If so, it’s very simple to understand the new experiences Americans are about to have in their new, unfree country (internal passports; preventive detention; satellite surveillance; et cetera.)
Just mentally substitute “extremist” for “drug courier,” and use the working definition that “extremist” means anybody who wrote the wrong kind of book (or reads it), wears the wrong kind of T-shirt, or has the wrong color of skin—or, with the devilish cunning so typical of extremists, conceals extremism behind a facade of reading the right books, wearing the right T-shirts, and being white.
The great advantage of this approach, from the perspective of teaching the American people how to be ruled, instead of governed, is that any one of us can be stopped for any reason at all at any time. Judge Pratt, dissenting (via Stitch in Haste (Dorf on law (U.S. v Hooper, 935 F.2d 484))) gives us a list:
To justify their seizure of Hooper’s bag the agents testified he had come from a “source city” and fit the DEA’s “drug courier profile” [“extremist” profile]. Yet the government conceded at oral argument that a “source city” for drug traffic [“extremism”] was virtually any city with a major airport, a concession that was met with deserved laughter in the courtroom. The “drug courier profile” [“extremist” profile] is similarly laughable, because it is so fluid that it can be used to justify designating anyone a potential drug courier [“extremist”] if the DEA agents so choose. “The [DEA] has not committed the profile to writing” and “the combination of factors looked for varies among agents.” United States v. Taylor, 917 F.2d 1402, 1407 n. 8 (6th Cir.1990), vacated, 925 F.2d 990 (6th Cir.1991). Moreover, a canvass of numerous cases reveals the drug courier [“extremist”] profile’s “chameleon-like way of adapting to any particular set of observations.” United States v. Sokolow, 831 F.2d 1413, 1418 (9th Cir.1987), rev’d, 490 U.S. 1, 109 S.Ct. 1581, 104 L.Ed.2d 1 (1989):
Arrived late at night United States v. Nurse, 916 F.2d 20, 24 (D.C.Cir.1990).
Arrived early in the morning United States v. Reid, 448 U.S. 438, 441, 100 S.Ct. 2752, 2754, 65 L.Ed.2d 890 (1980); United States v. Millan, 912 F.2d 1014, 1017 (8th Cir.1990).
One of first to deplane United States v. Millan, 912 F.2d at 1015; United States v. Moore, 675 F.2d 802, 803 (6th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1068, 103 S.Ct. 1521, 75 L.Ed.2d 945 (1983).
One of last to deplane United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 547 n. 1, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 1873 n. 1, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980); United States v. Sterling, 909 F.2d 1078, 1079 (7th Cir.1990); United States v. White, 890 F.2d 1413, 1414 (8th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 825, 111 S.Ct. 77, 112 L.Ed.2d 50 (1990).
Deplaned in the middle United States v. Buenaventura-Ariza, 615 F.2d 29, 31 (2d Cir.1980).
Used a one-way ticket United States v. Johnson, 910 F.2d 1506 (7th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1051, 111 S.Ct. 764, 112 L.Ed.2d 783 (1991); United States v. Colyer, 878 F.2d 469, 471 (D.C.Cir.1989); United States v. Sullivan, 625 F.2d 9, 12 (4th Cir.1980).
Used a round-trip ticket United States v. Craemer, 555 F.2d 594, 595 (6th Cir.1977).
Carried brand-new luggage United States v. Taylor, 917 F.2d at 1403; United States v. Sullivan, 625 F.2d at 12.
Carried a small gym bag United States v. Sanford, 658 F.2d 342, 343 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 991, 102 S.Ct. 1618, 71 L.Ed.2d 852 (1982).
Travelled alone United States v. White, 890 F.2d at 1415; United States v. Smith, 574 F.2d 882, 883 (6th Cir.1978).
Travelled with a companion United States v. Garcia, 905 F.2d 557, 559 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 986, 111 S.Ct. 522, 112 L.Ed.2d 533 (1990); United States v. Fry, 622 F.2d 1218, 1219 (5th Cir.1980).
Acted too nervous United States v. Montilla, 928 F.2d 583, 585 (2d Cir.1991); United States v. Cooke, 915 F.2d 250, 251 (6th Cir.1990).
