"I read the sad news about the police over-reaction and brutality at a mostly peaceful protest in Oregon this past week. To know that rubber bullets fully capable of making a hole through your body and killing you if you are shot in the head were used on American citizens, young, old and babies sickened me. Pepper spray as well, regardless of the fact that there were women, children and elderly in the crowd. The police are "doing their job", the same as the Nazi’s did "their job". The same as Mugabe’s henchmen are doing "their job", Musharraf the dictator doing "his job". Their job all seems to be the same to me – global terror on innocent civilians and freedom. When I warned of a police state in the U.S. many thought I was crazy or a conspiracy theorist. Neither. I am well informed with a keen eye to put the "real pieces" of the puzzle together. Today the National Guard was called on in Iowa to come out in the name of National Security. Against who? Us? Peaceful protesters? American citizens exercising what they still believe is their right of free speech, free press, the right to assembly peaceably?"
I don't think I can add much to this article. I've been aware that our right to peacfully assemble and protest has been repressed since the 2000 election. The media hasn't covered half of the gatherings that have gone on outside the White House, and police were pushing back protestors at Dubya's inaugeration.
The fact that the government is not only restricting our rights, but also using violence to do so, is causing my emotions to swing between fear and anger. And I'm at a loss of what to do...
Perhaps become an anarchist, as the article states? Too late, I've been one at heart for most of my life. Most people equate anarchism with riots and violence, but in all honesty, it's about not being ruled by anyone. I feel that my life is my business. I'm a big girl and know how to make my own decisions and deal with the consequenses. I don't feel that anyone has the right to tell me what to do. Similarily, I don't feel the need to rule over anyone else, to have that control.
You just need to let go... Chaos really isn't as scary as it seems.
Another article that might not be a bad idea to read is this one which compares some of the current situations to Orwell's Animal Farm.
"In Orwell’s book, if anyone questioned Napoleon, the lead pig on the farm, “the sheep were sure to silence him with a tremendous bleating of 'Four legs good, two legs bad!’” The bleating would continue until all questions were forgotten or dissenters were too intimidated to raise them again. Similarly, the citizens in the auditorium who dared question the sanity of AWOL Bush’s disastrous plans to invade Iraq were drowned out by the GOP sheep obediently bleating 'USA! USA! USA!'"
"A nation of sheep, lead by wolves, owned by pigs..."
How much do you value your rights and freedoms? And what (if anything) are you willing to do if you discover that they are being taken away from you?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
piasharn
