Former Top NSA Official - We are Now In a Police State

reply to post by beezzer


Unless something happens to take away technology (massive solar flare, EMP, WWIII, etc.) or you can change human nature and reverse the course of human society since at least Sumer, this is not going to be easy to fix. Rulers and powerful elite have always wanted to control the rest of the population to maintain status quo. Technology just makes it easier for them to micro-manage all of us.

And with Google buying Boston Dynamics, the powers that be will soon have autonomous military robots that can run and maneuver like cheetahs and also the new two-legged ones that can climb over obstacles, open doors, climb stairs, drive cars, etc. And these robots may know everything both Google and the NSA know about you, including where you are by GPS.

reply to post by benrl


Agreed. From where I've been sitting, any potentially treasonous or seditious action simply provides fuel and rationale for surveillance. In a way, the public is in a double bind and double binds require utilizing what is available in order to create an alternate outcome. That means tiptoeing through a minefield.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Talk about Depressing. I love alternative news but the Cold Hard Facts just Suck!!

reply to post by FlyersFan


After all those years of propagander against the u.s.s.r . It seems that russia and the u.s.a. are now one of the same. Except russia is more free, snowden seeks asylum in russia. What a sad state of affairs indeed.

By not being divided by race, creed, color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class,religion, or even nationality.....

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for all man kind, not just the rich or elite.

And so the cycle of being divided continues....

Dfairlite

By not being divided by race, creed, color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class,religion, or even nationality.....

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for all man kind, not just the rich or elite.

And so the cycle of being divided continues....

The sad fact is those are the ones currently pushing the agenda

The United States became a police state on October 26, 2001. A terrorized populace will surrender anything.

reply to post by benrl


Because Ben you said it best, so here's a repost~

By standing untied as one people.

By not being divided by race, creed, color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class,religion, or even nationality.

And say in one voice tyranny will not stand.

Nothing will change until we can all put aside what divides us and we all remember what we have in common opposed to that in which we don't.

I believe change can happen, I believe the system can still work, I believe we can do it peacefully.

All it takes is the will to stand as one behind the beliefs that founded this nation.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for all man kind, not just the rich or elite.

Here's too "The home of the restricted and the land of the tap'd"

beezzer
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

How do we get rid of the police-state?

How do we return to a society based on individualism, personal responsibility, liberty, freedom?

I think thats the only question that matters. Most people are of the violent uprising persuasion, though I am not sure this would lead to anything different than we have now (especially in the long run).

I really think the problems go a bit deeper than most realize, and this is a cycle that has repeated itself quite a few times. Those who are both rich and clever are even able to profit off of these cycles!

What we do gives us a certain amount of currency, correlating a value with work done. Once you reach a certain threshold, this restriction no longer applies. You do not need to do any work to receive currency. An issue arises when there is no tangible effect of this process in the society. Basically, doing "work" not only is equated to a currency value, but the work itself has a real world value. Our entire economy is based off of putting more value and investments into derivates of currency value, and the things that create real world value have fallen by the wayside. Things like education, infrastructure repair, and even the advance of technology.

When the goal of a society is to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money, it creates a large disparity between real world value and currency value and thats a problem.

There will always be a disparity between the have's and have not's, but perhaps it would be better if the way to achieve greater financial resources was based in a standard that applies equally to everyone. This implies true equal opportunity, and places more focus on tangible effects of investments than pure returns with no "real world" value.

And, thats only my opinion. We have plenty of brilliant minds in the world, but not many working on actual solutions to very real problems we are facing. And then, we run into the problem of participation. Thats probably the biggest stumbling block. Even getting people to think about suggestions and discuss them is difficult, much less taking positive action cohesively.

beezzer
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

How do we get rid of the police-state?

How do we return to a society based on individualism, personal responsibility, liberty, freedom?

There is only one way. We know the way. The Government knows the way. The sad part are the ones who have been brainwashed into believing the need for the NSA. Those are the ones to be frightened of. Those who push the NSA agenda are the ones who crave the power. Those who do not stop the NSA are those will benefit from it all.

Those we have elected will not help us. Those who have tasted the power will only hunger for more. We only want to live and let live. They see chaos if not controlled. You are not a person to them. You are only a piece in the game. A very minor piece. A piece that does not matter. That is what they believe.

They believe wrong. It is time to use the 'dark net'. Even then it is not safe. We must become Silent Runners. Never forget.

reply to post by FlyersFan


"We're all screwed especially those who posted on A TS. "? "Speak for thyself John Alden", I absolutely adore anything to do with the N SA,
! I think they should spy on the people from other planets too. I mean, who the hell do they think they are? They need FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY too goddammit! So I say, you go N SA and spy on them bitchez. For real.

reply to post by beezzer


The answer to that question is too unsavory to imagine in this day and age. Now that it does exist at this degree can we ever truly make it go away? Powerful men will do everything possible to insure that they do not lose this control mechanism over us.

