According to Wikipedia, “the National Defense Authorization Act is a United States federal law that has been enacted for each of the past 48 years to specify the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense.”

The NDAA for 2012 contained troubling language in Section 1031 in regard to indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without a trial or hearing. The wording of Section 1032 gives the executive branch discretion “whether to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens within military detention centers, or alternatively in the Federal prison system.” (Wikipedia) And this has received critical attention by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and media sources, including those known to be pro-Obama.

What this means for the average law-abiding U.S. citizen is that, at some point in the future, President Obama, or his replacement, may decide to arrest U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, classifying them as enemy combatants in the ongoing war on terror. The NDAA for 2012 does nothing to clarify who is a terrorist, and leaves the door open for broad interpretation by the executive branch. This is what concerns human rights’ groups, and alarms this writer as well.

Quoting from Russia Today, it would “permit the federal government to indefinitely detain American citizens on American soil, without charge or trial, at the discretion of the president.”

It’s very interesting how news of this magnitude has not been widely reported by American news media. Perhaps they don’t believe it will be ratified by Obama, or they may not want to stir up a hornet’s nest. Either way, it is strange that “opposition to NDAA has remained almost nonexistent, with the mainstream [media] neglecting to discuss the colossal implications the bill would have if it is signed into law” (Russia Today)

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was intended “to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of the land.” (Wikipedia) The Act requires that the order for Army personnel to maintain “law and order” must originate from the U.S. Constitution or by another, subsequent Act of Congress. There is no provision for the Executive branch to issue such orders.

Under the NDAA, the President would have the authority to order the military to pick up and imprison U.S. citizens anywhere in the world and hold them without being charged with a crime. Guantanamo-like prison camps would be established to hold civilians, including U.S. citizens, who have demonstrated traits of domestic terrorism, such as owning guns, buying gold, or donating to charities.

If one believes, as I do, that the coming economic collapse will cause unforeseen food shortages, then it mandates that each responsible person should begin storing up months’ of food supplies, among other items. I know of several “survivalist” individuals who are promoting intelligent preparation for food shortages in the United States, and I sense that their strident cries for recognition are aimed at gaining more subscribers to their newsletters and E-mail lists. But this time, I think, they are more right than wrong, and there has never been a better time to begin stockpiling the necessary commodities of life to sustain you and your families for at least 6 months, and possibly longer.

One survivalist, David Morris, offers a free presentation, and he sums it up very well, although he is only suggesting a 40-day supply. For many of us, 40 days would be far too long to endure if the grocery stores no longer carried any food inventories, if the national food distribution system is disrupted, if you cannot buy your life-saving medications at any pharmacy, and so forth. I know individuals and families who could not survive for more than a week on the food in their pantries and freezers.

I would encourage any of you who have the income to begin preparations in earnest for a massive meltdown of the U.S. economy. Assume that you won’t have enough non-perishable food to last more than a few days, and go out now and buy enough for several months. (More on what to buy in another post.) Assume that gasoline will be in short supply, or so costly that you won’t be able to afford any. Assume that the U.S. Dollar will be severely devalued and that real purchases will be made with barter commodities, such as silver, gold, bottled water, gasoline, and lead. Yes, I said “lead”, the primary component of pistol or rifle bullets. I’m not suggesting you stock up on ammunition in order to rob your neighbors, but you can be sure that bullets will become one medium of exchange between “friendlies,” since one person’s ammunition shortage may provide you with sugar, salt, or other food supplement in trade.

I’m going to wrap this up for now. I wanted to begin with a summary of what I believe is just over the horizon. I’ll go into more depth in the next few weeks, and will provide a review of Morris’s 40-day plan after I receive my copy.