Smile: We DO Have Advocates Working in Favor of the People.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c4b7d7adadf6.jpg[/atsimg]

Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.

-Benjamin Franklin.

INTRODUCTION

Recently, I came across THIS PDF FILE which calls for a review of anti-terrorism laws and how they negatively impact our freedoms.

Although it is of European origin, I thought it would be interesting to research the erosion of freedoms here on our own soil in the post 9/11 world and the 'war on terror.'

While doing this research piece, I became, to be honest, a bit disheartened and felt rather helpless to change things. It was all so negative.

So I decided to turn that negative into a positive by not only looking into the changes of our post-9/11 world but also researching 'the good guys' who advocate for the freedom of the people.

Let's first start by reflecting on what went wrong.

EROSION OF FREEDOMS & RIGHTS

Through the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act and subsequent executive directives and regulations, essential rights and freedoms that were once guaranteed to all individuals have been substantially degraded. Many Americans still do not realize the significance of what we have lost. The resulting expansion of government powers, and the erosion of 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th Amendment rights and freedoms have transformed the United States.

ERODING LIBERTY: RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS WE HAVE NEEDLESSLY LOST IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY

The above PDF does a fantastic job of listing several infringements on our freedoms in the name of security and how things have changed. A few examples include:

1. Redefining what constitutes as a terrorist (this will be important in a moment).
   
2. Monitoring of 1st Amendment activities.
   
3. Be subjected to surveillance for participation in certain groups or political activism.
   
4. Limiting access to government records.
   
5. Wire tapping without probable cause.
   
6. Jailing without formal charge.
   
7. Denial of an attorney or the right to a speedy trial.

Suggested Further Reading:

Top 10 Power Abuses Since 9/11

POST-9/11 COUNTER TERROR LEGISLATION

Here are some examples of legislation that has been enacted since 2001:

Executive Order 13224. Basically allows the government to freeze the assets and finances of suspected terrorists. Unfortunately, the definition of 'terrorist/terrorism' becomes looser every day.

USA PATRIOT Act. We should all be familiar with this one. I also love the feel-good name it was given. This act includes freezing of assets, surveillance, and allow for search warrants to be issued without probably cause, etc.

Homeland Security Act. Created after the post-9/11 anthrax scare. What is ironic about this one, is that there were questions about the origins of the anthrax scare, leaving some wondering if the US government was behind it (1, 2). It is guilty of violating citizen privacy rights while increasing government secrecy.

POST-9/11 COUNTER TERROR ORGANIZATIONS

1). The United States Department of Homeland Security.

2). Transportation Security Administration (Part of DHS).


THE SILVER LINING: TRYING TO MAKE A CHANGE

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/da7426e43719.jpg[/atsimg]

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

-Edmund Burke.

Fortunately, we do have some good folks who are doing something.

Now let's change direction away from the gloom and doom to know that there are those fighting for the restoration of our freedoms:

1). The United States for Travel Freedom.

The United States for Travel Freedom is a caucus of state legislators committed to reversing the invasive and unconstitutional policies of the Transportation Security Administration. As co-chair of caucus, Sen. Val Stevens explains why Americans must protect themselves and their children from unreasonable searches by TSA agents, who use powerful x-ray scanners and invasive pat-downs in the name of security. In this video, her concern is for innocent children traumatized by these procedures.

We know air travel (and soon to be other methods of transpiration) has become a nightmare post-9/11. Fortunately, we have those who are working to restore respect and rights to the people while traveling.

2). Ron Paul (This video includes a spot on speech concerning post 9/11 loss of rights, false war justifications, and rescinding the Patriot Act):



3). Downsize D.C..

We believe the federal government has grown too centralized, too intrusive, and too expensive. We believe in constitutional limits, smaller government, civil liberties, federalism, and low taxes. We want to end laws and programs that don't work, cause harm, and violate the Constitution. We want to restore the full force of the 9th and 10th amendments, which reserve most social functions to the people and the states.

4). Lawsuit against Warrantless Wiretapping to Move Forward

After encountering some roadblocks in lower courts, the lawsuit (a joint effort of rights advocacy plaintiffs) and is now a force to once again be considered.

Groups party to the suit included Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, along with journalists Naomi Klein and Christopher Hedges.

"Americans shouldn't have to accept as a fact of life that the government may be monitoring their international emails and phone calls and they can do nothing about it," the ACLU said in an advisory.

CONCLUSION

I came across dozens upon dozens of more examples while working on this thread. Some take the form of organizations, lawsuits, petitions, and protests.

This thread went in a different direction than intended when I first started researching it a couple of weeks ago. It is nice to think about those who are fighting for the people instead of those who fight against us.

And for those who may think 'It's too late' or 'they'll never do any good' or perhaps even, 'the government will never care less about any of this' are not looking deep enough, IMHO. The government IS more scared of the people than they would have us believe.

very well researched thread it goes to show that not everyone is government, nwo, terrorist and that people do actually care enough to fight for what is right s& f

I also wanted to point out that the OP is pretty '9/11 specific' as I feel that is when our rights began to be diminished at rapid pace. Likewise, the examples or those who fight to restore our liberties and privacy were also limited to post-9/11 'reaction activism.'

