This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Guest Post: Defiance, A Lost Virtue?
Submitted by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.com,
It was August 19th, 1920. A military detachment of Red Army soldiers led by Bolshevik authorities steamrolled into the Russian town of Khitrovo to implement a policy known as “Prodrazvyorstka”; resource allocation in the name of national security which led to the confiscation of vital grain supplies and the starvation of millions of peasants. To be sure, multiple excuses were used to rationalize the program, all in the name of the “greater good”. But in reality, Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks saw the farming culture of Russia not as human beings, but as mechanisms for feeding city residents and the army; the power centers of the newly formed Communist government.
This attitude of collectivism (and elitism at the highest levels) and the treatment of the food producing subsection of the populace as slaves to the machine predictably generated the desire for civil unrest and even rebellion. By the time the Red Army had entered Khitrovo, the region was already a tinderbox. After they had taken everything of value and began to beat elderly men in public view as an example to the rest of the town, a war had ignited.
At the height of what was later called “The Tambov Rebellion”, over 50,000 – 70,000 Russian citizens had taken up arms against their oppressive government, including Red Army soldiers who left their posts to join the cause. Vastly outnumbered, and technologically outclassed in every way, the guerilla fighters managed to infiltrate multiple levels of Bolshevik society and government, and had struck debilitating hits against Russian infrastructure. So great was the threat, that Lenin along with Red Army leadership ordered chemical warfare to be used in the forests where guerrillas were thought to be dug in, as well as summary executions of civilians, many of whom were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Concentration camps were built, mostly to house women, children, and elderly people thought to be related to insurgents and to be used as bargaining chips. Eventually, the rebellion diminished, but not before Lenin was forced to end the policy of Prodrazvyorstka along with many other directives that had angered the Russian public.
The Soviets later attempted to erase all memory of the event, destroying records and removing public figures who might recount what had happened. However, the fight against collectivist control and state power continued through numerous movements until the break-up of the empire decades after.
Now, many historians and cynics of today would label the Tambov Rebellion an overall failure. They did not succeed in removing Lenin and the Bolsheviks. They did not defeat the Red Army. They did not directly put an end to Prodrazvyorstka, though they did trigger a chain of dominos which forced Lenin’s hand. There was no glowing victory as there was during the American Revolution centuries before. The freedom fighters were mostly forgotten until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of documentation that had survived the purge. However, what these men and women did accomplish was to set an example; to remind us of the ongoing and inevitable battle between oppressive establishments and the people they seek to dominate.
Even in the nightmare world of communist Russia, from the conquests of Lenin, to the terrors of Stalin, even in the face of organized and energized tyranny, people decided to fight rather than quietly live in servitude. The lesson we are taught by the Tambov Rebels is that there is no such thing as unassailable empire, that free thinking people will ALWAYS exist, that the drive for independence is inborn and inherent, and that no oligarchy will stand unopposed for very long.
Another lesson we learn, is that defiance is a virtue unto itself. It is its own means, and its own end. Wherever people seek truth, and honor, no consequence is foreboding enough to stop them. Defiance takes no notice of the threat of death.
Some may question the example of the rebellion described above and its relevance to our times. “Surely”, they will say, “the days of concentration camps, martial law, food confiscation, and general war against the people by most governments are long gone.” We are living in more “civilized times”, where technology and reason prevail. The gullibility of this world view is hard to ignore…
In fact, Americans today may very well bear witness to similar or far worse tragedies in the coming years if current presidential directives and congressional legislation are any indication. It has become obvious that the Patriot Acts which many in the public rolled over for (under some protest) were a mere warm up to policies like the following:
FISA: An overarching domestic surveillance bill which joins the cooperative efforts of corporations and government agencies.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/07/senate-approv-1/
The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act: A Bush supported action which allows the president to unilaterally declare a “public or national emergency” for any reason he wishes without congressional consent and institute martial law policies aimed at suppression of the populace (the president is requires by the act to “inform” congress of his intentions after 14 days, but does not give congress the power of oversight). Also solidifies the erasure of Posse Comitatus.
http://www.bordc.org/threats/hr5122.php
Presidential Directive 51: Signed in private by George W. Bush. Allocates further power to the president to declare a national emergency for any reason he sees fit and to institute Continuity of Government Policies (martial law, among other things). This directive was only partially released to the public, but the entire document remains classified, even to members of congress!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7566901/PDD51
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 2012): Incorporates policies outlined in John McCain and Joseph Lieberman’s thoroughly rejected “Enemy Beligerents Act”. Allows the president along with the Department of Homeland Security to label anyone, even an American citizen, and “enemy combatant” under the laws of war. Opens the door to the complete dismantling of Habeas Corpus, giving military authorities the ability to arrest U.S. citizens without warrant, without due process, without trial by civilian jury, to be held indefinitely. In other words, rendition and black-bagging of U.S. citizens regardless of civil liberties or the Constitution.
Assassination Programs: Obama has not only claimed the right to assassinate American citizens, he has executed such orders. This policy works as an extension of the NDAA, meaning, anyone can be labeled an enemy combatant without trial, and, that person can be detained, or killed, as such. These actions have been opposed by civil liberties unions and politicians alike, but because they have so far only been used against U.S. citizens working with “Al Qaeda”, the general public remains on the fence or oblivious to the dangerous precedent. The Constitution specifically outlines what is to be done with Americans who aid the enemy in times of war in the Treason Clause. The Treason Clause allows NO assassination or detainment without trial. In fact, it REQUIRES a trial by jury along with two witnesses testifying to the overt criminal act. The Treason Clause has been utterly ignored by the Obama Administration thus far.
