervention when the constitutional rights of any states citizens are threatened by insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination or conspiracy. Under section 334, before the militia can be called out, the president must by proclamation immediately order the insurgents to disperse, that is, read them the riot act."17
In 1988, Congress further amended Title 10 providing exceptions "that authorize the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) to provide equipment and personnel to assist civilian agencies in the enforcement of drug, immigration and tariff laws."18 "But the statute expressly forbids direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps in a search or seizure, an arrest or other similar activity unless . . . otherwise authorized by law (section 375). Nevertheless, military personnel may operate equipment to intercept vessels or aircraft outside the land area of the United States, or follow in hot pursuit of such craft inland (section 374b), and Coast Guard personnel are assigned to naval vessels with authority to carry out searches and seizures and make arrests (section 379)."19
These two sets of amendments cleared the way for dramatic expansion of DODs responsibilities in providing support to domestic law enforcement agencies (LEAs). They also provide the Executive and Legislative branches with a standing force involved with domestic law enforcement activities on a day-to-day basis rather than the "by-exception" basis of previous years. These amendments represent a major philosophical shift for using armed forces.
{snip}
Enough for now, I am getting depressed.....
Things will get worse before they get better...
-- Helium (Heliumavid@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
...an FBI seminar this month before the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Charlotte, N.C. ...International Association of Chiefs of Police - membership organization for police executives.
http://www.theiacp.org/Annual Conference Committee, Division, and Section Meetings Schedule 9/22/99
http:// www.theiacp.org/conference/cdsm.htmlUpdated Conference Information: Sworn Officers' Training Invitation; Workshop Descriptions and Schedule; Committee, Section, and Division Meetings Schedule; Agenda (Golf Tournament and Annual Banquet CLOSED) 9/10/99
http://www.theiacp.org/ conference/Workshops (Which one? Long list)
http:// www.theiacp.org/conference/confworkshops.htmlCyber Awareness and Critical Infrastructure Protection
This presentation is designed to heighten awareness to cyber crime and its threats to a nations critical infrastructure, and to increase protection for law enforcement information systems. The common vulnerabilities and resolutions, as well as mitigation recommendations, will be addressed. In addition, Project Solstice, the Royal Canadian Mounted Polices response to protecting critical infrastructures, which targets Y2K vulnerabilities by organized crime, terrorists, extremists and/or criminal sponsors of civil unrest, will be explained.
Presenters:
Ronald L. Dick, Section Chief, NIPC, FBI, Washington, DC
Edward J. Gaffney, Supervisory Special Agent, NIPC, FBI, Washington, DC
Chuck Waring, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Millennium, Militias, and Mayhem: What to Expect in the Coming Year
This workshop will focus on law enforcement concerns surrounding the coming millennium and the possibility for resulting acts of terrorism. Discussion will focus on the potential for terrorist activity in the United States by individuals or domestic terrorist groups who profess an apocalyptic view of the millennium or attach special significance to Y2K.
Moderator:
Neil Gallagher, Assistant Director, National Security Division, FBI, Washington, DC
Presenter:
Robert Burnham, Chief of Domestic TerrorismCounterterrorism Planning Section, FBI, Washington, DC
Y2K at Home: How to Prepare Your Family for What Probably Won't Happen
This program will provide chiefs of police and police departments the information needed to prepare their own families for possible Y2K difficulties and can serve as a vehicle to prepare communities as well. We are well aware that when the clock strikes midnight this January 1st there is the potential for disruptions to power, telephone, water and food supplies. Police chiefs will have planned for possible adverse public reaction, but all these plans require police officers to report for work. Adequately preparing their police families for potential Y2K problems enables officers to be available for their shift. The presentation, also designed to use on a PC, involves preparation for the whole family and is suitable for any emergency drill.
And note from initial article posted above...
...A senior government official said the 40-page report was meant to heighten awareness among local police departments to the possibility that militias might use the new millennium as an opportunity to initiate acts of violence or general disruption. ...
Any clues to THAT document folks?
Someone also sent an e-mail research request recently...
Have you heard about an U.S. Government Employee Handbook (supposedly about 42 pages) regarding the employees steps for preparedness for the Y2K situations that may or may not arise? I have been trying to locate a copy of it, but cannot locate it in all of the different possible situations. Appreciate your help.
