Intro: "If you've ever noticed an inconspicuous dome-shaped camera out in public, chances are good that a private company called Abraxas, consisting of highly-skilled CIA elites in Northern Virginia, have noticed you. And above just noticing you on camera, they have your face on file, track your movements from place to place, and know what car you drive, your home address, your occupation, and only God (and the CIA) knows what else."
'Those who make nonviolent revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.' - JFK (photo: unknown)
Time for a Revolution
17 August 12
"Those who make nonviolent revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK
"God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion." - Thomas Jefferson
"Power concedes nothing without a demand ... The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." - Frederick Douglass
f you've ever noticed an inconspicuous dome-shaped camera out in public, chances are good that a private company called Abraxas, consisting of highly-skilled CIA elites in Northern Virginia, have noticed you. And above just noticing you on camera, they have your face on file, track your movements from place to place, and know what car you drive, your home address, your occupation, and only God (and the CIA) knows what else, thanks to a program called TrapWire unearthed by Wikileaks and Anonymous. A whitewash scrub story by the New York Times calls the program "counter-terrorism software," but these leaked Stratfor emails show that TrapWire is mainly used to monitor activists, not terrorists.
The biggest news of the week that nobody's noticed thanks to the Olympics and Miley Cyrus's new haircut is that the Obama administration is appealing Manhattan federal judge Katherine Forrest's ruling that the indefinite detention clause of the National Defense Authorization Act is unconstitutional. The White House has presented no evidence to support their case, but they're still appealing, based on their claim that the executive branch has the right to put anyone deemed a potential terrorist threat in military jail for an indefinite period of time. The most troubling part of this story is that the White House refuses to say whether or not they're still indefinitely detaining people even after Forrest's ruling.
And the anti-protest law, HR 347, that was easily passed through both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Obama without so much as a peep from the media, makes it a felony for anyone to protest anyone, anywhere, where there is secret service protection. To capture the sad irony award of the year, the Department of Homeland Security assisted the Philadelphia Police Department in arresting dozens of nonviolent protesters guilty of nothing else than expressing First Amendment rights of free speech and free assembly at the Occupy National Gathering, in the same city that's home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell of all places, on the 4th of July weekend, of all times. On this chilling video, the last feed of the last livestreamer shortly before an unjustified arrest, you can hear the cameraman remind his fellow kettled protesters that they haven't been given any charges, nor any opportunity to disperse before a mass illegal arrest, which is technically a kidnapping.
Perhaps the calculated media silence is because corrupt governments and corporations don't like to have their corruption documented on film and seen by the public. In my current city, Manchester, New Hampshire, one man is facing 21 years in prison, or 3 7-year counts of felony wiretapping, for recording a Manchester police officer slamming the face of a high school student into a cafeteria table.
Our securitized surveillance police state has shown how it reacts to nonviolent protest movements - harsh and brutal retaliation. Protesters nonviolently demonstrating at a meeting of Northeastern governors and Canadian officials in Burlington, Vermont, were attacked with pepper balls and rubber bullets. Anaheim, California, is under what amounts to martial law after the unprovoked murder of an unarmed man by police. Even chalk drawings now are apparently cause for police to shoot artists with rubber bullets, like they did recently in Los Angeles. And in London before the Olympics, a group of bicyclists were tackled by police, pepper-sprayed and arrested for doing nothing other than riding bikes.
So, just to recap - we live in a country where your every move is monitored and tracked by thousands of cameras, where you can be deemed a terrorist threat without a shred of evidence, where protesting politicians and filming police is a felony, and anyone can be indefinitely detained without trial or representation at the order of the President. This means the entire bill of rights is being blatantly disregarded by the current government, with the exception of amendments 2 and 3. The only things that don't appear to be serious crimes worthy of government action are mass shootings like the recent ones in Colorado, Wisconsin and Texas, and, of course, the deliberate mortgage fraud perpetuated by the world's biggest banks, who all just got a free pass from the United States Department of Justice.