Acted too calm United States v. McKines, 933 F.2d 1412 (8th Cir.1991); United States v. Himmelwright, 551 F.2d 991, 992 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 902, 98 S.Ct. 298, 54 L.Ed.2d 189 (1977).
Wore expensive clothing and gold jewelry United States v. Chambers, 918 F.2d 1455, 1462 (9th Cir.1990).
Dressed in black corduroys, white pullover shirt, loafers without socks United States v. McKines, supra.
*500 Dressed in dark slacks, work shirt, and hat United States v. Taylor, 917 F.2d at 1403.
Dressed in brown leather aviator jacket, gold chain, hair down to shoulders United States v. Millan, 912 F.2d at 1015.
Dressed in loose-fitting sweatshirt and denim jacket United States v. Flowers, 909 F.2d 145, 146 (6th Cir.1990).
Walked rapidly through airport United States v. Millan, 912 F.2d at 1017; United States v. Rose, 889 F.2d 1490, 1491 (6th Cir.1989).
Walked aimlessly through airport United States v. Gomez-Norena, 908 F.2d 497, 497 (9th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 947, 111 S.Ct. 363, 112 L.Ed.2d 326 (1991).
Flew in to Washington National Airport on the LaGuardia Shuttle United States v. Powell, 886 F.2d 81, 82 (4th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1084, 110 S.Ct. 1144, 107 L.Ed.2d 1049 (1990).
Had a white handkerchief in his hand United States v. Garcia, 848 F.2d 58, 59 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 957, 109 S.Ct. 395, 102 L.Ed.2d 384 (1988).
In our “Looking-Glass” world of drug enforcement, the DEA apparently seeks “to be master” by having “drug courier profile” mean, like a word means to Humpty Dumpty, “just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
We’re all niggers now.
Just be sure to keep smiling. You might get through.
The bass are in the lilies. Pass it on.
NOTE Remember “phantoms of lost liberty”? Happy, innocent times, when we didn’t know how evil these people are, and how bad is was going to get.
Front page
How Bad It's Going To Get
Bush Wants Brain Chips For Citizens
Warrantless Searches And Orwellian Double Speak
The Bush administration tells us the main reason for warrantless wiretapping and searches is, warrantless searches and spying are necessary in order to keep us safe from the terrorist. They imply if we don’t have anything to hide it should not matter if they conduct warrantless searches and that no mater what political party happens to be in power, now or in the future, that this newly granted authority will not be misused. This same line of thinking is parroted mainly by the conservative, bootlicking pundits, bloggers and by what has become known as the graduates of the Joseph Goebbels School of Broadcasting and Propaganda on talk radio.
The intelligence communities involvement in warrantless searches by intercepting and monitoring generated signals (energy) such as email, faxes, etc., has a long history that is steeped in ongoing fraud and conspiracy.
Back in 1981 I was involved in a secret government black budget program to intercept and monitor (without a warrant) people’s thoughts. Basically what they were doing was they were intercepting and monitoring the signal (energy) that is generated by the brain, when a person has thoughts. That was documented to some degree through ABC News 20/20, when they stumbled onto their black budget project.
When Geraldo Rivera was at ABC News 20/20 back in the 70’s he interviewed some people that went to a land development in northwest Arkansas, called Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (Holiday Island was at one time or another connected with, McCulloch Properties, Pratt Properties, Pratt Holding Company, MCO Properties, MCO Resorts, MCO Holdings, and others, see section below titled MCO Properties and Charles Hurwitz).
The people Geraldo interviewed on 20/20 claimed they signed some papers at Holiday Island that they had not read, lost everything they had including homes if they owned homes, cars, businesses, they even lost their identity, as they had no records in government databases, such as drivers licenses, birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc., after having signed papers at Holiday Island, and they also claimed they never got their day in court, and all they were left with was their Bibles. The people that were being interviewed also claimed they could work but didn’t get to keep their pay if they were paid by check, and that people from Holiday Island kept doing things to them that made them paranoid. Bagabonds without a home is what I think Geraldo referred to the Holiday Island victims as, Geraldo tried to confront someone that was connected with Holiday Island, about all this. Their comment was, no comment.
Wireless Surveillance
Microchipped Guinea Pigs
At one time Holiday Island had a fair amount of people touring their property, from all over the country. One would naturally assume that the people Geraldo was interviewing on 20/20, that claimed the people from Holiday Island “kept doing things to them that made them paranoid”, came from various parts of the country. That means that whoever it was, doing things to these people, as they claimed, had a large network of people working with them or for them.
