America’s “Free Speech Zones”
2 years, 5 months ago
I’ve only recently heard about enforced “Free Speech Zones” or “Protest Zones” set up for city visits by President Bush and other high-level officials; The Secret Service is instructing local police to arrest any protester who will not move into the designated zone - typically a closed in pen out of sight of the motorcade. Of course this keeps signs of dissent away from both the President and the accompanying media.
The American Civil Liberties Group is in the process of legal action to obtain an injuction against the Secret Service, as well as many many other issues of civil liberties in America. Their website features a vast survey of alleged rights violations by the Bush administration, and is well worth a look.
January 25th, 2006 at 12:16 am
This vicious cycle of political, military, and corporate control seems overwhelming beyond the point of frustration into complete disillusionment. The hypocrisies and abuses that are committed by persons who seek to gain, or maintain arbituary and unnecessary posititions of
political power are - for the most part - unnoticed by large portions of the public. A public that elects and re-elects officials. A public that continues to support the out-dated political systems of the world. A public that continues to consume the products of environmentally unsound producion methods. A public that suffers from the oppression of totalitarian laws and despotic dreams. A public that makes up the police officers, the fighting forces, and the secret police - have these people no individual conscience?
Yet the opposition sits in disarray. The individual does have the power to change the climate. We are all but individuals. Linked inextricably to this planet. For this reason alone I, personally find it mind blowing that there exist people willingly and needless destroying the planet on the premise that “if i didn’t do it someone else would”. ‘That if I didn’t make money out of doing what i do, no matter what i am doing, there would be someone else with even less independant thought that would continue the job - perhaps even underselling me.’
Such lack of faith in the other.
Corporations need the individual to buy their products. The corporations market, and advertise, to the individual.
Militaries need men and women; to clean weapons, to push buttons, to make defensive/offensive strategies, to develop weapons programs, to fire the trigger.
Politicians need votes. The political system requires stable citizens willing to submit.
The Individual can still choose what to do. Make that choice while you still can.