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News :: Miscellaneous |
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'Helicopter assault' startles East St. Louis |
Current rating: 0 |
by Jon Dougherty, WND
(No verified email address) |
07 Dec 2001
Modified: 03:19:59 PM |
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Although this story comes from the selfservingly paranoid right-wing press, it is interesting that the dominant media has said nothing about this "raid". Along with the long history of dumping pollution into areas like the largely black and working class city of East St. Louis, these areas are often the focus of new militarized police state tactics such as SWAT and secret police task forces. Landing Army Special Forces for "practice" in such an area, combined with the recent presidential electoral farce, should raise eyebrows among the many Americans who view the ongoing war on terrorism as an excuse for an elite power grab. The future of democracy is far more under attack from within, than from any terrorist threat. ML |
Residents of East St. Louis, Mo., are upset that federal, state and local officials failed to inform them of an Army Special Forces helicopter assault drill, especially in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
According to a report by St. Louis CBS television affiliate KMOV, the drills last Monday night "caught thousands of residents off guard
because no one told them it was coming."
The helicopters and associated Special Forces troops aboard them were practicing urban assault drills that were originally scheduled for last week but were held this week because rain forced the Army to cancel the Nov. 28-29 date.
KMOV said the choppers flew in from Fort Campbell, Ky. home to the 160th Special Operations Group to "simulate quick movements needed to approach an urban war zone."
Nine helicopters were involved in the training. "Scared" locals reportedly saw the aircraft "hovering and darting around homes and buildings."
The station said residents in St. Louis were treated to a similar mock urban "assault" a decade ago in the downtown area.
"It's unclear whether citizens are required to be told the military is operating in their neighborhood, but given recent events, it seems like it is the proper thing to do," said KMOV reporter Donn Johnson, who filed the story.
The East St. Louis "assault" mirrors similar urban training exercises throughout the 1990s reported by WorldNetDaily. In most of those cases, neither military nor civilian authorities provided local residents with advance warning of the drills. |
See also:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25581
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But nobody set down |
by C. M. Bee
c-bee1 (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
07 Dec 2001
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["Scared" locals reportedly saw the aircraft "hovering and darting around homes and buildings."]
What were they "scared" of? It sounds a bit like nobody landed. Of course, this info is missing, so who knows?
["It's unclear whether citizens are required to be told the military is operating in their neighborhood, but given recent events, it seems like it is the proper thing to do," said KMOV reporter Donn Johnson, who filed the story.]
I don't see why. I'm a bit surprised some kid didn't take a pot shot at them as is. |