In 1981 they were still presenting documents at Holiday Island for those people that they singled out, that was written in a secret code or foreign language, (note the people Geraldo interviewed claimed they signed papers at Holiday Island that they had not read) and they told people, something along the lines that implied it was to verify who you are. No one said, if you sign this your giving up your rights, freedoms, liberties, access to the courts, property, privacy, volunteering into a black-op experiment to monitor your thoughts, and you agree to keep this secret, etc., etc.
People would naturally be very suspicious and think it very odd to say the least, if they were signing papers written in English, to buy property, and then someone came up with a paper for them to sign that was written in some sort of secret code or foreign language, that they could not make out by reading it. There would be very few people that would ever sign such a paper, under those circumstances, of their own free will and accord and no reasonable person would expect, under normal conditions, that anyone presented with such a paper or document would sign it.
At one time Holiday Island would give you $50.00 and a night’s lodging in a motel if you agreed to take a tour of their property. What I recall was, the paid for motel office was not opened for the most part, as if they didn’t want any other guests or business. The motel didn’t appear to have anyone else staying there or very few people if any, even though it was in the middle of tourist season. The motel was located in the tourist town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
They isolated their patsy that they singled out for a reason. More than likely, so they could implant them with a microchip. Then they continued their fraud and conspiracy to cover that up, in case they were ever exposed, by hypnotizing their victim, so they would sign a paper the next day at Holiday Island, that was written in a foreign language or some sort of secret code that I referred to above, and was substantiated through ABC’s 20/20, on the show in question, when the people they interviewed stated that “they had signed papers at Holiday Island that they had not read”.
You might find it interesting to know that shortly after having visited Holiday Island in 1981, I noticed a mark that looks like a scar, that was caused by a fairly deep cut, on my right hand, below my little finger. But I never cut myself there.
Adventures With The Spooks
My experience and adventure in dealing with Holiday Island and those connected with it, are somewhat different, than the people that were interviewed by ABC News 20/20, regarding that land development in Arkansas, in part for the following reasons. When I went to Holiday Island in 1981 I had forgotten that I saw the ABC News show about Holiday Island. Driving back to Kansas from Holiday Island I remembered that Holiday Island was documented by ABC News 20/20. Once they realized that I knew that, they more than likely were somewhat spooked.
Shortly after having visited Holiday Island I found a note in my apartment saying something along the line that the objective was to create paranoia and it was signed CEPO. Rather that was the actual name of the program or operation they were using, or rather CEPO was being used as a cover in case they were ever exposed, I don’t know.
It was several years later while looking things up on the internet I came across someone with a private business, that claimed in his qualifications that he had at one time worked as a contractor in a CIA program called CEPO and that program had to do with detecting rather or not a person was telling the truth. Regardless of that, I thought they were monitoring my thoughts, from almost the very beginning, from the way they were acting and what they were doing, It wasn’t that hard to figure out they were trying to screw with my mind by what they were doing and the means they had to do it with.
If you think about what I just said, it fits in with what the people Geraldo interviewed said, when they claimed that “the people from Holiday Island kept doing things to them that made them paranoid”. That’s makes sense, because if someone knew your every thought and knew your every move because they were intercepting and monitoring your thoughts and decided to use psychology on you, it would naturally make you paranoid as they played with your mind, played on your fears, etc., as they tried to control and manipulate you.
As far as the vanishing documents that disappeared out of the government databases, the only way I have ever heard of (from experts) to get to get records (such as birth certificates, etc,.) out of government databases, like the Holiday Island victims claimed on ABC News 20/20, is to expatriate (to leave one’s own country, banish, exile, to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one’s native country, also : to renounce allegiance to one’s native country) from America.
The people that would have benefited the most and had the means to make the Holiday Island victims files vanish out of the governments databases, would have been the CIA. If they were ever exposed, they could then claim that the people they were intercepting while monitoring their thoughts without a warrant, were not really American citizens and they had a document that was signed by the alleged victims to prove it, and therefore, they were not violating constitutional protected rights of American citizens. Being the CIA has never been required to reveal their methods, they would not have to explain how they obtained the document from the alleged victims.
