Dear America,
UNGLUED.
We are all unglued now.
From her opening thought -- on loan from Justice William O. Douglas, we get it:
"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be most aware of change is in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."
and you say, so...
So, upon this premise, we promptly received eleven chapters, narrowing the views of virtually ten steps into the dark abyss after reminding us of a few thoughts from the founders -- you know, establishing the "fragility of democracy" and all.
So, from the first step..."invoke an external and internal threat"..."establish secret prisons"..."develop a paramilitary force"..."surveil ordinary citizens"..."infiltrate citizens groups"..."arbitrarily detain and release citizens"..."target key individuals"..."restrict the press"..."cast criticism as 'espionage' and dissent as 'treason' "....
to the last -- "subvert the rule of law" -- she maligns and attacks every nook and cranny and brings to light atrocities and abuse of power. From her first thought to her last, our true liberties are contemplated, questioned, interrogated; while some might even say -- dare I say -- water boarded from top to bottom.
It's all in for Naomi Wolf, as her 2007 expose on an administration goes wild, The End of America.
And all I can think about is, she must be feeling pretty unglued now.
She says,
One reason dictators demand access to such private data is that this scrutiny breaks down citizens' sense of being able to act freely against those in power. Such intrusions also erode citizens' loyalties to civil and professional groups and redirect their primary loyalty to the state...
...With these early steps in place, people start to restrict their own activities voluntarily. They start to think twice about bulk-emailing the 'Impeach George Bush' message, or checking Amnesty International's Website to see what Iraqis with relatives held in U.S. -run prisons are saying, or sending information about the Professor Ward Churchill controversy to a friend.
In that atmosphere, dissent stifles itself before it can develop. Surveillance leads to fear, and fear leads to silence:
And silence is un-American.
Amen to that sister.
we are all sisters and brothers now.
But let's not dwell in a foxhole, moving on to nearly the end of her story, she says:
Wes Boyd, co-founder of MoveOn.org says, "Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots. We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."
No, here's a good one: "You will be shocked and disturbed by this book. Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile. Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the 'echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling," so says Michael Ratner, Center of Constitutional Rights.
So, what you all say now?
Political Hypocrisy is the new epidemic.
In another light, see also results of the social experimentation by voting blocks in Mississippi, here.
The reflection of the scum on the surface of the Republican party is not only revolting, it makes it nearly impossible to see the real thing.
This despicable GOP is not me.
Of course, this context immediately puts coming unglued in America into a whole 'nother dimension. There are not words -- nothing -- to explain the slanderous intent and vile behavior of the republican establishment and the lengths they went to to destroy, annihilate, the Tea Party and the candidate, Chris McDaniel. We can only hope at this point that The Establishment's fate might just be sealed -- super glued, perhaps -- and it's called winning the battle only to lose the war.
By all accounts -- if being totally honest and truthful with thy self -- "the Tea Party" just consists of people like Naomi Wolf, Wes Boyd, Michael Ratner and me. [Only said that to make myself laugh, for desperate times call for desperate measures, doncha know.]
No.
What defines unglued is the latest news on our southern border.
And to think, a couple weeks ago, when joking about the high speed rail set up from Central America to America, who knew just how much of that was true!
We missed talking about the ad for escorts. And just in case you missed it:
And thank you, Washington Times.
We missed talking about the invitation to come to America...with a response so huge...undermining our securing and leaving our border vulnerable in every possible way. See shocking fliers telling Mexicans to come and America will feed you.
Crazy is the administration who masterminds this kind of chaos, usurping the rule of law while undermining America's security and economic future.
Ah yes, never let a crisis go to waste.
Now the mass exodus to freedom in America hit the mainstream just as I was taking a mass hiatus from civilization to entertain family, to celebrate my girl's graduation, and more or less, to leave the blog high and dry [with no regrets, btw]. But looking back, oh to be in two places at the same time.
And boom.
That's just it.
We can't be in two places in principle at the same time, unless of course, the two principles are one in the same -- for the same thing goes as the same thing goes, republican or democrat, no matter what.
The thing is, today, in America, we seem to have lost our ability to give ourselves our own checks and balances. It's not just about our representatives anymore; it's about each and every one of us to check ourselves at the door, on the border, on the prairie, in the boardroom, in chaos, in our living rooms, on call, on the campaign trail -- whether in the Oval Office, the halls of Congress, our own backyard, or not. Are we asking ourselves the tough questions; is our response the same when faced within our own party affiliation? Community? Are we in integrity and fully aligned with our word, with our actions, with our opinion, with our response, come our side or another?
Everywhere and often, check.
Check and double check.
Got glue?
Check.
Feel the balance.
From John Locke:
But then again,
Or else, with darkness setting in, it may just be the end of America.
Nite Nite.
Make it a Good Day, G
While this administration shows a certain restraint when using Executive Orders to affect change and fundamental transformation (so far, roughly administering the same number as Bushie), using more informal "executive actions" through policy changes seems to be the way to circumvent the unfair attention and scrutiny (because he's black) (yeah, right).
Policy changes are what a community organizer does best.
Social Justice, unconscionable energy policy, redistribution of wealth, marginalizing the strength of our military and ability to defend our borders and align with democracies worldwide -- whether by the slow, unsuspecting nudge or by the boot to the neck or in a response to a crisis, the end justifies the means... and when we say the end, we mean, the end.
