Crossposted at Howard-Empowered People
Here’s what I’ve decided today. The Bush administration is spying on all of us. All the time, everywhere we go. Every purchase we make, every phonecall we place or receive, everything we post on the internet…
What? You say I’m being paranoid and that’s not really happening? Okay, prove it.
You can’t. Bush has said, “Yeah, I’ve spied on Americans without a warrent, and I’m gonna keep doing it. What are you gonna do about it, punk?” All right, those weren’t his exact words, but that was certainly the gist of the message. And the Senate Intelligence Committee voted not to investigate the NSA wiretapping issue.
But many Democrats don’t think that censuring Bush is a “winning issue”. People are acting all irked and inconvenienced. This is taking us “off message”. How dare Russ Feingold do such a thing? Right now we need to be as bland as possible, so that everybody will vote for us when the Republicans implode. That’s the strategery, right?
I asked an Ohio candidate last week what he thought of the censure motion. He wasn’t running for Senate, but since he was talking about the Bush administration’s egregious power-grabbing, I thought I’d check out his thoughts on the matter. What I got was pretty much a nonanswer. He basically indicated that he was sympathetic to the point Feingold was trying to make, but that he “deals in reality”, and realistically we are not going to be able to make this happen. The solution to all the problems we face right now are “new management”.
That seems to be the stance of a lot of Democrats. Shhh. Don’t say anything “controversial. Let us get back in control and we’ll make everything better.
Why should I believe that? What evidence do I have that Democrats can actually get back in power? After all, anyone who opposes the goals of this administration could easily be seen as a “threat” and therefore subject to wiretapping. You think that’s a “tinfoil hat” speculation? Fine, prove it. Prove that the opposition party is not being wiretapped. Oh, and let’s talk about those voting machines that are still used in many elections–you know, the ones where everything is super secret and it’s illegal to open them up and check to make sure they are working properly. How can we possibly know if these machines are properly recording which candidate gets the most votes. There was an awful lot of funny business in the 2004 election in Ohio, and who knows how much more happened and was never discovered. And the people running the show could feel safe that we would never completely connect the dots, because even Democrats played along and “distanced” themselves from the “craaaazy” conspiracy theorists who asked these questions.
Back to the spying thing, we do know that people have been flagged for “special attention” simply because they belonged to a peace group. I read about one couple that came to the attention of Homeland Security simply because they payed off their credit card. They found out when they discovered that the money they sent in had not been credited to their account–because it was “under investigation”.
The bottom line is this–if we can only stand up for our rights when we are in the majority, we are in deep doo-doo. The more power the corrupt people in charge are able to amass, the more they are able to insure that they stay in power.
Oh, and, by the way…
SEPTEMBER 11!(Booga-booga!) Apparently that’s the gist of the new attack ad against Russ Feingold.
Timid Dems, the time to redeem yourselves is now. Support Russ Feingold’s censure resolution and prove to Americans that you’re not too timid to lead, no matter what the challenge.
Look on the bright side. They are so incompetent in everything else, they are unlikely to be competent in running a police state.
Second point. There’s a test. If you are refused by an airline, you know the list is effective. That’s the way you will know when they are coming after you.
If they aren’t part of the solution, they are part of the problem. The surveillance is more established as Congress continues to sell us out.
Big Brother got guns, too.
AG
Prediction:
A private firm like DynCorp will be awarded a contract to review all tax returns versus credit card and other commercial information already available, to play “gotcha” on the American taxpayer. Or at least those taxpayers who refuse to take their Kool-Aid allotment (not a member of one of the right churches? Then what kind of “charitable deduction” is this, eh?)
Think of it as the Soviet Union: on steroids.
Not a change in policies, but a more efficient and cost-effective management of current policies.
Since Mr. Danger has decreed that it is a crime to even suggest he committed a crime, I’m not sure it is fair to expect a lot of people in public life to want to go on record with a statement that could jeopardize their lucrative jobs.
Was it a shrewd move for Feingold? Time will tell. Because the Mr. Danger persona has become displeasing to so many people, and what will filter down to the masses will be Feingold establishing himself not only as “not Bush,” but “against Bush,” that could work in his favor.
But it is a long time between now and 2008, and a lot of the speculations we all enjoy engaging in so much may be academic by then.
Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason. Sir John Harrington (1561-1612)
Which is RIGHT where we stand at the moment.
Just as it always was.
Reuters: Morgan Stanley profit up on record revenue
Morgan Stanley on Wednesday said profit rose 17 percent, beating expectations, as booming merger activity and record trading income lifted total revenue to an all-time high, offset by weakness in brokerage and money management businesses.
Washitklean Post: Dollar Rises Versus Euro
Despite concerns over a new record in the U.S. current account deficit, the dollar has been helped by a Monday speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who left open the possibility of future rate hikes. U.S. data Tuesday reinforced that expectation by showing more underlying inflation pressure.
Yup.
The Rumplestitlskinbots spin profit out of straw.
And none dare call it treason.
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faith
And I was ’round when jesus christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
Rolling Stones-Sympathy For The Devil
Yup.
Call the evil one by his real name…OUT LOUD…and he must begone.
President Treason.
But if you believe the spin…we prosper.
So none dare call him out.
Not enough, anyway.
Feingold for Exorcist in ’08.
At least he knows the right words.
And good magic doth spring from good language.
Plus…NEWSTRIKE!!!
“Get thee behind me, Satan.”
Christ knew.
BAD magic doth spring from language too.
Do not listen to him.
The Deceiver.
He will promise you a lower mortgage.
A better loan rate
“We are doing FINE again!!!” he will whisper into your uncritical, tranced-out ear, and hypnotized yet one more time you will let your guard down. Just that 1% or 2% or 3% that he needs to get over.
