http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20030217.html
We’re doomed.
1984 has come and gone. We’re already in 2003.
I meant the book, smarty pants. You know, “big brother” and “thought police” and all that jazz?
I heard about this on the radio a few weeks ago. Yes, very disturbing.
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"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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. "
There was a time when these sentiments burned in the hearts and minds of our original 13 colonies. Is the time coming when history will repeat itself?
For those non-US citizens, this is an excerpt for our Declaration of Independence from the Engligh thrown written in 1776.
Yeah, I know this post will probably put me on the FBI’s watch list.
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…But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. "
For what it’s worth, this was tried once, you know - in 1861 - part of the country felt that the above was the case and therefore decided to leave and set up a new government -
the War Between the States (which is the “official” title of that conflict per the U.S. Congress) was not fought over slavery, it was fought over the idea of being able to leave the Union or not - and the South found out they couldn’t. Even though that’s basically what the colonies did in 1776.
Not really trying to make a point, just making an observation…
Beth
You aint seen nothing yet Sam:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1607.htm
We better think about waking up
Tom
Fine, I give up. I don’t care anymore. Damn hell ass governments. Where’s a deserted island when you need one?
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It’s not just bush. He isn’t a dictator quite yet. It’s the whole damned government, mainly bush and congress. The whole thing is totally crooked, the world hates the US for good reason. It’s all about oil anyhow.
On 2003-02-27 23:20, TelegramSam wrote:
It’s not just bush. He isn’t a dictator quite yet. It’s the whole damned government, mainly bush and congress. The whole thing is totally crooked, the world hates the US for good reason. It’s all about oil anyhow.
Maybe we’ll both wind up on the FBI’s watch list. 
On 2003-02-27 22:32, touw wrote:
I wish we were still a colony. I want to have a Queen.
Move to New York. There’s no shortage of queens there.
On 2003-02-27 23:34, Mike J wrote:
On 2003-02-27 23:20, TelegramSam wrote:
It’s not just bush. He isn’t a dictator quite yet. It’s the whole damned government, mainly bush and congress. The whole thing is totally crooked, the world hates the US for good reason. It’s all about oil anyhow.Maybe we’ll both wind up on the FBI’s watch list. >
LOL they can watch me all day, my life is boring, they’ll all fall asleep first. 
On 2003-02-27 21:53, TelegramSam wrote:
I meant the book, smarty pants. You know, “big brother” and “thought police” and all that jazz?
I do apologize. In truth I am strongly opposed to the excessive powers being usurped by certain government agencies, and the so-called war on terror is, in my belief, no excuse for the trampling of our God-given freedoms and rights.
gutt gott,
some of those articles are scary. A side of me just really hopes they’re not true. What’s even scarier is that I just subscribed to get the e-mail newsletter from Info Clearing House and now I’m afraid the FBIs gonna be comin and soon, a-knockin on my parlor door…
On 2003-02-27 22:50, Blackbeer wrote:
You aint seen nothing yet Sam:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1607.htmWe better think about waking up
Tom
The PNAC certainly sounds like a “nice” organization. 
BW, here’s the official website, for those who want the scary stuff direct from the horse’s mouth:
http://www.newamericancentury.org/
Jens
Sam-
It isn’t all about oil. It is about power. It is about who can dominate others. Oil and money (and whatever form of valuable property you pick) is a means to get that power. That’s all.
My wife and I were talking about this recently. We started with the downfall of feudalism. What made the feudal system obsolete? I argue strongly for gunpowder. There have been attempted revolutionaries for forever, but until it was possible for the average joe to be capable of fighting against the elite (mounted knights in European history), it just wasn’t possible to overthrow the government. Add a weapon anyone can learn to use in short order, that essentially marginalizes the armor of the time (evenentually armors of “proof” -meaning bulletproof- were introduced, but weighed so much that the fighting capacity of the knight wearing such armor was significantly diminished), and revolution becomes possible.
So my wife pointed out that if a government wanted to establish a serfdom and an aristocracy that exists to bleed the serfs of their freedoms and money, the first step is to remove the most likely weapon the serfs would use to fight back. See why our founding fathers were smart to put the Second Ammendment in place? See why HCI and any gun-banning politician is not your friend?
This isn’t meant to be a gun-control rant. I have not read the articles cited here, yet. However, I do think that with the Total Information Awareness Office (under the direction of a convicted felon…) combined with certain trends in the area of personal freedoms evaporating spell out a very disturbing version of our future.
And it all comes down to power. Not oil, not gold, not religion, not food, but the ability to force others to do your will. Humans have always been the same and always will be until Judgement Day.
-Patrick
I have always believed that our freedoms are most secure when power in Washington is fragmented. Until the US can come up with a true multi-party system, the ideal solution is one party domminating the House of Representatives and the other the Senate. Almost as good is a President of one party and at least one house in the hands of the other. It could almost be said that the Congress functions best when it barely functions at all.
American Conservative ideology has for at least the last fifty years been inimical to individual freedom, but for most of that time, even during the Nixon and Reagan regimes, the Democrats managed to maintain control of at least the House of Representatives. Fortunately for George Bush but not for the rest of us, the 2002 combination of Democrat electoral ineptitude and the current terrorist fear gripping the Nation allowed the Republicans to gain actual control of both Houses.
Even more frightening to the Libertarian in me is that Bush can now be expected to try and pack the Appellate and Supreme Courts with ultra-conservative judges who can be expected to rubber-stamp the actions of the other two Conservative-controlled Branches.
There’s a popular bumper sticker that says “I love my Country, but I fear my government”. I’ve always been worried about the eventual application and uses of both the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security. The Liberal opposition has been so cowed by worries of being labelled unpatriotic if they stand up for their principles that they’ve acquiesced in this huge assault on personal freedom. But, and you can take this to the bank, what we’ve seen is nothing compared to what the idealogical dictators of the Right will do once they’ve managed to pack, and therefore muzzle, the Courts.
We were first warned of this over two hundred years ago: “Those who are willing to trade civil liberties for temporary security, deserve neither”. - Benjamin Franklin