I have mentioned many times how most of us are completely blind to what is really going on and how ‘BIG Corporation’ and governments are not acting in the public’s best interests. We tend to rely on media (television, magazines, newspapers) to report on what is going on in the world and without bias. Do you think that the media reporting un-biased opinions about the Occupy or Idle-No-More movements. Are governments censoring what media outlets report?
In order for positive change to be effective and in order for me to stand behind a cause – I need to get some facts and then assess as to whether or not I believe in that cause. I don’t want to rely on the sensationalism of the news to give me the facts. Besides, I find that all the major news channels are broadcasting stories to create fear, anxiety, anger and confusion to ensure you support whatever crazy policies that our governments want to impose. They want us to believe that they are acting for our greater good….but instead, they are taking away many of our rights and civil liberties. Here are some examples:
After the ‘terrorist attacks’ of September 11, 2001 – The Patriot Act was signed into law by George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The act significantly reduced restrictions in law enforcement agencies’ gathering of intelligence within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and broadened the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.
From American Civil Liberties Union:
Despite the many amendments to these laws since 9/11, congress and the public have yet to receive real information about how these powerful tools are being used to collect information on Americans and how that information is being used. All of these laws work together to create a surveillance superstructure – and Congress must understand how it really works to create meaningful protections for civil liberties.
The ACLU’s recent report, Reclaiming Patriotism, provides more information on parts of the Patriot Act that need to be amended. The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act give the government sweeping authority to spy on individuals inside the United States, and in some cases, without any suspicion of wrongdoing. All three should be allowed to expire if they are not amended to include privacy protections to protect personal information from government overreach.
- Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain “any tangible thing” relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the “thing” pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person’s privacy. Congress must ensure that things collected with this power have a meaningful nexus to suspected terrorist activity or it should be allowed to expire.
- Section 206 of the Patriot Act, also known as “roving John Doe wiretap” provision, permits the government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither the person nor the facility to be tapped. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require government to state with particularity what it seeks to search or seize. Section 206 should be amended to mirror similar and longstanding criminal laws that permit roving wiretaps, but require the naming of a specific target. Otherwise, it should expire.
- Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called “Lone Wolf” provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are not affiliated with a foreign organization. Such an authorization, granted only in secret courts is subject to abuse and threatens our longtime understandings of the limits of the government’s investigatory powers within the borders of the United States. This provision has never been used and should be allowed to expire outright
In the documentary, The End of America, based on the book by Naomi Wolf – The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, Naomi Wolf cautions that there are 10 steps necessary for a fascist group (or government) to destroy the democratic character of a nation-state and subvert the social/political liberty previously exercised by its citizens:
- Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
- Create secret prisons where torture takes place
- Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens
- Set up an internal surveillance system
- Harass citizens’ groups
- Engage in arbitrary detention and release
- Target key individuals
- Control the press
- Treat all political dissidents as traitors
- Suspend the rule of law
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
In Mussolini’s Italy, in Nazi Germany, in communist East Germany, in communist China – in every closed society – secret police spy on ordinary people and encourage neighbours to spy on neighbours. The Stasi needed to keep only a minority of East Germans under surveillance to convince a majority that they themselves were being watched.
In 2005 and 2006, when James Risen and Eric Lichtblau wrote in the New York Times about a secret state programme to wiretap citizens’ phones, read their emails and follow international financial transactions, it became clear to ordinary Americans that they, too, could be under state scrutiny.
In closed societies, this surveillance is cast as being about “national security”; the true function is to keep citizens docile and inhibit their activism and dissent.
If we don’t inform ourselves about the policies that our governments want to impose on us, then more of our civil liberties will be taken away from us. We must be vigilant and hold our governments accountable for their actions and we must let them know that we will not allow this. What can we do? We must engage in peaceful protests – there is much power when individuals come together and march to stop any injustices. Don’t be fooled with what you see on television when the media reports falsities about these peaceful protests. We have seen it during the Occupy Movement – when the media reported the negative aspects of this movement, indicating that the movement wasn’t focused and unorganized.
If we continue to live without removing our blinders, how can we create positive change in our world? We need to remove them, wake up and become aware of what is going on! Are you awake?
Resources:
http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm
Together, we can make the world a more positive one!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 