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FEMA and state officials consider martial law plans for foot and mouth outbreak in USA

News/Current Events Front Page News
Source: americanfreedomnews.com
Published: 20 Apr 2001 Author: Rick Wiles
Posted on 04/21/2001 05:55:18 PDT by It'salmosttolate

FEMA and state officials consider martial law plans
for foot and mouth outbreak in USA

By Rick Wiles
© 2001 American Freedom News.

Federal officials are now openly admitting that chances are “quite great” that the highly contagious foot
and mouth virus will hit American farms and ranches.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing plans to require state and federal
government agencies to take drastic steps to stop the epidemic. The state of Minnesota is openly
considering plans to declare martial law.

USDA, meanwhile, has asked a variety of federal agencies, including the departments of Defense and
Interior, to help prepare for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

''We have adequate resources'' to keep the disease out of the United States, ''but we are going to
continue to look at the systems that are in place,'' USDA spokesman Kevin Herglotz said.

Over 75 government agencies held an emergency “mock exercise” last week to plan for the arrival of
the virus in the USA. The CIA, the US Army’s biological warfare unit, the Interior Department, and
the US Coast Guard participated in the exercise.

When the virus is detected in the US, President Bush will declare a national emergency and put FEMA
in charge of the national effort to eradicate the disease, stated Holly Harrington, FEMA’s
spokeswoman. Government officials said the mock exercise was based on the virus hitting Iowa and
three other states in the US. They estimated it would take at least 50,000 government officials –
including military personnel – to slaughter livestock and bury the carcasses as quickly as possible to
contain the outbreak.

David Huxsoll, director of the only U.S. lab that tests for foot and mouth, said chances are "quite
great" that it will hit the United States. Huxsoll attributes air travel between the US and Britain as the
main reason government officials believe the virus will hit here soon.

''It's only through the diligence of the people at the various ports of entry that we've been able to keep
it out. I'll have to add also luck,'' said David Huxsoll, director of the Agriculture Department's Plum
Island laboratory, off Long Island, N.Y.

Government officials are saying nothing about bioterrorism.

American Freedom News reported earlier that a test-tube containing a live strain of the foot and mouth
virus disappeared from a top-secret British laboratory two months before the outbreak was discovered
in Great Britain. Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies are also warning that animal rights
activists may try to bring the virus into North America.

Huxsoll said believes government officials will spot the virus within 48 hours of its arrival in the US.
''Signs for the disease would appear quite quickly, and we have veterinarians ... that are extremely alert
and sensitive to the appearance to those kind of lesions and it would get reported very quickly,'' he
said.

Plum Island would be the first to know of an outbreak because it tests tissue samples sent in by
veterinarians from suspect cases.

The US Department of Agriculture has asked federal agencies – including the Pentagon – to make
emergency plans to deal with an outbreak of the disease. FEMA officials say the agency is making
preparations to coordinate the federal response in the same way it responds to natural disasters.

“We have the authority to ask other federal agencies to help,” said Holly Harrington.

Minnesota state officials said Wednesday they might ask the Minnesota Legislature for authority to
declare martial law in Minnesota counties if the disease threatens the state’s agriculture industry. The
governor has the authority now if a contagious disease threatens humans, but it is not clear if the
authority would extend to a virus that only affects livestock.

Minnesota’s state Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson said the legal issues are not clear
regarding a crisis affecting animals. "What we would be dealing with is an economic disaster, not a
human crisis," said Hugoson, speaking before a legislative panel.

A task force from state agencies is working with the attorney general's office and governor's office to
determine if emergency powers are sufficient or if a new statute "with teeth" is needed, Hugoson said.

State officials said they might seek additional funds from the Legislature to put contingency plans in
place because an outbreak could threaten agriculture, manufacturing and tourism industries in
Minnesota.

If martial law is declared in Minnesota, the state could use the Minnesota National Guard and law
enforcement agencies to keep people from traveling in or out of communities. Farm children could also
be quarantined and not permitted to go to school.

Likewise, groceries for farm families would be delivered in bags and left by the side of the road. Farm
families would be restricted to their properties for weeks until the virus has been contained.


1 Posted on 04/21/2001 05:55:18 PDT by It'salmosttolate
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To: It'salmosttolate

Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a rough ride....

2 Posted on 04/21/2001 05:57:31 PDT by Tennessee_Bob
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To: It'salmosttolate

Is this rational?

3 Posted on 04/21/2001 05:59:01 PDT by Greatgrandma
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To: Greatgrandma

Is this rational?

No... it's government, and at the bottom of it, government is about force....

4 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:02:13 PDT by backhoe
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To: Greatgrandma

American Freedom News reported earlier that a test-tube containing a live strain of the foot and mouth virus disappeared from a top-secret British laboratory two months before the outbreak was discovered in Great Britain. Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies are also warning that animal rights activists may try to bring the virus into North America.

5 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:02:43 PDT by It'salmosttolate
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To: It'salmosttolate

Translated?

6 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:05:37 PDT by Greatgrandma
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To: It'salmosttolate

what are the odds that this is disinformation?...the purpose of which may be to distract from something more serious than hoof and mouth disease...fema along with the national guard(s) being *suddenly* given this much power seems pretty extreme for a disease which doesn't infect humans...