The only appropriate government response to mass shootings seems to be thoughts and prayers, combined with more prayers and and thoughts. And the government's official response to bankers kicking families out of their homes so they could buy a newer Bentley was to not press any charges. After all, there are more serious criminals to pursue, like people protesting the behavior of banks.
In a nation with a somewhat reasonable government, like Iceland, a nonviolent protest movement can sometimes lead to the current government being voted out, tried for their crimes, and replaced with a new government that arrests bankers, forgives fraudulent mortgage debt, and crowdsources a new constitution directly from the people.
Concerning less reasonable governments, like the Assad regime in Syria, a nonviolent protest movement had no choice but to take up arms against their government when their protesting was met with cold-blooded murder of children at the hands of state military and police. And after the loss of thousands of lives, the people appear to have almost achieved the seemingly impossible victory of overthrowing their tyrant. Good for them.
Though our elections are rigged, the state isn't yet massacring its citizens in the streets. I'd like to think the ability for the US government to be reasonable lies somewhere between Iceland and Syria. Because Occupy's methods of nonviolent, momentary disruption of society for the sake of civil disobedience were only met with state-sponsored violence and blatant suppression of freedoms, this means tactics must now be amplified if we're to force meaningful change. Acts of protest must now become acts of rebellion, like refusing to waive your 4th amendment rights at a border patrol checkpoint. It can mean blocking the Texas leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. It could even be similar to Roger Pion's retaliation to police in Vermont, when he ran over all their cruisers with his tractor in response to their constant harassment.
The state's first mistake was thinking they could continue their goal of redistributing the last of the wealth owned by the middle class to the richest 1% without resistance. Their second mistake was brutally suppressing the nonviolent uprising that swept the country last Fall, and then continuing their class war as if nothing had happened. If this government makes the third mistake of not responding to the multiple demands that have been made for accountability, for fair elections, or even just an equal shot at a good life for everyone, then the citizens have every right to do what according to Jefferson, should've rightfully been done a long time ago. If small acts of rebellion are ignored, the United States could become the next Syria. In all of history, no tyrannical power has ever conceded peacefully.
Carl Gibson, 24, of Lexington, Kentucky, is a spokesman and organizer for US Uncut, a nonviolent, creative direct-action movement to stop budget cuts by getting corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. He graduated from Morehead State University in 2009 with a B.A. in Journalism before starting the first US Uncut group in Jackson, Mississippi, in February of 2011. Since then, over 20,000 US Uncut activists have carried out more than 300 actions in over 100 cities nationwide. He currently lives in Manchester, New Hampshire. You may contact Carl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
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Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
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As one Idiot Senator said how can there be global warming when we can build a snow man and igloo on the mall in Wash DC, which his kids actually did a couple years ago. However, the real problem is the millions of idiots that voted for these morons. Until food prices doubles or triples these stupid people will not get it – and by then it just might be too late to stop global warming.
As long as the oil and coal companies continue to own the politicians, nothing is going to change on Capital Hill. Until there are two hundred thousand really, really pissed off people on Capital Hill (all at the same time) raising some serious hell absolutely nothing is ever, ever going to happen to these totally bought and paid for by the richest 50 people in the world that are becoming more and more powerful with each passing rigged election thanks to the stupid people.
As we prepare for the rebellion we must not vote for the re election of anyone in federal office now. Kick out the corrupt creatures who infest our government.
1. They were told to.
2. They disagreed with them anyway.
They don't crack down on the t-baggers for the same reasons in reverse.
Honestly, if you think the U.S. government couldn't squash an armed revolt like a bug, you're kidding youself.
Besides, suppose there REALLY WAS another civil war...
How do expect that to go down? This time it wouldn't be divided so much on geographic lines as purely ideological ones. While 99% don't belong in the 1%, at least 25% of us agree with them anyway, and another 30% or 40% wouldn't commit to a fight.