The number one suspect behind this illegal, unethical, secret operation that I write about and that was substantiated through ABC News 20/20 when they stumbled onto them, would be the CIA and their network.
From known facts, the most reasonable, logical explanation for what happened to Holiday Island victims was, the CIA was using American citizens to test their thought monitoring technology on, in an experiment or program. They were using the land development to work out of and were using the land sale transaction as a cover for their operation.
The New World Order Network
Whatever Holiday Island was at the time, or the companies that owned or controlled it, they were not afraid of the Arkansas government or the Federal Government coming after them, even after having been investigated by the Federal government and after having been exposed on national television by ABC News 20/20 when they stumbled on to them and documented Holiday Island back in the 70’s. That should tell you something.
It should be obvious by now, that the CIA and their network were not afraid of the oversight committees (a dog and pony show for the American people) that was set up in the 70’s to watch over the intelligence community around the same time this black budget program appears to have first come online.
So you have the CIA with its documented sordid past of being involved in, overthrowing governments, assassinations, drug running, spying on Americans, conducting human experimentation, corroborating with Nazi war criminals, working with mobsters, money laundering, and here recently being involved in the medieval practice of torture, sneaking around in society for 30 or so years, while having technology to monitor people’s thoughts, building up a network, while hiding behind a cloak of secrecy,
They used their thought monitoring technology to build up their network, by screwing with people’s minds and terrorizing them in order to manipulate them to do their bidding. Blackmailing others they found useful to further their cause, along with a segment of evil like minded defects they chose to let in their plot.
These people prey on society like a dangerous spreading cancer. Although their network that I and others talk about and warn you about seems to be made up of a wide cross section of the population, some of the most useful individuals that make up their network, that they use to mold society to their liking, are judges, politicians, civil servants, military officers, a segment of the intelligence community, and of course the press.
Later on in order to legitimize their covert operation and bring online their technologies for the surveillance society, they (the secret network within the Government and their comrades) staged and/or let 9/11 happen. Then they passed dangerous, draconian legislation trampling the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the rule of law and started a Global Never Ending War on Terror, that in truth, in fact, in reality, rests and is based on a foundation of lies and fraud.
These people are best described as double traitors. Not only are they traitors to their own country, they are also traitors to the human race that they seek to control, enslave, and exterminate.
Common sense should tell you that they never would have tried to pull off the made for tv attack on September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center had they not of had an embedded network in place to make sure the event happened, the personnel in place to suppress and cover up what really happened, and the means to put out prolonged propaganda in the form of spin and disinformation in order to keep the public distracted, misinformed, dumbed down, confused and terrorized by their continual fear mongering.
Considering the fact that the illegal Iran Contra affair, (known as the secret government within the government) was trading guns for drugs and went on for five years before it became known and it involved 1000’s of participants, it should not be difficult to fathom what I said above about having a secret network in place to cover for the real criminals that had most to gain from such an event.
Media Black-Out
What Holiday Island is today, the companies that owned it or were connected with it, or who owns it today, etc., etc. I don’t know, but when that story first broke on ABC News 20/20, in the 70’s, it must of been the buzz, in the political circles of Arkansas, as you can imagine.
Several years back I called what I was led to believe was the producers office for ABC News 20/20 and told them about the show in question and had them check their files to find out when it was aired. After a few minutes the person came back on the phone and said, she could not find information on it because she didn’t know what that show was categorized under.
In the mean time, you have Mrs. Clinton running for president and the controlled media spiking this story, in their attempt to fool the American public into thinking they are going to get something different and better, rather than the conservative neocons if they vote for Mrs. Clinton. In reality, if Mrs. Clinton becomes President the American people are going to get another person with very strong CIA ties, that is of the same ilk as Bush - Cheney.
