Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Government Using Anti-Terrorism Laws to Crush Dissent
The following quotes all have something in common:
"It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error"
– United States Supreme Court decision in American Communications Association v. Douds
"To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Those who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Ben Franklin
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."
-Thomas Jefferson
"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
- Robert F . Kennedy
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."
- Samuel Adams
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."
– Teddy Roosevelt
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
– Teddy Roosevelt
“The citizen who sees his society’s democratic clothes being worn out and does not cry it out, is not a patriot, but a traitor.”
- Mark Twain
"Liberty has never come from government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of government. The history of liberty is a history of resistance. The history of liberty is a history of limitations of government power, not the increase of it."
- Woodrow Wilson
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent"
- Thomas Jefferson
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it."
- Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural
- Andrew Jackson
"I am more than ever convinced of the dangers to which the free and unbiased exercise of political opinion -- the only sure foundation and safeguard of republican government -- would be exposed by any further increase of the already overgrown influence of corporate authorities."
- Martin Van Buren, Eighth President of the United States
"As we view the achievements of aggregated capital, we discover the existence of trusts, combinations, and monopolies, while the citizen is struggling far in the rear or is trampled to death beneath an iron heel. Corporations, which should be the carefully restrained creatures of the law and the servants of the people, are fast becoming the people's masters."
- Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States
"I again recommend a law prohibiting all corporations from contributing to the campaign expenses of any party.… Let individuals contribute as they desire; but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or indirectly." Teddy Roosevelt added, "The fortunes amassed through corporate organization are now so large, and vest such power in those that wield them, as to make it a matter of necessity to give to the sovereign -- that is, to the Government, which represents the people as a whole -- some effective power of supervision over their corporate use. In order to insure a healthy social and industrial life, every big corporation should be held responsible by, and be accountable to, some sovereign strong enough to control its conduct."
- Theodore Roosevelt
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over government itself. They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction. ...And as a result the average man once more confronts the problem that faced the Minute Man....
- Franklin Roosevelt
"A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor -- other people's lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness."
- Franklin Roosevelt
"These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. Our allegiance to American institutions requires the overthrow of this kind of power. In vain they seek to hide behind the flag and the Constitution. In their blindness they forget what the flag and the Constitution stand for."
- Franklin Roosevelt
"Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day."
- Theodore Roosevelt
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That 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."
-Thomas Jefferson, American Declaration of Independence
What do the quotes all have in common?
The great Americans who said them would be considered terrorists today.
Specifically, according to Department of Defense training manuals, protest is considered "low-level terrorism". And see this, this and this.
An FBI memo also labels peace protesters as "terrorists".
Indeed, police have been terrorizing children, little old ladies and other "dangerous" people who attempted to protest peacefully.
And a 2003 FBI memo describes protesters' use of videotaping as an "intimidation" technique, even though - as the ACLU points out - "Most mainstream demonstrators often use videotape during protests to document law enforcement activity and, more importantly, deter police from acting outside the law." The FBI appears to be objecting to the use of cameras to document unlawful behavior by law enforcement itself.
The Internet has been labeled as a breeding ground for terrorists, with anyone who questions the government's versions of history being especially equated with terrorists.
Government agencies such as FEMA are allegedly teaching that the Founding Fathers should be considered terrorists.
The government is also using anti-terrorism laws to keep people from learning what pollutants are in their own community. See this, this, this and this.
Claims of "national security" are also used to keep basic financial information - such as who got bailout money - secret. That might not bode for particularly warm and friendly treatment for someone persistently demanding the release of such information.
The state of Missouri tried to label as terrorists current Congressman Ron Paul and his supporters, former Congressman Bob Barr, libertarians in general, anyone who holds gold, and a host of other people.
And according to a law school professor, pursuant to the Military Commissions Act:
Anyone who ... speaks out against the government's policies could be declared an "unlawful enemy combatant" and imprisoned indefinitely. That includes American citizens.The Founding Fathers, Supreme Court justices and presidents quoted above would vigorously protest.
Note: Government apologists are also eager to label anyone "taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, ... and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook" as worthy of a Stalinist trip to the insane asylum. I guess the famous Americans quoted above were not only terrorists, but they were also crazy.
12 comments:
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Posts
What's interesting is that almost all of those quoted contributed significantly to the scuttling of the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteTodd Marshall
Plantersville, TX
In reply to Todd’s oaf slander of Great Men, I would like to say that is all it is-- “slander”-- with no proof and a very low grade cheap shot.
ReplyDeleteI hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country. I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people. No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will.
Truth is certainly a branch of morality and a very important one to society. Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
If the American people allow the banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation, and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive people of all property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers occupied.
The issuing power of money should be taken from the banks and restored to Congress and the people to whom it belongs. A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.
Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism.
Every generation needs a new revolution. The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every Free State. We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.
Thank You, Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 (all quotes assembled)
I'm waiting for the DHS to overplay
ReplyDeletetheir hand and get caught doing non-lethal
weapons against innocent civilians
who are not even close to being
terrorists, drug dealers or
anything else.
I dispute your claim.
ReplyDelete"To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men."
- Abraham Lincoln
If AlQaida are responsible for 911, then Troofers are effectively standing in silence.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
- Thomas Jefferson
Same. Same for all of them. Consider AQ are the guilty party and your entire position is arse-backwards.
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In your list of quotes that supposedly 'would be considered "terrorism" today', you include Kennedy saying
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice......"
But here's the thing: 'striking out against injustice' need not include violence nor physical force of any kind. Not at all.
Yet you include this quote as a supposed example of what would be 'considered terrorism today'. This very much suggests you are seeing it in an entirely violent fashion.
