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We really do live in a brave new world; a world in which we have a DHS, an FBI, a CIA and other alphabet soup spy and "enforcement" networks that are now working under looser and looser definitions of "terrorism." For example, the NYPD has teamed up with the CIA to conduct secret police operations throughout the US, which consists of spying on "terrorists" with no jurisdictional boundaries or safeguards. The dreaded terrorism designation also allows them to work outside of the normal safeguards of government, along with employing military resources. To be fair, the government has always used its power to keep tabs on what it perceived as political enemies. That's why it kept photographs and files on the "hippies" and anti-Vietnam protesters back in the 60's. However, I think there are three big differences today. The first is the sheer amount of information that you can collect using today's technology. Second is the loss of protection from this kind of abuse by playing the "terrorist" card. Lastly, and most importantly, is the apathy of the American public with regard to this issue and the downright contempt for people who, god forbid, try to maintain some sort of privacy guarantee against the government (usually from the fake conservative branch of American politics).
Government is all about maintaining and increasing it's scope of power. It will use any excuse it can concoct and every resource at it's disposal to accomplish those goals.
We haven't had a truly representative government for quite some time. Representation has been replaced with repression. Despite the more than ample evidence illustrating this moronic voters keep putting the same people that have abused their trust back into positions of power.
Our government has done everything in it's power to free itself from Constitutional restraints. With very few exceptions the voting public has done nothing to stop it. Things are bad now but we're headed for far greater problems down the road.
If there is to be any hope of returning to the ideals that enabled our nation to grow and succeed voters need to wake up and stop reelecting power and profit hungry individuals to office. Politics was intended to be a calling to those that wish to serve, not a career path to personal enrichment. Sadly, thanks to the many failures to exercise due diligence in favor of promoting illusory partisan victories our voting public has created a monster that will sooner rather than later eat those that enabled it.
We really do live in a brave new world; a world in which we have a DHS, an FBI, a CIA and other alphabet soup spy and "enforcement" networks that are now working under looser and looser definitions of "terrorism." For example, the NYPD has teamed up with the CIA to conduct secret police operations throughout the US, which consists of spying on "terrorists" with no jurisdictional boundaries or safeguards. The dreaded terrorism designation also allows them to work outside of the normal safeguards of government, along with employing military resources. To be fair, the government has always used its power to keep tabs on what it perceived as political enemies. That's why it kept photographs and files on the "hippies" and anti-Vietnam protesters back in the 60's. However, I think there are three big differences today. The first is the sheer amount of information that you can collect using today's technology. Second is the loss of protection from this kind of abuse by playing the "terrorist" card. Lastly, and most importantly, is the apathy of the American public with regard to this issue and the downright contempt for people who, god forbid, try to maintain some sort of privacy guarantee against the government (usually from the fake conservative branch of American politics).
Most Americans won't even know it's going on because it will all be done behind the scenes.
I bought a 50lb bag of fertilizer last weekend. Do I need to worry ?
Go ahead and laugh and label me as tin foil.
A neighbor had to go to 3 towns to get all the name brand fertilizer he needed. The next Sunday he had a visit from the Sheriff who apologized before asking him some questions about his purchases. The "request" came from much higher up than the county and the Sheriff had no choice in the matter.
There is more going on then we know about but most will not question because it's all happening outside of their little worlds.
Most Americans won't even know it's going on because it will all be done behind the scenes.
I bought a 50lb bag of fertilizer last weekend. Do I need to worry ?
Go ahead and laugh and label me as tin foil.
A neighbor had to go to 3 towns to get all the name brand fertilizer he needed. The next Sunday he had a visit from the Sheriff who apologized before asking him some questions about his purchases. The "request" came from much higher up than the county and the Sheriff had no choice in the matter.
There is more going on then we know about but most will not question because it's all happening outside of their little worlds.
You know that is the scary part because you couple that w/ this freaky paranoid "testosterone" trend and you have innocent people dead, abused and damaged for life.
We should just drop all preventative measures and turn our policing system into a reactive one. Don't worry about terrorists, drug cartels, gangs, illegal immigrants or anyone else. I am sure the honor system would work well as would us just policing ourselves.
We should just drop all preventative measures and turn our policing system into a reactive one. Don't worry about terrorists, drug cartels, gangs, illegal immigrants or anyone else. I am sure the honor system would work well as would us just policing ourselves.
Well the preventative measures have seemed to embraced normal Joe citizens as well. Are we all now "guilty until proven innocent" ?
What is even scarier is that they are studying behavior. How you act may even make you guilty.
Pity the poor guy with a limp and shoulder twitch who stutters......
Maybe that movie "Minority Report" wasn't really fiction ?
What is even scarier is that they are studying behavior. How you act may even make you guilty.
Pity the poor guy with a limp and shoulder twitch who stutters......
Maybe that movie "Minority Report" wasn't really fiction ?
I'm inclined to believe Minority Report was more of a dramatization of a government wish list for future powers than it was fiction.
George Orwell would likely be shocked that his projections were less over the top than inadequate in their portrayal of our likely future.
Spookiest thing I can remember is going to see the movie 1984 which came out in December of that year. It was cold and windy and Hollywood looked like a deserted dusty mess with all the stuff the wind had blown in. After the movie, still in the afterglow of it, we stopped to get some money and it just suddenly occured to me that it took my picture, that there were camera's all around and it felt like the movie wasn't over.
The Worldcon that year had 1984 as a theme and Disneyland wouldn't let in one tshirt sold... That would be the world science fiction convention. Fandom was investigated in the fifties and I assume still is. We're just too disorganized to matter.
At least there isn't much chance of me buying a big sack of fertilizer until I figure out how to keep my tomatoes alive when it turns from sprng to summer overnight and they turn brown and die...
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