By Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive (via CommonDreams):
Today, more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working
quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The members of this rapidly growing group, called InfraGard, receive secret warnings of terrorist threats before the public does-and, at least on one occasion, before elected officials. In return, they provide information to the government, which alarms the ACLU. But there may be more to it than that. One business executive, who showed me his InfraGard card, told me they have permission to “shoot to kill” in the event of martial law.
InfraGard is “a child of the FBI,” says Michael Hershman, the chairman of the advisory board of the InfraGard National Members Alliance and CEO of the Fairfax Group, an international consulting firm.
InfraGard started in Cleveland back in 1996, when the private sector there cooperated with the FBI to investigate cyber threats.
“Then the FBI cloned it,” says Phyllis Schneck, chairman of the board of directors of the InfraGard National Members Alliance, and the prime mover behind the growth of InfraGard over the last several years.
InfraGard itself is still an FBI operation, with FBI agents in each state overseeing the local InfraGard chapters. (There are now eighty-six of them.) The alliance is a nonprofit organization of private sector InfraGard members.
“We are the owners, operators, and experts of our critical infrastructure, from the CEO of a large company in agriculture or high finance to the guy who turns the valve at the water utility,” says Schneck, who by day is the vice president of research integration at Secure Computing.
“At its most basic level, InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the private sector,” the InfraGard website states. “InfraGard chapters are geographically linked with FBI Field Office territories.”
In November 2001, InfraGard had around 1,700 members. As of late January, InfraGard had 23,682 members, according to its website, www.infragard.net, which adds that “350 of our nation’s Fortune 500 have a representative in InfraGard.”
To join, each person must be sponsored by “an existing InfraGard member, chapter, or partner organization.” The FBI then vets the applicant. On the application form, prospective members are asked which aspect of the critical infrastructure their organization deals with. These include: agriculture, banking and finance, the chemical industry, defense, energy, food, information and telecommunications, law enforcement, public health, and transportation.
FBI Director Robert Mueller addressed an InfraGard convention on August 9, 2005. At that time, the group had less than half as many members as it does today. “To date, there are more than 11,000 members of InfraGard,” he said. “From our perspective that amounts to 11,000 contacts . . . and 11,000 partners in our mission to protect America.” He added a little later, “Those of you in the private sector are the first line of defense.”
Read the rest of the article here.
Oh my god, this is terrifying. This is the first thing that came to my mind — one of the fourteen signs of fascism:
Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.
Or, how about this one?
Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.
If there’s a viable threat to this country, big business is getting the first “heads up.” That’s a big “IF,” of course. I have no doubt any “threats” reported to Infragard members is as bogus as all the other so-called threats since 9/11. What concerns me is the alleged special status afforded Infragard members. Increased access to information, special “privileges”…
“We were assured that if we were forced to kill someone to protect our infrastructure, there would be no repercussions,” the whistleblower says. “It gave me goose bumps. It chilled me to the bone.”
Read the whole article, and visit the Infragard site. I’ll keep you posted.
HT: RemoveBush
10 Comments
February 8, 2008 at 12:56 pm
This truly is frightening. I realize that the Executive Branch, charged with enforcing the law, has the authority to deputize people. But should that deputization include the authority to use deadly force? What if the person in question is unfit to be given this authority? What if one of these “InfraCops” decides to stop a suspected terrorist by killing him and everyone near him? Is he still gonna walk away scot-free? Just because they are allowed to do this does not mean that it’s a good idea to actually do it.
BTW, the Congress can stop this. If the president really does have this authority, it’s because the Congress has previously granted it to the Executive. It’s not because the president has any kind of “inherent authority” to do this.
“Inherent authority” is their usual excuse for why the president can do whatever he wants, but this is wrong. The only authority “inherent” in the president’s powers are those specifically spelled out in the Constitution. ALL other powers given the president are through Acts of Congress. The Congress has the authority to decide how every person in the federal government (including the president) does his or her job. It is not up to the people in those jobs to decide what the limits of their authority is.
February 8, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Thanks for posting this Zooey, either from my request or because you found it.
The main thing is that this was posted so people can see just how close, if we are not there yet, to a complete police state we are.
I for one will utilize my military experience to fight these people by using my training to take them out if the time comes for that…..
These people ARE the enemy, whether they live here in America or not. They are Domestic Enemies, and I will treat them as such when the time comes.
I’m now greatful more than ever that I served in the Army, so that I can take that training and use it for the up comming fight……
God help us all……
February 8, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Sorry, RB, I forgot to add the hat tip.
I went to the Infragard site and tried to find out about my “local chapter.” No matter what state you click on, it says there is no information. Curious…
February 8, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Can we get a legal answer to this question: Wouldn’t the fact that this company is so highly deputized mean that they have no more authority to invade your privacy and deny you your civil rights than the government would? Otherwise they could “deputize” ordinary citizens, give them plenary powers over their neighbors, and let these “deputies” do things the government itself would never be allowed to do. (This hinges, of course, on the fact that there are limits to the government’s authority, despite what the Bush Adminsitration and its supporters claim.)
February 8, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Zooey, I was able to click on New York and it said that there were five chapters in my state, all of them in some of our major cities.
February 8, 2008 at 1:48 pm
That’s interesting, Wayne. I clicked on every state, and got nothing.
I better git. See ya at music night — I hope!
February 8, 2008 at 2:04 pm
“Sorry, RB, I forgot to add the hat tip.”
No big deal Zooey…… The important thing is that it was posted because this is serious…….
February 8, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I got seven chapters in FL. Are you logging in on a public network? Try it from home. If you still can’t get a link, then I can send you a screen dump as a text file.
February 8, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Zooey,
Actually there seem to be no chapters in Idaho. Be happy, they can’t get you (that easily).
February 8, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Can you say “blockwart”? This is indeed dangerous and if it was a movie I’d say it was an unrealistic script.
*shaking head*