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Orwell's Nightmare: Imagine a Country Where. . .
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The government was always right and never apologized;Any dissent was suppressed, ridiculed, banned or worse;
Secret prisons were denied and never acknowledged or spoken about;
The torture of captives was condoned;
State incarceration was not subject to the checks and balances of a legal system;
Economic plans, like for oil, were established/determined in closed sessions between politicos, commissars and production managers, far outside public view, and where government claimed privilege in so doing;
Wages were set at the lowest common denominator, no matter what Bloc country you were in;
Government agents had access to your medical records, your library records, your telephone, and your e-mail.
A place where judicial power and judicial review were proclaimed concepts, but simply ignored in application;
Where criminal records of young adults were closed to all but the military;
Where a Constitution was a mere facade and ignored by state actors.
Any dissent, debate and protest were deemed unpatriotic;
The public media was bought, paid for, and provided by the state;
The military clandestinely and shamelessly influenced the national media and public opinion;
A place where wrong was declared right;
Where tapping a phone was like tapping a pencil;
Where lying was considered a patriotic skill;
The extraction of natural resources was paramount to any concern for the environment and the impact on the health of its people;
Where the use of “state secrets,†(those things embarrassing to the government) were confused with legitimate issues of “national securityâ€Â;
A place where "secrecy" and "national security" were used to control debate;
Where legitimate secrecy, was subject to political use and abuse;
Where "legislators" were mere mouthpieces for and rubberstamps of whoever was in power;
Where you lived and died with the permission of the government;
A place where foreign policy was more important than domestic concerns;
Where fear was used as a political weapon and an acceptable means of control;
Where the best medical care was reserved for the influential;
Where wealth was concentrated in the top 5%;
A place where there was no middle class -- just a small economic and political elite, and the working poor.
This is from a speech by former CIA officer Jim Marcinkowski, now running for Congress in Michigan's 8th District.
These remarks were delivered in Washtenaw County, Michigan on February 8, 2006
He was referring to the now dissolved Soviet Union, against which America presented itself as a vibrant and inspiring contrast -- well, most of the time.
We have become a nation led by those contriving fear, selling fear, validating fear, legitimated by fear -- and we run the risk of becoming what we fought for decades.
-- Steve Clemons
« Previous Article - What Is It with Cheney and Guns?» Next Article - George Allen: Investigate the Vice President (paraphrased)
Gee Steve, are you finally waking up to reality???
Long Live the Glorious CONservative Cultural Revolution in the name of Dear Leader to preserve the dictatorship of the petrol-tariat!
The grand 5 year plan of Comrade Cheney for energy has been a success. Profits for the revolutionary dictatorship of the petrol-tariat have taken a Great Leap Forward! Thankfully the wisdom found in the concurring opinion of the sage-like Justice Thomas said that the liberal roaders on health care reform led by Hillary Clinton should be exposed, but that the discussions of the illustrious Comrade Cheney and the petrol-tariat should be protected from the propaganda and lies of the counter-revolutionaries and that state secrets shall be withheld to ensure a harmonious society and the perpetual stability of our blessed nation. Amen!
Left out the part where the second in command has a 24 hour ambulance on call, which is a good thing since he also has a shotgun and a bad foot and no heart.
Jim Marcinkowski's speech reminds me of history's most ironic lesson: "Choose your enemies carefully, for you will become like them."
Steve,
I honestly thought you were going to end the post with a sarcastic remark that this is our country.
It seems we at least know why the Soviet citizens never did anything. Poor education, lulled into sleep by lying pols.
Following up on what Mystification posted:
"Choose your enemies carefully, for you will become like them."
By and large dubbya's inner circle and 2nd tier are experts and warriors in the Cold War!! Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie, Rice, Schultz to mention a few. They are mentally captured and hostage to the Cold War paradigm.
Wow, nice speech to include. What happened to conservatives, they used to be some pretty reasonable, anti-big government people. Now they are the big-government people, how ironic. I think a transition to a close society, like the white house leadership is attempting could only have been done by an anti-big government party, because the people would feel safer having an anti-big government party expanding the government rather than a pro-big government party expanding the government. If it had been learned that Clinton was illegally spying on people, we would have the french revolution on our hands.
Instead we get Orwell.
I always thought of our Administration as functioning more along the lines of another George Orwell classic, "Animal Farm", where the initial principals on which the system was based(ie our Constitution) were slowly but surely twisted by those who grabbed power and all power was eventually wrested away from those that the new and better system was set up to serve. In the end things worked in a way that only served the needs of the elite "Pigs" in cohoots with the original enemy man. To quote the last line of the book(as best I can remember) "And the animals looked from man to pig and pig to man and no one could tell the difference." I know it was written as a commentary about the communist system but it could easily be adapted to ours. Am I off here?
Karen-NYC
Excellent post, and this speech is highlighting exactly what frightens me most about this administration.
Well, that and the environment. And the baseless war and loss of life. And the beligerence to ignore scientific consensus. And honesty. Well, I guess I could go on and on...
