We are living in strange days indeed.
In this piece, I'd like to do a little bit of work connecting some of my past articles with the Cooper Point Journal to the present. I'm going to be brief. I am tired.
Last year, I attempted to cover the uprising in Egypt. One of my main focuses was on the effectiveness of social media in planning key acts of protest and civil disobedience. I noted how significant it was that one of Mubarek's first moves was an attempt to severely restrict internet access.
Why did he do such a thing? Obvious: because he could. Seems too obvious, in fact. His regime was brutal and powerful and oppressive and had lots of control over things like that, and-
Wait a second. Dissatisfaction in the United States is growing. People are protesting, taking to the streets, attempting to apply democracy where it has been abandoned or sold out. Is it any surprise that Congress is now trying to push an internet censorship bill on us?
Connecting the dots. I also more recently wrote an opinion piece about the growing Occupy movement, affirming the statements and values of those who as you read these words gather nearby at the Capitol to criticize Wall Street for wrecking America's economy through fraud and hijacking its democracy through lobbying.
We as citizens of this country must learn from the past, and must not be forced further into a reactionary position. A reactionary position is one where the decisions being made by others, by very few, raise the possibility of oppression, censorship, or the stripping of liberty in any way. In that position, we don't know how an internet censorship bill will be implemented, and only have the word of those in power that it will be applied for our own good. Yawn.
We must engage this assumption in fierce debate! It is our responsibility to neutralize all language from legislation which raises the potential for oppression! In times when revolution grows and people gain a stronger and stronger voice, the likelihood that those at risk of losing power will come to abuse their authority becomes near inevitable.
Mubarek attempts to censor internet communication because he can. Cops assault, taser, pepper spray and arrest innocents at Occupy movements because they can. Politicians enlist the service of the military to detain individuals who are only suspect, individuals who have commited no crime because they can.
I'd like to bring to your attention another bill which would force Americans into a terrifying reactionary position. Just two days ago, our senate blocked an amendment to a new defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. In rejecting these amendments, we have settled for a measure which would allow the U.S. Military to operate within our homeland, and detain people indefinitely who are suspected of terrorist activities.
Under this bill, some examples of suspicious activity include missing fingers on your hand, or stocking more than seven days of food in your home.
Our President has threatened to veto this bill if the amendments were rejected. I reckon this was in part reason why the amendments were rejected. Now it is Obama's duty to veto a bill which I'm sure many will argue would 'bolster homeland security,' blah blah blah, time to get out another cross and some nails. Turn on your TV and watch closely if you've never seen this routine before. Otherwise, spend some time figuring out what your own duty is as a citizen subject to terrifying and audacious law!