The Face of Your Enemy, page 4

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ATS Members have flagged this thread 242 times

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 10:08 PM by js331975

reply to post by Hefficide

Excellent post. I do not mean to diminish your post by the following comment but I have thought about the aims of the last enemy on your list. The whole act of terrorism is by definition to cause fear. When we are reactionary to the events that happened and fear each other in the same manner as the 1950's Red Scare the "terrorists" won. When we have to go through searches that violates the basic tenants of the constitution, when citizens who have not broken any laws get snooped on by our government for our own "protection" the "terrorists" have won...although some would say we lost a long time ago.

We can only stand true to the morals and ideals that defines our country and ourselves. The same that they wish to take away.

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 10:24 PM by bubbaron

reply to post by Hefficide

Heff, I too grew up at this time. Even now I can remember the Nuclear war drills (when everyone got into the fetal position underneath their desk I could see up the dress of the girl in front of me. . .my, the memories). But yes it was a time of fear and now your wonderful peice has brought into light that there hasn't been many times of peace and happiness since, essentually, WW II. Like you said, "It's easier to control the masses when they are afraid". I believe that it is time for us, the people, to force the government to stop the fear mongering and bring us peace before those that knew some of the times of peace are gone and the only ones left are those that know fear and killing. Vote out those who are in power now (or in 2012 really) and bring in those that believe only in peace.

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 10:44 PM by GeechQuestInfo

Great post. I like how you didn't throw in names of any people or groups that have created the so called fear, even though most have an idea. I've noticed when you don't name names and just throw facts and say it how it is people tend to listen.

Newton's 3rd Law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Those, whoever they may be, who started this cluster we have in the world, WILL get theirs in due time. And not by some angry society, but by the "universe", because that's how it works.

In other words: KARMA IS A BITCH

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 11:21 PM by WeRpeons

reply to post by Hefficide

One of the best threads I've read here on ATS. Very well written and to the point. You sound like you're a little older than myself, but I have to say your assessment is right on! You hit home when you talked about how terrified you were to think about the possibility of nuclear war. It seemed like it was always out there in the media and it was very impressionable. I think some people who have grown up during the "cold war" used that same fear to justify keeping the "boogie man" at bay.

I remember those days well and I couldn't stop thinking about the book "The Day After Roswell." Col. Philip Corso alluded to the idea that the U.S. always had to have an enemy to justify their military spending. Again, great thread friend and a star and flag for you!

edit on 13-1-2011 by WeRpeons because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 11:23 PM by Leo Strauss

Here are some faces to consider...

reply posted on 13-1-2011 @ 11:30 PM by Aquarist

^That's the face of our enemy.^
2nd

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 02:03 AM by mike dangerously

Great thread Heff! S&F!

I grew up in the 80's so I know a bit about the red menace by the time I was born in the early 70's though the days of the drills were over but not the paranoia.Today the boogie man is truly anywhere and nowhere much like Italy in the Years of Lead:Years Of Lead I think since 911 we have been under a strategy of tension and it has been ruthlessly used to keep us under control.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 03:10 AM by sonia74

reply to post by Hefficide

Great thread! Best I have read in quite sometime. Looking into a mirror is what many people need, but there are those who are too afraid to. This really makes one think about the current atmosphere in a global sense. I too am guilty of a certain way of thinking, but thanks to ATS, some if not all of my fears have been put to rest. Wish everyone could just step out side the box for a minute and take a good look inside.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 03:21 AM by WalterRatlos

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
"Therefore, love your enemy, and pray for those who persecute you, and you will be called sons of the most high God."
(Jesus, or Yeshua ben Joseh, of Nazareth, paraphrased, with conjoined scritpture, to be precise!)

And please don't flame me now, for saying as much, thanks.

I don't love my enemies; at best I am indifferent to them. But usually I hate those who hate me. I'm still a pacifist and would harm no-one, if possible, but love them, no, and I don't do prayers anymore anyways, because I have seen the light and prefer to be agnostic (or atheist) most of the time.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 03:53 AM by FlyInTheOintment

reply to post by Leo Strauss

Heff - excellent and succinct presentation on the current / recent historical methods used to keep us in line. S & F.