NOW, add the fact that the police and U.S. military would be fighting against us...
Ever pissed into the wind?
Think about it, a hundred thousand or so military personel were able to take over the entire country of Iraq and Afghanistan. That's taking over FOREIGN countries with entire populations that want them out. Imagine our ENTIRE military against a few thousand nut cases. Imagine that no one else wants to join the few thousand goof balls. THAT'S REALITY.
One reason the Russian Revolution succeeded was that the Cossacks refused to fight the people.
Leon Trotsky said that as he and a crowd of proletarians were marching past a policeman, the policeman winked at them. Trotsky said at that moment he knew they were going to win.
The violent OWS types who talk about fighting the police are fools. They are not fighting the cops, they are merely testing their patience. If the cops wanted to, they would wipe those fools out in two minutes.
Then you are likely aware that Syria is (soon to be was) one of the few Middle Eastern nations where Christians are free to worship.
And that our sworn enemy Al Qaeda(now our friends strangely enough)are leading players receiving financing and encouragement in no small way from CIA/MI6 (Turkey and the Mossad have also provided fingerprints) sponsored operatives so they can bring "democracy" to the people of Syria (unless they are Alawites or Christians of course).
The illogic of all this is trumped by the reality that it pleases Bibi and his Likudnik friends in Israel and Washington.
And a final thought about the acts you ascribe to the Syrian government; you are aware that our benevolent Emperor in DC claims exactly the same right for his government?
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/20/syria-protests-continue-a_n_838120.html
from USraeli mass media - pay attention - shooting at the government forces and burning down government buildings IS NOT PEACEFUL protest. Then google bit - and find out that Syria "revolution" was started by Al CIAda with Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain men and arm insurgency.
"The government is only trying to protect citizens from foreign terrorists led by Al CIAda and the corrupt US government" is correct ....
--John Spritzler
spritzler@comcast.net
Where are the media .. they are in Moscow criticizing Putin!
we live in a country where your every move is monitored ... anyone can be indefinitely detained without trial or representation at the order of the President (Obama). People WAKE UP!
No I do NOT like this man. Yet if we do not vote for him, Evil Robots Inc. take over.
We are in TERRIBLE trouble, my friends. I am very old, and my dreams go back to the rise of the Third Reich -- and the people, THEN, who thought if we just "went along" and ignored it, it would all be OK.
They, and their apathy, would soon be ashes.
Nuclear ammo penetrates tank armor. Enters operator's environment-bur ns at a very high temperature, creates fires-sets off nuclear radiation, poisonous gases. If the operator is not instantly killed, slowly may die of nuclear radiation. Many soldiers return home with radiation diseases- usually affects reproduction. Bush and Cheney have to be very careful about which countries they wish to vacation in-several countries (including some Eastern states in the U.S.)have outstanding arrest warrents for them. The book, "The Ugly American" while written some time ago, is worth reading.
I hope that they enjoy my less-than-purty moosh on their cameras. It's not goin' to stop me being a raving lefty!
I may have to start wearin' my kilt on windy days, just to give the poor, humorless ol' darlins something to eyeball -might get done for indecent bum-showin or worse.
To quote the Monty Python/Johns Cleese Kn-n-n-iggit on the battlements "Ah fart in their general directions"!
Officially, I see no evil, I speak no evil, I hear no evil.
Unofficially, as you already know, it's a different matter.
Didn't your parents teach you that it is not nice to peek?
Stop doing it, or I will send you to bed without your supper! And definitely no dessert for you.
Most shocking of all is the Obama administration supporting the NDAA and even challenging in court when a judge declared it unconstitutiona l. Yes, American citizens can be arrested and detained indefinitely by their own military. Every founding father has rolled over in the grave several times on that one.
John Kennedy said it best with "Those who make nonviolent revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
If we don't demand change, we are headed for massive troubles.