Same thing? Ideas? TBY2K research team?
Diane
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
Y2K Disconnect anyone?*Sigh*
Just "be prepared..." for change.
Diane
And up on the P.R. surface?
Koskinen: The City's Y2K-Set; Are You? Bay Area Residents Advised To Prepare In Community Conversation (San Francisco Examiner)
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001cCC
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
See also...FBI to alert law enforcement
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001c8K
Or...
FBI to alert law enforcement agencies to potential millennium violence (CNN)
http:// www.cnn.com/US/9910/20/fbi.millenium/October 20, 1999
Web posted at: 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT)
By CNN Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI is preparing to issue a warning to 10,000 law enforcement agencies alerting them to the potential for violence as the millennium approaches, CNN has learned.
The agency plans to distribute a 30-to-40-page document which warns law enforcement personnel to take threats and tips about potential acts of violence seriously.
Like the Centennial Olympic Park celebration during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the millennium provides a rich target for groups or individuals bent on destruction and desiring publicity.
A number of FBI sources say the changing of the century could be a catalyst for those who believe the new millennium will bring about a cataclysmic event.
And, as noted last month by the Senate Y2K committee, demands for police and/or fire service could intersect with technical problems caused by the celebrated Y2K bug. The committee warned of "any combination of unknowns that could result from the strange social dynamic that could potentially be created by public reaction to Y2K."
The Y2K problem may occur in some computer programs, especially older systems, when the date changes to 2000.
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
Just wondering....the Marines can't coordinate directly with the civilian authorities? They don't speak "civilian"? They need the FBI to do it for them? Huhhhh? What does the FBI have to do with this? Why interject a third party, with the added potential for communications snafus? Something weird going on, here.....
-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@tymewyse.com), October 20, 1999.
"In response to earlier controversy regarding the command structure of the exercises, Abraham vehemently denied a locally published report stating that the FBI was "overseeing" the exercises. "That is, emphatically, incorrect," he said." Yes...plausible deniability. FEMA and the new "special operations command" have that responsibility. Obviously, the FBI works within that command structure. Well, things are ramping up, aren't they? Soon, the picture will be clear enough for everyone to become GI. egads, Diane...you're working overtime : ) Mike =====================================================================
-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), October 20, 1999.
In fact," he added, "current federal law prohibits the military from engaging in civil law enforcement action." Abraham also debunked another report that said civilian police SWAT teams were also training with the Marines."We just don't conduct training with civilian authorities," he said. "We don't participate in any kind of exercises ... with local authorities -- ours or theirs."
US Navy Seals are ACTIVELY training Indianapolis Police Dept SWAT teams on the southeastside of the city, in an abandoned housing project complex. THIS IS ILLEGAL but no press, no warnings, nothing!
Confirmed by Matthew Stewart, IPD Media Relations....check it out for yourself
-- Jack (mercer@usa.net), October 20, 1999.
Jack:One of my sons is an ex-Navy SEAL. He has trained Indianapolis SWAT team members in sharpshooting/sniper skills in the past - like more than five years ago. This is not a new relationship, so don't read anything ominous into it... One of the perks he got from it was for him and his wife to join members of the SWAT team each year inside the oval at the Indianapolis 500.
-- (snoozin@no.more), October 20, 1999.
Snoozin,ILLEGAL activity engaged in by military and law enforcement. It is a VIOLATION OF LAW, ON THE PART OF THOSE SWORN TO UPHOLD IT, but that "isn't ominous?"
Explain that for me, please.
Liberty
-- Liberty (liberty@theready.now), October 20, 1999.
OT? Interesting awesome links page...Security Links on the World Wide Web
http:/ /www.securitymanagement.com/library/000132.htmlAn article in a FBI publication on "The ethics of Intentionally Deceiving the Media" (PDF file)
http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/may99leb.pdf
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.
I try and try and try not to be paranoid but...I've never seen or heard of military urban warfare training being carried out on the streets of America before, ever.
Does anyone have contradictory information?
-- dakota (none@thistime.com), October 20, 1999.
Well, I haven't seen or heard anything, and I work roughly 10 miles from Goodyear. As long as they don't drive on the friggin' freeways like the clueless snowbirds, I don't really mind, either.Goodyear isn't exactly out in the boonies, either. It's a suburb of Phoenix. There are far more remote locations to use if disguise is the goal. The area is largely open desert, however, you may be interested to know that it is uncomfortably close to the PALO VERDE NUCLEAR PLANT within 20 miles or so, I believe.