A quick question for Leo Strauss - what the hell? Where did you come up with that (presumably photoshopped) image? Is it a snipe at some American celebrity I don't know? (Being a Brit)

Would be interested to know if that one on the right is in fact a real person - if so, then I'm even more worried for the realities being presented to us by the media/ government/ law enforcement agencies than I already was. My gut says it's just a joke I don't get, but please enlighten me somebody?

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 03:55 AM by operation mindcrime

reply to post by Hefficide

Great thread Heff. (as always)

For fun everybody should go out and rent this movie some times..........

At the end of the battle Rambo and Trautman say goodbye to their Mujahideen friends and leave Afghanistan to go home.

"This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan."

That's what I grew up with......funny how things can change.

The enemy of my enemy must be my friend.....but what happens when your enemy becomes your friend??

S+F from me.

Peace

edit on 14-1-2011 by operation mindcrime because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 04:06 AM by theabsolutetruth

reply to post by Hefficide

OP very well said.

Now as to the motives.....if it's stripped to the bones, has to be power and greed and indeed evilness.

I believe the fact that the so called elite know there is a greater power than humanity, with the ability to overthrow any and all governments with some easily shown proof of such power, has caused innate fear among those that do not wish to no longer be at the top of the food chain. They lied, misled and conjured populations for control of humanity, resources and hiding the truth.

However, the truth, and the power, that has been hidden and denied is greater than the meagre pretence power of any elite or government and a such shall prevail.

To use an analogy, nuclear fusion cannot be contained in a tin. Universal powers, like nuclear fusion cannot be contained by a few greedy egotistical members of humanity, it is time for them to step down and face the truth.

edit on 14-1-2011 by theabsolutetruth because: typo

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 05:02 AM by Sover3igN

reply to post by Hefficide

So our new boogieman is a victorian decorated facet cut glass plate?
just kidding

my thoughts exactly!

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 05:28 AM by rockoperawriter

about mirrors

they reflect the self. if your reflection is the enemy, then the screaming corporate fanaticism has won. i suggest that decadence, striving for decadence, and to let what others say negatively manipulate you leeches your benevolence, your ability to think indignantly, and ultimately your soul. i humbly ask everybody to strongly consider human rights, the rights of private and free thought, and the limited resources that we have. please do not let the actions of one be the fate of others. may once again you look into a mirror to at least to motivate yourself or improve your appearance. may those who fight in war or revolt fight righteously and not at the behest of the hidden but for defending against any oncoming hoard of oppressive forces.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 06:03 AM by Thunder heart woman

Good thread. Nice to come here and find a quality thread to read early in the morning with my coffee.

My mom used to tell me about when she was a girl having to go through those nuclear drills, the fetal position under their desks, or in the hallways lined up against each other along the wall. She too, spoke of her nightmares about those mushroom clouds. I was born in 68, which my mom said was one of the most tumultuous years ever, that she wondered if she had made a mistake bringing a child into such chaos, and worried as I slept in my cradle about what I'd face in my future.

I vaguely remember Reagan. Remember Gulf War I unfolding. And I remember the decade of quiet. I sometimes wish I could go back. Sounds crazy but things seemed more simple when I didn't have a computer, a cell phone, a terror level chart, the image of the twin towers and people jumping to their deaths... and after that day happened, I think we all knew it was never going to be the same again.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 06:50 AM by Cythraul

Stunning thread! Thank you.

The thing that concerns me is that fear is embedded in human nature, and as long as we are given something to fear, we will fear it. There's no en masse overcoming of all fears to be had - a minority of us might find that kind of enlightenment but the human race as a whole will not. So the only thing to overcome is the misuse of fear by our 'overlords' - to discover when that fear is or isn't justified. And, in turn, the only way we can ever hope to achieve that is to have a completely independent mainstream media - or a complete lack of mainstream media altogether. This would require the ultimate in transparency from our governments, and we're not even remotely close to having that.