Then there was the time I tried to contact ABC News about Holiday Island. As I remember it, sometime around August or September of 1981, I was planning on calling American Broadcasting Corporation in New York in regards to Holiday Island, being 20/20 did a report on them. I called information (or what I thought was information) to get their New York phone number and information told me the number was something like 212- blank, blank, blank, 2020. I thought it somewhat odd at the time, that they would have a main phone number that ended with 2020, plus it spooked me at the time because I thought the people connected with Holiday Island knew I was trying to give ABC News more information on Holiday Island and they were trying to prevent that from happening. So I called back, told information again what I was wanting and this time they gave me a different phone number for ABC. After that number was dialed and connection was made a lady answered by saying “American Broadcasting Corporation.” I then changed my mind and decided to give the lady I was talking to the name of the Holiday Island agent I dealt with when I was there in July of that year and asked to speak to him. After I did that the lady seemed startled and said “you want to talk to who.” I then told her his name again and she said “ah, ah, ah,” then she snapped off “just a minute.” Then there was a oddball click that I have never heard before then silence then another click then more silence. Anyway after all that happened, I hung up because I believed they had intercepted that call and I was not really talking to anyone from the American Broadcasting Corporation.
The lady may have gotten somewhat confused when I asked to speak to the agent from Holiday Island because if these implants work like I think they do, what they were using to pick up the generated thought signals of others has a strong, sensitive receiving mechanism and at the time there was someone standing in close proximity to me. That’s what may have confused her, because she was also picking up his generated thoughts even though he wasn’t chipped. If that’s true, that would mean that not only did those that they chip have their rights violated, but also anyone that was in close proximity to them.
In Typical Clinton Fashion Hillary Denies, Denies, Denies
On July 18, 2006 I posted a article on the internet titled “Warrantless Spy Program Monitoring People’s Thoughts”. On July 21, New York Daily News published a article titled “Hil frets chips will be put in kids’ brains”. The article quotes Mrs. Clinton “At the rate that technology is advancing, people will be implanting chips in our children to advertise directly into their brains and tell them what kind of products to buy”. The New York Democrat said the country was performing a “massive experiment”…..
I can’t help but wonder, what would the odds be of Hillary Clinton talking about such obscure subjects as implanting chips in people’s brains, virtual slaves and massive experiments being performed on Americans, just hours after that post appeared?
I won’t be surprised if one day someone discovered that their secret network (secret society) uses the press to pass coded directions or information to their fellow comrades in their network. I’ve read main stream news articles on how they could do that through the press. That would not be the first time in history that something like that happened.
Why Am I Now The Only One Talking About This?
Did the people interviewed on 20/20 in regards to the program in question, die mysteriously, and under questionable circumstances, like so many other people that the Clinton’s were associated with? Arkan-cided is what some people call it, or CIA-cided like others say, because there is not really any difference between the two. Perhaps the reason other people are not talking about this matter any more is, they were driven insane by the unregulated mind manipulators and their candy store of hidden technology. Perhaps some of their early victims may have been recruited into their network, that I talk about and that is why they are not talking any more?
The only people that would truly consider me a threat of any kind, would be the network or maybe a better term would be secret society that I write about and try to warn you about.
Bush Administration Warrantless Spy Program - A Trojan Horse
Regardless of what The Bush Administration says on alleged changes to their Warrantless Wiretapping, the facts remain that the Eschalon Spy Program has been around long before the War On Terrorism began, intercepting, phone calls, faxes, email, without a warrant. Also the Israeli back door into the phone system, that was documented on Fox News when they did a 4 part series on the largest spy ring ever uncovered in America, can be used to spy on Americans. So you might ask yourself, being Bush and his comrades already are monitoring and intercepting phone calls, email and faxes, what were they really up to?
I would say, based on my experience and on what other people have said along these lines, along with other factors, that the Bush administration through their warrantless wiretapping program are more than likely trying to legitimize what their secret network has been doing all along. That is, monitoring people’s thoughts without a warrant, by intercepting generated signals.
I am trying to point out, through this article, that these people, no mater who they are, have already misused this technology against American citizens and this has gone on in administration after administration and the dangers that can cause to a free society.
If they could sneak up on those Holiday Island victims that were documented by ABC News 20/20, (and others) through stealth, and monitor their thoughts. the question begs to be asked, will they be able to some day sneak up on the rest of the American people, somehow? If they are ever able to do that, it won’t mater how repressive the government gets. If they know your every thought and move, it would make it rather futile to resist, unless there was a way to cloak your thoughts or something along those lines. Being they already have a documented history of trying to sneak up on other people, one would assume that would be their preferred method of operation to implement their technology.