http://www.peoplesworld.org/kucinich-bill-aims-to-stop-assassinations-of-u-s-citizens/
National Defense Resources Preparedness Executive Order: Obama recently signed this executive order which allows the president and the DHS to commandeer or confiscate public and private resources (any resources) in the name of national security, and, even allows for what essentially amounts to forced labor of U.S. citizens in the name of the “national good”. An almost exact replication of the powers claimed by Lenin and the Bolsheviks that triggered the Tambov uprising.
http://reason.com/archives/2012/04/07/is-serfdom-an-executive-order-away
Internment And Resettlement Operations: A secret Department of Defense document recently leaked to the public outlines extensive planning on the part of the government to use DHS and FEMA to “relocate” U.S. citizens and detainees to internment camps for processing. Triggers for such a policy could include natural disasters, man-made disasters, and terrorist attacks, among many others. The document specifically requires “special exceptions” to Posse Comitatus, allowing for military operation of the camps in question.
http://info.publicintelligence.net/USArmy-InternmentResettlement.pdf
The response to many of the disturbing provisions listed above has so far remained in the legal and political realm. A considerable portion of those aware of the dangerous path our government has taken over the past decade alone is to approach the problem from the top down. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to realize or understand the greater crisis at work.
As matters stand, there is very little recourse politically outside of full state nullification under the 10th Amendment. At the pace these executive orders and draconian bills are being churned out and slapped with a stamp of approval, the American people would have to unseat the president, not to mention almost every sitting Senator, and every Congressman, replacing them with true Constitutional statesmen and revamping Washington D.C. in the span of a few years in order to prevent the inevitable totalitarian abuse of the legal powers that now exist. This is not going to happen. Given that almost every president and presidential candidate for the last few decades has supported identical policies as far as expanding government power, voting in one party or the other (at least at the national level) does not appear to make much difference anymore.
Legally, every avenue is being explored, but with little progress. The recent block on the NDAA by 4th District Court Judge Katherine Forrest was a moment of hope amongst anti-NDAA proponents, but the end result was obvious to some of us in the Liberty Movement who know the history of legal action against such legislation. So far, the Obama Administration has stated that her ruling is basically of no consequence to them, and that they will continue to implement the NDAA as they see fit. Apparently, the Judicial Branch now only has a say in matters of government when it agrees with the position of the president or DHS. This shows conclusively that the government intends to ignore court based decisions that are contrary to desired policy, and that while the legal fight should be pursued, we should not expect much in the results department.
So, where does this leave us? If we cannot redress our grievances through elections, or through the courts, what is there for a freedom loving American to do? Though the thought causes some to shudder, it is not only logical but imperative that we look at the existing alternatives seriously. Invariably, if a government was to widely enforce any or all of the policies listed above, the result would be citizen dissent, peaceful and militant.
When a social system becomes so corrupted that its only prerogative is its own survival and self perpetuation, even at the cost of the life and liberty of the people it was originally tasked to defend, the populace has no choice but to question whether that system should continue to exist any longer. Conflict, is unavoidable.
As clear as this fact is to anyone with any sense, though, I find that many seem to treat the idea of physical action as astonishing, or shocking. Some even laugh as if the concept is outdated and absurd. Yet, they never seem to have an answer to the primary underlying question: What else is there? If working within the system only results in wasted effort and wasted time, what do the naysayers plan to do? Curl up in a ball and die? Or perhaps join the venomous establishment they could not subdue?
As discussed earlier, the Tambov Rebellion and examples like it impress upon the narrow-minded visions of failure. To them, defiance, real defiance, leads only to death and disaster. The key to their extraordinary mistake is that they assume that defiance is about the “assurance” of victory. There are never any assurances. There were no assurances of victory for the Founding Fathers, there were no assurances for the Tambov Rebels, and there are no assurances for us if we one day have to draw a line in the sand against the very system we were born into.
At bottom, the debate over solutions within the system versus solutions from without is irrelevant. On our current course, there is no other choice for the average American but to say no, regardless of the law, or the threat of its violent enforcement. Rebellion, in all its forms, is as natural as the cycles of the Earth. It reoccurs time and again, sometimes suppressed, but not for long. The horrors of governments gone rogue are no secret. We have so many examples in history to draw from it is hard to imagine any crime despots have NOT visited upon innocents. Frankly, if control thirsty elites can refine tyranny down to a science by examining the mistakes of the past, there is nothing stopping us from refining defiance down to an art form as well. Again, what other choice do we have, but to take heart in the knowledge that though there is no assurance of victory, there is also no assurance of defeat.
»
- 20596 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Look at the positive side.. soon the kids won’t have to worry about those parked vans getting in the way of their street hockey or stickball.. they can just wave to the lamp post camera/monitoring node or the neighborhood patrol mini-drone passing overhead every few minutes.
And this is a realistic near future for all of us in the Anglo Empire. I say get out while you can.
No way out. Who`s club you joined? Beat`em , and don`t talk about it.
LOL I named my secured wireless network "unmarked FBI" just to screw with my neighbors :-)
>>"Frankly, if control thirsty elites can refine tyranny down to a science by examining the mistakes of the past, there is nothing stopping us from refining defiance down to an art form as well."<<
Very well said. In this case, the refinement of defiance has forced the common man to bring out the ultimate WMD: a closed wallet. They can't force you to buy material things and since their entire corrupt system is dependent on consumers to buy, buy, buy... you know what you have to do. I vote with my wallet.
Yes. In a world where people live and die with the 'Almighty Dollar', let it die. This system is broken, corrupt and poison to the core. Support it no longer, it is up to you and me.
"Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces." ~ Etienne de la Boetie
If you are dependent on people who do not know you, who control the value of your necessities, you are not free, and you are not safe!
Wendell Berry,
The art of the commonplace
>>"Frankly, if control thirsty elites can refine tyranny down to a science by examining the mistakes of the past, there is nothing stopping us from refining defiance down to an art form as well."<<
Add to the list something every decent person can do. Learn how to identify a psychopath and then ignore them. The only source of joy for a psychopath is to control others.
