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Obama Renews Bush's 9/11 State of Emergency
On September 10th, President Obama reinstituted the national State of Emergency first declared by George W. Bush on September 14, 2001 by placing the following language in the Federal Register.
The terrorist threat that led to the declaration on September 14, 2001, of a national emergency continues. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect after September 14, 2009, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist threat.
As Dr. Harold C. Relyea, a specialist in national government with the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress, has written, “when the President formally declares a national emergency, he may seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, assign military forces abroad, institute martial law, seize and control all transportation and communication, regulate the operation of private enterprise, restrict travel, and, in a variety of ways, control the lives of United States citizens.”
Yet, while Dr. Relyea opines that Congress and the judiciary, as well as public opinion, “can restrain the executive regarding emergency powers,” nothing of the sort has occurred.
Under the 1976 National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601-1651), Congress is required to review presidentially declared emergencies. Specifically, “not later than six months after a national emergency is declared, and not later than the end of each six-month period thereafter that such emergency continues, each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a joint resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated.” Over the past eight years, Congress has failed to obey its own law, a fact that casts doubt on the legality of the state of emergency.
As far as public opinion is concerned, how many Americans are even aware that a state of emergency even exists. For that matter, how many members of Congress know?
Homeland Security Committee member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) took to the House floor in late 2007 to express his anger at being denied access to an executive branch document (National Security Presidential Directive 51 or NSPD-51) that "establish[es] a comprehensive national policy for the continuity of federal government structures" in a national emergency.The New York Times, in a 2007 editorial titled “Making Martial Law Easier”, offered these words regarding NSPD-51: “Beyond cases of actual insurrection, the President may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack, or to any ‘other condition.’ Changes of this magnitude should be made only after a thorough public airing.”
It’s noteworthy that this particular Times editorial was written a year before NorthCom, “unified combatant command of the U.S. military” covering the U.S., Canada and Mexico, began stationing troops on U.S. soil. Established a year after 9/11, NorthCom is the first such command to cover the “domestic battlefield.” It is charged with “the protection of the United States homeland, and the support of local, state, and federal authorities.”
In 1878, Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act with the intention of substantially limiting the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement. By 2008, however, the 3rd infantry’s 1st brigade combat team (BCT) had been stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. This force, known, as the Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF) “may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios.” Plans for the stationing of more brigades are swiftly being enacted. As the Army Times pointed out, “This mission marks the first time an active unit of the U.S. military has been given a domestic assignment.”
The demise of posse comitatus—a critical protection for ordinary citizens from the predations of overreaching government—has occurred without media comment or public resistance.
Despite campaign pronouncements that cheered civil libertarians, President Obama has largely maintained Bush era policies regarding rendition/torture, surveillance and preventive detention. The denial of what has often been called “the Great Writ” of habeus corpus should send a shudder down the spine of every American citizen. The United States Constitution states in Article 1 Section 5 that “the privilege of the writ of habeus corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of rebellion or Invasion the public safety may require it.” The Obama administration is essentially arguing that the United States is currently in a state of resisting foreign invasion a full eight years after the attacks of 9/11!
This is ludicrous. Dr. Relyea argues that Congress and the judiciary, as “co-equal branches of constitutional government,” serve as a check on the executive power. As we have seen, Congress has either been shut out of this process, or, as in so many cases, it has capitulated. Dr. Relyea then offers that public opinion can restrain the executive. But the public doesn’t even know they’re living under a state of emergency. The media doesn’t report it, and the government is certainly not in the business of providing information that might raise the hackles of real Americans.
It’s time for the American people to rise to this challenge. Write your member of Congress, and your senators. Tell them to obey their own laws. Tell them to end this phony and treacherous state of emergency that imperils the freedom of us all.
50 Comments so far
Show AllOne of the most revealing and important articles on CD in a long time.
Obama is worse than Bush because he fools more citizens.
You should read "The Family Secrets". Then tell us if Bush is or was better than anybody.
