The Tree of Liberty

[TXlib]

Originally posted in the Lounge, but it got no play there...

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Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1787: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants." Earlier in that same letter, he wrote, "God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion." He felt that violent revolution was required every 20 years to keep a government from becoming tyrannical.

I find it reassuring that in the 216 years, we have discovered that the peaceful revolution of the ballot box was sufficient to achieve this goal, to keep the government in check.

Reading the Lootocracy article this morning made me feel very pessimistic, however. We have a greedy, power-hungry regime that has hijacked the US government, looted the Treasury, and is currently installing electronic black-box voting systems across the country. This, coupled with the Fourth Estate of the media being co-opted, and cozying up with this regime, means there will be little to no accountability in the next election.

I never thought I would subscribe to conspiracy theories. I thought those who believed in shadowy, high-level collusion between powerful corporations and the government to subvert the political process were just simply goofy.

But now, I'm one of them.

We have a regime that is unprincipled, and has made it clear before they will do anything to hold onto power. With a voting system that allows no independent audit, controlled by republican-friendly corporations, I deeply fear they have the means and the intention to subvert the next presidential election.

It may not even be a conspiracy at the highest levels. All we need are Katherine Harris types operating independently at the state and regional level, given too much oversight and too little accountability over the regional voting, to result in enough fraud to turn the election against the popular vote -- again.

If that happens, the only way back may be through violence. If enough people become disenfranchised with the political process, they may resort to bullets, rather than ballots, to resolve political differences. The real danger of the black-box voting is that widespread subversion of the vote does not need to happen to create the circumstances that would lead to violence. If the charge of fraud is made, there is no way to disprove it.

This, in my opinion, is the real reason behind the USA PATRIOT Act and its enhancements. It is not merely a means of fighting foreign terrorists, but also of suppressing domestic unrest. It is a means of repressing rebellion.

I really hope my pessimism is unwarranted. I hope the next elections vindicates the rule of law and the voters' will is done. But if it isn't, I sincerely hope the means by which our democracy is restored requires no bloodshed, but nonetheless, is severe enough that future politicians realise with crystal clarity that submitting to the voters' will is far preferable to the alternative.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I wish I had something to say to dispel your fears....

however, it's the same as the thoughts I've been having since the beginning of the year...and they get more pessimisic every day. I know others will tell me, I must stay and fight, I have vowed that if the election goes to Bush in 2004, I will leave the US. I am 'retirement' age and want to live out the remainder of my life in peace, devoted to helping people and the animals of our endangered world. I can't be at peace here....my blood pressure rises to new heights every time W, Rummy, Dick, Rice, or Asscroft speak!!

[tom_paine]

2. There can be little doubt that you are right on target about Enabling Acts

Errr...PATRIOT Act.

It has very little to do with terrorists (although I do suppose they occasionally use it for such, because ther are plenty of professionals who aren't Busheviks trying to do their jobs).

It is ABSOLUTELY design to keep the Imperial Subjects of Amerika in place, cowed and compliant to Imperial Rule.

Combine that with the Right-Wing Paramilitary Groups sprouting up all over under the guise of privatization, Citizen Corps, and the Nationalized Neighborhood Watch, among others, and you have a powerfully frightening range of possibilities opening up.

I imagine the Busheviks as Burglars who have broken into our bedrooms, looting our homes while they point guns at us, saying, "Just be calm. Stay where you are. Relax. Watch the TV. We'll be gone in a minute. Don't make us have to kill your children."

The PATRIOT Act(s) and the Paramilitaries (armed with the authority of Heinrich A$$crust, and hence, the all the power of the Empire itself) and the other stuff I mentioned above are the guns they have pointed at us.

As long as we remain "calm and compliant", these thieves may not feel the urge to shoot our families.

But if we make a move...

That's where we stand. Human nature being what it is, someone or many someones are going to "make a move" as the last remnants of the Old Democratic-Republic are swept away, replaced with Totalitarian-Orwellian Bushevikism (Imperial Oligarchy).

NOTE TO HEINRICH A$$CRUST, ALONG WITH CAPOS AND BUTTONS OF THE BUSHEVIKS: It's not going to be me, but it is going to be someone if you keep stealing everything that made the Old American Republic great, not to mention trillions of dollars and the human future.

Then, of course, is when the bad shit will start happening and all the Nazi/Soviet shoes, that people said were tinfoil BS, will drop.

Just be ready to fight or flee or whatever you dedcide to do when Crunch Time comes.

Because, if the Emperor* is re-appointed in 2004, the American Experiment is officially terminated and Cruch Time in one form or another becomes inevitable, IMHO.