Nope. Good points, all. I suppose I added the extra's in the reply to you since that is where I was at, at the time. Still, to some conspiracy theorists on this site, it would seem that Disney and evidently the government are doing what they do strictly to get their jollies and not with any 'good' in mind. To those they simply seem to believe we can all just co-exist with all of of liberties intact. I wonder, if we moved all the aircraft out to Davis-Monthan, mothballed all tanks, closed down military bases here and abroad, and shuttered the 'war machine' how things would turn out. I am assuming we would hear a collective hallelujah from the left
Let's just say some comments on here must be made from rose colored glasses. Sure there are the pixie dust huffers but it also seem like there are a bunch of whiners. Some people's jobs are to work for the defense of this country and everyone in it, even those that complain about it day after day, after day. Reminds me of the court scene in "A Few Good Men." Paraphrasing, "you sleep under the blanket of protection the military provides and then you question the manner in which it is provided." If you think it is scary now. . .
With all due respect, you and those who think like you, sir or madame, are the greatest kind of danger a free society can face. Your utter incomprehension of history and the cycles of government is self-evident.
Who is our military, full of brave men and women whom I respect in the utmost way, protecting us from? Who? Seriously, I'm curious. I haven't heard a name in quite some time, because supposedly they killed that bin Laden guy awhile back (despite the fact that experts assert he died of illness sometime in 2002 or 2003 - too bad he was buried AT SEA so we'll never find out for sure).
You can say, well, terrorists of course! Islamic extremists who want us all dead! They're gonna come over here and hijack our planes and blow up our buildings and maim and kill like their holy book tells them to! Their compulsion can't be stopped and we're all in mortal danger!
Have you ever stopped to wonder why Islamic extremists don't like 'murica? Because I have. I thought, what do I, some podunk 'murican across the world, have to do with these people? Why do they care what I do or don't do? (Hint: do some historical research on that region, and the look up "blowback")
Questioning the motivation is where knowledge begins. Questioning the government (and this stuff is not exclusive to one party - Bush and Obama have pulled the exact same crap) is the start of understanding. Follow the chain of events:
- Clinton arms bin Laden and Al Qaeda operatives to assist in American efforts in the Middle East
- a group of extremists arrive in America, publicly register for flight school and prepare in broad daylight
- 9/11 attack happens, government response during and after attack is nil, presidential reaction is hours after the fact
- bin Laden claims responsibility for 9/11 attack on US soil
- bin Laden is now Public Enemy No. 1, presumably manhunt ensues
- pre-written Patriot Act (what a name!) is pulled out the drawer and hastily passed, giving the government unprecedented and unconstitutional powers
- Department of Homeland Security is formed, a multi-trillion dollar agency that will eventually create its own military force and become one of the top domestic purchasers of ammo
- American people are angry and confused. To form a target, the Afghanistan and more importantly, Iraq wars are commenced
- Despite no obvious ties to bin Laden or 9/11, the Iraq war is unilaterally declared and Saddam Hussein is toppled
- Bush stands in front of a Mission Accomplished banner, and announces "Mission accomplished"
- Thousands more American soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians continue to die despite said accomplishment
- The introduction of the TSA shortly after 9/11 makes airline travel a PITA as mostly inept employees perform glorified bag checks
- Americans grow tired of the war effort in Iraq/Afghanistan (the graveyard of nations, as it has been so aptly called) as it becomes apparent that "winning" is not an option
- Damning evidence of military contractors, such as Halliburton, suggests a far more corrupt vision of the reasons for declaring war. The ties between high-ranking officials and companies like Halliburton (why, Dick Cheney for example) ALMOST make it seem like war was initiated to line pockets
- Leaked documents show possible ways to ignite war with Iran as considered by the Bush-Cheney administration, including a false flag operation in which American soldiers would be killed while posing as Iranians to spark anger toward that nation and justify an invasion
- Obama runs on a platform of peace and change, trumpets devotion to civil liberties as his Constitutional law background would indicate
- McCain loses by a long shot, and Obama is inaugurated
- TSA starts to get serious: agents are now clothed in police-style uniforms with shiny boots and epaulets. Invasive and untested "o scanners" are purchased in bulk from a company run by former DHS head, Michael Chertoff. What a coincidence!
- Military defense budgets continue to rise exponentially, despite a supposed decrease in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
- Deep into his first term, Obama shows no sign of winding down war operations or putting any kind of stop to unconstitutional practices as outlined in the Patriot Act. By the end of term, he has enshrined indefinite detention of American citizens without trial into law
- In 11 years, no Islamic extremists have attacked the United States on its soil. The FBI claims to have foiled several plots; the ones they choose to reveal in the public are quickly found to have been non-starters in the first place or outright fraudulent
- Snowden's leaks confirm what anyone who was paying attention already knew: our government has used a terrorist attack on 9/11/2001 to justify complete destruction of privacy for American citizens and citizens of other countries, with draconian abilities to read, track, intercept and wiretap all communications, including but not limited to Facebook, email, cell phone calls, Skype and real-time internet browsing.
- The DHS is now a multi-headed behemoth capable of enacting martial law at the drop of a hat in several of the nation's biggest cities. Military drills now occur within the country, some in the presence of civilians, as new "secret" bases have popped up, like the one on an old car dealership lot outside Las Vegas
- The leaders of the NSA and FBI have now repeatedly lied to Congress under oath about their surveillance operations. Despite the harsh consequences for baseball players who have lied under oath about steroid use, these men are still in positions in power and have experienced no repercussions whatsoever
- Despite an incredible tax base, our government is trillions of dollars in debt with no hope of ever emerging. We can thank Dick Cheney for getting that ball rolling ("deficits don't matter") and Obama for keeping it up
- Our men and women continue to die in combat to people who for the most part can't pitch a tent, let alone arrange transportation to America to inflict harm
- Our President wants to involve us in Syria's civil war, supporting and arming rebels who are affiliated with Al Qaeda and engage in cannibalism, rape and other war crimes
Are you seeing a progression? It's just incredible. War is a drug our government and its contractors are hooked on. It's not some noble effort to keep us safe; it's a profit machine and the lives of our military are callously disregarded, as is their care after they return home. To say otherwise indicates a mental illness beyond denial and insults the brave who have died in the process.
Our Constitution expressly forbids the vast majority of our federal government's operations, yet the American populace believes them to be working on our behalf and for our good. I am not so trusting, and that's because I can see the man behind the curtain. Money makes the world go around, not an altruistic sense of duty.
The government doesn't deserve our trust; it hasn't earned our trust. The NSA spies on American citizens. The DHS is armed to the hilt and outfitting local PDs with military grade weapons and vehicles, while FEMA orders masses of plastic coffins and sets up "detention" camps around the country, you know,
just in case.
Who exactly is the enemy now?
You may say, I have nothing to hide! Let them read my stupid Facebook posts and follow me around while I browse Amazon, eBay and sites, I'm just an average nobody!
This is the most dangerous mindset to have. Information can be cobbled and take piecemeal, and then cobbled together to paint you as a horrible person, a dangerous possible terrorist, even though you're as innocent as apple pie. Information is a weapon - why do you think Disney has approved such a bloated budget for NGE? They must think the data it will yield is quite valuable, and they are correct.
Our Constitution and its Bill of Rights are brilliantly framed, and we will disintegrate as a nation if we don't stick to it. It's already happening.
"First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me."
The question remains, who's the enemy now?
If you don't know, you're not paying attention.
what's the merchandise looking like right now?