Adapting my logic to todays orwellian thinking I will claim Obama is worse and Bush is no better (joke)
For real, I agree. The President is merely the Salesman in Chief who must sell us the BS and lies. Bush Jr. was terrible at this, however Obama is one of the very best. That is why he is potentially (or already) more dangerous than Bush Jr.
The manufacture of narrative described in "The Familiy Secrets.." parallels exactly what was done with Obama.
Yes indeed, a fine job by Dan Hamburg.
This country is in deep doo-doo. The government is utterly out of control, and We The Peasants are asleep at the wheel.
"It’s time for the American people to rise to this challenge. Write your member of Congress, and your senators. Tell them to obey their own laws. Tell them to end this phony and treacherous state of emergency that imperils the freedom of us all."
I have written, protested,signed,and harangued along with countless others for change and accountability to no avail.Either there is not enough evidence to support,not enough signatures or they are looking in to the matter comes to mind.Delays & smokescreens.I do however applaude the true patriotic representaives and visionaries who are doing their best for change and accountability.Mckinney,Paul,Nader,Gravel,Kucinich quickly come to mind.The printed media and TEEVEE are complicit in furthering the dumbing down agenda and I am sick of it. I dont know what is on the horizon,but what I do know is that shows no signs of losing steam.
~ Some people live their whole lives without ever waking up ~
"As far as public opinion is concerned, how many Americans are even aware that a state of emergency even exists?"
Who knows and who cares is America's attitude when government gets too sloppy to make even a greedy Libertarian blush. As long as government sees to it that the public mistrusts government, the guns and ammo sales will keep soaring to the sky.
Well, in democracy, everyone gets what the majority deserves, it's ashame the majority deserves an oppressive facist regime, and it sucks for those who've fought to stop this from happening.
We don't live in a democracy.
In a democracy, the voice of the people is heard and has an effect on the actions of the government. The majority of the people of our nation do not 'deserve an oppressive facist regime'. The fault of the loss of our civil rights and the collapse of our economy is due to the lack of democracy.
Our elected officials don't listen to the "rabble in the streets" (this term was used today to discribe the people in a public square across from where Presdident Obama was giving a speech to financial supporters of the Democratic Leadership Council. It was reported that he "did not heed the rabble in the streets". I was a member of that 'rabble' as we expressed our opinions on the continuation of the wars and torture and expressed our desire for Medicare for all, single payer.)
It is not just our President who does not listen to the people. It is the whole of the Congress. I suggest you rate your Congressional Representative by these three issues of this year. The three issues are: the banker's bailout, the surge in Afghanistan and support for HR 676, the removal of the for profit insurance companies in our health care system. Each of these issues has the overwhelming support of the people of this nation. If your Representative does not vote as the people advise, that person is heeding instead the advice of their financial contributors---in other words, THEY ARE CORRUPT.
We need a massive popular movement of KICK THE CORRUPT OUT OF CONGRESS. This movement would remove people from their seat in Congress if they do not vote as their constituents advise. We could then attempt to replace them with people with a sence of ethics. We could show our elected officials that they must heed the 'rabble' or join the ranks of the unemployed.
Your Representative's address and phone number is in the phone book. You can call their office and inquire how they voted on these three issues. If they did not vote as the people want, don't vote for their re election.
I agree with everything you've posted except for the part where you refer to a US military escalation in Afghanistan as a 'surge'.
There is no military strategy that's known as a 'surge'.. The correct term is 'escalation'.. This was a cynical marketing ploy by the cheney/bush regime.
excellent points you all, "escalation of imperial occupation forces" is the phrase I often use.
It has become so painfully obvious that voters (the people) have very little influence over policy formulation and of course private interests dictate policy. The President is merely a salesman who tries to sell us the BS and pass it off as democracy. The last Salesman in Chief was piss poor. The current Salesman in Chief is frighteningly good at it. Obama is potentially more dangerous than Bush as he has co-opted the Left and has many believing the lies and spin.