The head psychopath is advertising his dinner again. Uggg.
Free people do not try to control others.
www.thegreatesttruthnevertold.com
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/06/05/google_to_warn_users_targeted_by_state_sponsored_attacks
Gogggggggle, looking out for YOU and I.
Such Patriots
"...defiance is a virtue unto itself..."
well said and why america as a free state is finished....america has no virtue....
>>"america has no virtue...."<<
Why? You mean a country that idolizes human filth like Kim Kardashian and pays her $30k per Tweet has no virture? You mean a country that only is concerned about collecting its next welfare check so it can spend it on the latest iPad/iPhone gadget has no virture? You mean an entire generation of children who worship fist pumping imbeciles as gods and embrace a culture of stupidity, ignorance and selfmutilation have no virtue? You mean a country whose parents embrace and promote sexual activity of it's youth as young as 9 years old so long as they practice "safe sex" has no virture? You mean a country that produces nothing of value yet borrows endlessly and wrecklessly to live high on the hog has no virture? Then you are correct. And a country that has neither virture nor dignity... ends up as just another page in the history books...
And this
Wendell Berry,
The art of the commonplace
There is nothing more absurd, to give an example that is only apparently trivial, than the millions who wish to live in luxury and idleness and yet be slender, good looking and tan!
GTL bitchezzz!
edit- I'm embarrassed I know what that means.
America, the country, is a set of ideals. It is not a place. Where it lies is within a person's heart and mind. Our nation has no virtue. America, our country, remains very virtuous. Please do not confuse the two. I love my country, but I abhor the nation state.
US citizenism.
As to being virtuous, US citizen virtues then...
AnAnonymous said:
You're in a deep rut, Frenchie.
A new meme to come up with?
Not for you. You're strictly a one-trick pony.
And there's an opening in the glue factory
while I don't advocate the "capitalism" behind paying a KKardash for her advertising, you fail to add to your long list any huge sums the sportsmen are given to entertain their fans, nor the drivers of race cars with their advertising bucks, etc. etc. - it's all a part of the same hypnotising of the peoples - KK is just the latest target of wrath - there are many available.
porn culture is a debased culture that has no respect for humans, but merely elevates "stars" to the heavens. . .
While I find myself a bit embarrassed by many of the things my fellow citizens believe constitutes a life well lived (of course to each his or her own), I'm a bit confused by the statement "produces nothing of value". Just who is it that produces something of value, and what is this valuable produce? My guess is at least some of what you consider "of value" is produced in the US.
Good article.
I've posted before but I still love this scene...the government ‘man’ offering to protect you, save your life or give you a hand out…if only you will bow down…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7uqCZCgRKU
Zod... Kneel before him...
~~~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKDFop0aqYQ
Nestor Makhno learned from their mistakes.
Makhno fought all factions that sought to impose any external authority over southeastern Ukraine, battling in succession the Ukrainian Nationalists, the Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian occupation, the Hetmanate Republic, the White Army and the Red Army, amongst other smaller competing Ukrainian atamany.
time for a yehaw gihad,beatchez
That is so retarded I had to +1 you. Congratulations.
Yesssssssss...
The Declaration of Independence says it quite succintly - "...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Of course this was written at a time when individual excellence and personal responsibility were the norm. The decades of dumbing down and political correctness have eroded these sentiments in so many. I believe "they" are just waiting for that critical mass of government-dependent drones to develop so that thse inconveniences (DofI, Constitution, Bill of Rights) can finally be dispensed with and government can get down to its real business - controlling the masses.
The Declaration of Independece? Surely you're not quoting that quaint old document. Don't you know that the Declaration of Independence has about as much relevance as the Constitution in today's modern civilized society?
That's what we have to fight against - the prevailing idea that our founding documents are irrelevant (I recognize the sarc).
That's going to be tough.
At the recent Washington State Republican Convention,
when the words "Freedom", "Constitution", "Liberty" were
uttered, the predominantly Romney crowd booed.
They did not see these words having any connection
to themselves or America, only to Ron Paul, the apparent enemy.
When proposals for a platform plank seeking non enforcement
of NDAA by local/state authorities were beat down, It was obvious,
there will be no changes coming from the "R" side - their
heads have taken root in their asses.
The rebellion will have to be electronic, for the miscreants have both guns and butter in abundance.
Which is why the internet is already monitored more than Dick Cheney's heart rate.
The internet is the thorn in the global cabals side, people like us can't exactly meet at the local bar and discuss freedom. Internet ID's will be here within the next few years, believe that.
Ray Bradbury dead at 91. I still suspect foul play.
... there will come soft rains.
No clue on Earth who would have junked that, but they obviously are unfamiliar with RB or that short story. One of the greatest of his masterpieces.
I'm sure they're looking at the decline in both Facebook and American Idol and thinking what can we do next to distract them.
Give $3,000 to everybody in order for them to buy thingamajigs!!
Why not, they give bankers billions. Show me the fucking money.
Or TWO thingamajigs! :
http://www.glock.com/english/glock23.htm
(Plus accessories...)
http://www.glock.com/english/index_acc.htm
Seems to me , Guerilla warfare always works best......they wear uniforms and stick out like sitting ducks
blend in and piss in the bisque.
Shhhhhh! you know the rules!
BRILLIANT!!
American's are pretty close to being the most easily oppresible people on the planet. For all the talk of guns, there hasn't been a serious protest movement since VietNam war and even that has almost no effect.
fat and happy in the usa.
At least the zombies will eat well...
No bath salts for you!
They mainly feed on brains. The ones in DC will surely starve to death(again)...
By virtue of any remaining morals , defiance is a stance or an attitude.
