"A quartet of laws has been signed that lays the complete legal foundation for the takeover of our constitutional democracy. They are the (so-called) Patriot Act of 2001, extended in 2005; the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which allows for the suspension of habeas corpus and the practice of torture and rendition; the John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007, which facilitates the declaration of martial law and nullifies posse comitatus by allowing the President to station troops anywhere in the country and to commandeer the National Guard without the consent of local authorities; and, finally, the National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, signed on May 9, 2007, which in the event of a catastrophe [real or otherwise] would place all governmental authority in the hands of the President."

See: Emanuel E. Garcia article (2007-06)