7 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:06:10 PDT by TerminallySouthern
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To: It'salmosttolate

If this happens what would happen in a case like mine? I live one block away from people that own cattle. I live in a small town that has cattle inside the city limits. Would I be still be free to move around or would I end up like the farmers that have to stay on their own property.

8 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:09:36 PDT by CathyRyan
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To: backhoe

"Government officials are saying nothing about bioterrorism."

The QueenMum's revenge for having lost the colonies.

Once again we will be put into the position of "No we won't!" to England's desire to make us as Socialist as they are.

When the FEM'S (abbreviation of FEMA ala Fed/Federals) come to my farm (if I had one), I'd keep them at bay using my neighbors ability to look mean and shoot straight, and I will be the one that kills my animals ... not them.

Why would I do that?

Because I am a patriot and I will protect my country and her freedoms from tyranical Gov't. FEM's.

(FEM's ... I kinda' like that)

9 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:09:39 PDT by knarf
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To: TerminallySouthern

You just keep remembering: One World Gov't, NWO is the goal. To get there we need crisis, termoil, destruction of the Constitution, cival unrest, no borders, no soverign nations which will cause all people to call out for help from a superior power.

10 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:11:54 PDT by It'salmosttolate
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To: It'salmosttolate

This is insanity and before this happens start stocking up on weapons because you never know where this is going.Somebody has some BIG PLANS for America and I don't think we are going to like their AGENDA!

11 Posted on 04/21/2001 06:14:31 PDT by taxtruth
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To: Greatgrandma

Translated?

Bio-terrorism.

12 Posted on 04/21/2001 07:00:58 PDT by Valin
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To: It'salmosttolate

Hey, maybe the country folks will enjoy learning what the inner-city housing project folks already know about what happens when the police move in for a "sweep" of one kind or another.

13 Posted on 04/21/2001 07:05:29 PDT by Wolfie
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To: It'salmosttolate

Good for you! That is the meat of the article. PETA would certainly think it all right to introduce the virus here in the interests of "saving us" and their animal friends.

Regards,

14 Posted on 04/21/2001 07:06:10 PDT by Jimmy Valentine (Get that cheeseburger before it's too late)
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To: It'salmosttolate

When Clinton made the off hand comment, America should buy it's food from over seas, I knew instantly they are going to control our food.

You have farmers being closed down, mass killing of healthy animals in England, better buy a freezer and fill it up with beef, of course you risk them coming into your homes to check for diseased beef, maybe.

With Bush asking the Congress to allow him to by pass them and be given the ability to negotiate treaties, that Congress is not even allowed to look at, and Marshall Law on it's way, ala hoof and mouth, things are really going to begin to pop now, very quickly. Wonder if we will recognize the USofA in five years?

Perhaps you should change your handle to Itistoolate.

15 Posted on 04/21/2001 07:13:54 PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: MissAmericanPie

Did Clinton not place FEMA under the Justice Department in the later rounds of his reign?
Just this sort of event was being discussed heavily with the felt potential of Janet Reno 'taking charge' of some convenient crisis.
And, why does this stuff always hit around April 19th - noting that 4/19 is now officially the anniversary of Oklahoma City and not of Waco.

16 Posted on 04/21/2001 08:31:25 PDT by norton
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To: norton

I don't know if Clinton placed FEMA under the Justice Dept. or not. I know he wanted to place the local police under military authority, when told the Constitution or laws prohibited it, he asked them to try to find a way around that.

It's all too much for me to keep up with. Things seem to change from one new thing to another every day with greater rapidity. Let's just pray for the ranchers sake that hoof and mouth stays overseas. Anytime the government gets involved they always seem to go overboard, I can just see ranchers having to disinfect their boots every time they leave their property.

17 Posted on 04/21/2001 08:48:42 PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: It'salmosttolate




Are they finally going to use all those Y2K internment camps they built a couple of years ago?



Y2K - GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR WORST

Consultant cites preparations for martial law


18 Posted on 04/21/2001 08:59:39 PDT by _Jim
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To: Tennessee_Bob

If I did not know better then I would have to wonder if this whole foot and mouth thing is government planned. Starve the people. Declare mashall law. And usher in the NWO to save humanity. NA! Just my imagination I guess.

19 Posted on 04/21/2001 19:18:00 PDT by Revel
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To: Revel

But the big media tells everything is just a big series of coincidences.

20 Posted on 04/24/2001 00:10:17 PDT by t-shirt
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To: It'salmosttolate

It'd be kind of silly to slaughter all that livestock to 'stop an epidemic' when there are scads of whitetail deer crawling all over the countryside that would be carrying the stuff too- were it really so contagious.

21 Posted on 04/24/2001 02:07:30 PDT by piasa
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To: piasa

>scads of whitetail deer crawling all over the countryside

Hoof and mouth thread here:

NAPALM THE CARCASSES

Perhaps someone can answer my question about pyres/pathogens too.

22 Posted on 04/24/2001 03:38:35 PDT by DistantVoice
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