Perhaps with advancements in this 30+ year old technology that they have, they will be able to turn people into virtual human slaves? That may not be as far out as you think considering that the Washington Post has published a article titled “Mind Games” that claims the military is working on such types of technology.
In official documents such as Air Force 2025, they admit they want a micro chipped society. The cutting edge of this technology now appears to have evolved toward smart dust devices that are tiny wireless microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) that can detect everything from light to vibrations. Thanks to recent breakthroughs in silicon and fabrication techniques, these “motes” could eventually be the size of a grain of sand, though each would contain sensors, computing circuits, bidirectional wireless communications technology and a power supply. If their telling us about all that, what else aren’t they telling us about and hiding behind a cloak of national security?
The security they talk about is in reality, security for themselves, their friends, their embedded political cronies and network, for they can use thought monitoring technology to enrich themselves, in the hopes of enslaving America and then ultimately the world, through their contrived wars, emergencies, dangers and fear mongering, before more people wake up to their evil scams, crimes, fraud, conspiracies and treason.
If they were truly worried about terrorist attacking America again, they never would have left the borders wide open for the last 6 years and let millions and millions of illegal, undocumented people from all over the world enter this country. Anyone with even a little bit of common sense should be able to see that.
The people that George Bush and his ilk truly perceive as being the most dangerous, are individuals like me, that are putting out info bombs like this article, trying to wake up others to the truth by exposing The New World Order and their crimes, frauds, conspiracies and treachery.
Why I Write About This
Basically I am just corroborating what has already been documented to some extent, through ABC News 20/20 and the people they interviewed, and expanding on what they didn’t tell and/or didn’t know at the time, when the stumbled on to what has all the hallmarks of a secret black budget, illegal, covert, unethical, operation.
Hopefully by me writing about this, and telling what I know, it will encourage others that have knowledge about this matter to step forward. I also hope that other truth seekers also research this matter for themselves and hopefully help expose what’s going on and/or expand on this research, because this is one of the most vital issues of are time and has enormous implications. Hopefully by exposing their evil plot it will ultimately help make the world a safer, better place, not only for us now here, but also for future generations yet to come.
I am just an average Joe, that loves life, it’s wonders, beauty, freedom, liberty, privacy and our beloved Republic, and expect good, honest government, and do not like or appreciate other people’s sorry attempt to get me caught up in their ongoing frauds and conspiracies against myself and/or others, by keeping quite about this.
What qualifies me to tell you what I think about all this and give you my opinion about this, is the fact that I saw the ABC News 20/20 show documenting what I consider to be a slam dunk, government, black budget operation dealing with the subject at hand - That I was at Holiday Island in 1981 - And that I have off and on over the last 26 or so years had to deal with these people, their network, secret society, or whatever you want to call them.
To those of you that have linked to or reposted this article, in it’s various forms over the last year or so, let me say thank you. Good job! To those of you that have read this article and have not heeded this warning, you’re playing into The New World Order’s hands. Don’t say you have not been warned!
Caveat Emptor
When reading this article please keep in mind that what I have written here I believe to be true, but like I said their does not appear (for obvious reasons) to be a lot of documentation available to me at this time to go along with all of what I allege. Please also keep in mind that to some degree some of what I have written here are my personal opinions and beliefs.
Developing …
Michael Welsh
New World Order… I just
New World Order…
I just hope people get the message through examples like this that we are gradually being conditioned to give up our rights. Behavior detection sounds like something out of 1984! Whats next? Thought Police?
obedience is virtue
Sadly, we will need to comply with a host of new controls in order to remain safe from terrorist attacks. This means real-time surveillence and Real ID for everyone. Obviously not everyone is a terrorist or categorical four lawbreaker, but how is Homeland Security to know who is and who isn’t without real-time data? Today’s loving father of four and long-time elder of the local church could be tomorrow’s bomb-throwing extremist or jihadi sympathizer. Total awareness coupled with random patrol intercepts conducted by well-trained ground or airborne search and detection teams is the only way we can be sure that the next 911 or multi-million dollar drug shipment will never happen. Thank you.
when are you going to learn?
That’s right. More and more controls are coming. Get real people. It’s a whole new world out there.
Bollocks
The next 9/11 will happen exactly and only when Our Betters decide to let it happen. I’d say before the six month FISA sunset, but then I’m bitter and paranoid.
