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What has me worried.

The Damned Yankee

22:03 / 17.09.01

First off, hi. Just found Barbelith today, and I'm still making myself comfortable.

The aftermath of all this is shaping into something scary. On one hand, we have the gov't prepping us through PR for a long, massive war against . . . who? Where? What in the name of blue fuck are we supposed to be fighting? And when could we say it's over? All I can see is setting the stage for more atrocity with little, if any, gain, all in aid of fighting an enemy we can never be sure has gone for good.

And then, on the domestic front here in the US, I hear talk about removing most of the restrictions placed on the CIA in the '70's, forbidding assassination and the like. Is that a dog we really want turned loose?

A recent opinion poll indicates that two-thirds of the Americans surveyed would trade off their civil liberties for greater security. Sometimes I think that my countrymen don't have the slightest clue about their own rights ("'Freedom of speech'? Ain't that how them vile rap cd's stay on the market? And lets the liberal media spread those lies about Lyndon LaRouche?"; OK, I'm overstating here, but not by much, I think).

The more I hear about this looming "War on Terrorism", the more I want to emigrate. I keep thinking about something that I heard about Nazi Germany: The German constitution under which Hitler was duly elected was considered to be "more democratic" than the American constitution, upon which it was modelled. It could happen here just as (if not even more) easily.

Now, unless he has unplumbed depths in his so-far-mediocre oratory skills, George W. Fuckwit is no Hitler, but people here are shaken and scared, and there's no telling which way they'll jump.

23:57 / 17.09.01

I'm especially concerned with the wording they are using, saying people are willing to give up some liberties for safety.

I'm not nearly as concerned that someone may tap my phone because they think I may be involved in terrorist activity as I am that we would put safety above freedom.

Anyone this concerned with their own safety is already a slave. That I might die? That's something to avoid, certainly, but not to the extent that so many people tend to think these days. But if we truly say, safety first, we've put ourselves on a leash that anyone can grab and tug.

02:24 / 18.09.01

quote:Originally posted by The Damned Yankee:

The aftermath of all this is shaping into something scary. On one hand, we have the gov't prepping us through PR for a long, massive war against . . . who? Where? What in the name of blue fuck are we supposed to be fighting? And when could we say it's over? All I can see is setting the stage for more atrocity with little, if any, gain, all in aid of fighting an enemy we can never be sure has gone for good.

And then, on the domestic front here in the US, I hear talk about removing most of the restrictions placed on the CIA in the '70's, forbidding assassination and the like. Is that a dog we really want turned loose?

A recent opinion poll indicates that two-thirds of the Americans surveyed would trade off their civil liberties for greater security.

The more I hear about this looming "War on Terrorism", the more I want to emigrate.

DY, I feel you. Every day we hear more rhetoric from Mr. Bush about how "Americans must sacrifice," how we have to "dig in for a long war" and plenty of other bullshit.

You know, all I keep thinking is that the folks who pulled this shit off managed to brilliantly get by all of our security checkpoints. Today when I was having my bags searched at the Hancock (which, believe me, I did not think was my 'patriotic duty' to submit to but fuck it, I had to make some money), all I could think was "What's the bloody point of this? Clearly the terrorists who took down the WTC bypassed THIS sort of checkpoint.."

I'll tell you what else - I too have been thinking it's time to start thinking expat, because there is no fucking way in hell I'm going to live in a world where I can't have my freedom and my right to privacy, and I don't give a shit if those violations of my civil liberties are done "for my protection." That is NOT living. These terrorists were in the country last Monday, so why didn't my bags have to be searched then?

Yes, and I feel very much that the war about to begin (bomb the hell out of Afghanistan and twist their arm til they give us the head of Osamma Bin Laden) is completely foolhardy and ridiculously shortsided. Another dead person is not going to bring any of those who died on Tuesday back. Violence only begets more violence.

It is of course even more worrying knowing that W is at the helm of this shit.

Oy!

The Damned Yankee

02:24 / 18.09.01

I'm also reminded of McCarthyism. This could easily turn into a witch hunt if stoked to the proper degree of paranoia.

