Signs of the Times – part 13
Originally posted Dec. 8, 2011.
Quotes of the day:
“War with Iran is already here” – Headline in the world news section of the Sunday Star Times (New Zealand Sunday newspaper), Dec. 4, 2011.
“When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
Then they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
I did not protest;
I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Martin Niemöller, German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor, poem written whilst incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp.
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke, Irish/British political philosopher and statesman.
In the not too distant future everyone’s conscience is going to be violated – it is just a matter of time. For many people around the world this experience has already happened to them. You see, it takes a violated conscience to march in the streets, and stand unarmed confronting armed security forces and know that you could lose your life at any moment. It is not just courage that motivates such determination – it also requires a violated and outraged conscience.
A violated outraged conscience is the conviction that things have gone too far – something needs to change – and I personally, need to do something about it. People are popping up all over this planet, they are marching in the streets, they are occupying territory, and they are being harassed, beaten and murdered. Why do they do it? – Because their consciences have been violated. This conviction will come to all of us – but sadly just as in Martin Niemöller’s case – it will come to most of us too late.
Before Hitler could launch WWII, he had to imprison or kill his domestic opposition (Martin Niemöller, being just one of many). The same process is occurring in “plain sight” in America today, before it too, can launch WWIII. Just recently the US government executed one of its own citizens, without an arrest warrant, without a trial, and without a conviction, and there were only a few muffled objections. Why was there not an outpouring of outrage to this clear violation of due process and violation of the United States of America’s constitution? There was little objection because the executed US citizen had an Arabic name, and he was a member of Al-Qaeda – so that made it completely OK.
Anwar al-Awlaki (killed by targeted drone attack) was clearly not a nice person – there will not be many mourning his demise. But if all it takes, to be executed by your own government is not to be “nice” – how many of us would survive? With the execution of al-Awaki a line was crossed, and the US Government will never be able to step back across the line – a precedent has now been established. In addition, the US Government has just learned a valuable lesson. They learned that they can execute one of their own citizens and get away with it. In legal terms it is called a “precedent” – it means a new benchmark has been established – a new step has been approved – a new model has been found – this can now be developed, improved, expanded, increased, implemented, enforced and multiplied. Therefore, it will not be long before other US citizens will have drones hovering over their heads, and more summary executions taking place. And it won’t help, when they come for you, and all you can say, in a bewildered tone is – “but I’m not a member of Al-Qaeda.”
The process is an incremental one. They take out the unpopular minorities first. The first step is to demonise (create hatred of/for) the target group. Hitler’s first target group was the Communists. The second step is to find some “terrorists” – Hitler couldn’t find any terrorists, so he had to create his own – he burnt down the German parliament/congress building, and blamed it on the Communists. Now Hitler is free to attack, imprison and eliminate the Communists. And no one cared because no one liked them anyway. “Next please! Yes! The Jews will do nicely! – Goebbels! – crank up the media! This time it’s the Jews. And get started on the Slavs as well – they’re next.”
In this incremental process, they first take out the leaders of the target group, then, they come for the rank and file. They work on the smaller opposition targets and work towards the largest. Those who are left will subdue their violated consciences, with rationalizations of “the leaders know best” – “it is my duty to follow orders” – “it is better to have security than freedom” etc. etc.
Lastly, all those who oppose the government (for whatever reason) are labelled traitors and terrorists (this is especially easy to do, during wartime – so let’s throw in a war to help the process along). And thus all domestic opposition is eliminated – dictatorship is established – and the way forward for military adventures overseas resulting in WWIII is established. This was the dreary path trodden by Germany under the Nazis – it looks increasingly likely that the same fate awaits America, because the same path is being trodden in America.
Instant demonization occurred after 9/11 (in spite of efforts to prevent it). The second target group after Muslims is/will be “fundamentalist Christians” – this was already happening before 9/11 – Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma bomber) was portrayed as a patriot and Christian fundamentalist. Truly George Santayana (Spanish philosopher) was correct when he said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The most admired constitution in the world is already dead – and those who have sworn to defend it, are those who have killed it. It died after 9/11 with the passing of the Patriot Act. It was not necessary to rescind, alter or amend it – all that was necessary to destroy it – was to ignore it. When it was pointed out to Nancy Pelosi that Obama’s healthcare plan (Obama Care) was unconstitutional her response was, “Are you serious?” All kinds of laws are being passed in America today, that are totally contrary to the statutes and the principles of the US constitution – and the American people are allowing it to happen (just like Nazi Germany) – “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.”
The latest nail in the coffin of the constitution has been the passing of the National Defence Authorization Act. With the passage of this draconian piece of legislation the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) had their collective conscience violated – and finally a real objection was heard. The ACLU pointed out that the US Government now had the right (legally) to arrest their own citizens – to detain them indefinitely without charge – and to interrogated and torture them! Yes! I repeat, the legislation says that: “advanced interrogation techniques” (legal jargon for torture) may now legally be used against American citizens. Guantanamo Bay has just moved to the homeland – courtesy of Homeland Security.
If American’s (and their friends) do not have their conscience’s violated by these developments – then only God can help them – because when they come for you – no man will lift a finger to help you.
At the close of the Constitution Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall when he was asked: “Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin replied: “A republic, if you can keep it!” Franklin understood that every generation, has to fight to preserve freedoms that, previous generations spilled their blood to gain. And if people do not understand this principle, they will be enslaved yet again.
Franklin also said, on another occasion: “Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one!”
It is a big responsibility to be an American citizen today. The world wants to see the return of: – “The home of the brave and the land of the free!”
God bless, Bruce Telfer.