And yet I notice in the advice for comments you say "Comments that explicitly call for violence [will not be posted]"
You won't allow comments such as Kennedy's to be posted?
Why do you moderate all comments when blogger now has an effective anti-spam system? you even include a disclaimer.....so why the need for moderation?
ReplyDeleteYou seem to fail the standards of the constitution itself - and those quotes you give. Freespeech - but not on my land? Then whose? CNN? FOX?
I bet if I go and look I'll find you castigating the mainstream (private) media - for their supposed control of information and its distortion of the body politic etc.
And yet you moderate every single comment as a matter of course.
Isn't this a little lopsided? hypocritical some might say.
the_last_name_left said:
ReplyDeleteThe spam filter is worthless. There are - in fact - waves of spam advertisements posted.
the_last_name_left said:
ReplyDeleteI do not interpret Kennedy's comment as calling for violence, which you seem to admit.
you say "If AlQaida are responsible for 911, then Troofers are effectively standing in silence."
ReplyDeleteHuh?
Even the 9/11 Commission said that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. See http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/09/dick-cheneys-oily-dream.html. So: Unnecessary war.
And even the CIA says that there are 100 or less Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, and top conservative and liberal anti-terrorism experts say that war is the worst way to try to wipe them out. So: Unnecessary war.
Indeed, A leading advisor to the U.S. military, the Rand Corporation, released a study in 2008 called "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa'ida". http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG741/
The report confirms what experts have been saying for years: the war on terror is actually weakening national security (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html and http://www.counterpunch.org/feingold09292005.html).
I didn't say Iraq - I said Al Qaida. You assert there was no connection between Iraq and Al Qaida - but I never mentioned Iraq - so why did you bring it up?
ReplyDeleteI said "if AQ are the guilty party" - not "if Iraq was". AQ's presence in Afghan is not being contested, is it? [I didn't mention Iraq - which I believe to be an obvious warcrime, btw]
On the subject of censorship - you posted my comments. Thanks. However, we'll have to take your word for it that your spam filter isn't working very well (in my experience so far it works almost faultlessly) and it nevertheless provides you with a ready avenue for censorship. You would admit that, whether you do it or not. Caeser's wife being above suspicion and all that?
Do you extend the same concerns to mainstream-media or any other party? If I go and look through your blog are you sure I will not find any contradiction? If not then...good. You understand the concern though, and how it looks, I'm sure.
George Washington said...
I do not interpret Kennedy's comment as calling for violence, which you seem to admit.
Then how would it "today be considered terrorism" as you claim?
Actually Abraham Lincoln did more to destroy and subvert the Constitution then any President in history. He and his Generals violated the Geneva convention by taking their War Of Northern Aggression to the civilian population of the Southern States. One needs to read the book "Dishonest Abe." to learn the truth about the monster who destroyed our Republic with his British Mercantile practises.
ReplyDeleteI feel i can hold myself in alignment of our moons orbit in tune with our galactic universal star systems of accumalated memory of orbits, knowing the knowing of true synchronic bio-rhythms that are as unique as fingerprints, yet are collectively connected, following fases of no moon, quartermoon, fullmoon, threequarter and back to no moon called a newmoon. I dont have vision or dreams that i remember but i have a concious knowing, Aotearoa New Zealand alpha omega land of the rising sun, makes sense we lead the world in realigning planets bio-rhythm of thirteen moons and our human internal clocks bio-rhythms of the quartermoon, fullmoon, threequartermoon and the no moon called a new moon, there is no moon in a new moon cycle, then builds again 13 times of synchronicity harmony the rest will sort it self out. Calendar Reform Aotearoa New Zealand First Galactic Community. Please feel my heart and its intentions to inform the globe, please come here and dig in like we invented the trenches to protect each other, i feel the urgency. i am another yourself.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're under some seriously stoopid attack here - why do these commenter's seem to assume that the 'considered terrorist acts' you mention to be of your own making?
ReplyDeleteSounds to me as if you are describing the state of the law enforcement police state that has overwhelmed us all and is now running our 'oil spill clean up' which is really a poisoning, our agriculture, our drugs, our 'healthcare', our financial meltdown/ control fraud crisis, and the general demise of our way of being.
Why is it a matter of contention that this is so? It is obvious. The laws are on the books; regardless of your position on past presidents, tyranny or corruption/destruction of our rule of law in the past.
We are cooked meat; I believe is the idea - and I have to say, from the perspective this is written it is true. Not that we cannot do something about it - as each quote points out.
I'm thinking that these posts which are so demanding about things like whether you monitor your comments are pure spam - trouble for no good reason sourced comments themselves.
Why the F would not ANY blogger monitor and select the comments posted? WHOSE BLOG IS IT, ANYWAY? No way in HELL I would allow comments to auto post on any of my sites, ever.
But I digress. What I love about this post is the secondary conclusion. We are ALL CRAZY - (esp. if we want to monitor our own blog comments!) for having ideas and expressing them, for considering that our ideas are worthy or for doing the work to make our own decisions and decide things other than the 'main stream' captured point of view. For the dude with the issue on main stream media - you might want to go read Yves post on the subject of acceptable debate among other things, : http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/09/why-do-we-keep-indulging-the-fiction-that-banks-are-private-enterprises.html
Might give you something to think about between rounds of going out and beating up innocent bloggers who actually post REALLY WELL RESEARCHED and IMPORTANT pieces.
Just an idea - scroll right down to the two circles in the square picture and maybe you will start to catch on.
As for you, George, I just wanted to say the only thing I loved more than this post was the response comment that was all Thomas Jefferson.
So thanks to Windcatcher for that. ;)
September 16, 2010 12:45 AM