'Walker outspent Barrett on ads by seven dollars for every one of their's'
Thats your problem right there, when money is used to subvert democracy.
Prove this assertion! LINK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/republican-governor-sco...
Walker and Republicans outspent Barrett and Democrats $47 million to $19 million, based on the most recent tally by the government watchdog group the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/06/wisconsin-governor-scott-wal...
Democrats said the lesson was that money – Walker's $32m advertising and campaign blitz outspent Barrett seven to one – could best a rival campaign built on grassroots activism and union organisation.
Funny. When President Obama (and Senator Obama in 2008) outraised his opponent, it was hailed and celibrated in the media and blogs. Guess it depends on which pig is raking in the acorns, eh?
Acorns? You meant ACORNS right? Now that's funny...
Yeah, it's amazing how nearly a billion dollars can buy the Presidency, while everyone else gets Hope and a pocketful of Change.
And here's me thinking obama won because a 71 yr old man with a heart condition picked palin as his running mate...........
Its what scared the crap out of me when he announced it, only bested by my fear of what obama would use the patriot act to achieve.
Oh yeah, Palin gave you heart palpitations, but Biden makes your heart sing.
What happened, did they kick you off the Huff-Post blog?
Is that your best insult?
If you're going to post a response below your usual eloquence, dont bother!
I take your above comments lack of insult as meaning you couldnt be bothered to think up a good insult for my comments.
And that sir is the most foul and demeaning insult of all...........
Oh, aren't you the sweetest.
"the most foul and demeaning insult of all" is truly hilarious.
Where do you "Full Retards" come up with this stuff.
Call us what you really mean dude, Untermenschen.
Well, at least when you look in the mirror each morning, you at least know what type of beast is looking back.
If i could fight anybody in the whole world.......I'd fight Pure Evil.
You're welcome.
perfectly precious prissy progressive
a true intellectual smorgasbord
that theory wasn't entirely without merit, and it was hardly the first time, before or since, that it's been put into use. Darwin got one thing correct, about survival of the fittest. Only the sterile, plastic, orange tipped with safety warnings printed artificial environment created by progressives has allowed progressive dimwits and their vote garden inhabitant supporters to thrive. Take away the free feeding stations of lifetime political, union, academic jobs and stop watering those vote gardens with WIC, free cheese and EBT and you goddamn progs will dry up and blow away like dogshit in August.
I see you people from the colonies dont get sarcasm unless it has a 'Sarc' tag.
If you have to point out its sarcasm its no longer sarcasm.
Ah, moving the goalposts. See, I was responding to the simplistic "money bought the election" at a state level, whereas at the national level it is a virtue if the correct "party" rakes in the dough. Now, if you want to step away from the simplistic and really get into the many many many variables of elections, it would be progress! Personally, the 71-year old lost any chance to get my vote when he tried to out-promise Senator Obama during a debate in which he offered his solution to the housing crash was to forgive and reduce principal on those who "need" it. More of the same didn't cut it for me. That was the first time I stepped out of the BS "least bad option" voting pattern and went for a throw-away third party candidate (which in my case went to Barr). Apologies to all the folks who took the red pill years before I did.
As for the specifics of WI, f-ck the public sector unions and their 95% pensions on the final year of state/federal employment where they rack up massive amounts of overtime so their annual pensions are far higher than the majority of their working years. Notice, none of that is any false-choice logic fallacy where to want those f-ckers to take a realistic haircut (say, max 50% of the baseline final 5-years of pay minus overtime) is some reach around embrace of the wall street grifters (whose haircut should be two inches below the chin). They all contribute to the farce.
And that is your problem right there. Thinking anything political is grass roots.
pods
So they raised $20mil and spent only $4.5mil on ads? Sounds like a Union job alright!
http://www.maciverinstitute.com/2012/06/big-labor-recall-total-to-exceed-20-million/
The lesson is that (Progressive) Democrats cry like fucking babies when they lose...
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/06/05/Bleeding-Heart-Liberal-Tells-CNN-This-is-the-End-of-Democracy
They can take their ball and go home now, they've cost the taxpayers enough...and if you think the people want the Unions, look at the Union membership since Walker took office. The people spoke, and they said 'Fuck off!'...
My favorite from last night. An illustration of all too common an attitude:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/06/woman-slaps-tom-barrett_n_15728...
Unicorns and Kool-aid for all those who are now done wasting my state's budget surplus.
These figures still don't count union $$$.
I almost would prefer that the government utilize these disgusting EO's, Acts, and directives against the American people in a sweeping fashion. That would at least get those who are asleep - awake and at least somewhat aware of what is going on. They also would be likely to join the rest of us in a rebellion. Unfortunately, my greatest fear is that the "powers that be" will create a situation that makes the ordinary American support WWIII. Then, once we are truly beaten down by another long war, starvation, disease, etc. - then - they will use the aforementioned EO's, Acts, and directives when the sheeple will be too beaten down to rebel. Hopefully I am wrong, and they will simply let the financial ponzi scheme blow up, enforce the current anti-american laws, and we will have another revolution and reclaim the republic.
Actually, what concerns me is similar to what you wrote, but I do not assume we will win the next war. After all, losing it accomplishes the transition quite nicely, and it removes almost all hope of a successful revolution. The same is true about people suggesting 2A will save us. How does 2A save us when 100 million just died from a nuclear conflict? It will be meaningless.
Sorry, but they will encourage and reward informers. They will indoctrinate your children at school and set them to watching you. Neighbor will spy on neighbor. They will enlist the populace and tell them it is their civic and patriotic duty.
The US government has never knuckled under to an enemy with guns, ever. But they knuckle under to voting blocs and political contributors every day.
The lesson is obvious. Organize and get involved. A thousand women, or ten thousand men, properly organized, can make the government do whatever they want. Same goes for anyone who can raise cash.
there's a special place in hell for you credulous true believers - unless you got $20 Mil or so for that organize thing.