Thanks for that quote -and it's inferences.
It is time for everyone to stop and think long and hard about where we stand as a nation. If you still think there is a "lesser of two evils" you are sadly mistaken. Evil is evil any way you look at it. Unless we all wake up and start voting differently, paying attention to issues that truly matter and stop living in fear we will end up in really bad shape as individuals, as communities and as a nation.
It sort of helps you to talk lefties out of compromising to vote for the lesser of two evils, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SUPPORT THE GREATER EVIL.
sad. and a self-indictment .
With every solicitation for funds from the dem's that I get, I send them a scathing letter in return, sans $$$, telling them to earn my support. I'm sure I'm not alone.
My few bucks goes to the Eliz. Warrens and her ilk.
Of course should he lose, his freaks are going to holler that if ONLY we, the penniless, had give money equal to what Romney brought in, he would have won.
And, it does no good for the wise to speak up because the STUPID are so much louder.
Plus, the wise will soon be made non-people, and only the idiots will be allowed to speak. Pretty much as is already true, on the broadcast media.
We are in a re-play of Europe, 1939, but there is NO memory, and the country is too dumb to know it. Like Rachael, I am weeping for my children.
The deaths would be for nothing. Citizens would not win. This isn't a revolution in France. Citizens cannot win in modern U.S.A.
PERIOD!
Mr. Billy Bob,
Just where do you come off labeling RSN as a 'left-wing site?'
You disclose a complete misunderstandin g of what an open forum is all about, PERIOD.
Insult was not the essence of my question.
Why do you label this site at all?
Is the First Amendment Right-Wing, Left-Wing, or Helicopter-Wing?
What does 'Open Forum' mean to you?
What ideological restrictions would YOU like to put on RSN's WEB site?
Do you want only American citizens to post comments?
Should non-citizens be barred from commenting?
Should foreign nationals be barred from commenting?
If you consider yourself left-wing and want to submit comments to a left-wing WEB site, then you should start your own LEFT-WING WEB site.
You have no right to usurp the authority to label a site that is not your own, PERIOD!
No. I don't think you can do what you're wanting to do just like the Founding Fathers. In fact, you don't even have the same goals as they did. They wanted a chance to vote for their government. You're trying to undo the vote that's already taken place.
Sure this author has experience in all that he is credited for, but has he witnessed hollow point bullets hitting a comrade in the streets of Omaha Neb.? How would he feel when his town is firebombed?
All the above sounds extreme until one examines the realities of the domestic militarization of the U.S. To blythely even use a photo of the word revolution is irresponsible and ignorant of what a true revolution is.
Sheep kind of do like that -- i.e.nothing -- when the wolves are among them. Life at best is short, and eternity is a really long time to reflect, I fear.
Folks quote past leaders and the situation as in Europe and elsewhere, without truly understanding the genuine sacrifice made. A revolution means death, destruction, loss of homes, towns, a way of life. Just ask the people in New Orleans what it means to lose a way of life - and without a revolution, just a hurricane.
It is far too easy to rebel, as an adolescent. It is harder to make a plan to resist and not see your family killed.
This is not a military poster with Uncle Sam declaring "We Want You". It would be a very real situation with blood in the streets. People will die, damnit. Everything you know will be gone.
If you do not understand that, then you are blowing bubbles into a rainbow.
Americans generally have no concept of violent death of the type a military can inflict. Why the hell do they think U.S. service people are killing THEMSELVES.
Right on! And this gives lie to the NRA and pro-gun wankers who advocate for ever-more lethal weapons in the hands of ignoramuses hating any kind of governance (but who meekly pay their taxes!).
See what these li'l pop-guns, no matter how many and seemingly powerful, stashed in yer basements or bunkers, can really accomplish against a state so armed to the teeth that the rest of the world combined can't match it!