Yup, he dismissed us as just a bunch of malcontents in Pittsburgh too. But a handful of billionaires sure deserve to be listened to.
I always wonder at those who believe that everyone should be required to share what he has in order for someone else to have more. History clearly demonstrates the folly of this thinking.
The U.S. is not and was never intended to be a democracy, it is a federal republic. The majority was never intended to rule over the minority, it was simply the best way to keep control of the government. All this whining about wanting socialized healthcare tells me that people are looking for someone else to take responsibility for their needs. That can never be done while at the same time maintaining freedom and liberty.
I am starting to believe that the majority is truly interested in giving up what freedom we have in order to get something for nothing. If for-profit insurance companys are bad, then for-profit doctors and hospitals are too. I would be interested in hearing how any kind of an economy could be sustained without for-profit institutions.
The dream of all things for all people is fine I suppose, but there is no way it can ever become a reality. People must work and produce in order for there to be any means of paying for such an idea, and history proves that people are not willing to work if they are not allowed the benefit of their labor.
It's simple: the government cannot provide anything to anyone without first taking it from someone else. Printing money does not create wealth. It really is time for people to wake up, turn off the TV, and go work for what they want. It may be too late I will admit, but at this point in time there is no longer a choice. The government has used up it's resources and will soon be impotent as far as giving anything to those with their hands out.
It's sad to be sure, but it is what the people have allowed, and for that reason it is what they deserve.
I can only hope things have gotten so bad in government that a threshold will be crossed whereby it loses all legitimacy.
Yeah, but I dread to think of the Oligopoly that will take it's place.
I am afraid the Oligarchy has already taken over; it is clear that the largest and most powerful corporate interests dictate policy.
The authors of this article rightly view Obama's actions as a threat to the foundations of U.S. democracy, but most American citizens couldn't care less about the abstractions of the Constitution and ancient laws with Latin names.
Important article. These words:
//The terrorist threat that led to the declaration on September 14, 2001, of a national emergency continues. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect after September 14, 2009, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist threat. //
...should be everywhere in the press, to be discussed.
===
- The terrorist threat -
Every country deals with future terrorism but only America declared war against it.
This 'future terrorist threat' is given Constitutional legitimacy because of Congress's failure back on 9/18/01 (enacting the DAFT law, aka Public Law 107-40, aka 2001 AUMF).
I continue to suggest that this flaw of a law is the engine that drives all this insanity.
I remind again that Progressives seem to be making little progress (and the situation in AfPak is escalating) because the importance of this DAFT law continues to be ignored.
The US military has been given the mission of preventing future terrorism. As long as America allows that, this DAFT war will continue and escalate.
I continue to suggest that this should be dealt with by showing people how DAFT this war is.
Show them how the military chases phantoms, and show the cost to the soldiers who don't know whom to fight until they are shot at.
DAFT = Defense against Future Terrorism
If you haven't heard of this acronym, feel free to use it instead of the MIC-issued terms GWOT, WOT or The Long War.
Take away the Constitutionally-given authority of the Presidency to wield the US military against phantoms. The threat of complete totalitarianism will be lessened, and increase the possibility of changing from AMERICA AT WAR to America, a nation at peace.
The most intriguing point in this article about the president's powers to declare a national state of emergency is the plain language in the controlling federal statute which requires that, every six months, both the House and Senate "meet to consider a vote on a joint resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated."
Now there are some weasle words, if weasle words were ever drafted. A legislative body "meeting to consider a vote" actually means what in the real world?
If Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have lunch together twice a year, chat a bit about life in post-9/11 America and then move on to talk about health care, taxes, or whatever, has the Congressional branch of government discharged its obligations?
For that matter, do we really want to have a floor debate and a vote (with breathless Faux News play-by-play commentary) about whether swarthy jihadi evil doers are still lurking in the woods?
Bill from Saginaw
So, are Progressives going to solve this problem of Executive uber-authority by the usual Progressive strategy of asking Santa Obama to bring them everything they wish for?
