Top 10 Signs of the Impending U.S. Police State

AlterNet

1. The Internet Clampdown
   One saving grace of alternative media in this age of unfettered corporate conglomeration has been the internet. While the masses are spoon-fed predigested news on TV and in mainstream print publications, the truth-seeking individual still has access to a broad array of investigative reporting and political opinion via the world-wide web. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the government moved to patch up this crack in the sky.
   
   
2. "The Long War"
   This little piece of clumsy marketing died off quickly, but it gave away what many already suspected: the War on Terror will never end, nor is it meant to end. It is designed to be perpetual. As with the War on Drugs, it outlines a goal that can never be fully attained -- as long as there are pissed off people and explosives. The Long War will eternally justify what are ostensibly temporary measures: suspension of civil liberties, military expansion, domestic spying, massive deficit spending and the like. This short-lived moniker told us all, "get used to it. Things aren't going to change any time soon."
   
   
3. The USA PATRIOT Act
   Did anyone really think this was going to be temporary? Yes, this disgusting power grab gives the government the right to sneak into your house, look through all your stuff and not tell you about it for weeks on a rubber stamp warrant. Yes, they can look at your medical records and library selections. Yes, they can pass along any information they find without probable cause for purposes of prosecution. No, they're not going to take it back, ever.
   
   
4. Prison Camps
   This last January the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root nearly $400 million to build detention centers in the United States, for the purpose of unspecified "new programs." Of course, the obvious first guess would be that these new programs might involve rounding up Muslims or political dissenters -- I mean, obviously detention facilities are there to hold somebody. I wish I had more to tell you about this, but it's, you know... secret.
   
   
5. Touchscreen Voting Machines
   Despite clear, copious evidence that these nefarious contraptions are built to be tampered with, they continue to spread and dominate the voting landscape, thanks to Bush's "Help America Vote Act," the exploitation of corrupt elections officials, and the general public's enduring cluelessness.
   
   
6. Signing Statements
   Bush has famously never vetoed a bill. This is because he prefers to simply nullify laws he doesn't like with "signing statements." Bush has issued over 700 such statements, twice as many as all previous presidents combined. A few examples of recently passed laws and their corresponding dismissals, courtesy of the Boston Globe.
   
   
7. Warrantless Wiretapping
   Amazingly, the GOP sees this issue as a plus for them. How can this be? What are you, stupid? You find out the government is listening to the phone calls of US citizens, without even the weakest of judicial oversight and you think that's okay? Come on -- if you know anything about history, you know that no government can be trusted to handle something like this responsibly. One day they're listening for Osama, and the next they're listening in on Howard Dean.
   
   
8. Free Speech Zones
   I know it's old news, but... come on, are they #ing serious?
   
   
9. High-ranking Whistleblowers
   Army Generals. Top-level CIA officials. NSA operatives. White House cabinet members. These are the kind of people that Republicans fantasize about being, and whose judgment they usually respect. But for some reason, when these people resign in protest and criticize the Bush administration en masse, they are cast as traitorous, anti-American publicity hounds. Ridiculous.
   
   
10. The CIA Shakeup
    Was Porter Goss fired because he was resisting the efforts of Rumsfeld or Negroponte? No. These appointments all come from the same guys, and they wouldn't be nominated if they weren't on board all the way. Goss was probably canned so abruptly due to a scandal involving a crooked defense contractor, his hand-picked third-in-command, the Watergate hotel and some hookers.

Welcome to Nineteen Eighty-Four!

Perpetual War?

Mass Surveillance?

It looks like a Rise of the Police State to me.

Well, ofcourse some people are going to dissagree and say, that all of this 10 pointes mentioned above are all Good and are designed to keep the People Safe'n'Secure.

But it is not about the safety of the People - it is about POWER, it is about CONTROL.

Police State

A police state is an authoritarian state which uses the police, especially secret police, to maintain and enforce political power, often through violent or arbitrary means. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism or other harsh means of social control. In a police state the police are not subject to the rule of law and there is no meaningful distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

A government does not describe itself as a "police state". Instead, it is a description assigned to a regime by internal or external critics in response to the laws, policies and actions of that regime, and is often used pejoratively to describe the regime's stance on human rights, the social contract and similar matters.

And Remember:

WAR is PEACE
FREEDOM is SLAVERY
IGNORANCE is STRENGHT


[edit on 27/5/06 by Souljah]

WAR is PEACE
FREEDOM is SLAVERY
IGNORANCE is STRENGHT

Oh yes! How prophetic. Soon the very computers we now use will be monitoring our every move and thought.

I love that "Newspeak"

Originally posted by dgtempe
WAR is PEACE
FREEDOM is SLAVERY
IGNORANCE is STRENGHT

Oh yes! How prophetic. Soon the very computers we now use will be monitoring our every move and thought.

I love that "Newspeak"

Oh yeah - well, if we can be traced to our homes via computers, and traced to our exact location via GSM phones, I guess that it is just a matter of time, when the The Ministry of Love comes knocking on our doors...

Originally posted by Souljah
Top 10 Signs of the Impending U.S. Police State

Hmm I guess Two Year Old Cited by Police, was number 11 then. Too bad, I would have thought for sure that would be on the top ten.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
Hmm I guess Two Year Old Cited by Police, was number 11 then. Too bad, I would have thought for sure that would be on the top ten.

Hey, don't you know that you have to crush disobedience in very early age?

IGNORANCE is STRENGHT

Interesting how that word is incorrectly written

Anyway, I agree with point 5. I live in the Uk and haven't encountered these before, however it makes it so easy to "create" a result.

"Yeah Bush won again, see, it says so on my computer"

Hmmm.......

