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Subject: Do we trust Obama or not?
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Hi Bart,
I agree with your instincts about Obama - there is a lot to be said for taking him at his word
and trusting him do the right thing in the face of terrorism, especially the nuclear threat. And indeed
we do not even know exactly what is being done under this program in the name of security,
so you are also 100% right that arguing over whether Obama is lying or not is pointless.
But at the same time, this isn't about Obama at all - not about whether he is lying or not, not even about
any one man or woman. This is about the U.S. government as a largely-unaccountable whole, the national
security laws as they are currently written (a severe over-reaction in the wake of 9/11 hysteria, which we
as a people allowed to happen and thus continue to participate in), and the unfortunate but perhaps inevitable
ascendency of a secret police state in the name of fighting terrorism. With this government overseeing our
already corporate-dominated, profit-driven, politically-corrupt society, it's a recipe for disaster. We Americans
were raised to believe in all the founding principles of our nation (whether they were historically bullshit or not,
but most sane people agree the U.S. Constitution is at least one of the greatest political documents ever written
and is worth preserving), and we have a hard time giving up those beliefs in the name of "security".
Whether I trust Obama or not, I absolutely do not trust all 100% of the U.S. political/military/industrial establishment.
How could I? I don't even know who they all are. I'm sure many of them are good, honest dedicated public servants,
but we also know all too well that many of them are ruthless, lying, murdering scumbags who shouldn't be anywhere
near this kind of power and shouldn't be allowed any secrecy at all. History has proven that many, many people are
stupid, selfish, and yes even evil, and giving a whole government these kinds of powers over people's lives just invites
way too much abuse. There has to be some push-back against "Total information Awareness", or we can kiss our
beloved country goodbye.
We are in a brave new world, like it or not, and we're all trying to figure out the rules, but as Ben Franklin once said,
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety".
That being said, if anyone ever calls you "Cheney" you should shoot them in the face, because they are just too stupid to live.
Thanks for letting me rant, and stick to your guns. You are more right, more of the time, than just about anyone I know.
Cheers,
Jake in L.A.
Hi Bart,
I agree with your instincts about Obama - there is a lot to be said for taking him at his word
and trusting him do the right thing in the face of terrorism, especially the nuclear threat. And indeed
we do not even know exactly what is being done under this program in the name of security,
so you are also 100% right that arguing over whether Obama is lying or not is pointless.
But at the same time, this isn't about Obama at all - not about whether he is lying or not, not even about
any one man or woman. This is about the U.S. government as a largely-unaccountable whole, the national
security laws as they are currently written (a severe over-reaction in the wake of 9/11 hysteria, which we
as a people allowed to happen and thus continue to participate in), and the unfortunate but perhaps inevitable
ascendency of a secret police state in the name of fighting terrorism. With this government overseeing our
already corporate-dominated, profit-driven, politically-corrupt society, it's a recipe for disaster. We Americans
were raised to believe in all the founding principles of our nation (whether they were historically bullshit or not,
but most sane people agree the U.S. Constitution is at least one of the greatest political documents ever written
and is worth preserving), and we have a hard time giving up those beliefs in the name of "security".
Whether I trust Obama or not, I absolutely do not trust all 100% of the U.S. political/military/industrial establishment.
How could I? I don't even know who they all are. I'm sure many of them are good, honest dedicated public servants,
but we also know all too well that many of them are ruthless, lying, murdering scumbags who shouldn't be anywhere
near this kind of power and shouldn't be allowed any secrecy at all. History has proven that many, many people are
stupid, selfish, and yes even evil, and giving a whole government these kinds of powers over people's lives just invites
way too much abuse. There has to be some push-back against "Total information Awareness", or we can kiss our
beloved country goodbye.
We are in a brave new world, like it or not, and we're all trying to figure out the rules, but as Ben Franklin once said,
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety".
That being said, if anyone ever calls you "Cheney" you should shoot them in the face, because they are just too stupid to live.
Thanks for letting me rant, and stick to your guns. You are more right, more of the time, than just about anyone I know.
Cheers,
Jake in L.A.