-- ariZONEa (duck@cover.com), October 20, 1999.
Diane,Great thread...thanks so much for all your work. Your efforts to help others on this forum makes me think that as long as there are people like you around, there yet remains great hope for this country!
-- TM (mercier7@pdnt.com), October 21, 1999.
(Note the remark about a 'secular apocalyptic scenario')FBI to Police: Be Wary of Millennium Mayhem
Militias and Cults Spark Fears of Violence
Oct. 20, 1999
By Mike Brunker
NEW YORK (MSNBC.com) -- Fearing that fanatics will act out their apocalyptic visions of the new millennium, the FBI is warning police departments around the country to closely monitor militias, cults and hate groups who may see the changing of the calendar as an opportunity for violent disruption, sources told NBC News today.
The FBI will soon begin distributing a 40-page report titled Project Megiddo to warn local police about possible threats posed by such groups as the millennium nears, said the sources. The title of the report refers to Har Megiddo, an ancient battleground in Israel that is thought to be the site of the biblical Armageddon, where the last battle between the forces of good and evil will be waged.
The report, which follows general warnings about the potential for millennium-related violence, urges police to be aware of changes in the behavior of militia groups and cults in their areas, and attempts to educate local law enforcement on the known threats posed by specific groups around the country, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
FBI officials told U.S. News & World Report, which first reported the existence of Project Megiddo last month, that it lists eight factors that could indicate a specific group poses a threat, including "violent or destructive rhetoric."
Police chiefs to be briefed
The FBI will discuss the threat posed by known fringe groups behind closed doors at a meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police on Nov. 2 in Charlotte, N.C. An edited version of the report may later be made public, the sources said.
Law enforcement officials believe the threat comes largely from two quarters: groups who view the Y2K computer bug as part of a plot by the government and others to establish a new world order, and far- right Christian groups and militias who believe the coming of the new millennium will trigger a final telling battle between the forces of good and evil.
While the precise intentions of such groups remain unclear, law enforcement is wise not to underestimate the threat they pose, David Kessler, executive administrator of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University, told MSNBC.
"There have been many of these [end of the world] prophecies, many of these predictions, and despite the fact that they've all been wrong to date, that does not mean they have not had any impact on society," he said. They have, in fact, had a profound impact on societies throughout history.
Danger of significant dates
In addition to the apocalyptic view of the coming millennium, he said, the significance that groups may attach to the calendar year 2000 could prompt groups to act out violently. Kessler cited the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building on April 19, 1995 -- the second anniversary of the fiery destruction of the Branch Davidian cult compound near Waco, Texas -- as a recent example.
"There are people who are linking history back to various specific, and what they feel to be very important, dates, and they will often act on these dates," he said. "The anniversary of an important event is cause for celebration if you think it was a good event. If you think it was a catastrophic event, you can celebrate it in very negative ways, and I think that's a lot of what the FBI is worried about."
Kessler said many Christian fringe groups attach particular importance to the year 2000.
"One definition for millennium -- the traditional one -- is a 1,000- year Messianic period that can begin at any moment," he said. "Because, however, another definition of millennium is a 1,000-year anniversary on the calendar, many people are joining the two together to believe that 2000 could be the second coming of Jesus."
Authorities warn that differing interpretations of when the millennium actually begins means police departments should not relax if the new year begins quietly.
A 'secular apocalyptic scenario'
On the other hand, groups focused on the Y2K bug -- a projected massive failure of technology caused by the inability of computers to deal with the digits "00" in date fields -- envision a "secular apocalyptic scenario," he said.
"We say that not because we believe it will be the apocalypse," he said. "We say that because of the way it is treated, the way it's mythologized. The way the ideas are reacted to are pretty much following to form apocalyptic scenarios. Many people are expecting the end of the world or the end of the world as we know it."
The Center for Millennium Studies, working with the U.S. Library of Congress, is archiving material relating to "millennialism and apocalypticism" in an attempt to increase understanding of the phenomenon. It welcomes submissions from the public related to the topic.
http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/1999/10/20/militias1020 _01.html
-- just (for@the.record), October 21, 1999.