I've been reading more and more about how alarmed American's are becoming over the rush by local Police Depts to "gun up" with MRAPs from the Dept of Defense.
I've watched how representatives from both political parties are defending without reservation the spying that the NSA is involved in on US citizens...spying that makes the Nazi's, KGB, Chinese, N. Koreans and every other totalitarian state look like rookies.
And then I remember the words of the President when he was a candidate for office.
Despite the happy talk from law enforcement officials...despite the reassurances coming from the President and other elected officials...despite the main stream media downplaying the obvious, it is apparent that we're watching freedom die. Not to the shouts of citizens protesting loudly. Not with the crack of gunfire from the aggrieved but with applause from the Presidents supporters.
Safety and Security are too high a price to pay...The terrorist can rightfully declare victory unless we reverse this nonsense. Stunning fact? The European's complained more about this program than we did. Isn't that a kick in the pants? Decadent, lazy, arrogant Europeans understand the ramifications of this program, but we don't. Fuck me!
NOTE: Want a real deal oh shit moment? Consider Obama Care. If misused and we can assume that it will be, then the Federal Govt will now have DNA on every person in the US.
Believe me Sol, NSA is not even on the same planet in terms of invigilation, spying and mass control like famous organization now called FSB. From not that modest first steps of Cheka to infamous times of NKVD to the more modern KGB, those guys create the most efficient terror & control organization in history of mankind. Gestapo of Nazi regime was bunch of amateurs in comparison with NKVD, But when you merge some German professionals with Soviet ways you create probably the most efficient internal security force in whole Warsaw Pack, Stasi.
ReplyDeleteFunny, Europeans thing that Yanks are decadent, lazy and arrogant :D But that is just a sin of whole western civilization.
But, in opposite to the Americans about half of Europe ( country's that ware part of Warsaw Pact ) know what happens when security force control almost every aspect of life. We live in it, born in it and die in it, we know everything about it. Maybe that's the reason why European's react that way, we just know that shit. Yanks were always safe behind two oceans, never under such situations, maybe that's why they ignore this.
yeah....i've been chewing over that line ever since i wrote it. it most definitely can be applied to Americans too....i needed shock value and a way to get my fellow countrymen's attention though.
Deleteyeah the STASI were some cruel bastards but consider this. you're comparing organizations that did not have the technological sophistication and reach of our NSA. they have eyes on every part of our lives. now with Obama Care they have DNA samples on every person in the US.
Indeed, technological sophistication of NSA is the most important asset of this organization. Idea that ways of STASI would be merge with tech of NSA send chills down my spine. The true secret police of Orwell's Bigh Brother.
DeleteIt's interesting to watch. This one is more politics than your ordinary run Sol. At what point will it rise to the level where most people think it's worth changing the current trends? Apparently we haven't hit it yet. I hear people that are very upset with it all, while others think it's a fine bargain - trading liberty for security (Not really sure they're getting either).
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you what I think. The right man or woman as president could make all the difference. Unfortunately... the right man or woman doesn't run for office - other people do, and we are left to choose between two (usually between two) that will do nothing to stop many of the problems we are facing.
I don't see it changing anytime soon.
it does appear we're on a road with no off ramps and we're in a vehicle that lacks four wheel drive so we can't just blaze a trail. the clowns that are talking about running for President will only continue the misery. i'd rather a sharp painful 5 years than a long lasting 50 year decline into irrelevancy....at least if that sharp painful 5 years reverses the decline that we're seeing now.
DeleteBelieve me Sol, giving cops MRAPS has the makings of another American Civil war part 2. I think that sooner or later something is going to give and with Obama in the White house, I think something is going to happen
ReplyDeletewhat mystifies me is that LEO's can't see how their actions are being percieved by the people. only an idiot wouldn't see the alarm that is happening in many quarters of the American people.
ReplyDeletewhen things begin to suck bad enough under Obama or the next figurehead "elected" for the common taxpayer/patriot/breadwinner/veteran/father/business owner etc. here in America to decide that they're at their very limit....and we aren't there yet...the NSA won't be able to stop what will happen when the meat-eating, God-loving, Constitution-supporting Americans, many of whom are already in the militarizing police, military, EMS, federal forces etc. decide that they've had enough.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, they can't buy-off everyone's faith and conscience....just the one's who already don't have either.