Did we ever truly believe that "we had nothing to hide?" Did we ever truly believe that this power would be used for the common good. Have we so soon forgotten that the mouse always asks for a glass of milk?

ganjoa
For some reason, your post brought back a distant memory of a song from my youth -
Steppenwolf's "Monster" very much seems like the NSA:

Yeah, there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into the noose
And it just sits there watchin'

ganjoa

Don't forget the song "The Ostrich" - that really struck a bell with me..

www.metrolyrics.com...

reply to post by ObservingTheWorld


I absolutely disagree as that smacks head on into feeding the idea of "if you're not doing anything wrong...". Stating that one does not like something that their government is doing is not wrong. It is directly protected (within reason--incite to violence et al are not protected via stare decisis) by our First Amendment and they know that. If we start believing that openly criticizing one's government is somehow putting oneself at risk and that true, open discourse must be taken underground, then we have already lost.

There are two sets of rules that society abides by. One is written and one is not. What is still written law is the First Amendment. If we allow the unwritten law of society to deem political criticism as somehow being punishable by our government, then we lose. It is not wrong to criticize one's elected leaders' behaviors/decision making. It is our inherent duty as citizens within this nation because a free and open discourse is absolutely inherent to an informed and functioning democracy.

If people really think about it, it IS chilling.

Nobody is safe. Even the ones toeing the lawful line, if they become noticed, they may be put away in jail by simply having incriminating evidence planted in their residence.

How many folks who proclaim their innocence are actually innocent (if anyone is truly "innocent" of everything)? How many have access to media and so can warn about unwarranted arrest so many listen? Who would listen to a "nobody" wailing that they were jailed for questioning the government when a kilo of heroin and child porn was found in their house?

This may have been set up with the best of intentions. In fact, knowing many folks in the gov I'm sure it was. But really, I'd rather live in some uncertainty of a bomb going off than with this.

Everything we write or say outside of our heads is listened to now. Everything. This post is being read by a computer (at least) and being scanned with algorithms to detect threat or dissent.

Soon, if not now, even our internal dialogues will be available to our erstwhile monitors . The tech is being developed. EDIT: This sounds totally insane, but simply scanning our brains to read electrical patterns and learning what patterns match what thoughts is being done. The end scenario is problematic... the best scenario is a world devoid of lies and posturing... the worst scenario is beyond any totalitarian hell imaginable.

I consider myself a nice enough fellow. I don't steal, I don't hurt, I don't make a nuisance. I DO speak (write) my mind and I have taken illegal substances on occasion... and with the power these monitors have, I am aware that I am risking my freedom by posting questions on the internet. Even if I was blameless and never broke the law I would STILL be at risk. THAT is the point.

The vast trove of information on everyone is the point. Showing the world the sexual predilections of some leader if they don't vote a certain way is the point. Total power and the potential for total corruption is the point.

Being mindful of what we say because of such an implied threat? THAT IS BAD. Holy crap.... that is really, really bad.

beezzer
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

How do we get rid of the police-state?

How do we return to a society based on individualism, personal responsibility, liberty, freedom?

Beezzer you always ask the best questions.

Adam Kokesh


We need more of these.
Million Vet March Clashes With Riot Police AND WINS!


Debates?

Carefull how you reply to this as we are being monitored.

An Instruction Manual


I am too old to take a beating, many vets know what that means.
My weapons are and will remain undocumented.

1. Reinstate the constitution. Put the federal government back under the thumb of the states and the states under the thumbs of the people.
2. Repeal NDAA and the Patriot Act.
Remove the control of the bankers and multinational corporations from the political process.
3. ?

reply to post by FlyersFan


excuse me OP, but in your original post you say we are all screwed here on ATS because NSA has our comments and data. Why would anyone believe that people here engaging in legal, protected dialogue [dissent or not] is set up for being screwed???

people here have been acting a little wack. the spy portion of the government, bloated with unheralded funding and incompetence, with no more fake wars to puke their burgeoning warmachine with have turned the lumbering hulk against their own citizens. In so doing, the NSA have violated every privacy and freedom law that affects America, and civilization at large, ILLEGALLY and repeatedly!!!.

cowards do need to run and hide. traitors too. but the ones violating the laws are NOT the ones engaged in free speech, its the cowards and traitors illegally spying on their own people that are on the run, straight to jail. a strong judge has stood for sanity. a brave man has sued the liars and criminals for the freedom of our citizens, and people sit here whining and cowering about how we are screwed? your obligation is to stand behind these men and show we will hold the criminals to account, not to cry or weep a cowards song.

examine your balls gentlemen, its time to stand up behind these men and stop the ridiculous uncalled-for illegal attack upon the freedoms and reputation of our respective countries and civilization.

reply to post by urmenimu

Have you read The Patriot Act?
Here is a breakdown.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by iRoyalty


A good idea, but who says that we won't have a SA/SS/Nazi-like regime after? Going off of the history you exampled.

There is no turning back, sadly.

Doesn't matter how you protest, violent or peaceful, you're going to get assassinated--literally or figuratively.

If you're all hippie/peaceful, the Corporations (AKA those really in control and who won't give up power) will assassinate your character every second of every day on every "news outlet".

You'll be a real Emmanuel Goldstein, they'll tie you to everything and anything deplorable and despicable before any groundswell can start.

If you're violent, the Corporations will have their security forces (US Military or police departments) kill you and then also assassinate the character of your memory as outlined above.

Face it, we're screwed. And face it, it isn't the Gov't that is control.

The illusion of America died decades ago.

Derek