There are several more movements that are also working for the people.

1). Abolishing the Fed.

2). Gun ownership rights.

3). Government watchdogs.

4). Free speech advocates.

5). Freedom of religion activists.

Etc., etc.

I started feeling depressed over everything the last couple of weeks because things ARE bad but researching this thread helped a lot.

The people do have the power if they are only willing to take hold of it... and the government knows it hence all the attempts to confine protesters to free speech zones, rig elections because they know the people will vote their butts out, engage in propaganda wars in order to demonize the citizen who fight for their rights, etc.

So what we do really does matter. But so many get discouraged and believe the lie that we're doomed and all is hopeless.

well Ashley, I do hope you're right.
But the ones who are helping are
in too small numbers to make a
difference.

IMO, the NWO cannot be stopped
without 1 of 2 things happening.

1) Divine Intervention

2) Total Revolution

It is too far gone to fix any other way.
The elites know this as well.

And since the divine intervention
hasn't happened yet, that leaves
only one option.

I will label this thread as false hope.
I do not see it ever coming to fruition
by the means expressed herein.

Doesn't make me a pessimist,
It makes me a realist.

NOTE: I am not advocating violence
or revolution. Simply stating an opinion.

we here on ats strive to do this every day sometimes successful and sometimes not.

i am also in favor of abolishing the fed.

i am also in favor of restoration of the second ammendment to its orginal intentions.

i am in favor of government watchdogs call out the stupid no matter the side.

i am also in favor of free speech advocates the truth hurts.


never get depressed ashley thats when they win always fight for what you believe in if more people did and did not compormised the world and this country just maybe a better place.


never falter,never yield, and never fail as long as words come from you they can be heard and most time they do reach others.

apathy is the greatest enemy for when good people do nothing evil triumphs.

reply to post by AshleyD

This is a good idea to focus both on the situation and what can be done about it.

There is of course much more data concerning this. And the depth of this problem may be discouraging to some, who may see the various grassroots efforts and dissenting politicians as mere band-aid actions.

But remember: Those who want us to succumb have managed to gain control of many key information sources that we used to rely on to help us clarify or amplify our understanding of what is going on in the world. Many of these sources are no longer serving this intended function. In this sense, they have become traitorous. What this has resulted in is the impression that the situation is hopeless. This is far from the truth. You have to realize this very clearly: The enemies of life use fear mongering. This is an ancient tactic.

But we also have another important source of data that has been tampered with. Our own minds. And in particular, our ability to remember. Having a sense of accumulated experience can be useful in evaluating new data. And that resource has been eroded in many ways. Records of our cultural history can be peppered with false data and omissions. And our own memories can be toyed with in similar ways.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent and reverse the erosion of our own personal knowledge bases. These methods are ignored or derided in the MSM. Some of this derision has been so effective in certain quarters, such as that leveled against Scientology, that even those that are very aware that the MSM is full of disinfo are likely to believe that, in this case, the rumors and lies might in fact be true.

Bottom line: If you want to survive this onslaught of deception with your own sense of discernment and free will intact, you have to learn to find out for yourself.

We are the true power, those at the top of the hierarchy are merely the orchestrators of it ... When we are able to come together for our divine purpose, the favor of the people will be in abundance.

reply to post by AshleyD


Good thread..S&F..


But the problem for the people can be summed up in one simple word..

..........................APATHY....................................

The people Do have the POWER but only as a whole can they exercise it...

You will often find that the people that speak loudest about our freedoms being taken away are often times the first to accuse the government of not doing enough to protect us and how big of a failure they are. The government can't really win with alot of people as no matter what the government does it will be seen as wrong.

If they act to protect the general welfare people scream that they are taking away freedom.

If they let you have more freedom and something happens people ask why the government didn't do something to protect them?

You may feel like since 9/11 your rights have been hamstrung but actually with most things in your life you have not noticed anything all that much different. Airports are more of a hassle but nothing has really changed in your daily life i'd imagine. It's also important to note that we have not had another terror attack since 9/11 so it may be possible that what the government doing is working.

This threat of terror is something new and the government has the right to adjust to the times to meet specific threats. Lincoln absolutely raped the constitution during the civil war and I can only imagine the outcry today if Bush or Obama had tried what he did but once the threat was over the country went back to the way it was before.

Will the patriot act ever be repealed? I believe so. Maybe not this year or next but eventually they will as they have given back freedoms infringed upon in the past.

For once taking an optimistic view of things...wow that doesn't happen much. It is good to see though and thank you for that. S&F.
Even if the PTB have their way in the end we must never give up our hopes, our dreams and our freedoms that matter the most.
They may try to dictate those to us, but it is still up to us to decide. How we follow up on these feeling is what makes us who we are. We may not be able to affect all that is going on around us, but how we react to them will definitely be noticed by others and in turn may show the way to real freedom again.
Providing so much good information will lead others to see as you have and hopefully will continue to wake the sheeple up.
Great thread.

reply to post by kro32

You will often find that the people that speak loudest about our freedoms being taken away are often times the first to accuse the government of not doing enough to protect us and how big of a failure they are. The government can't really win with alot of people as no matter what the government does it will be seen as wrong.