Know where it starts? In the classroom, the community meeting places, pubs, community, humor, love of life, celebration and self-expression ; everywhere.
I'm NOT a "dream-on woo-woo" BTW, rather a hard-handed pragmatist who has had his share of bruises, expecting more. Live life to the full and gulp it down -let 'em see you doing it!
Make 'em envy us!
Rainbowsally, sounds like a military recruiter.
Yes, the NRA and other organizations, individuals encourage paranoia and a false sense of the second amendment. They are excellent keeping citizens off balance and misinformed. The fact that they are so successful in keeping citizens misinformed is of great concern.
Citizens will take a dozen different actions should anything serious occur in the U.S. You can't trust 'em. Been with a group when only a minor emergency occurs? They can't stop yapping, no action, and then random anger. All I do is get away from the group. A revolution called up by a couple hundred thousand people would create so much chaos among citizens they would be more danger than those defending the union.
Yes, itt starts in the classroom and elsewhere. Kids quote shallow comments made by adults, and come to believe it over the years, without question. The truly heinous aspects of what state and federal governments are doing goes unnoticed by most citizens.
Thank you for advising enjoyment. I advise being smart and clever, as well.
What makes you think the people teaching in our schools are any wiser than anyone else?
If enough people want a revolution and they can organize themselves, they'll do it whether or not the rest of us believe that is an effective means of fighting back. A couple of people on this thread offered an alternative, and there are many that would not cause death and destruction. Folks just must be clever and smart, as I said.
You reminded us of the non-violent revolutions in Europe. That is my point. However, never assume there was no violence in Spain. The Eta alone was responsible for killing over 800 people.
I suspect most folks on this thread are recommending violent revolution, although they never said that outright.
In the 1970s Spain made a transition from a repressive, backward fascist government to full democracy entirely without violence.
Tunisia had a revolution last year that was almost completely non-violent.
Some people called the election of Reagan a revolution (I didn't). And that kept power within the current two major parties.
Violent revolution is the worst way to change a country. In general, the less violent the revolution, the less oppressive is the succeeding government.
indian weaver is right. We can rise up and if we do, we can win because like in 1776, we can attack and hide. The Redcoats/US military cannot hide.
How ironic that many here are speaking of the coming Second American Revolution and guess what? That revolution will be brought to you courtesy of the efforts of the NRA and the pro-gun lobby. Imagine how hopeless it would be if the Liberal Establishment had won the gun control war and Abraxas and the CIA had already confiscated all our guns. We would have no defense against tyranny.
So fellow readers, perhaps you'd best re-think your position on gun control. If revolution truly IS coming, along with the violent disruptions to our social order and to the food supply chains, you without defense will not be a happy lot. As carpepax said, the police felt pretty safe beating up the Occupy folks, considerably less confident about viciously attacking the Tea Party protesters.
Funny how bedfellows can change :)
As I said further along in this thread, you cannot win. This isn't 1776. This is an era of heat detectors, heat seeking missiles, bunker busters, infrared, night vision goggles, helicopters, you name it, the military (and even cops) have got it. You think you are going to hide in an old barn or basement? That only happens in movies.
The military does not HAVE to hide, and you cannot, either. If you think guns will do it for you, boy do you need a reality check.
I find it amusing that the same people who say "Power to the people" want to disarm the people. Don't they remember their lefty hero, Mao Zedong, said that power comes from the barrel of a gun?
That an example of folks calling for violent revolution without considering the aftermath.
Those who consider guns to be useless against the government and U.S. military are not against guns. They simply know it isn't enough to win their violent revolution.
JFK may have said "Those who make nonviolent revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable" but he wasn't talking about this country in this day and age. No nation has ever had the weapons and tools the police and military have at their disposal. We have to use other more skillful and positive means, as means and ends are connected...art , music, dance, humor, poetry, street theater... creative protest and awareness raising. I takes bravery to remain peaceful in the face of riot police and we need a lot of courage right now.
