I never thought I’d become political. I
used to turn a blind eye to elections, mainstream news and the various bills
and laws passed. I put my energies into other things. This business of politics,
war and economics overwhelmed me. So let me apologize in advance for posting a political article in a health blog. But I just can't help myself.
I never trusted the news.
Sensationalizing, biased and paid for, I felt the news would only skew the
facts and give me a false truth to base my opinions on. So I got my news
through the various takes my friends had on what was happening in the world. I
rely on my husband to tell me if anything really big happens.
As for elections, I believe that lying is a
big part of politics, so how could I trust what any politician says? How do I
know who to vote for without a crystal ball to see what they will really do in
the future, not what they promise to do. It became an impossible task for me to
guess who might be of their word, or who is just romancing me for their vote,
and will never call me in the morning.
And economics? Forget it. I've never
balanced a checkbook in my life. (OK, we don’t have checks anymore, but you
know what I mean.) And world economics, with stock markets up and down on a
whim, countries going bankrupt (what does that even mean?) and other countries
that can’t seem to even feed their own population are lending out all that money… well,
it just doesn’t add up to me.
So I chose to not be involved. That’s
right. It’s a choice. We chose what we educate ourselves in, what we listen to,
and what we believe in. BUT, and here’s the kicker, if you chose to not be
involved, or to only be half involved, then you also choose to accept the
consequences. I guess that’s when I sort of woke up. I was not willing to
accept what might happen, and specifically what might happen to me. The stakes
are just too high now. And although I’m not an American (I’m Canadian, living
in New Zealand) the world is becoming smaller. Tiny in fact.
So I have been educating myself, reading
multiple sources, talking to people who know much more than I do (not hard) and
not ignoring radical so-called “crazy” opinions. Because what’s actually
happening is crazier than anything anyone could make up. It’s like watching a
horror movie and then finding out it’s based on a true story.
I’m writing this article today, because I
just found out that Senate Bill 1867, or the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) has passed. It’s gone through the Senate, and the House, and Obama and
it’s a done deal. As of Dec 14th, 2011.
You may ask: What is this bill? If it's so important, why haven’t
I heard of it?
Both are excellent questions.
As far as I can tell, the bill in essence
negates the American Bill of Rights. I say as far as I
can tell, because the bill is just under 700 pages long. I have read books that
long before, and it’s taken me months to get through them. This bill was
presented and passed in such a short time that I can’t imagine the Senators and
Congress actually had time to read the bill. Even if they did nothing else but
read. Maybe they had a team of people, each reading different parts, and giving
them the Coles notes version. That’s what I have; the Coles notes from various sources.
And they say this:
It’s a new security law that allows the
military to indefinitely detain without trial American terrorism suspects
arrested on US soil who could then be shipped to Guantánamo Bay.
From:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/15/americans-face-guantanamo-detention-obama
But wait, for all you non-Americans, even
living in other countries… The bill defines the world - the entire world - as a
war zone, meaning that anyone can be detained anywhere in the world and they
can be said to be on the battlefield of the "war on terror". And they
can be held until the end of the hostilities. Hostilities in this case being
the “war on terror” which of course, could have no end.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/12/201112773810926474.html
Basically, there is no more “due process”,
or “reading of your rights” upon arrest, or a phone call, or lawyer, or speedy trial, or any trial, or
jury of your peers, or set punishment. There’s indefinite detention without
cause or trial, weather they’re American citizens or
not.
Sen. Rand Paul, Ron Paul’s son, actually
had to fight against Sen. McCain defending due process. Rand Paul gives a
thought provoking address, fighting for the Bill of Rights here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=anjVgWNzQnk
"There are laws on the books now that
characterize who might be a terrorist: someone missing fingers on their hands
is a suspect according to the department of justice. Someone who has guns,
someone who has ammunition that is weatherproofed, someone who has more than
seven days of food in their house can be considered a potential terrorist,"
Paul said. "If you are suspected because of these activities, do you want
the government to have the ability to send you to Guantánamo Bay for indefinite
detention?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/15/americans-face-guantanamo-detention-obama
So, I thought (and you might have too) that
Obama said he wouldn’t use the military against his own people. He wouldn’t
break a 200 year old tradition of keeping the military out of domestic affairs. I thought that Obama and Congress and Senators all swore an oath to protect The Constitution. I thought that the whole basic idea of government was to
protect and serve the people. To uphold the Bill of Rights. I thought we
believed this so feverishly that we fought hard in other countries for their right to do the same. I thought that we
just helped Egypt in their revolution to overthrow a government that had this
exact same law that American government just passed.