But let's not dwell in a foxhole, moving on to nearly the end of her story, she says:
Bush has used more signing statements than any other president. The way Bush is using signing statements essentially relegates Congress to an advisory role. This abuse lets the president choose what laws he wished to enforce or not, overruling Congress and the people. So Americans are living under laws their representatives never passed. Signing statements put the president above the law...[um, not done]
Fascists coming to power in a weakened democracy simply start to ignore those assumed agreements.On the back cover of "one of the most important books that's been written, certainly in the last decade or two, and perhaps in my lifetime" so says Thom Hartmann, best-selling author and host of The Thom Hartmann Radio Program --
Wes Boyd, co-founder of MoveOn.org says, "Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots. We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."
No, here's a good one: "You will be shocked and disturbed by this book. Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile. Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the 'echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling," so says Michael Ratner, Center of Constitutional Rights.
So, what you all say now?
Political Hypocrisy is the new epidemic.
In another light, see also results of the social experimentation by voting blocks in Mississippi, here.
The reflection of the scum on the surface of the Republican party is not only revolting, it makes it nearly impossible to see the real thing.
This despicable GOP is not me.
Of course, this context immediately puts coming unglued in America into a whole 'nother dimension. There are not words -- nothing -- to explain the slanderous intent and vile behavior of the republican establishment and the lengths they went to to destroy, annihilate, the Tea Party and the candidate, Chris McDaniel. We can only hope at this point that The Establishment's fate might just be sealed -- super glued, perhaps -- and it's called winning the battle only to lose the war.
By all accounts -- if being totally honest and truthful with thy self -- "the Tea Party" just consists of people like Naomi Wolf, Wes Boyd, Michael Ratner and me. [Only said that to make myself laugh, for desperate times call for desperate measures, doncha know.]
No.
What defines unglued is the latest news on our southern border.
And to think, a couple weeks ago, when joking about the high speed rail set up from Central America to America, who knew just how much of that was true!
We missed talking about the ad for escorts. And just in case you missed it:
“provide unarmed escort staff, including management, supervision, manpower, training, certifications, licenses, drug testing, equipment and supplies necessary to provide on-demand escort services for non-criminal/non-delinquent unaccompanied alien children ages infant to 17 years of age, seven days a week, 365 days a year. … There will be approximately 65,000 [unaccompanied alien children] in total.”Posted January 29, 2014 @ FedBizOpps.gov.
And thank you, Washington Times.
We missed talking about the invitation to come to America...with a response so huge...undermining our securing and leaving our border vulnerable in every possible way. See shocking fliers telling Mexicans to come and America will feed you.
"The ones we are losing are convicted felons, aliens from special interest countries, and other high risk individuals. We are so overwhelmed and preoccupied by the flood of juveniles and family units that we cannot use our resources to catch the more serious aliens," the agent states. FOR MORE, go here.We missed talking about where they go from here. Truth be told, here being 'here, there and everywhere.'
Crazy is the administration who masterminds this kind of chaos, usurping the rule of law while undermining America's security and economic future.
Ah yes, never let a crisis go to waste.
But now, if we are going to talk about getting unglued -- we would be remiss to miss lending any of our tantrum time to the IRS and Benghazi and the dishonorable trade of five terrorists for a "prisoner of war" without Congressional approval. No matter, baby steps as little old G finds her way back to being the keeper on the day.
Now the mass exodus to freedom in America hit the mainstream just as I was taking a mass hiatus from civilization to entertain family, to celebrate my girl's graduation, and more or less, to leave the blog high and dry [with no regrets, btw]. But looking back, oh to be in two places at the same time.
And boom.
That's just it.
We can't be in two places in principle at the same time, unless of course, the two principles are one in the same -- for the same thing goes as the same thing goes, republican or democrat, no matter what.
The thing is, today, in America, we seem to have lost our ability to give ourselves our own checks and balances. It's not just about our representatives anymore; it's about each and every one of us to check ourselves at the door, on the border, on the prairie, in the boardroom, in chaos, in our living rooms, on call, on the campaign trail -- whether in the Oval Office, the halls of Congress, our own backyard, or not. Are we asking ourselves the tough questions; is our response the same when faced within our own party affiliation? Community? Are we in integrity and fully aligned with our word, with our actions, with our opinion, with our response, come our side or another?
Everywhere and often, check.
Check and double check.
Got glue?
Check.
Feel the balance.
From John Locke:
To this end it is that men give up all their natural power to the society they enter into, and the community put the legislative power into such hands as they think fit, with this trust, that they shall be governed by declared laws, or else their peace, quiet, and property will still be at the same uncertainty as it was in the state of Nature.
But then again,
"Even the best of men
in authority are liable
to be corrupted by passion"
right, Aristotle?
SO,
"We may conclude
then that the law is reason
without passion,
and it is therefore
preferable to any individual."
Nite Nite.
Make it a Good Day, G
In Epi-Blog
While this administration shows a certain restraint when using Executive Orders to affect change and fundamental transformation (so far, roughly administering the same number as Bushie), using more informal "executive actions" through policy changes seems to be the way to circumvent the unfair attention and scrutiny (because he's black) (yeah, right).
Policy changes are what a community organizer does best.
Social Justice, unconscionable energy policy, redistribution of wealth, marginalizing the strength of our military and ability to defend our borders and align with democracies worldwide -- whether by the slow, unsuspecting nudge or by the boot to the neck or in a response to a crisis, the end justifies the means... and when we say the end, we mean, the end.
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