You can't beat the corrupt game by playing the corrupt game. One should never abandon one's morals. Paying for representation is immoral and wasteful.
Chris Hedges kicks contemptible provisions of NDAA to the curb.
Prominent journalist and writer Chris Hedges is suing President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to block the implementation of the National Defense Authorization Act. Due to take effect on March 3, the NDAA authorizes the US military to indefinitely detain without trial US citizens suspected to be terrorists or accessories to terrorism.
As a journalist, Mr. Hedges often writes about and covers persons and organizations engaged in hostilities against the United States. He has met with members of Hamas, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, all of which are considered terrorist organizations by the United States.
The NDAA authorizes the military to detain “a person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.” However, it does not define the terms “substantially supported,” “directly supported,” or “associated forces.”
Mr. Hedges worries that the NDAA may permit the US military to detain him indefinitely because of his work as a journalist in violation of his right to due process under the Fifth Amendment as well as his right to free speech under the First Amendment.
Mr. Hedges has traveled in and written extensively about the Middle East. He points out that the NDAA is reminiscent of the policies common to many of repressive and dictatorial regimes he has covered. He points out,
In addition to the international angle, Mr. Hedges suspects that the NDAA may be intended to repress internal, domestic movements that challenge the corporate state.
Regrettably, he adds, the NDAA
Amazon link for Chris Hedges' new book, Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy, I quoted a review above,
http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Elites-America-After-Meritocracy/dp/0307720454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339000990&sr=8-1
NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51 2007
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Funny how it took George Bush three years to catch up with Blair !
People won't do anything until the system collapses. Once it does collapse the first problem will be dealing with the golden horde who will loot and plunder everything in sight. Unfortunately the horde will not direct their anger where it needs to go the sub cultures will band together and the U.S will become a balkanized society.
There you are on one happy day after. Balkanization is not this bad thing it is made out to be, Golden hordes to loot and plunder used to have acronyms and now we will be free to
challenge their overpopulation by regulating our shots.
Regulate.
Definance: You're first step to having kiddie porn uploaded to your hard-drive and enjoying your life in prison
I can confirm that this happens. In fact, there have been plenty of news stories about neighbors doing this to each other in a feud. Those guys got caught because they were amateurs. Having a computer, digital camera, or any other form of digital storage is a huge risk. Between law suits from copyright holders, threat of extortion, malware, and of course the type of evidence planting you describe, it is a huge risk indeed.
How much do you think it would cost to pay a Russian hacker to carry out this sort of operation? Maybe a couple thousand dollars. Just give them a target email address or IP. Sometimes just a name since most people are easily findable via Facebook and other social media.
In a computer crime class at George Washington University, I asked the professor, a DA as well, how they knew beyond a doubt that the digital evidence was indeed that of the accused for such cases. He scoffed at my question and couldn't believe I even asked it. I repeated the question again however. It was a very uncomfortable conversation. He could not reasonably answer, and all I got was "well, the logs will prove it." Logs can be altered, accounts can be hacked, and any IT professional will tell you there's no damn way in hell to confirm without a doubt that X person did X on a computer. Anyone telling you otherwise is an idiot.
I do not understand what you are lamenting here ....
60 million able-bodied adult americans refusing to work, striking against the establishment, and you are complaining?
"If working within the system only results in wasted effort and wasted time, what do the naysayers plan to do? Curl up in a ball and die? Or perhaps join the venomous establishment they could not subdue?" Indeed. Very important question
If you would just have dinner with A. Wintour [vogue rag] & Carrie SJP [sex and the city], you would see this time its different.
http://vegasxau.blogspot.com
Patience, Bitchezzz...
Frederick Douglass says it best:
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/power-concedes-nothing-without-a-demand-...
The secret the elite don't want shared is that power depends on those it is being used over accepting it. This is the weakness of power. If enough people refuse to accept the way power is being used over them they will cause a revolution. With this government clearly acting against the interests of the people the grounds for refusing to accept its authority are overwhelming.
Excellent! Seeing the Obvious as being the Obvious!
Line in the sand at property line.
But, but--Merikans love a prez whose down for whatever, bitchez:
http://www.nationofchange.org/praying-church-st-drone-1338909597
At least the corporate manufactured news media says we do.
It’s interesting when I read the comments section of articles posted on the internet how often people use phrases like:
Someone should start a…..
We need to…..
The government should…
You almost never see people using phrases beginning with I am going to, or I already did…
I’m as guilty as anyone of spouting opinions a lot more than taking action to back my words.
Another thing I find interesting is how when I do post a comment about something I actually did on my own, it tends to draw more negative responses from others. I guess a lot of people just feel uncomfortable with that kind of behavior.
I lost my 1000 oz of silver in a boating accident
Silver? Ain't got no silver; got plumbing supplies through the mail, though.
Black people gotta lot a problems
But they don't mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick
An' everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
An' nobody wants
To go to jail!
All the power's in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it
--excerts from White Riot, The Clash 1977
I think that to a certain extent, people are willed into inaction.
Whenever something horrid is revealed, people get angry and spout off that something needs to be done. I am guilty of it. I often speak in terms of boiled hemp, etc.
But whenever anyone actually takes action against the machine, they are immediately drawn and quartered in the press, be it TV, radio or internet.
Pretty soon the subject in question either had a compound, manifesto or both.
Joe stack killed himself by flying a plane into an IRS building. We were soon awash with stories of failed businesses, a manifesto (which could have been written just as easily by anyone on ZH) and scorn.
I think that the majority of people are scared by action. When they see someone DO what they have been saying should be done, it tears down the wall and shows the talker as just that. A talker. Not a planner, lying in wait for the secret signal to act.
