10 October 2008

Give Me Liberty - Handbook for American Revolutionaries

Naomi Wolf, author of "Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries" is interviewed October 4, 2008 on Mind Over Matters, KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle.


She connects a few dots including the 1878 Posse Comitatus coming to an end, abuse of citizens, arrests of journalists, instability, hyped threats and crises, martial law, the 2007 Defense Authorization Act, the Patriot act and the growing police state.  She believes that time is running out to stem this tide.  

What do you think?


Love > Fear

7 comments:

ep said...

This country has always had the amount of liberty we are afforded expand and contract. I would imagine McCarthyism didn't feel that much different than the Patriot Act.

After the fear subsided the American people claimed the rights back for themselves. I believe this is in the process of happening now.

Thank you for the post on my site. Regarding FISA, I struggle with if this should have passed or not. The reason being is I think the people in the Executive branch who told the companies it was legal and they needed to comply is really where the fault is. They should be prosecuted. The company is in a no win situation either way.

Anonymous said...

Greetings Erik,

Aaaaaaustin.

Rowing on Town Lake.
Tex-mex
partying on 6th street.

Takes me back to my younger days.

thanks for hitting that Wolf vid and for your comments over at my place.

Have a tamale and a negra modelo for me won't you?

Peace,
Kim

Anonymous said...

If the government has truly been thinking long term about how to slowly remove our liberties and create a police state, why would they stop at W? A president seeking to remain in office after two terms by force would certainly raise the ire of all - especially since W's popularity level is at an all-time low. I suspect that the Original Mavericks are the more likely target of this legislation. You have an old man that has voted 90% of the time with W and will likely die of natural causes in the near term. Palin appears to be a god-fearin' female W that claims to be an Washington outsider. I believe an naive outsider is that much more maleable to the insiders. Control of the presidency is maintained and by extension, the people. While I can't image that Obama's "Change" message would allow him to cave to the increased presidential power that W has been created, we will not know until one or the other is elected.

Erik, thank you for posting this video. In some ways, its message is very similar to W's financial crisis and weapons of mass destruction arguments of our current foreign wars. It has a tone of fear that prompts you to accept the message "or else". There is too much fear in the air these days. I grow weary of it.

Erik said...

EP,

Thanks for your thoughtful response and visiting my blog.

Maybe McCarthyism didn't feel much different than the Patriot Act, but McCarthyism didn't make it "legal" to disappear Americans. During McCarthyism, habeas corpus and posse comitatus were still the rule of law.

The people claiming their rights back didn't have to contend with taking them back from American troops.

If the executive branch told companies that it was legal and their complicity was required to take the lives of at least 100 clients...for the safety of the general population, would you still agree? The companies are in a no win situation because it broke the law. There was one company that said, "Um...We will not go against the Constitution for favor in the rulers' eyes."

You are so right, the people in the Executive branch and the FBI/CIA should prosecuted for their activities here and others that fly in the face of our rule of law!!!

These companies knew darn good and well what they were doing and that it was completely illegal. I used to work for AT&T and even the lowest ranking employees know about rights to privacy...explain to me how telecom executives misunderstood what they were doing.

If a police officer orders you to do something illegal that is not within his capacity to order, the person doing the illegal activity can then be arrested by the police officer.

Integrity and honor are not small things and sometimes you have to stand up.

Regarding FISA, I don't struggle because it doesn't just forgive major US corporations for violating American's 4th amendment rights, it nullifies the 4th amendment.

Erik said...

Hi Kim,

I love your visiting your site and will continue to do so.

Regarding the tamale and Negra Modelo, consider it done. Ok...maybe I did it a couple of times for you last night. :D

Peace and hugs from Texas,

Erik

Erik said...

Droo,
I agree...Why would they stop at W? They certainly didn't start there. W and his impact on the rule of law may end up being the set, rather than the spike.

A cult of personality arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found in dictatorships but can be found in some democracies. (get my drift?)

Obama's change message already allowed him to cave to the power vaccuum: He supported the removal of the 4th amendment through FISA...but I suppose that is change.

This video does have some similarities to the financial crisis and wmd arguments in that it has a tone of fear. However, Naomi says, "DO NOT BELIEVE ME. LOOK THIS UP FOR YOURSELF." That is not accept or perish that is: Here's important information and we need to act quickly. The message also doesn't encourage us to kill people who have had no offense against us or to do anything illegal or to release any of our rights.

I too am weary of the fear thing. I am not fearful, I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

I have really enjoyed your comments on my blog and look forward to a day where you and I might meet.

Anonymous said...

Another worrisome and altogether believable tactic of this administration is manipulation of the media. With Fox News and others towing the party line, I am not surprised that this has finally come to light.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081008-fcc-deepens-probe-into-pentagon-tv-analyst-payola.html

Unfortunately, I believe it will settle into the malaise just as other atrocities have died out. The media lives and dies by new exciting stories, and we humans have such short attention spans. I doubt anyting will come of it.

I agree that Naomi's message is very important, and I was speaking of a general distaste for fear-based messages. The administration has cried wolf so many times that you become accustomed to it. Terror Alert Levels? How long did it finally take for those things to go away?

The America I fear is the one in her video - whereby American soldiers have been programmed to follow orders and are unable to even defend their fellow citizens from the commander-in-chief. It has been 100+ years since our last civil war, and our short memory may prove that these actions are unavoidably cyclical.

As for Obama, he has seriously disappointed me on two issues. One, that he would not consider impeachment, and his approval of FISA. If he is truly a man of integrity and accountability, both of these issues would be important to him. You are correct - he has already caved to the political system that he vowed to change. It is obvious that strongly supporting impeachment early in his campaign would have hobbled or destroyed his ability to gain the Democratic nomination. And FISA was completely unnecessary. In my fantasy world, I imagine that he was one of a few individuals who were privy to critical information that persuaded him to allow this legislation to help us in the intelligence war. Any other scenario is unfathomable. This is a moot point, as I recall that the previous secret court system was working just fine until W changed the playing field.

I have enjoyed your inspiring posts and look forward to more. I am certain we will meet someday and hope we can laugh at this silly mess.