Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion
In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit DiscussionIn a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
I write this while on the edge of sleep, so forgive me if I seem to ramble.
For quite a while I’ve been dwelling over the liberties that we’re losing. All sorts of things but most of all I find that political dissent these days has more of a chance of getting you locked up than it did just ten years ago. Back in the ’60’s people would be locked up for protesting against the government but the difference is that back then you would get a trial. We’ve seen now that you don’t even have to be a dissident to be locked up without trial or the expectation that you won’t be tortured. I have been thinking about this for a while but I’d just made a comment in Jim’s $5 Dollar Donation post saying that Abbie Hoffman would be proud and that sparked an urge to look him up on Wikipedia. I found a quote that went well with what I had been thinking about.
“You measure a democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists.” ~ Abbie Hoffman
That made me think about the things I’ve heard and read about over the last few years. Conservatives saying that disagreeing with Bush is paramount to treason; people being interviewed by the Schutzstaffel…erm…I mean Secret Service (one SS is as good as the other) because of their bumper stickers or posters that are hanging in their private homes; blatant spying against American citizens, and now an anti-flag burning amendment.
If one uses Abbie Hoffman’s words as a guide, the United States is no longer a truly free country.
That said, I want to call attention to the actions of the Bush Administration during the past few years. At their height they were constantly screaming about how we were going to be attacked…any minute now. Every day they’d say that and shout “9/11!” and damn near every American would jump and stand in line giving the Bush Administration anything they wanted and doing it with a smile. And thinking about that and how they’re still using 9/11 for political vote whoring and still going on and on about how we’re about to be attacked by evil doers, it has brought me to the quote I shall leave everyone with.
“Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.†~ Hermann Göring
Good night,
~Damen
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June 20th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Every few years, someone comes along and reminds me of that awesome Abbie Hoffman quote. Thanks for reminding me again, Damen. I agree.
July 14th, 2006 at 11:03 am
Whenever I read the newspaper and see the horrible stores and the mess the world is turning into I think back to what I have read about The Chicago Seven and others from that time period who sacrificed so much to change the world. Hopefully your post and others like it will inspire people of this generation to take up where the other activists left off.
July 14th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
ugh. every time that I think there is an intelligent thought in the world, i read the brain farts you distribute.
not trying to make this a class issue, but I have 10 to 1 odds you guys are losers that can’t have sex so you blame it on the President. Face facts, you guys are NERD CITY. Stop blaming your country for your lack of sex and look in the mirror. You will see 2 things. Loser. Ugly. And I stress UGLY>>>>>>
July 15th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
And yet again nothing to refute my post with except “j00 r ugly!” “gOO r tEh nerdzorz!” and “eWw cnt git nuho PUHSSAY!”
Way to go, kid. I’m sure your mommy and daddy are very proud to have a drooling retard like you for a child.
July 15th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Hey big, brave, Romeo, Anonymous Einstein,
The last time I checked, Democrats have sex scandals with consenting adults and Republicans have sex scandals with hookers. IT IS THE REPUBLICANS THAT HAVE TO PAY FOR SEX!!!
Hee, hee, hee.
July 15th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Is it deja vu all over again? An urban pastor whose church was spied on back in the 70’s talks about the new 360-degree camera hanging outside his office window on a light pole. He says, “Once you have been spied on, I found, even if you have nothing to hide, you view the authorities with a justified caution…legitimate qustions are, when authorities surreptitiously gather information on you, how do they evaluate it and when do they know that they have enough? Past history suggests that the answers are ‘unreliably’ and ‘never.’”
“N.S.A.: Secret, Beyond Civilian Control” starts bottom of page 1.
http://www.chicagotemple.org/Carillon/2006-6-01.pdf
July 15th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Gotta love a neo-facist like anonymous hating on real American Patriots like you, Damen, when he can’t even be arsed to let the world know who he is. The Rethuglicans are the one who are corrupt and always ahve to hire prostitutes just to get a litle action, and the irnoy is, alot of these guys are the so-called “values” people that make me SICK.