Have we already lost the 'war' on terror?
Back in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11th, 2001 attacks, president Bush implored Americans to not let the terrorists win; to go on with your daily lives, and, most famously, to go shopping or to a movie, to prove we were still going about our daily lives.
And yet at the same time we were told that everything had changed. What had changed? According to president Bush, not our daily rutine, that of shopping and seeing movies would be held intact, and that therefore we would not let the terrorists win.
So what had changed? Apparently, the role of the federal government in our lives and their ability to investigate Americans on a whim.
Bush wants to make the Patriot Act permenant. Permenant. Forever. For all time. Never changing. The norm from now on.
So, on one hand, we still go shopping and to movies, but on the other we will forever revocably alter the very underpinings of our freedom and civil rights. So the most important thing in Bush's new world order is to continue our consumre based capitalist system, and not our deocratic republic.
Which is more significant? The false veneer of stability of going to a movie and shopping, or the restricted rights and freedoms? I would have to classify changing our very foundation of democracy as on a bit higher plane then simply going shopping and to a movie.
Therefore, we have already *significantly* altered our way of life. The terrorists have forced us to alter our very concept of freedom. Haven't they, then, already won?
I'd rather have less shopping choice, and restricted movie access then to live under a government that can investigate any American anytime for any reason whenever they want to. Under current law, they don't even have to show why they want to wire tap someone or dig into their financial records. Any time, any reason, anywhere. That is the current law.
We have for the first time in our history openly condoned torture. Federal authorities have totaly unrestricted access to any Americans private personal information and never have to even say why. Also for the first time in our history as a nation we preemptively attacked a soverign nation with no overt provocation or tangible threat, that, by the way, happened to be based on totaly wrong intelligence.
Maybe they'll make it all into a movie.
And yet at the same time we were told that everything had changed. What had changed? According to president Bush, not our daily rutine, that of shopping and seeing movies would be held intact, and that therefore we would not let the terrorists win.
So what had changed? Apparently, the role of the federal government in our lives and their ability to investigate Americans on a whim.
Bush wants to make the Patriot Act permenant. Permenant. Forever. For all time. Never changing. The norm from now on.
So, on one hand, we still go shopping and to movies, but on the other we will forever revocably alter the very underpinings of our freedom and civil rights. So the most important thing in Bush's new world order is to continue our consumre based capitalist system, and not our deocratic republic.
Which is more significant? The false veneer of stability of going to a movie and shopping, or the restricted rights and freedoms? I would have to classify changing our very foundation of democracy as on a bit higher plane then simply going shopping and to a movie.
Therefore, we have already *significantly* altered our way of life. The terrorists have forced us to alter our very concept of freedom. Haven't they, then, already won?
I'd rather have less shopping choice, and restricted movie access then to live under a government that can investigate any American anytime for any reason whenever they want to. Under current law, they don't even have to show why they want to wire tap someone or dig into their financial records. Any time, any reason, anywhere. That is the current law.
We have for the first time in our history openly condoned torture. Federal authorities have totaly unrestricted access to any Americans private personal information and never have to even say why. Also for the first time in our history as a nation we preemptively attacked a soverign nation with no overt provocation or tangible threat, that, by the way, happened to be based on totaly wrong intelligence.
Maybe they'll make it all into a movie.
posted by opus512 at 6:40 PM
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