Watch Out for Jackboots and Swagger Sticks : "Bush announced the creation of a Cabinet level position called "Office of Homeland Security." The Office of Homeland Security will initially be run by former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. It should be noted that Ridge himself got in trouble a few years ago for praising the efficiency of the Third Reich's civilian administration. Ridge also spoke highly of Mussolini's ability to keep the Italian trains running on time. Now Ridge will be the guy running the Office of Homeland Security ... Ridge wants the uniforms of this State Political Police division to be modeled on existing state trooper uniforms - except done in black. If you've ever seen New Jersey or Pennsylvania State Police uniforms, they have dark blue pants and lighter blue uniform on top. They also have those old-fashioned pants that bag out like the old German or Gestapo pants. They'll have jet-black jackboots, and black uniforms with lots of gold insignias indicating the Power of the State ... This new agency will also operate "with extralegal authority." They will then be able to act under suspension of habeus corpus and under suspension of the right against self- incrimination, the Fifth Amendment privilege, and also the Fourth Amendment privilege. That power will be in their charter -- they can act in an extra-legal authority, in certain cases, where the security of the "homeland" is "threatened." ... The new Office of Homeland Security helicopters will be painted a matte black and have digitized red lettering that says State Security, dark tinted windows, and numerous aerials and dishes with a big searchlight on the front. Bell Helicopters is supposed to get the new contract to produce this new super-surveillance helicopter. Supposedly they'll have the most sophisticated surveillance electronics ever made."