I continually suggest that the Progressive movement target the weakest power (per Sun Tzu), which as we all know by the bitching and moaning, is Congress, which is up for its usual re-re-re-re-re-re-election next year.
Instead of 'drawing the line' in some vague manner (Healthcare!), consider the DAFT law as the line in the sand for Congress.
Repealing it is the goal, just as we repealed Prohibition when it obviously failed (note the negativity connection).
Repealing this law will deprive the Executive of Constitutional authority to fight enemies to be named later.
One little law, but a concrete thing that people can see and read and get their heads around.
To get their attention, make fun of this insanity, QUESTION instead of CONFRONTATION and ARGUMENT - this will be a sea-change from the incessant cries of FEAR.
This law is DAFT, really it is.
I offer this as an alternative to the usual Progressive strategy.
How about this locust.... a lighter touch Until it is repealed, which doesn't seem likely anyway due to our generations of conditioning.... so in the meantime I propose we use the law against the real terrorists here in the USA....
The MIC financial corporations and their bought politicians.
Under this law Obama must order them all to turn themselves in or be rounded up and charged with a conspiracy to enrich themselves promoting a grand theft of the worlds resources and energy to foster a greater empire of war for the privileged elite and more debt and misery for the majority of citizens causing criminal loss of life and destruction of property.
Michael Moore is the only one I know who has tried citizens arrest.
USA is in a STATE of Emergency because of these War Racketeers... backed by RICO, round um up and book um all.
Economic Terrorism=war=terror.
This kind of approach can remind folks that there is an Emergency...
Obama, do your duty and turn yourself in, at least until you end this EMERGENCY!!!
What terrorist threat? The biggest terrorist threat is the Banking, Miltary, Industrial,Congressional, Media, Religious Cult,Complex. That is the terrorists that Americans should fear the most. Like Sinclair Lewis's oft repeated quote: " WHEN FASCISM COMES TO AMERICA IT WILL BE CARRYING A CROSS AND WRAPPED IN THE FLAG". What you are seeing today folks, is Sinclairs prescient and perspicacious quote that he made many years ago happening now.
Yeah, what threat? The Red Scare, the Reds under your bed, and now crazed terrorists lurking everywhere waiting to attack. Islamic folks who resist military agression occupation and imperialism are automatically laberled terrorists (not freedom fighters), they are the new Soveiet/Communist threat.
Although the USA spends more on "intelligence", military and related activities than the rest of the world combined, we still must live in fear? That is a really poor return on investment.
We have no economic security, no healh insurance security, no retirement security. I agree, our biggest enemies are white English speaking people. The Prison Industrial Complex, MIC, corporate media oligopoly, the Bankster gangsters, the vampire death profiteers, MegaDrugs Inc., and the corrupt politicians who have sold out to them, are the real terrorists.
Yep, we can't deny that there is a real emergency.
Another stupendous issue the corporate media has nothing to say about. The only thing for people to do is to wake up to the fact that democracy is an illusion in the US. Obama is a tool to reassure the frightened masses that after eight years of fascist measures, change is here. This article and many others here on CD show that Obama represents at best only cosmetic changes. Rather than waste time writing to "representatives" of a body that is totally corrupt and unrepresentative, withdrawal of consent is the order of the day. Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Paying income taxes is one way people consent.
A very disturbing essay, this.
Who wants to rule the world? What two countries are aiding and abetting those who do?
Don't you smell a total takeover of some kind? I do.
"The rabble," as we have been referred to all through history, when monarchs and various ruling classes have their own total power agendas in mind, are dismissed as unimportant. Never, in my lifetime have both parties of Congress and the President so totally ignored The Will of The People. They don't need us. Their re-election monies are guaranteed from mega-money, and all the Media is in the bag.
Something is up.
Enjoy "The Sound of Music Again," but see what happens to Austria. See "The Pianist" again and see what happens in Poland.
We would all like to believe that we here in the U.S. are immune to takeovers by those who have their own total power agendas, but I wouldn't bet on it anymore.