This is not the sixties. The U.S. entered an entirely new era toward the end of the Reagan years, and that era has morphed into something pretty terrible. Having said that, I will reiterate that citizens MUST be smart and clever and not participate in a violent, traditional revolution.
While listening to Jimmy Cliff in the car today, I was reminded of your comments. Sad stuff happening, which has always been happening. Music truly has lightened the load.
Of course a true revolution would entail death and destruction but the alternative is fast becoming completely intolerable. There are people literally starving in the US today and it sure isn't getting any better. What would it take to get someone like you to react, death camps?
All good examples of doing nothing.
HOW ABOUT A GENERAL STRIKE?
I have an extensive airline background. Before St. Ronald fired the air traffic controllers and dismantled the union, the ATC had a very effective means of change: they simply "worked to the rules". Perfectly legal. By following the rules to the letter, it slowed down air traffic nationally to almost a standstill until everyone was screaming for the ATC to go back to biz as usual -- cutting corners. The union got to bargain and everyone was happy. Until you spend time in an ATC tower at a major airport on a Fri or Sun night or in bad weather, you have no idea of the skill of those folks or how truly frightening it can be.
Point being, there are many ways of creative non violence revolution ...when we resort to violence, our cause is lost.
If you want a "revolution" organize about 100,000,000 people into a GENERAL STRIKE.
If you can't manage that, stop wasting our time with your fishing expedition.
Seriously, when anyone talks about violence I wonder who they're working for. IT CERTAINLY ISN'T THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
As I said, take a look at the Civil War. Then multiply that with planes, bombs, illegal weapons, helicopters, tanks, amazing weapons never before seen in the world. Yaddayadda. It took a long damn time to recover. There would be no recovering from revolution today.
Ya gotta be smarter than that. Reacting is not the same as suicide. There has to be more. Oh, and good luck organizing the U.S. population in your futile attempt to beat off bunker busters.
Also, we still haven't fully recovered from the last civil war. In reality, another civil war wouldn't even be possible. You have to have an equal number of people fighting on both sides. The Civil War may not be the best analogy. david koresh's lunacy might be more apt.
A lot of folks assume cops and military won't turn against citizens, but that is a myth.
As soon as Mittens in inaugurated all the "revolutionarie s" will be satisfied.
AND, if they aren't, MITTENS WON'T STAND FOR IT. He WILL be arresting people and sending them away, just like our last repug President did when people said the wrong thing.
Terrorist talk is what the right-wing uses to justify death camps. Is that what you're really trying to accomplish?
But you made a good observation. In 1968 the "leftists" trashed the Democratic Party convention, but left the Republicans almost completely alone. Four years later they elected Cold-Warrior Nixon in a huge landslide over moderate-left McGovern.
Twelve years after that they gave ultra-conservat ive Reagan another huge landslide.
Where were all these committed "leftists" who took to the streets in 1968? I can't help but conclude that many of them voted for Reagan in 1984.
Some of you young guys just ROCK! Yer blowin' my mind. From the pic at the top, to the quotes, right on down the line.
Excellent work.
BTW, I was trying to pick a paragraph to copy with a link to this page. "But which one?", I thought. Maybe this one? No, wait... there's also this one... and... good GOSH!
And it was hopeless to try to choose because every single one was a knock out.
Not familiar with your work or whether you keep this up as your normal pace but let's call this one a "hit" for sure!
And thank you.
:-)
For others, see why the "election integrity" issue is indeed a high priority at this time in American history.
http://blackboxvoting.org
To compound the misery for the banksters, take as much money as possible that you pulled from these banks and buy physical silver (and gold) and keep it outside the system.
And for God's sake if you do hold stocks, make sure they are directly registered (http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/holdsec.htm). Your broker will push back (because they don't want your stocks OFF of their balance sheet, but it can ABSOLUTELY be done.
Now get busy and replace words with action!
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