Look, we all know it has become bad. Surveillance cameras everywhere, many of them funded by federal DHS grants. Cops pulling people over for no reason, asking to see your driver's license and quizzing you on where you're going. TSA agents conducting invasive patdowns, which include applying pressure to your genitalia, and obnoxious "chat-downs" asking you about your personal travel details. Police officers at peaceful protests wearing camo and combat-ready body armor. And now we know, based on The New York Times' recent reporting and NSA whistle-blower William Binney, that nearly all American citizens are being spied on by the government without a warrant.
It's heart warming stuff, isn't it? Luckily, only a handful of crypto-fascist morons are promoting this agenda of greater surveillance and more police on the streets. There are 314 million of us. Here's how we can take America back:
1. Remain non-violent and peaceful, at all times. Seriously – things like smashing surveillance cameras and protests turning violent or disorderly will only give those in power and the mainstream media an "excuse" they've been looking for to justify the existence of such programs in the first place. Oh, and the DHS grants won't stop – those surveillance cameras you smash, youthful angry one, will be replaced. Promptly replaced.
2. When you protest, go big. I don't want to see any more rag-tag teams of 10 or 15 chanting protesters with handwritten signs. Use the Internet to organize, do peaceful and fun "flash mobs," make sure attendance is always in the thousands or hundreds of thousands. Stun the rest of us with your silent power. And do it often. NDAA, TrapWire, and the warrantless surveillance programs we now know about threaten the very future of this republic. They threaten your safety, and the next generation's safety. You can't stop until these things are addressed by the masses, addressed by those in power, and fixed.
3. Shirt and tie. Suits. Shaving. Haircuts. The more credible you appear, the more undeniably mainstream – the sooner the rest of America will wake the fuck up.
4. Dominate social media. There are reportedly "sockpuppet accounts" on article comments sections, Twitter, and Reddit trying to normalize things like warrantless wiretapping. "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear – this is to protect us from terrorists only." Fight this propaganda battle tooth and nail. Call out those who don't know what they are talking about. Call out those intentionally distracting or lying.
5. Record it all. We may not all be at your protests, but with YouTube and Vimeo you can reach an audience 100-fold greater the next day.
6. Support good politicians. There aren't many, which is why they need your support – money and time – to remain in office.
7. Never stop. The stakes are too high. If warrantless wiretapping, gropedowns, guilty until innocent, and imprisonment without trial become the "new normal" to keep us safe, we have lost our own country. We have burned our own founding documents. We can't afford to let that happen.
3. Shirt and tie. Suits. Shaving. Haircuts. The more credible you appear, the more undeniably mainstream – the sooner the rest of America will wake the fuck up.
I think this matters a lot more than people believe.
Good advice. I agree with Onyxstorm; No. 3 is far more important than people give it credit for. So is remaining calm, coherent and adhering to proper communication. People look for any reasons to discredit you in an argument, debate or disagreement and they start with what is on the surface. Unfortunately, for most people, the surface is all they need to see to believe something.
As a corporate whore with almost 15 years at a Fortune 500 company I very much agree with #3. I'm out on disability going through serious medical bullshit and decided to make it more bearable by using this time to finally sport the mohawk I've been wanting for years. Wow are people more inclined to be an asshole to you and discount your opinion on whatever topic.
Agree on number 3 as well ... Mathematically the country will be insolvent well before the end of the next decade barring some restraint by our leaders and major changes in foreign policy. So maybe add to the list what has brought down so many Empires and states over time, i.e. blissful apathy. Tune out, spend time with friends and family doing things you like and forget what date it is. We can all meet up at the next Constitutional Congress and try to make things right then.
Honestly I agree with your point of view, was just throwing out a different perspective so to speak. Why push against a giant rotten tree when you could be playing elsewhere.
I liked the article as brief as it was, for that I thank you. In no way am I trying to belittle this as a topic.
Another idea for consideration is to educate yourself and those you correspond with to use strong encryption in email and other electronic communications. Even for well know schemes, encrypting your most mundane communications can make email fun again, cause a great strain on any system trying to scan though it and you can now trust the recipient has not been spoofed (to a much greater degree).
SG_Blog
NEWSWIRE
I'm lost
AUG 30, 2012 11:03 AM