In full disclosure, I am just as guilty, if not moreso, than anyone else in this regard.
pods
When you deal with the Devil, you always end up burned! The Devil is always offering something hard to resist, thats why he is so successfull. Just like the banks, wall street and especially our government.
It is always safe to walk hand in hand with the devil, until you get to the other side of the bridge.........
Deregulation in favor of the "wisdom of the market" was another good one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996
Defiance IS nearly a lost virtue in the USA.
Consider an example. Remember when goalie Tim Thomas of the Bruins decided not to go to the White House for the photo op with the POTUS. He defied the team, the league, the POTUS and basically said no, I don't respect the POTUS, and I'm not going to be part of that dog and pony show.
This seemed to be a HUGE deal!!! One guy speaks his mind, takes a small stand, and everyone is like OOOOOOHH AAAAAAAAHH, how gutsy he is. He seemed gutsy, because the large majority have become absolutely gutless by comparison. So gutless, they haven't the strength to say no to the next bite as they chomp and slurp their way into obese, diabetic oblivion.
This gutlessness, and the huge gut it ironically produces, does not bode well for the future of this country. But the obesity is just a symptom, it is the abject gutlessness, the total lack of strength of character, that is the ghastly problem.
Deathstar Stimulus anyone ???
We could fill it full of "whale saver" eco-terrorist, black hoody communist anarchist, and community organizers and unleash them upon the hapless universe.
Lost, or snuffed out?
Any sign of dissent is crushed mercilessly in the American police state. Refuse to sign a traffic ticket or give a cop guff in even the slighest way? You're tasered, beaten, and hauled off to jail. Take a photo of the wrong building or person? You'll get the same. Try to protest something, anything? Tear Gas, Flash Bangs, dogs, microwave weapons, sound cannons, storm troopers are all you'll get for exercising your supposed "rights."
And then there's our public school system post 9/11. These kids live under absolute tyranny, being trained to be obedient slaves. Running in the hall way gets you arrested. Back talking a teacher gets you expelled. Zero Tolerance policies for even the smallest amount of dissent have been implemented from Pre-K through college years. The harmless pranks of our forefathers are now investigated as terror incidents in the schools of the American police state.
That is who I fear most, the kids who came of age under the post 9/11 police state. For the most part they worship authority unquestioningly. They will make the perfect functionaries of the police state when they come of age. Many of them have already and you'll find them manning posts at the airports, DHS, NSA. They were never taught about the constitution or "rights", and have no compunction about violating everything that Americans once held dear.
Don't hold your breath waiting for liberty to return to Amerca. It won't. And things only get worse from here. My advice is vote with your feet. Get out while you still can. You saw the furor over the Facebook guy giving up his U.S. citizenship. They think they own all of us and are entitled to the sweat of our brow. Soon comes the exit Visas and exit tax (on everyone, not just millionaires).
Of the other Anglo nations only New Zealand is remotely acceptable as a new home. Only because it is so small and offloads most of its domestic surveillance to the intelligence agencies of other Anglo nations. But make no mistake, you cannot be truly free anywhere in the Anglo Empire. And tens of thousands of aerial surveillance drones will make sure of it.
Those of us who've lived as adults through this shit from the "deregulated" 80's to present have seen all too clearly that working for corporate masters has required ever more looking the other way and "suspension of moral judgment" (and moral responsibility) just to hold onto a job. Neoliberal "economics" has put most labor on tender hooks, one wrong look or word to the boss away from financial ruin.
Picture the society-wide corporate "downsizing" of the past 30 years and ask yourself what kind of people have not just flourished, but simply held onto their jobs. Not the kinda people who cause trouble for the mastah, most definitely not.
It's easy to fear for the children and blame the increasingly corporatized schools, but where kids are concerned most things really do begin at home.
Their parents have assumed the lives of desperately insecure worms.
Beach balls and bullhorns are commonly banned from graduation ceremonies, but some schools also want to silence the screaming — going so far as to have overzealous audience members arrested.
That’s what reportedly happened to South Carolina mom Shannon Cooper, who was accused of whooping so loudly during her daughter’s high school graduation Saturday night that cops charged her with disorderly conduct and placed her in a detention center.
“Are ya’ll serious? Are ya’ll for real? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind,” Cooper told WPDE NewsChannel 15 in Myrtle Beach. “I didn’t say anything. I was just like OK, I can’t fight the law. “
Cooper said she didn’t act any differently than other families when their children’s names were called during the South Florence High School ceremony.
Her daughter, Iesha, told WPDE she didn’t realize her mother was being arrested until her friends told her.
“They’re locking your momma up for cheering — and I was like that isn’t right because other people was cheering and they didn’t lock them up,” Iesha told the TV station.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/south-carolina-mom-arrested-cheering-loudly-daughter-graduation-article-1.1090056#ixzz1x1uIxde3I think they made a simple mistake. They misunderstood the venue, it's obvious to me that they thought they were at a cinema where all the noise they make doesn't bother anyone.
The lesson is simple, yet they have to teach it again and again - be afraid. You must live in fear, and second guess your every thought, emotion, and action in the American police state.
How do you know if you're in compliance with the law? You don't. So learned helplessness and apathy is the correct conclusion to your dilemma. Inaction is what they want.
Be afraid.
One of the common elements in most of the great financial debacles seems, at heart, to involve accounting fraud that is tolerated and excused by all those entrusted with the safeguarding of the public interest and the innocent.
What characterizes the modern financial system, and its vast influence on the fabric of society, the political process, and the dialogues of public policy is the power of easy money, obtained through the mispricing of risk and brazen fraud, to corrupt the corruptible in every station of life, from the press corps to the politicians to the professors.
Truth, honor and goodness are collateral damage when everything has its price. Greed and selfishness abound, and the 'best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity.'
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2012/06/mf-global-hid-risk-to-a...