What the… ???
And as for the question of news coverage,
how is it possible for something as historical as this, as shocking, as life
altering, doesn’t make headlines everywhere? It’s been weeks now (news has the
ability to be Johnny-on-the-spot with something as irrelevant as a celebrity
drunk at a bar for the love of God!). The progress of passing this bill, first
with the Senate, then The House, and Obama’s own reversal of his veto vote, and
nadda, nothing on the news. It’s been what’s called a “black out”,
while the bill is quickly passed, so that people don’t know what’s happening
until it’s too late. I guess the news is that
corrupt after all. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am deeply saddened by this
confirmation.
That said, I am so grateful to the people who DO
report the news. There are links below to articles, like Mike Adams of Natural
News (Go Health Ranger!) and Phil Hirschkorn of CBS news, and Chris McGreal of
The Guardian to name a few. Thank you sincerely.
But, well, it’s done now. Right? What can I do?
What could I ever do? It’s too overwhelming. I don’t care. I don’t have time.
This attitude is why a bill has been passed
that takes away the rights you and about 6 generations before you have lived
by. I’m not pointing fingers. If I did, the first one I point would be at
myself.
But I saw this and it made my skin crawl.
American Democracy: 1776-2011.
http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-set-to-become-law-the-terror-is-nearer-than-ever-2011-12
Why is this happening?
Well, the government says it’s for our
protection, part of the “war against terrorism”, a term that has lost meaning
in it’s overuse. A term we have accepted and become desensitized to. In fact,
there is currently no imminent threat of terrorism. Some say that it’s a way
that the government will be able to legally utilize force against any resistance.
Some say that it’s a way to stop the inevitable rioting that happens in an
economic collapse (which they say is also inevitable). Some say that it’s to be able to
stop a revolution. Who knows? I guess ultimately, they are now prepared for any
of the above.
So, what now? I care, but am in such a
state of shock and dismay that I have no idea what happens now. What I can do?
For me, I’m writing this article. It’s all
I can think of to do. But I think that this might be the first, most important
step. Instead of saying I don’t care, I say this is wrong. I am not going to
let the overwhelming facts put me into a state of a deer in the headlights. I
will speak up, while I still can. It’s wrong. Dead wrong.
I think that if we simply say it’s wrong, we
are in fact doing something. Say you don’t want this to be the way your world is run,
that you are scared or angry or horrified. That you don't want this kind of government.
Feeling something IS doing something. What
can you do? Simply say it’s wrong. There is power in that.
I have two theories as to why this is all
happening, and where it might lead.
Theory one is depressing. I’m sorry. The
government has been bullied or overrun or corrupted to the point that they are
now against the people. This will lead to horrendous things, like the elimination of freedom of speech, and censorship (which from what I've read, might not be so far off with SOPA*).
Theory two is maybe a pipe dream. But maybe
Obama and some of his government are tricking the tricksters, and going along
with the corruption for the end result of pushing the American people to the
point of a revolution. Maybe they see that it’s the only way to set things right.
In any case, it seems that there are
limited outcomes. We either fight for democracy (like we encourage and support
so many other nations to do) or we loose our rights and freedoms.
2012 is going to make history either way.
---------------
Bill of Rights:
http://constitution.org/billofr_.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57343287/wh-oks-military-detention-of-terrorism-suspects/
http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-set-to-become-law-the-terror-is-nearer-than-ever-2011-12
http://www.naturalnews.com/034414_NDAA_military_detention_Bill_of_Rights.html
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/14/us-refusal-veto-detainee-bill-historic-tragedy-rights
http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/22/what-libyan-rebels-could-teach-obama-about-rule-law
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/12/201112773810926474.html
The voting results of the bill:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll932.xml
*Info on SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act):
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/22/2648219/stop-online-piracy-act-sopa-what-is-it