Now, back to consuming and smiling!
NOTE I’m assuming that Eric May’s post isn’t ironic. I could be wrong.
We. Are. Going. To. Die. We must restore hope in the world. We must bring forth a new way of living that can sustain the world. Or else it is not just us who will die but everyone. What have we got to lose? Go forth and Fight!—Xan
You're Right, We Will Be Safe
Hey eric may, you’re absolutely right. We will not be necessarily safe unless we give up our freedom. The question, then, is whether we want to be completely safe from terrorist attacks or if we want to be free. The hope is that by being free, people will not need explosions to be heard. Nobody wants another handful of people to die in a 9/11 (it’s always sad when 3000 people die, but let’s not delude ourselves; since the start of the Iraq war, the number of Iraqis dead there is estimated to be on the order of 100 times higher), and if it does happen, huge damage will be dealt not just to the people involved but to our country’s moral integrity; when a little war happens here, we freak out and go on attacking countries we don’t need to attack. Clearly it’s disastrous if another 9/11 occurs, on a horrible scale. But is it worth losing all our freedom for it? The safer we try to be, the more freedom it costs — usually. Clearly the best solutions are the more cost-efficient ones in terms of freedom. But I ask again, is it necessarily worth giving up the freedom that makes us proud to be American for some more protection against that kind of small-scale personal and large-scale political disaster?
I recommend that you listen to Jason Robert Brown’s musical Songs for a New World, which, though it’s about personal choices rather than political choices, explores the question of freedom versus security, not coming to a conclusion. I believe that the best solution may be a compromise between the two, but if that’s the case we damn well better exhaust all of our non-freedom-encroaching resources before doing that, and those resources include diplomacy. If you read Al-Qaeda’s statements, it’s obvious that they’re not just crazy: they’re upset about something we’re doing. They’re not attacking us because we’re infidels; they’re attacking us because they see us as imperialist. While they’re obviously wrong in attacking us, the solution may involve that we stop pissing them off, too, rather than just making us fascist.
That Was Me, Sorry
I guess I forgot to put my name there? I wrote that last long comment about freedom vs. security. Also, I was a math major and that question was hard. ;p
9-11 never needed to happen
It is amazing that people continue to trust homeland security to the same people who blew it on 9-11.
There were plenty of warnings, specific ones, that if heeded would have headed off that disaster.
And I’d like to know how “the most powerful military force on earth” can allow several errant planes to fly into our most strategic areas of the U.S. without being intercepted and diverted and/or shot down?
Why do we not feel secure that this can never happen again, when FAA regulations require such inteception, even before 9-11 and surely they should afterwards?
How can all the inspections in the world compare with this simple strategic answer?
And if you knew your plane was going to be flown into a strategic target, wouldn’t you agree to have it diverted or shot down? I know that I would.
Giving up our freedoms does not make us free. Nor does it make us safe.
When will people put down their fear, and choose to stand up and live like true Americans again?
Sincerely,
Paul Petschek
You know something?
The USA has been becoming more and more like the defunct Soviet Union - encouraging people to snitch on each other, wiretapping their phones, building huge detention camps, and now internal passports. For years I have been saying that the only reason Condi Rice was hired was for her unparalleled expertise on the mechanics of the Soviet repressive apparatus. Regularly, what I see in the news tends to confirm and reinforce my perception of this.
public narratives
If one person is busted for wearing “black slacks” and another for flying from a “source city” and another for an “impeach cheney first” button, why not save the domestic surveillors the trouble of surveilling: set up a web site (newsgroup, whatever); everyone with any fear of the loss of our civil liberties could post where they were going or what they were doing on a given day. The result would be a genuine database—or could be with the assistance of a PERL programer—of *all* that was reported going on that day that didn’t raise red flags, which would serve to place the things that did raise red flags—I’m using a cliche, no reference to communism—in perspective, show ludicrous and flimsy excuses for what they are. I know it got turned into a pepsi commercial, but the analogy is everyone saying “I am Spartacus.”
A transparent movement cannot be infiltrated...
Nice idea, AC. Can you program it?
We. Are. Going. To. Die. We must restore hope in the world. We must bring forth a new way of living that can sustain the world. Or else it is not just us who will die but everyone. What have we got to lose? Go forth and Fight!—Xan