I've printed this before. Take it seriously. David is now somewhere around 96. He wants to get it done:
David Rockefeller admits media collusion with his one world plans: "We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our [Bilderberg] meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the light of publicity during those years. But now the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supra-national sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."
Rockefeller writes on page 405 of his memoirs: "Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."
++++++
Something is up. Not tomorrow, but the pieces have been coming together for a long time and the necessary destruction has been moving right along. CLICK!
/cm
"Write your member of Congress, and your senators. Tell them to obey their own laws".
They are not listening. They refuse to listen. They don't have to listen.
Vote all members of Congress out of office in 2010.
Vote for Dennis Kucinich in 2012.
The corporate media propaganda machine viciously smeared the non-corporate candidates; McKinney was barely mentioned and when she was, was portrayed as the lunatic fringe, Nader was attacked and smeared with outright lies, Kucinich was painted as a lunatic weirdo fringe Democrat, (they even insulted his physical appearance).
They will do the same again this time as well. I voted for McKinney knowing full well that our election system is rigged and un-democratic, (even when no voter fraud occurs) and that she had no chance of winning. Most people never heard of her, because she was whitelisted.
I will vote for a non-corporate candidate again this time as well, however I have no illusions about who controls the outcomes.
Why are so many of us in campaign made 24/7/52/4?
Let's quit this personality-obsession, and focus on ISSUES!!! Why are so many still so stuck in the cults of political personalities?
Dennis Kucinich has been my first choice for prez as well, and may be again. But that doesn't make a bit of difference right now. Why are so many folk ALREADY endlessly obsessed about personalities for the next election?
There should be an extended period of time in the 4-year cycle when we put that disruptive personality-driven campaign crap away, and simply focus on the issues. The ISSUES folks, remember them? We are politically sick when we're always, endlessly, interminably sidetracked by the obsessive need to trash or laud the political personalities
that have come to symbolize the changes we want or don't want.
The ISSUES folks, remember them? NOT the specific politician? People who at this time are still circling the cul de sac of personality-driven campaign matters, still arguing about last election, or angling for the next, are truly the victims of political arrested development.
The height of absurdity are those who believe they ARE discussing issues, but whose arguments always devolve into either trashing or supporting some political personality.
There will be far far far far more time than we need in 2012 to hash out whom we will support for that November's presidential election.
My sense is that there's a group of younger voters who politically "woke up" or "came of age"
during this last ungodly, unnaturally long 2-year long presidential campaign. And campaign mode is now all they know. They're stuck with that paper bag over their heads, and don't know anything else. They are like children who have learned a new trick, and that's all they do now.
There is far more to political discussion than simply blaming or exalting various personalities.
Those whose posts here, now, scarcely 9 months after the last inauguration, are perpetually trashing or extolling Obama (or some other political personality) are signaling that their politics are the politics of personality, NOT the politics of issues.
Obama-trashers who nonetheless claim that they are concerned with issues, not partisanship,
are flat out lying.
I am outraged at Obama and Congress as you are but I don't give up trying to make my members of Congress listen. Waiting for third parties to take over won't work. Third parties have no chance of winning in the current system.
Shawn,you and other defenders of Obama are clearly "personality"-driven.
"Obama-trashers who nonetheless claim that they are concerned with issues, not partisanship, are flat out lying."
"Partisanship" means nothing to me.
"Issues" become meaningless when those controlling the ISSUES are voted into office by people, such as yourself, that continue to vote for "personalities".
Obama voted against civil liberties, for war funding and pro-corporations, while a Senator.
If you are so concerned with the ISSUES, then why did you vote for someone that clearly never represented you and your ISSUES?
I am not a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. I am a person living in this world who is concerned about reducing the suffering our government increasingly is inflicting on their own people and people in other countries.
So what ISSUES, do you want to discuss and what do YOU intend to do about them? Other than continue to vote for candidates that continue to vote against your ISSUES that concern you?