14:30 / 18.09.01

The Sikhs are already feeling it...

14:52 / 18.09.01

The guy who got pulled off the train in Providence lives not far from me.

I'm sickened by this. There's a large Sikh community in my area: they operate a Montessori pre-school where my nieces and nephews went, and they are the salt of the fucking earth.

I wrote two letters the other day--one to the Sikh ashram in my town, the other to the local Islamic Community Center--expressing solidarity and support for them in what I imagine must be a terrifying time. I hope it make somebody besides me feel a little better.

15:06 / 18.09.01

Wouldja mind posting them here?

gentleman loser

16:37 / 18.09.01

I think this time the U.S. Constitution is gonna get shreded by the politicians in the name of "security". They've been tearing at it for decades, of course, thinks to things like the Drug War, but things seem about to get a whole lot worse. People are scared and ignorant of their rights. That is the greatest problem.

What are my worst fears?

Encryption outlawed (this is underway now). Witch hunts and persecution for anyone that disagrees in public with the status quo, especially activists. Lots more racial profiling (underway). Lots of unconstitional wiretapping (already a done deal in the Senate, thanks to the people that brought you Carnivore internet spy system). Facial recognition machines everywhere. The only place you will have any privacy is by staying in your house and apartment and drawing your blinds. Maybe.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not optimistic. The self censorship that I'm seeing all around me is disturbing as well.

I hate to pull one from for the quote bag, but one of the wisest of the U.S.A.'s founding fathers said it best:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

gentleman loser

16:41 / 18.09.01

Oops, I left out the fact that the quote is from Benjamin Franklin.

17:01 / 18.09.01

quote:Originally posted by The Damned Yankee:

The more I hear about this looming "War on Terrorism", the more I want to emigrate.

my thoughts exactly, yankee. even before this whole catastrophe and its equally catastrophic aftermath, i'd seriously contemplating getting the hell outta dodge and moving to somewhere a bit more tolerable, london and amsterdam being my first choices. now the urge is stronger. london, my most beloved city, is unfortunately in a nation whose government seems all too ready to be america's sidekick in its exploits of destruction, but at least the citizens and more of the politicians are able to open their eyes a bit more than many here in the US seem capable of. or so it seems from this side of the water.

(oh, and hi from me, too - i'm also new here

)

17:29 / 18.09.01

Doesn't one have to be "an alien of extraordinary ability" in order to move to another country? Meaning that one would need to have skills not easily found in the country one wishes to move to...

18:10 / 18.09.01

Something like that... or live there for a certain number of years and work. On the other hand, I keep wondering if staying and trying to do something about it isn't the right answer.

18:13 / 18.09.01

There's also a greencard lottery.

18:33 / 18.09.01

How’s this for a fucked-up factoid: a USA Today poll shows that 43% of Americans surveyed would support mandatory special IDs for US citizens of Arabic descent.

It’s not quite the same as a yellow star or the IDs the Taliban are forcing Hindus to carry, but still.

18:40 / 18.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Teela Tomnoddy:
On the other hand, I keep wondering if staying and trying to do something about it isn't the right answer.

::sigh:: i know you're probably right, teela. i think that i'm going through a cynical "nothing-will-ever-change-dammit" bit right now. i'm sure my good ol' perseverant activist self will be back any time now.

chuckling duck - that is an extremely fucked-up factoid. true, not quite the same as the yellow star or the Taliban's enforcements... but not nearly different enough. some land of the free we live in when that many people can convince themselves that such a measure would be justified.

20:17 / 18.09.01

Well... some questing for a possible solution/action beganhere.

and continues here.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

09:31 / 19.09.01

Mandatory ID factoid- REAL fucking scary. (Forget who to attribute this to, but- "fascism doesn't begin with concentration camps. That's where it ends.")
People keep talking about a jihad, but I'm just as frightened by the possibility of a crusade.

09:31 / 19.09.01

quote:Originally posted by grantb:
Wouldja mind posting them [your letters of support] here?

Just posted 'em to the
"Peacenik Action" thread.