Spin. It’s what’s for dinner.
But not if he is behind thee.
NEWSTRIKE!!!
As a first step to naming.
Which IS exorcism.
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
Yup.
“Don’ believe dat shit. We broke like a motherfucker!!!”-148th St. Papo, on station WTFU.
Station WAKE THE FUCK UP.
The only media worth listening to.
Later…
AG
Why is there any real reason to believe that the majority of the Dem leadership WANTS a change in course? It looks to me like they’d be very happy to be on the same course with a different captain and helmsman.
If it WERE a crime to disagree with Bush, there wouldn’t be more than five members of the legislature and another five or six of the Democratic party that he could actually find enough evidence to get an indictment — and maybe three or four that might possibly actually be convicted.
At most.
Thank the gods they don’t actually LIKE Bush; can you imagine what kind of shape we’d be in if they WERE on his side?
I think for those of us who regularly visit sites like this one, where there are so many people who would very much like a “change in course,” unless we make a concerted effort to also visit sites populated by people with more mainstream views, or the real life equivalent, for example people who are unable to avoid hearing mainstream views in their workplace, it’s easy to get caught up in wishful thinking, and interpret dislike of Bush with opposition to US policies.
This happens to even the most intelligent people, despite the fact that Bush’s persona, his manner of expression, mannerisms, everything about him that is visible to the general public, is unattractive and displeasing even to many of those who voted for him and would do it again.
And for those who are devotees of one Democrat politician or other, there is also the phenomenon of Magical Thinking, oh he only says that so he can get elected, he really thinks the opposite. When he said he hates oranges,what he really meant was that oranges are his favorite fruit, and he will absolutely ban apples if he is elected…
In the real world, however, the business of politics is about winning elections, and with the US embroiled in such a very different kind of war, it would not be pragmatic to suppose that any politician, no matter what his private view might be, is going to make himself vulnerable to charges of not supporting the war on terror, giving aid and comfort to the enemy by presenting America as divided, or not supporting the Commander in Chief during wartime.
At the same time, if they would run against him, or support a candidate who does, there does need to be some “disagreement.” So the pragmatic compromise is not to oppose the crusade, the crimes against humanity, the torture, or the transition to a single industry feudal state, but argue that they will get all these jobs done better than Bush can.
And if selected by Diebold, I am confident that there is not one who would not to his very best to do just that.
yeah, but if we were just idle spectators then your point would be unassailable. But we are not limiting ourselves to watching events unfold, we are working…
to win an election!
would you prefer we didn’t have elections?
would you prefer we didn’t field our own non-compromised candidates?
As I said in another comment, 2008 is still two years away, and I am not privy to all Washington’s plans for prosecuting the war on terror in the “homeland.”
I can state without reservation that my preferences will not be among the factors considered.
Personally, I think that the political activity provides both an important outlet for venting concerns, emotions, and opinions, and provides a psychological benefit that under the circumstances, it would be inhumne to even wish it was not available.
Here is an old comment on the subject that answers your question better, I think:
nerdified link
Yup.
Good on ya!!!
If only more understood the truth of this…
AG
The NSA has been rather evasive about its surveillance techniques. But apparently what it does is intercept, record, and scan (by computer) all open communication within the US and across its borders. This means the entire radio spectrum, including microwave, including long distance calls, including your cell phone. It does this all the time, which is why they cannot ask for a warrant.
One defense is to avoid using any of the keywords that trip the computer. Another is avoid cell phones and long distance calls.
As for purchases, well, if you use a credit card, debit card, or any other form of payment besides cash, you are leaving an electronic trail that is readily accessed. Your bank will happily sell you to anybody, and so will your grocery store. Your bank records, but not you grocery store, are also scanned automatically–it is part of the PATRIOT Act. Unusual economic behavior (like paying off your credit cards!) flags you for attention.
Go back and read about life in the Soviet Union. They survived (mostly), and so can you. Double all of you actions: Do not so much as buy a stick of bubble gum without a plausible, innocent cover story. And give careful thought to the electronic trail you are leaving.
To your other point: The Dems are enablers. That is why we call them Vichycrats. We cannot expect anything of them. We cannot even expect they will try to win next November. American democracy is over. The republic has been completely subverted, and while there are things we can do about that, we cannot think of what they are until we give up vain hope: that things will be different this time, that the votes cast will be the votes counted, and that the Dems won’t throw another election. They can and will: It is what they are paid to do.
I wish Feingold luck. I wish Dean luck, too, and I will even support them (those two) in the way that I can, but no, I will not count on them for anything. For one thing, their own people are trying to pick them off, and might yet succeed.
Meanwhile: Yes, it is good to embarrass Vichycrat pols by asking them to show some virtue.
I like your title: There is no paranoid fantasy we can conceive that reaches the grim reality.
Okay, so we just give up? Do we just admit it is useless and that democracy as we knew it is dead? Do we stop voting because the fix is already in? I am not trying to be a smartass here. I truly want an answer. Am I wasting my time by supporting a candidate? Should I just go along my merry old way and do life? I am 53 and hopefully have 20-30 more years to live. Should I just shake my head and say fuck it and go have some fun? I really want to know friends.
Well you have to decide what is best for you. As far as democracy as we knew it being dead, it is and that’s good because NOW there is a chance, some space, for a more democracy. If more democracy comes about or less is not very clear as of now.
Well, what is best for me most likely is not what is best for my grandleezy who in nine years old. I wish I could just walk away. Truly I do. I am tired of being outraged daily, I am tired of banging my head against a brick wall but I am not ready to do that just yet because I feel we owe it to the generations to follow to make the world a better place for them.
Change the economic power relationship, change politics. Which is actually occuring, and has been for 30 some years. Only problem is that it ain’t changing in the favor of the greater majority.