Everybody be cool...y'all can't support/protect your loved ones during hard times from a jail cell. NSA can only do so much if the boots on the ground that it depends on to do the dirty work from your local or regional PD's don't show up to work.
It will get to the point where states will want to split from the Union and go the way of the confederacy.
Deleteimagine a civil war where the battle is over individual freedom vs. slavery. and if you fast forward to today consider this. the only thing that the "LIBERAL" states have is wall street, and cities that i personally wouldn't want to live in versus the rest of the nation that has all the national resources, most of the military bases, alot of the remaining industrial capacity, many of the ports etc....
Deletea civil war today would end very differently from the first one.
The south would split to form their own country. Alaska, most of Northern New England and parts of the midwest as well would follow suit. The only ones left are liberals such as the People's republic of California, People's Republic of Connecticut & the People's Republic of New York.
DeleteYes all that industrial capacity that won't work without the tech support and know how in Cali. Natural resources are abundant across the whole nation and across the whole nation we use a wide mix of both locally sourced and imported resources. And I think you vastly underestimate the importance of wall street and its ilk wrt commerce. Without Cali/NY, most of the economic capability of the red states goes away not to mention pretty much all the major ports in the US.
DeleteNicky, the midwest/NE would never align themselves with the southeast. So scratch those off the list. Red states would be primarily the plains (excluding CO at this point, can't really get anymore blue than legalizing pot!), texas, the southeast, and northern hinterlands where no one actually lives.
legalized pot isn't liberalism. its libertarianism. additionally who would the midwest align with? you think that N. and S. Dakota has more in common with the south or the northeast?> you talk about wall street but all they do is move fictional money around that is going down in value. you talk about resources but california and new york along with many other liberal states would rather live in cities and talk about nature rather than get out in it...and no. central park does not count.
Deleteyou talk about no one living in the red states but check this out cowboy. take away the mega cities in those same blue states and they're red.
i watched an account of the sodom and gamora story and bible theologians think that its really a morality tale about the difference between rural and city dwellers.
10 years ago i would have said that this level of spying on the American people would cause a revolution.
ReplyDeletenow we hear about it and the people in charge are saying no big deal. fellow americans are saying no big deal. many like minded people are saying no big deal.
i just have to ask.
when does this shit turn into a big deal?
no i'm not doing anything illegal...but this shit spooks the hell out of me.
the cold hard reality is that the NSA has been doing this stuff for decades. The only thing that has changed in the last decade it that they have done it more publicly and legally which is to their downfall. The NSA was much better off when they did everything on the down low and kept their mouths shut. It was the stupid reactions wrt 911 that opened them up when they were never an organization that should be anything but black as far as intelligence work goes. They just need to go back to being slightly unauthorized to do what they do so that the shut the hell up and don't talk to anybody and answer questions at best vaguely and give vague hints to other organizations.
DeleteThey aren't a spy agency, they were never meant to be a spy agency, they were the interceptors and keepers of secrets and that's what they need to go back to doing. None of this plugging directly into networks inside of NOCs, but midnight digs in the middle of no where tapping into lines they have no legal right to actually tap into like they used to do.
Heck I know people who say "well I have nothing to hide so I don't care if they listen in or read my e-mails." That was said by someone that aligns with the tea party of all things.
ReplyDeletewell, the reality is that unless you've used encryption on your emails, those were read all over the place by many many people. And hundreds of thousands of people can very easily listen in on your phone calls historically very easily, the hardest part of a wiretap has always been the paper work, the actual work of listening is is easier than making pie.
DeleteAnyone that's ever actually cared about privacy of their electronic communication has used strong crypto, if you aren't or haven't then you haven't really cared about your privacy.
you're arguing mechanics while we're discussing philosophy. keep up with the class.
DeleteExactly Sol. Yeah its easy to spy on someone, but the point is people not caring that it is going on with almost unanimous approval. I can see that the MRAP deal is turning people against local police, even though I do not believe they will use them like some think. I can't see how people just say I have nothing to hide so I dont care if they listen in or read what I write. Every time I think about it I can feel the blood rushing into my head and my blood pressure shoot through the roof.
DeleteAs it turns out, there's is at least one government agency that will good use out of surplus MRAPS:
ReplyDeletehttps://medium.com/war-is-boring/facfdbe1c4d8