If they act to protect the general welfare people scream that they are taking away freedom.

If they let you have more freedom and something happens people ask why the government didn't do something to protect them?

All the Government has to do is abide by the constitution..
That's their job and what people expect..

You're merely making excuses for their ILLEGAL actions..

reply to post by backinblack


The problem is that the Constitution is not set in stone. It purposefully was written to not specifically address many issues because the founders knew that times would change and future Congress's would have to adapt. It is a broad framework to be used as a basis for laws.

If it was fine as is there would have been no need for the founders to specifically tell you how to amend it. They knew when they were drafting it that it would need to be changed in the future which is why they outline how to do it.

So according to you there was never a need to add in amendments to end slavery or give women the right to vote?

Originally posted by kro32
reply to post by backinblack

 

The problem is that the Constitution is not set in stone.

you're right

it's the whole foundation
of a free republic

It's nice there are individuals and groups trying to stop the madness but it seems like the
"bad guys" are winning and moving forward rapidly with their plans.

I hear talk from the "good guy" side, the same talk that has been heard for decades, but I
see little result.

Our "elected representatives" (not leaders, representatives) no longer have our best interests
at the forefront of their agendas and as long as those people wield power in the United States
the nation will continue on a downward spiral that can only end with the elimination of
sovereignty.

Rome burns but few notice as there are still ample quantities of bread and circuses...

Originally posted by kro32
reply to post by backinblack

 

The problem is that the Constitution is not set in stone. It purposefully was written to not specifically address many issues because the founders knew that times would change and future Congress's would have to adapt. It is a broad framework to be used as a basis for laws.
If it was fine as is there would have been no need for the founders to specifically tell you how to amend it. They knew when they were drafting it that it would need to be changed in the future which is why they outline how to do it.
So according to you there was never a need to add in amendments to end slavery or give women the right to vote?

The constitution should NOT be changed unless it's with the full consent of the people through a referendum..
Politicians are only there to work within the bounds of the constitution..IMO

There should be "NO" exceptions..

Originally posted by Version100

It's nice there are individuals and groups trying to stop the madness but it seems like the
"bad guys" are winning and moving forward rapidly with their plans.

I hear talk from the "good guy" side, the same talk that has been heard for decades, but I
see little result.

Our "elected representatives" (not leaders, representatives) no longer have our best interests
at the forefront of their agendas and as long as those people wield power in the United States
the nation will continue on a downward spiral that can only end with the elimination of
sovereignty.

Rome burns but few notice as there are still ample quantities of bread and circuses...

Please explain how our elected representatives are any different than they were 50 years ago? Why do you believe they have ever had our best interests at the forefront of their agendas?

Seems to me I recall the Lazai Faire days, spelling is wrong i'm sure, when people were the last thing elected representatives cared about. Remember the kids they let work in factories for 16 hours a day?

Seems to me that our elected representatives have made quite a few changes since the old days to help out the people so your statement is completely false.

reply to post by kro32

Seems to me that our elected representatives have made quite a few changes since the old days to help out the people so your statement is completely false.

Really??
I'd say recent politicians have rescinded that slavery clause you mentioned earlier..
Paying the taxes and charges we do today amounts to nothing less than slavery..
But worse, most of our taxes go to paying debts that our leaders got us into and our great grandchildren will still be paying for them..

Originally posted by backinblack
reply to post by kro32

 

Seems to me that our elected representatives have made quite a few changes since the old days to help out the people so your statement is completely false.

Really??
I'd say recent politicians have rescinded that slavery clause you mentioned earlier..
Paying the taxes and charges we do today amounts to nothing less than slavery..
But worse, most of our taxes go to paying debts that our leaders got us into and our great grandchildren will still be paying for them..

Alot of those programs were started during the glory days when the government still cared about people and were not started recently. Seems to me that Congress just tried to pass a bill to get rid of one of those also. As far as working within the bounds of the Constitution I see congress doing just that. You may not like the way they are going about things but there's nothing unconstitutional about it.

reply to post by kro32

Alot of those programs were started during the glory days when the government still cared about people and were not started recently. Seems to me that Congress just tried to pass a bill to get rid of one of those also. As far as working within the bounds of the Constitution I see congress doing just that. You may not like the way they are going about things but there's nothing unconstitutional about it.

What a load of tripe !!
The constitution has been trampled on and NO ONE will deny that..
Well no one that can read anyway..

Originally posted by backinblack
reply to post by kro32

 

Alot of those programs were started during the glory days when the government still cared about people and were not started recently. Seems to me that Congress just tried to pass a bill to get rid of one of those also. As far as working within the bounds of the Constitution I see congress doing just that. You may not like the way they are going about things but there's nothing unconstitutional about it.

What a load of tripe !!
The constitution has been trampled on and NO ONE will deny that..
Well no one that can read anyway..

I anxiously await your examples of this.

Might be some bending but i've seen no trampling.