Let the TSA Collapse

The Transportation Security Administration or TSA was founded in the aftermath of 9/11 and though it would seem people have forgotten, it was quite controversial. It began a period of dehumanised public interaction with the state, and the degradation and humiliation of travellers. It was connected to the Patriot Act and the decimation of basic Constitutional rights. In other words if I was a patriot (which I am not) I would view TSA workers as traitors, enemies of the republic established by the US Constitution. I'm glad they're not being paid. They should go get real jobs and actually earn some honest money.

Surveillance Revisionism

I happened to catch some Newsmax on a recent night and couldn't help but grin listening to the commentators drone on about the surveillance state and how the citizenry shouldn't have to give up so much of its personal data.

Many will have no problem with giving up their data to corporations - who in turn affect and shape state policy and effectively lobby the government.

Trump, Schiff and the Stink of the American Political System

https://greenwald.substack.com/p/trump-doj-obtained-data-on-schiff

Greenwald rightly calls out Democratic hypocrisy regarding the issue of government spying. The tools which they helped to create and endorse were turned against them. These are the same tools that violate the US Constitution, undermine free speech and democracy, and the same tools they used to violate international agreements – and yes, spy on not just citizens but people within the government – and even political figures in other governments.

The QAnon Problem

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/20/904237192/journalist-enters-the-world-of-qanon-it-s-almost-like-a-bad-spy-novel

This interview was extremely interesting and informative and yet also frustrating.

Trump +382:DNC Hypocrisy

https://theintercept.com/2018/01/12/the-same-democrats-who-denounce-trump-as-a-lawless-treasonous-authoritarian-just-voted-to-give-him-vast-warrantless-spying-powers/

I think this article demonstrates that despite the rhetoric and posturing, Trump is not really the outsider he's painted to be. And indeed much of the protest emanating from Democratic circles is largely false. Yes, they would like Trump to be gone and yes, they are using the campaign against him to wage war on several fronts and yet they are not nearly as upset with him as they pretend to be. His views of immigrants and poor countries are largely shared with the Establishment but these are things that are not to be said out loud. Trump's main problem is that he's uneducated, crude and utterly lacking any kind of finesse or class. He may be a millionaire and grew up with money, but his mindset resonates more with the blue-collar street. That's why so many of that class embraced his message. If George W Bush resonated with the 'country boys' and Midwesterners, then Trump resonates with the urban working class. As one who lives in an area where the Rust Belt and Appalachia overlap, an area in which Trump has overwhelming support I can tell you that people voted for him, not because of some Russian plot on Facebook but for one simple reason... they thought he was going to bring jobs and industry back to America and restore the communities and values of old. They were utterly deceived and some of them are starting to realise it. The cynicism is like a cloud choking the very air we breathe.

Western Media Clampdown and the Cyber-Power Grab

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/german-spy-agency-warns-of-rise-in-russian-propaganda-and-cyber-attacks/

The media is filled with calls for investigations into Russian hacking but no evidence is produced. Instead we're provided with 'secret assessments' and calls to trust the intelligence apparatus, despite the fact they have a long and proven track record of lying and attempting to manipulate the public.

Like the many narratives strung together in the wake of 9/11, this present attempt at spin is false and patently so on many levels.

The Snowden Comments and the Mainstream Media

Once again we are provided with a clear example of the mainstream media's true role. Its task is not to report the news and inform the public, but to protect the system and promote its official line.

Snowden, the most important whistleblower on these technical issues has unequivocally declared that the government's claims are false. They don't need Apple to develop anti-encryption software in order to access the iPhone. If anyone would know, it's Edward Snowden.

Mobile Phones and the Embrace of Dystopia

https://theintercept.com/2015/12/17/a-secret-catalogue-of-government-gear-for-spying-on-your-cellphone/

This article provides a helpful update regarding the proliferation of military style surveillance equipment being unleashed on the public.

Greenwald and Brennan: Public Fear and the Power-Grab

Glen Greenwald is by no means the only person that is pointing these things out but I thought this small clip was particularly effective in communicating a range of issues regarding the US Establishment's attempt to capitalize on the Paris attacks. Of course the San Bernardino shootings will also facilitate this argument.

Jade Helm: Dissenting Commonality and the Response to Coming Unrest

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/09/19/jade-s19.html

This sort of article is interesting to me because it shows the surface-layer overlap on the parts of the Far Right and Far Left. Both are concerned with the growing power of the federal government, but both have entirely different interpretations of why it's happening, where it's going and who's behind it all.

The Implications of a Cyber Pearl Harbor

After the recent data breach, blamed on China, there's a growing chorus warning of a Cyber Pearl Harbor. We've heard this for some time, but it is only in recent years, (in light of Snowden and Wikileaks) that we can fully appreciate the implications.

Selling the Warfare State

It seems rather convenient that just as the NSA programme is being questioned by the judiciary, forcing the so-called Patriot Act to be reviewed, there is a sudden threat of ISIS cells in the United States.

The CIA Report and False Repentance

I guess we're supposed to be impressed. The United States government is displaying repentance, and doing an act of penitence by releasing the report on post-9/11 CIA sponsored torture, kidnapping and secret prisons.

Is this news?

McCarthy's Ghost: Ted Cruz, Cicero, the Unitary Executive, Justice Sunday and Evangelical Hypocrisy

Ted Cruz sees himself as a Cicero, warning the dying republic of the dangers of Empire. In truth he's a demagogue and a buffoonish one on the order of Joseph McCarthy. And in that sense, quite dangerous. And though he will likely run in 2016, he (as opposed to Obama) was really and truly born outside of the United States.

The Real Issue in the Nutrition Wars

When considering what must be called the Nutrition Wars I think many are actually missing the real issue.

By Nutrition Wars I mean the whole range of argument and debate over organic vs. industrial foods, arguments over preservatives and chemicals and so forth.

Your Digital Papers Please

The Establishment or Power Elite fear the connectivity available in the new technologies. Never before have the ruling regimes and their corporate collaborators felt such fear. I don't believe they are primarily afraid of terrorists along the lines of Al Qaeda. These surveillance and police programmes as well as some of the strategic goals of the War on Terror antedate 2001.