"The government was always right and never apologized"
I'm not sure how anyone other than a person can actually be right or wrong. The government, at least any US government, is a lot of people.
"Any dissent was suppressed, ridiculed, banned or worse"
You mean like at Coretta Scott King's funeral?
"The torture of captives was condoned"
If people are/were prosecuted and punished for it, how can it be considered to be condoned?
"The public media was bought, paid for, and provided by the state"
the BBC?
"Where criminal records of young adults were closed to all but the military"
Do we want the military not to have access to criminal records?
"State incarceration was not subject to the checks and balances....."
Where has this happened in the US?
Legitimate criticism is one thing. Making crap up is entirely another.
"People were convicted, just not the right people."
innocent people were convited?
"BBC is publicly funded, not state funded."
BBC is funded through mandatory taxes.
"Jose Padilla."
This not checks and balances?
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/us_law/inthecourts/supreme_court_padilla.htm
The BBC is paid for directly through each household TV licence. This allows it to run a wide range of popular public services for everyone, free of adverts and independent of advertisers, shareholders or political interests. 95.6% of the UK population used the BBC every month in 2004/5.
The low level enlisted personnel were convicted, but not the people that set policy. Who knows what prisons still operate illegally, since there's no independent review allowed.
Right to a speedy trial is checks and balances.
The BBC license fee is a tax. It is not voluntary, you must pay iteven if you never watch the BBC.
So that's a no? Innocent people were not convicted?
See my link for the court case on Padilla. I don't recall every nazi getting a speedy trial. In a war, every person captured working for the other side, doesn't get a speedy trial. You are confusing criminal law with war.
The BBC free of political interests....thanks for the laugh
A 'war' on terrorism. Come on. You call that a war? A war on a tactic? This is no war, no matter how hard they try to convince us. This is strictly an excuse for the expansion of presidential powers. The rest is a police action and should be subject to criminal courts.
The difference is that the payment for the BBC is set and automatic with no political blackmail. The US journalists were paid directly by administrative agencies to provide a particular bias.
We tried the symptom, not the cause. But maybe the rain isn't really to blame. So I'll remove the cause, but not the symptom.
I appreciate the friendly reminder about where we are. However, forgive me for being blunt -- there's a solution to this mess. It's called State Level impeachment proclomation. This will force the House to vote on impeachment, and this cannot be buried in Committee.
I encourage you to keep an open mind when you consider this. All reasons for "not doing this" are problematic. In fact, the very reason to do this -- that it might not work -- is the very reason to do it: It will tell the voters whether the Congress is or is not serous about their oaths.
So let's have it: A State proclamation calling for the House to vote on impeachment; and the voters will have nine months to digest whether they want to change leadership. [ Details ]
At this point, the President is in rebellion. [ Click ] The issue is whether the citizens want to whine, or have a state-level effort to address this issue.
Oh, by the way -- for those who say "this can't happen" you're too late: It's already started. Check Vermont's progress: [ Click ]
Yes, this entire thing has been through, and there's nothing the RNC can do to stop this. The States are about to force the House to vote, and then congress will have to either assert their oaths, or admit they are in rebellion.
Bottom line: It's time to put your money where your mouth is: If you're really annoyed, then you need to call your state legislators and tell them what you expect. If they don't listen or blow you off, then blog about it, and do these things: [ Click ] Also look at the many links in the Archived links -- you'll see alot of material there to provide assistance. [For example: Scroll down in this link to the discussion questions, and you'll get an idea of what you can talk to your friends about: [ Click ]
If that didn’t convince you, then you’re in for a treat, there’s an extensive plan laid out for you to review showing how the RNC in the House and Senate are at risk of losing power if they defy their oaths and refuse to act. The key is to keep pressure on them and compel a state proclamation to force their hand. [ Here's the detailed discussion: Click, also check the NSA hearing, and Proclamation archives ]
Again, this is what is going on in Vermont: [ Click ] Don't lose hope: You've got 9 months to digest what is happening, and put additional pressure on the RNC, or find new leadership. They are in a no-win situation.
There is nothing the RNC, White House, or President can lawfully do to stop this, bury it in committee. This approach was successfully tested in 1903 with a sitting federal judge and is consistent with the House rules and precedent. Once the State proclamation shows up, the House has to vote on it, and cannot bury it in the RNC-controlled committee. They will have to commit one way or the other.
They are going to lose. If they do not vote to impeach, then the voters will know they are with the President in his rebellion against the Constitution.
They have wished for this.
Remember, you are not alone. Don't wait until November to "maybe start doing something." Start now in your local communites, talk to your friends, and then talk to your local officials. This is going on all over the country right now.
Best wishes!
"The rest is a police action and should be subject to criminal courts."
That would work if every country HAD working criminal courts.
"The difference is that the payment for the BBC is set and automatic"
Yes, it's a tax. If you think the BBC is not biased, you're beyond help.
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