The citizenry must be informed that they are being fooled and the only way to do that is by noting that 99% of the actions taken by an individual is against their interests and contrary to his pronouncements.
The issues must be analized but the deceivers must also be held accountable.
You seem to have an idea that one can either try to make Congress listen or dump incumbents. It would seem to approach this as a both-or-neither decision rather than an either-or.
Let's keep the cards and letters and calls and emails to whatever goons (mis)represent us, but let's dump any that have not responded any time we get a chance.
That should crank the noise up a few decibels.
If he appears weak on terrorism, the sheeple won't re-elect him?
Obviously not in this instance because as we see very few people know about this renewal.
This is scary as hell.
I made a conscious choice on Sept. 16 to stop listening to the MSM, preferring instead to concentrate on alternate sources of news like CD. Note the date---six days AFTER Obama's re-upping the National Emergency. I knew nothing about it until reading this article! This to me is proof of the utter and total abdication of the MainStreamMedia in this country. Rev. Niemoller's words are screaming in my head.
To quote again from the Federal Register:
"The terrorist threat that led to the declaration on September 14, 2001, of a national emergency continues. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect after September 14, 2009, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist threat."
What "terrorist threat"? To me, Tim Geithner and Ben Bernanke are terrorists. They are terrorizing me every single day. They are pauperizing the people of this country every day. Day in and day out.
During the Great Red Scare there were terrorists hiding under your bed. Today they are running Washington and Wall Street.
No wonder it's hard to buy ammo. Where are those NRA people when we really need 'em?
-30-
"Congress has either been shut out of this process, or, as in so many cases, it has capitulated."
The conjunction "or" is the key part of that sentence, as it makes the point that no one is really sure what is going on. Precedent and procedure have not been followed since 9/11 and Obama's continuing the state of emergency demonstrates the weirdness is bi-partisan.
The seventh paragraph of this story refers to Continuity of Government (COG), which is classified information not even available to relevant members of Congress. Peter Dale Scott has written extensively on COG, and he believes that it was invoked on the morning on 9/11 and could be continuing to this day and may just explain all the attendant weirdness. (see his book The Road To 9/11, or various articles found on the web). Planning for a national emergency and Continuity of Government procedures , in a modern sense, began in the Reagan administration and never really stopped throughout the following administrations. During those twenty years of planning, two men were regularly involved, and, coincidentally, were in the exact seats of power to invoke COG when a real emergency happened. Their names are Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.
Bring America Back !!!!
***Yes, Team Obama has continued the Neocon Party Lines instead of fulfilling His campaign promises of change to us !
***Obama has ordered his 'Mission Accomplished" Banner, and His flite suit has a picture of a 'Drone' on the back.
***Gov Howard Dean, Pres of the Dem Party has indicated a receptivity for a Demmy challenge to the Obama re:election from within the Party==this was based on the cave-in to the Healthcare Lobby and Insurance Industry !
***Where Team Obama violates law, the constutution, and legal statute--then Impeachment is the Solution--just as it should have been for King George !! But try convincing
Pelosi on that one !!!
Obama is living the Big Lie .
They tell me Nader is too old now, but the answer is for
Nader to register Democratic NOW--since we have the time to build a Tsunami of protest and support him for the next three years.......he would set Team Obama real straight !!
C'mon Nader===get real !!! Stop playing the bad boy spoiler !
so why wait until a friday to report this? so it's even out of the cd news cycle by monday morning?
well, glenn, before i begin to open my mouth in protest and post to several blogs, i visit the federal register site to verify this report. after numerous searches, being the non-techno geek i am, i fail to find any info.
however, on google there is plenty on this so called state of emergency extension by the gifted orator.
this is astounding.
heres a link to obama's actual letter
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:7kYEv9VPNYwJ:www.gpoaccess.gov/presdocs/2009/DCPD-200900698.pdf+The+terrorist+threat+that+led+to+the+declaration+on+September+14,+2001,+of+a+national+emergency+continues.+For+this+reason,+I+have+determined+that+it+is+necessary+to+continue+in+effect+after+September+14,+2009,+the+national+emergency+with+respect+to+the+terrorist+threat.&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AFQjCNEMtk9tJ16hXml3v5jS7q2VyuL8EA
well the whole link didn't go through but Google the obama quote in the article in its entirety, the link will show up.