It's not just that America is becoming a police state - it's necessary draconian action in order to impose what is quickly becoming a corporate aristocracy's global serf farm.

Kellogg is a subsidiary of one of only 5 multi-national corporations that hold more power than any country left on earth.

The economy in America is being run like a developing nation's, with export of raw materials to countries where manufacturing costs pennies in worker's pay. Much like serfs were told they were lucky to be slaves, rather than wild barbarians - todays impoverished peoples are told they are better off making 5 cents an hour than nothing.

Once the people of America realize that global free trade was not so much about relieving poverty elsewhere as it was about privatizing capital into the hands of the very few to the point where they could pick and choose markets and rules, all the necessary tools for martial law, in the name of social order, will be in place. China will be the consumers of the future. They already live under draconian rule; without western sentiments of human rights. Perfect for the rich and their mercenaries - the rest of us are screwed.

God save the Queen, a mantra for the masses.

The next thing you know we'll have high-frequency towers throughout our cities broadcasting the next set of subliminal indoctrination to it's sleeper agents...

Originally posted by GENERAL EYES
The next thing you know we'll have high-frequency towers throughout our cities broadcasting the next set of subliminal indoctrination to it's sleeper agents...

Maybe there already are High-Frequencey Towers - we just cant see them...

You forgot number 12: the collaborators who will unwittingly spy and call out anyone they think represents a "terrorist" because they are ruled by fear and sentiment. The "faux" patriots of America, of course.

As well as unlucky 13: Building a wall on the border of Mexico.


[edit on 29-5-2006 by ceci2006]

The Unmistakable Sign

All these are fine and good, but I won't be too worried unless I see this happen:

Souljah suddenly starts posting pro-U.S. and pro-Bush propaganda, and announces that he's emigrating to America so he can not only contribute tax dollars to the War on Terrorism, but join the U.S. Army, help hunt down Al Qaeda and punch Osama bin Laden right on the nose!

On that day, I will know they finally got brother Souljah, and at long last, liberty will have truly died.



Edit: And let's not forget that Truth is Fiction, and there's no such thing as the thought police.


[edit on 5/29/2006 by The Thought Police]

[edit on 5/29/2006 by Majic]

Originally posted by Majic
Souljah suddenly starts posting pro-U.S. and pro-Bush propaganda, and announces that he's emigrating to America so he can not only contribute tax dollars to the War on Terrorism, but join the U.S. Army, help hunt down Al Qaeda and punch Osama bin Laden right on the nose!

Well Brother Majic - if you See this happen, please know that the Individual presenting himself as Souljah is only an Imposter; a sleeper agent.

On that day, I will know they finally got brother Souljah, and at long last, liberty will have truly died.

So - you know they will "Finnaly" get brother Souljah?

Is there something I should know about?

Edit: And let's not forget there's no such thing as the thought police.

YET!

Buffalo Souljah

Originally posted by Souljah
Well Brother Majic - if you See this happen, please know that the Individual presenting himself as Souljah is only an Imposter; a sleeper agent.

Hey, wait a minute...

What if the real Souljah is actually a red-blooded American patriot with a penchant for country music, Sean Hannity, NASCAR, cheap beer and a gun rack in his pickup truck?

What if the member currently claiming to be Souljah is actually the imposter?!?

Trust no one. Suspect everyone.

Originally posted by Majic
What if the real Souljah is actually a red-blooded American patriot with a penchant for country music, Sean Hannity, NASCAR, cheap beer and a gun rack in his pickup truck?

Yeah Dude;

Got a '68 Chevy that my cousin bought in '71. Traded 98 dollars and my daddy's lucky shotgun. Christened the back bumper with a half-empty bottle of beer. In the back of his mind, I could hear all the people cheer. - Nine Pound Hammer

What if the member currently claiming to be Souljah is actually the imposter?!?

Well you will never know - you know?

Trust no one. Suspect everyone.

Agreed 1100%!




PS: Love the titles of your post - definetly fighting or Arrival!

[edit on 29/5/06 by Souljah]

I hate when people talk about a police state. I am not saying some powerful forces behind the scenes are setting up all the possible traps to enforce control on regular citizens.
But bottom line is, Power is there to be taken and unless we spread that power evenly across the world we are going to be in fear. With power comes responsibility. We are living in a time were we all interconnected. We have the tools to root out misinformation. And at the same time some say we live in the disinformation age, Fox’s primary source of income (the Fox thing has to stop is not only them is the entire corporate Media structure) Is really stupid if you think about it. When a country with 5% of the world population spends 50% of the worlds entire military budget. That country has lost its power of persuasion. Without the power of persuasion is very hard to open markets and maintain an economy growing unless you use the media to spread propaganda and induce fear. A global induce fear will make military protection a viable business. It will be a shame to reduce America to a corporate aristocracy whose main source of income comes from military sales and international corporate assets. I truly believe that this times we live in are the beginning of a new era. NWO some call it. Whenever we come out of this tunnel we will only found our wait out by following the light. All of our ancestor had it worst than us. We must gather strength from them to fight our battle.
Not one of our rights was giving away, each and every single one of them had to be fought for. And so what if the elite want to have more and more control. No matter how hard they try not one will prevail, only our ignorance gives them power. They can not keep every one of us in the Matrix.

Even if we do become a police state, come on........

Since the Police state would love donunts, we all could bribe them with jelly donunts. As seen from Chief Wiggum in Springfield and Officer Bartelby in South Park.


Or the other kind of police state would be The Police rock band from the early 1980's. oooooooooohhhhhhh really scary!

Ok, Sting would be scary. Those darn British rock bands trying to take over the USA.

I am so glad Wham! are disbanded.