I am that man who will not kneel before thee Mother Fuckers.
The problem is finding enough people to stand with you. By destroying the community through 30 years of central planning and the concentration of power, like minded people are too spread out to create a large enough force. Many people don't even care to know their neighbors anymore.
The big box expansion and destruction of main street removed common meeting grounds and the sense of seeing the same people every day. When people feel alone they will be less likely to think they can change anything.
Even if there is a majority of Americans that feel the same way. The feeling is that they can not act because they don't think anyone will join them. Nobody wants to sacrifice themselves for a cause they don't think anyone will pick up. That is the oligarchs goal. Beat us down until we just accept state control so we don't have to worry anymore. Then the controls like the NDAA will be implemented to make sure resistance can not form.
I believe America is past saving. Any move against the government will have to contend with the fallout of the race war. The welfare class will not go quietly when their gravy train is cut off. Removing the likes of Obama and our congress will kill off at least 60% of the population after all is said and done. Washington DC, NYC, LA, and other big cities probably won't survive. Gen Y and the millennials do not have the knowledge or skillset to rebuild anything. Most of them will starve since they don't even know how to turn on a stove. Without daddy government they can not survive.
Any thinking person knows this is going to happen at some point. The Fed and the boomer generation just want to put it off till they're dead. There is a reason why the survival horror genre is doing so well. The new game "The Last of US" is going to be a training manual for life in the coming decades.
fascist.
I find your tems heartening and fully acceptable. Let's get started!
Saying no or questioning the "patriotic" bullshit is akin to blasphemy. Before Bush sent the war machine to Iraq, I questioned Bush's motives as Iraq did not appear to be a threat. The people who heard me looked at me as if I was a traitor, yet time proved me right as the WMDs were never found.
It takes guts to go against what is popular for what a person believes may be true.
People do not wish to defy, as it is uncomfortable and sacrifice may be involved.
That is us, sheep following the dictates of a sheep dog.
I know people that still think Iraq had WMDs. Despite all the evidence to the contrary.
.adslot-overlay {position: absolute; font-family: arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.65); border: 2px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.65); color: white !important; margin: 0; z-index: 2147483647; text-decoration: none; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;}.adslot-overlay-iframed {top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0;}.slotname {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding: 3px 0 3px 6px; vertical-align: middle; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.45); text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden;}.slotname span {text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-transform: capitalize;}.revenue {position: absolute; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0; font-size: 11px; padding: 3px 0 3px 6px; vertial-align: middle; text-align: left; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.45); font-weight: bold; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap;}.revenue .name {color: #ccc;}.revenue .horizontal .metric {display: inline-block; padding-right: 1.5em;}.revenue .horizontal .name {padding-right: 0.5em;}.revenue .vertical .metric {display: block; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;}.revenue .vertical .name, .revenue .vertical .value {display: block;}.revenue .square .metric, .revenue .button .metric {display: table-row;}.revenue .square .metric {line-height: 1.5em;}.revenue .square .name, .revenue .square .value, .revenue .button .value {display: table-cell;}.revenue .square .name {padding-right: 1.5em;}.revenue .button .name {display: block; margin-right: 0.5em; width: 1em; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: clip;}.revenue .button .name:first-letter {margin-right: 1.5em;}a.adslot-overlay:hover {border: 2px solid rgba(58,106,173,0.9);}a.adslot-overlay:hover .slotname {border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(81,132,210,0.9); background-color: rgba(58,106,173,0.9);}a.adslot-overlay:hover .revenue {border-top: 1px solid rgba(81,132,210,0.9); background-color: rgba(58,106,173,0.9);}div.adslot-overlay:hover {cursor: not-allowed; border: 2px solid rgba(64,64,64,0.9);}div.adslot-overlay:hover .slotname {border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.9); background-color: rgba(64,64,64,0.9);}div.adslot-overlay:hover .revenue {border-top: 1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.9); background-color: rgba(64,64,64,0.9);}Fail epic(128,128,128,1.0)
The angle of the article is a bit skewed. If it is the general people who ultimately wield control of the political system, then it is not the government that takes control... instead, it is the apathy of the general people. The government simply operates and expands in the empty space left by political apathy.
I think the article also makes the presumption that some type of intellectual america possibly cares and has the werewithal to do anything. Ultimately, we have a democracy. It might be perverted... it might not be ideal... but it is a democracy... and it has suffered the same fate of all democracies, a natural shortcoming better described in incredible detail elsewhere.
The real issue is that humans cannot remain on the cliff's edge of political activism for too long of periods. There is a peak and trough of political activism. Simply put, before too long, exhaustion sets in. A companion to exaustion is comfort. The more needs are met and the more comfort aforded to the general people, the less there is a need for political activism. What has happened is that numerous people who understand these metrics AND care to exploit them have gained control of the political structure. This thing ALWAYS happens. Humans have not yet devised a system of government that can passively prohibit this behavior. As a result, the longer the exploiting parties are entrenched, the greater the effort required from the general people to correct any transgressions. Given the number of trials and science behind control, the "breaking point" of the general people is fairly well known by all involved. Stay above this threshold, continue in power... fail to maintain this threshold and risk losing power (subject to whatever transpires between the parties to settle their differences). [again, "comfort"].
Each trial run with control, the knowledge of control expands. However, defiance is not a lost virtue... it's simply a dormant virtue that only arises in times of convenience or necessity. This is the way it has always been and always will be... it is simply in our genes. Convenience has long since left the general people and necessity has yet to arrive. Defiance is just hibernating waiting on spring to arrive.
Well said MM.
Party like it's 1860. You know what's coming next.
John F. Kennedy
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable".