They cannot torture me more than they already have. They made me my own torturer. And they made me willing to continue it.
It is not merely the ringing of the Pavlovian bell which happens only when the Master calls (RCA dog actually should have been howling like the local dogs do when the freight trains come through this town)). It is the constant din, all around you, all the time. They have made it an addiction that you cannot turn off.
It didn't used to be this way. Once, long ago, there was Nature, in all her glory, replaced now by the cacaphony of intent.
You have become a target. Spend or die.
When did saving become unpatriotic? Ask the Japanese.
-30-
I agree, I also feel the need to buy things I don't need as if someone is actually forcing me to do it against my will. Its societal pressure and rewards. If we don't pay to advertise for corporations, if we don't align ourselves with a corporate power, we marginalize ourselves to absolute isolation. The North Face has co-opted the American soul. The religious right has effectively stopped all progress and placed a drag on the nations education. It seems as if communism is the only way to save the state.This is the great paradox that now confronts the nation.
Obama is making sure he has the troops necessary to detain all the folks that are beginning to see the emoeror's new clothes.
Remember all those concen...er 'illegal alien detention' camps built by KBR?
The Times wrote, "Changes of this magnitude should be made only after a thorough public airing." This is wrong. Changes of this magnitude should not be made even after thorough public airing.
Lakeqi wrote:
"The North Face has co-opted the American soul."
That would explain why in the college town where I just spent a decade working in an uptown shop, the North Face logo was worn far more than other. I've never understood why so many people walk around wearing corporate logos. I can understand if it was free clothing (although when my boss wanted me to wear his corporate logo shirts in the store I refused; the thought of wearing anything smacking of a uniform...).
I guess I would have to ask, though, if there is such a thing as an "American soul." Strikes me as anachronistic at best, like you'd have to go back to Emerson.
Thanks.
-30-
How many remember "The Mouse that Roared"? Seems to me that the "invasion" of September 11, 2001 had about as much impact as the invasion in that story.
Yes, 3,000 people died on 9/11, and many thousands were deeply effected by the trauma, but has there _really_ been a threat to our shores since then?
We kill thousands more people than that _every_year_ through the denial of lifesaving medical care to people who _have_ insurance, and yet we have the STUPID teabaggers screaming "Keep your hands off my health care", as if they actually have any.
Regressives have insisted that we _must_ be AFRAID. We _must_ FEAR FOR OUR LIVES, as though there is _really_ a threat behind every tree.
Quite frankly, I _refuse_ to be afraid.
Even though I drive one of the statistically safest cars on the road, I have a greater chance of dying in a car crash than I _ever_ have of encountering a terrorist threat. (Yes, the old Saabs that I drive have consistently, for many years, had the lowest per-accident medical payout of any car on the road, according to insurance industry statistics. And no, I am not living in constant fear of someone tainting Portland's water supply with some bio-weapon.)
Our national security is put at risk by the loss of manufacturing capability and by destruction of its currency by the banks insolvency issues....everything else is pure bs.
The fact Obama interrupted his golf game with a UBS president when Ted Kennedy died to give a 'word' to the press speaks volumes. What he actually said was totally irrelevant.
I have no faith nor trust in the integrity of the US government, its currency nor its justice system. Putting the bush years of reign of terror aside which is a task in itself, eloquent words from politicians do not renew this fundamental loss of faith, when all the actions run contradictory to the words. My words are a strong condemnation of our government but I write them with a heavy heart and the question remains 'why are you so f'g corrupt?' and I get no reasonable answer. To what end is all this, world war or the US' turn at what happened to the USSR or Argentina? It seems no matter who the politician is, they are all eunuchs to the money power and the money power wants the US destroyed.