Land of the Surveilled, Home of the Complacent

By Ken Sanders
@ Politics of Dissent

As 2005 drew to a close, there came to light the latest example of the Bush administration's campaign to transform the United States from a nominal democracy to a despotic monarchy. To the dismay of some, but to the surprise of no one, The New York Times revealed that in the wake of 9/11, President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to engage in the warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens.
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Arrogant boasting aside, there is evidence that Bush & Co. knew that taking a red pen to the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment was wrong. Living up to its reputation as "the paper of record," as well as the leader of the rumored "liberal media," The New York Times complied with the White House's request (threat?) and sat on its story for more than a year. Once the Times got around to publishing its story, the White House immediately directed the Justice Department to find out who leaked Bush's dirty little secret and destroy them.
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As for Bush's "everything changed" argument, despite what the White House and its propagandists would like us to believe, everything didn't change after 9/11. Sure, air travel is slightly less convenient than it once was. Otherwise, however, very little is different for most Americans. We are still obsessed with celebrity and are woefully ignorant and apathetic about events occurring around the world. We still drive obnoxiously large trucks and SUVs while insisting that gas be something approaching free. We surround ourselves with gadgets and trinkets without giving a second thought about who made them and under what conditions. In short, we remain just as selfish, complacent, fat and dumb as we were before 9/11.

FULL ARTICLE

(That last clip sums up EXACTLY what I think and feel about America today. The majority of our citizens are ill informed, lazy and apathetic. They can tell you more about a football team than they can about whats going in their own government. They will spend an entire day watching sporting events but won't spend an hour sorting fact from fiction, voting, and can't even be bothered to take the time to make a phone call or send an email to their representatives office to protest something. Those in power know that which is why they have gotten away with so much. They know that American's for the most part only hear the sound bites and don't pay too much attention to the DETAILS. eaprez)