Post by beatlies on Mar 19, 2006 4:54:33 GMT -5
U.S. Coast Guard Putting Machine-Guns on Great Lakes Vessels --why are they starting to do this now?
This would be a necessary step, one could guess, toward sealing the border with Canada in the event of large numbers of Americans wanting to escape into Canada.
U.S. puts machine-guns on Great Lakes coast guard vessels
Last Updated Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:00:53 EST
CBC News
For the first time since 1817, U.S. Coast Guard vessels on the Great Lakes are being outfitted with weapons – machine-guns capable of firing 600 bullets a minute.
The War of 1812 saw violent battles on Lake Erie and Lake Huron between U.S. troops and British forces, which were largely composed of militias from Britain's colonies in what is now Canada. After the war, the United States and Britain – and later Canada – agreed to demilitarize the Great Lakes waters.
The Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 allowed each country to station four vessels, each equipped with an 18-pound cannon, to safeguard the Great Lakes.
The antiquated treaty has recently been reinterpreted because of U.S. concerns about customs violations, human smuggling and international terrorism.
[ftp]http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/03/15/coas... [/ftp]
[ftp]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2169775&mesg_id=2169775[/ftp]
"I have a friend that works security at 9 mile, he says FEMA has been there for a few weeks running training exercises that doesn't include any of the current security teams.His scheduled hours are very weird. 3 days on 3 days off all hours he has never been scheduled. "
This would be a necessary step, one could guess, toward sealing the border with Canada in the event of large numbers of Americans wanting to escape into Canada.
U.S. puts machine-guns on Great Lakes coast guard vessels
Last Updated Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:00:53 EST
CBC News
For the first time since 1817, U.S. Coast Guard vessels on the Great Lakes are being outfitted with weapons – machine-guns capable of firing 600 bullets a minute.
The War of 1812 saw violent battles on Lake Erie and Lake Huron between U.S. troops and British forces, which were largely composed of militias from Britain's colonies in what is now Canada. After the war, the United States and Britain – and later Canada – agreed to demilitarize the Great Lakes waters.
The Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 allowed each country to station four vessels, each equipped with an 18-pound cannon, to safeguard the Great Lakes.
The antiquated treaty has recently been reinterpreted because of U.S. concerns about customs violations, human smuggling and international terrorism.
[ftp]http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/03/15/coas... [/ftp]
[ftp]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2169775&mesg_id=2169775[/ftp]
"I have a friend that works security at 9 mile, he says FEMA has been there for a few weeks running training exercises that doesn't include any of the current security teams.His scheduled hours are very weird. 3 days on 3 days off all hours he has never been scheduled. "