"Dopus flight, O, G, pimp hustler"
This is a great post. Definitely worth printing out and keeping in a binder somewhere. More great quotes here:
The function of a committed writer is to reveal the world so that every reader loses her innocence and assumes all her responsibilities in front of it. - Riccardo Pelizzo
What is a rebel? A man who says no. – Albert Camus
Rebellion chips away, however imperceptibly, at the edifice of the oppressor. - Chris Hedges
The serious revolutionary, like the serious artist, can't afford to lead a sentimental or self-deceiving life. -Adrienne Rich
A desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man. - Tacitus
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. - Henry David Thoreau
In the midst of chaos is when the greatest creativity comes… The future is not predetermined. Anyone that says that you do not create the future is trying to rob you of your dignity, yourself respect and the God that lives within you. – Gerald Celente
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
- Ambrose Redmoon
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out … without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” - H.L. Mencken
Man is free at the instant he wants to be. - Voltaire
There’s no better way to spread freedom than to spread power. – Anonymous.
"A foolish faith in authority is the enemy of the truth." - Albert Einstein
Just preordered Chis Hedges new book, Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy. Amazon reviewer "The Ginger Man" says:
"The majority of Americans, says Hayes, now feel they are ruled by a remote, elite class. However, while people on the right (Tea Party) and Left (Occupy Wall Street) are angry at these leaders, the two groups are deeply divided along partisan and ideological lines. The author suggests that another major crisis could shift coalitions to more of a class basis and that an increasingly dispossessed and newly radicalized upper middle class could lead this trans-ideological coalition."
You can base your actions and reactions by two things in this binary universe. Fear and Love. Keep it simple. Those that are pulling the strings know that fear has run the dream of the planet for a long time....this is one of the things that will change here in the very near future.
All things are created from the same source, for a reason I suppose, just hang on and let go.....
Help us me out here. Why do you say "things that will change here in the very near future."?
As long as the boiled frogs, a.k.a. Americans, have enough bread and circuses at home and enough ammunition to murder innocent children (strike that and put: terrorists) all over the world they'd meekly accept whatever Goebbels propaganda (strike that and put: mass media) serves them.
There are a lot of small countries to be looted and a lot of small children to be assassinated as future, perhaps, potential threats we need to eliminate pre-emptively so the Americans would feel "safe" thus allowing its fascist government (strike that and put: democratic or republican wings of the one party) to fuck them in the ass (strike that and put: to let TSA sexually molest their children).
Looking for defiance? Look elsewhere.
Some idiot put their child in danger to get that photo. They should be in jail somewhere for child endangerment.
Internet rebellion? LOL
Most of the posters' idea of rebellion on ZH is to stack up on guns, ammo and gold and then run away and hide in some hut out in the country, or better yet, run away to another country.
The Internet is the best invention to control and spread propaganda since radio days in 1930s.
I have to agree...I would say 80% of Internet posters would submit to any TSA/DHS goon and orgasmically ask for a second donkey punch while taking it up their pooper just to show the government agent how submissive they are to fascism/tyranny.
What is the point in defying this 'Invasion of the (QE) Pod People' nation?
Every unaware zombie with a 401k has an interest in inflating the shit out of the market.
Every unaware zombie with an underwater mortgage has an interest in being bailed out.
Every unaware zombie with a bank account has no interest in banks taking responsibility for their CDS/CDO foolishness.
Every retireee who bought the social safety net bull for decades has no interest in real reform.
They've won. Anything we do is an asymetric fight between the popular keynsianists (sp) and those who believe in a substantially less fettered economy.
Better to just horde basic necessities and hope the QE pod people don't point at you when everything blows up.
Is it possible the "WE" are the enemy?
"people decided to fight rather than quietly live in servitude."
Not exactly. The peasants would have chosen quiet servitude if Lenin had offered it to them, but he gave them death by starvation instead. So they chose the only path that allowed any hope of survival.
Another thing a tyrant must not do is rape the wives and daughters of his subjects. Only men who hope to survive and pass on their genes can be cowed into servitude. Otherwise, having nothing to lose, they become fearless assassins.
Removed by me.
All in all, a most bracing topic and wonderful discussion among mostly still free peoples - Thanks again, ZH!
Helping me get through this rather stupid melt-up market morning.
Virginia is not the only state to do this, but I'm glad to live where I do:
HB 20 (Delegate Wilt) and SB 245 (Senator Obenshain) - clarifies that firearms can be carried and transported during a state of emergency. Government emergency shelters can ban guns, however. Bottom line: during a state of emergency the state and local government can only disarm you while in a government shelter. Normal prohibitions (carrying on K-12 school grounds, for example) still apply, however.
Go ahead and declare martial law. Virginia has made it clear disarming the people will NOT be done!
Meanwhile, the ass-clown governor of Virgina is volunteering his state to be a test bed for drones to be used against civilians... http://www.naturalnews.com/036081_spy_drones_police_surveillance.html
I guess Virginia, home of the captial of the Confederacy, ain't so great after all.
So much for feeling that tiny hint of liberty when one stands on top of a mountain in some remote wilderness. Big Brother will be watching, even there. The only choice is to get so far from the police state's power base that it is not cost effective for them to continue their surveillance.
I thought up a little Haiku at work one night.
Little bird may fly
Big Brother watches always
Liberty or Death
2nd Amendment. So much more effective than France's guillotine.
As stated elsewhere, never in the history of facist police states have "truckloads of secret police" been faced with the prospect of having to face in America... tens of millions of po'd gun owners.
"tens of millions of po'd gun owners"
Which is why they'd never do anything major all at once. They have just incrementally accomplished things which if they'd done all at once even the dumbest f*ck Joe and Jane Sixpack would have noticed.
"the Patriot Acts which many in the public rolled over for (under some protest)"
The vast majority in this country never realized the significance of any of the items you listed even if they knew of them, which is highly unlikely as they were too busy watching American idol or waiting in line for the next iPad or iPhone.
Sheep.