In short, the only way we can ever, EVER overcome the 'boogeyman' is by a complete rehaul of almost all the world's governments, or by anarchy. My personal feeling is that as long as there are 'leaders' and there are 'followers', the leaders will become corrupted - maybe not initially, but after time - and will forge that age-old alliance with boogeymen. Anarchy, or the strictest possible form of small, libertarian government is the only way.

Another thing to add is that many of us here clearly see through the 'boogeyman' lies, with natural flair. But the depth of research required to uncover the entire truth surrounding an invented enemy is so extensive that none of us have the time in our lives to investigate independently (independently being the only way we can eliminate hearsay or bias). I believe this is why we're bombarded with distractions and lumbered with 9-5 jobs, long commutes, the inability of just husband or wife to work - but both, and other such things which leave little time for the research necessary to disseminate truth.

edit on 14/1/2011 by Cythraul because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 06:57 AM by BuzzCory

reply to post by Hefficide

Excellent post, thank you! What I find particularly admirable is that you could write a post of this length & maintain your focus, not letting it turn into a rant.
My memories go back a little further: I remember sitting in front of the family tv, watching what seemed to be endless documentaries about the fall of Nazi Germany in the aftermath of WWII. Born just 3 years after the end of that conflagration, I was still so young that I can remember not quite understanding at first that those emaciated bodies being bulldozed into the mass graves used to be people. I can still remember the shock & horror when I finally made the connection.
Occasionally, a documentary would feature quick clips of the executions of some of those convicted of war crimes at Neuremburg. This may have given my parents some satisfaction, but it didn't do much for my outlook on the whole thing. I'm not sure the Axis countries qualify as a "manufactured" enemy, but your post got me reminiscing (if you can call it that) about my first memories of my introduction to the concept of "The Enemy".

All that soon paled in comparison with the threat posed by our new enemy, the former Soviet Union, who had nuclear missiles that could reach our country if launched. As I was living in New York City, it was a given that mine would be one of the first targets of choice. Reach our country my foot, they could drop one right on my head!
Having seen the filmed effects of atomic bomb tests, I spent some nights, while trying to fall asleep, thinking about whether or not thermonuclear annihilation would hurt before I was vaporized. All these years later, I usually sleep easily & soundly,thank you, but in those early days, sleep sometimes came slowly indeed.

And no, I never believed, either, that my school desk would protect me from the instant shock wave & inferno, even if I put the tilt-up seat down over my huddled self as instructed.

Anyway, I agree that having a Boogieman keeps us more malleable & feeling we need our Big Daddy Government to take care of us & protect us, or at least they hope it'll end up that way. For me, the true evil here is that the Boogieman du jour is also held up as a common enemy in the hope that TPTB can keep us pulling together, united against that common enemy while still divided as a people, & business can continue as usual.

In this way, we're being held back from growing to the point at which we will realize the need to communicate, to work out our differences, & to come up with an agreeable idea on where we want to take this "noble experiment" called America.

You know, I hope those who come to ATS looking for "the conspiracy site Loughner belonged to" will encounter this post first. You not only spoke your own piece admirably, but also did a good job of representing what I see as the best side of ATS.

reply posted on 14-1-2011 @ 07:18 AM by NonKonphormist

Originally posted by XXXN3O
reply to post by Hefficide

I think people are too afraid to look in the mirror in case this happens...

YouTube Link

Apologies for that, could'nt be helped.

On a serious note however, I think most but not all people are well aware that they are lied too constantly, manipulated en masse and that they allow it to happen but the real problem is that to do anything about it you need a leader to unite people against a common enemy. This is the stumbling block because the system is already in place in a way that nobody can gain influence without taking part in the very system that they want to stop.
There are very few people with unquestionable motives, ive yet to come across one in my time, even people with the best intentions are corrupted during their quest for a better world.

Heck, even if you managed to get past all the pitfalls, guess what, you are the new boogieman!

YouTube Link

I believe it was Adolf Hitler's propoganda minister who once said "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it"

Maybe some people really do believe everything they see and hear but thats another thing ive yet to come across.

edit on 13-1-2011 by XXXN3O because: (no reason given)