Wednesday 24th of April 2024
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hidden malevolence .....

‘During national crises, the United States government often reacts overzealously. It takes actions that curtail the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people. These laws, executive orders and government measures have been in reaction to public fears and public demands for a swift response. Yet the flames of fear have also been fanned for political advantage. Federal agencies have acted to intimidate, harass, alienate, deport, and silence organizations and individuals. Historically, dissenting voices included advocates as diverse as labor and peace activists, immigrant-rights groups, political opponents, and civil-rights leaders.

Tracked in America introduces the stories of 25 individuals who have been targeted by the U.S. government. The stories span from World War I to the post-9/11 world. Six eminent historians provide historical perspective and context to the time periods in which these individuals were under surveillance. Together, the profiles convey the courage of these individuals and reveal a dangerous pattern of government surveillance.’

Tracked In America

Smoke and signals

As mentioned already on this site, the US intelligence services presently sieve through several trillion bits of information coming from their spy satellite networks every month... This mean the quality of analysis is pretty low and things will go amiss (They envy Google). One way to make this eaves dropping more ineffectual is to spread more stupid crap around, stuff that will waste the energy of the services until they become a bit more selective and stop bothering realising they're taken for a ride. But in the end, the whole democracy bizo is about freedom — freedom to say what one wants even if they like it or not. Sure, they eavesdrop to find terrorist... but terrorists know that, so they communicate via smoke signals... So back to the binoculars...

knowing the enemy .....

‘Simple facts most soldiers do not understand: The government (state) is not our country; when you fight and die in undeclared wars, you do so for the State and not for our country or our freedoms; when you forsake the Constitution you swore to uphold and defend to follow unconstitutional orders, even from your commander-in-chief, you cross the line from defender of your country to the very real possibility of becoming a war criminal.

Does the insurgent in Iraq present a greater danger to freedom than the politicians who signed the Patriot Act without reading it? Is al Qaeda to be feared more than the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus? Is the young Iraqi soldier fighting in the streets of Baghdad more dangerous to our freedoms than the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act, which allows the State to take direct control of any and all National Guard units over the objection of state and local officials to whom they report, through the simple expedient of declaring a "public emergency"? 

Just exactly who is the greatest threat to our individual rights and freedoms in this country?’

Worshipping The State: Why They Die