FYI, transcript of Brad Sherman's martial law comments

[G_j]

Transcript:
<snip>
The only way they can pass this bill is by creating and sustaining a panic atmosphere. That atmosphere is not justified. Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall, the Market would drop two or three thousand points the first day-another couple thousand the second day-and a few members were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no. That's what I call fearmongering. Unjustified. <snip>

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8

[midnight]

1. I listen to this yesterday. I don't know all the legal ramifications

dealing with this type of pronouncement. But it sounds like blackmail to me.

[HereSince1628]

2. It's fear mongering, probably not blackmail, fear-mongering is required

to make brinksmanship work. No one will be afraid of going over the brink unless there is really deep chasm to fall into

Fear-mongering is the standard operating procedure of the Cheney administration. It only involves terrorizing people with dread of disasters.

Blackmail sort of requires that the person laying down the threat can control whether or not it takes place.

If Paulson and his band of crooks was in cahoots with the brokerage houses and could make a 2000 pt fall it could be blackmail. Although the 777 point fall looked a lot like Wall St playing chicken with the Congress, I'm not sure anyone could or would want to make a 2000 pt fall take place that would put Cheney in charge of martial law in the US.

[dgibby]

3. I think it would depend on who told them that.

After all, Cheney was on the Hill the other day.

I'd think that after the anthrax attacks, anything, no matter how subtle or blatant, could legitimately be perceived as a serious threat.

[HereSince1628]

8. Unlikely that one or even several people could drop the Dow 2000 pts.

With short selling banned the brokerage houses that could start a run would not only not be able to profit by it, in terms of real dollar losses it'd hurt them more than anyone else.

[onenote]

5. not blackmail: hyperbole and scare tactics

Used to promote/oppose legislation quite often, unfortunately.

[RedLetterRev]

4. I immediately wrote my rep

Brad Miller, calmly as I could and registered my deep disappointment; not in him but in whoever brought that threat to representatives in whatever manner. It doesn't matter how the threat was conveyed. The fact is that the threat was conveyed at all. I, for one, would not put it past the neoKKKons. Not in the very, very least.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Army deploys combat unit in US for possible civil unrest

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4156496&mesg_id=4164546

[shadowknows69]

7. The Mob has a name for it

It's called extortion. Pay us protection or something bad might happen to ya.