History Lesson. By Rhino.

We probably disagree on just about everything, but those are some good links.

I wonder if Manystrom could bring back some of those deleted threads?

WAHOR!

http://www.dailypaul.com/...

We all have our roles.

Be careful, your thoughts betray you.

I would bet that Manystrom could bring them back when he has the time.

Be patient, pray, and meditate. I have found that this works.

We all have our roles.

It bumps it up to the top of the list.

We all have our roles.

I just finished reading an email loop from high school friends which I was copied on. I include it at the bottom of this post. The use of your nom de plume, Realdeal, caught my eye and the next thing I clicked on was this thread. All the loose ends pulled together.

Funny how my schoolmates went their way, I went mine, seldom stay in touch. We grew independently, yet in sync.

Other than tangentially, I haven’t yet written on this theme. But I will. Remarkably this touches upon many of the essential points I have paid attention to on our Daily Paul threads.

The serendipitousness of life always amaze me. The post I would like to resurrect is really an esoteric one on signs and symbolism and synchronicities that was one of the first casualties to ape attack in the Flag Wars, and so is no longer available. It’s senseless ( as I thought at the time ) destruction to domineering adherents to the law of the jungle caused me to step up my advocacy of the cause that we libertarian lovers of the blessings of liberty needed more practice in embracing fundamental principles before we could presume to carry the Freedom Message further. I find it beyond enchanting that we now Daily demonstrate the `EVOLution resulting from Trying Harder.

The disappearance of my evanescent words causes me little regret now. The adherence to words scratched superficially is of little consequence. It is what becomes embossed in hearts, minds and souls that is our redemption.

For those who, at times, lament in disillusionment – I offer this as a surviving incantation from past threads :

http://www.dailypaul.com/...

For my compatriot, Realdeal, thank you for your kind words, and conspicuous example, Daily encouraging my participation on this board.

HERE IS THAT TOPICAL EMAIL EXCHANGE:

Eric wrote:

There is typically either zero or one candidate on every final presidential ballot who is not bought and paid for. The Republicans have been trying to take over the Libertarian Party for their ballot access in all 50 states (quite an achievement for a third party), and the evil Republicans have finally succeeded. There never was any point to voting--It's just so painfully obvious now. I can't say that Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party is "owned" by the establishment, but I can say that he is like much of the religious right and probably supports many unconstitutional ideas like the Drug War, the IRS, etc... Your first noteworthy act of civil disobedience should be writing in the real deal (Ron Paul) or not wasting the gas to vote for some sellout scumbag. The brick wall has always been there--We just haven't been able to see it very clearly until now (see FZ below).

The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre.
--FRANK ZAPPA

Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right. – H.L. Mencken

On Jul 1, 2008, at 6:28 AM, Brian wrote:

So Eric, are you saying that EVERY name on the ballot this year is owned by the Establishment? Are you saying even the Libertarians have been co-opted? If that is the case, then there is no longer any point to the political process.

It’s time for noteworthy acts of civil disobedience. I know there is a movement on the west coast right now organizing truckers to shut down all bridges and tunnels until Congress opens up domestic drilling. Or, let the bullets fly.

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric
Subject: Re: And remember...you and I pay for Big Brother to exist and take care of our every need.

Would this be the same Bob Barr who worked for the CIA for a decade, was a federal Drug War prosecutor for a decade, voted for the War in Iraq, the Patriot Act, and the Drug War while he was a congressman? And this clown wants us to believe that he is now a Libertarian?!!!!
What a joke!!

Write-in Ron Paul or don't bother to vote at all.

E

On Jun 30, 2008, at 2:00 PM, Brian wrote:

I love Big Brother. It is vital to teach our children to love Big brother, too.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/se...

by Bob Barr March 5, 2008
Two years ago in this column, I lamented the fact that toy manufacturers were cashing in on society's headlong rush toward constant and ubiquitous surveillance.

I highlighted a Lego construction set that included, as part of a police 18-wheeler, a surveillance and monitoring unit. I also noted a plastic "play set," manufactured and marketed by Playmobil, depicting a police officer wanding a civilian figure as pretend belongings go through a pretend X-ray machine. This trend toward "play" search and surveillance has continued, and now includes a functioning toy metal detector.

Wizard Industries Inc. recently heralded the latest children's toy —- as an "educational aid" —- designed expressly to make surveillance security "fun." The company's press release announcing its "Scan-It Toy X-Ray Machine" reveals much about the direction in which our society is moving.

The company takes great pains to explain that the functioning kiddie metal-detecting machine is not the product of some impersonal research department but rather the product of the imaginative mind of a "mother of three" —- Kathy Arena. It seems Arena was going though what apparently was a not-so-happy divorce several years ago that required her and her children to pass through security checkpoints at the courthouse. We learn that they were "intimidated" by the courthouse security.
The fear of the courthouse security scanner apparently rested heavy on Rena's psyche after the divorce. This intrepid divorcee decided the best way to meet the challenge presented by the distress was to invent a toy to teach other children that transiting a security checkpoint can be fun. Untold numbers of children yet unborn could easily avoid similar trauma by having their parents or guardians shell out $59.95 for a toy metal-detecting machine, and then practice the drill of being subjected to government searches in the comfortable surroundings of their own playroom.

Apparently Arena is quite a philosopher. The description of her epiphany from trembling at the sight of a security checkpoint to embracing such intrusive devices, notes that she realized that knowledge dispels ignorance, which in turn reduces fear. Thus, in a flash of brilliance that would make Plato sit up and take notice, Arena concluded that fear of having the government invade one's personal privacy was simply the result of ignorance. Arena and Wizard Industries may be on to something here that could make them rich, and at the same time tear down the wall of fear and distrust that has infected our view of certain ongoing government activities. The Wizard-Arena team could develop and market a whole series of post-9/11 toys:

> A miniature waterboarding play set, designed to teach kids that pouring water down someone's nose while he's strapped to a table is not "torture," but actually fun.

> Decks of playing cards to teach youngsters how to recognize "enemy combatants" and deny them their civil liberties, a process that also can be loads of fun.

> Make-believe surveillance devices to intercept and record phone calls and e-mail messages for no reason at all, just like their government does.

> Pretend national identification cards that must be shown if their playmates wish to visit their homes for sleep-overs, just like their parents will have to show when the Real ID Act goes into full force and effect.

> Self-sticking, fake radio frequency identification chips just like the ones the government is putting in passports and other items.

When I was a kid, my favorite toys were a football, a Davy Crockett coonskin cap, and a Red Ryder BB gun. How times have changed.

Daniel Kurtzman
Sunday, July 28, 2002

“1984, " the prophetic novel about a government that controls the masses by spreading propaganda, cracking down on subversive thought and altering history to suit its needs was intended to be read as a warning about the evils of totalitarianism -- not a how-to manual, but similarities are starting to get a bit eerie.

PERMANENT WAR

In "1984," the state remained perpetually at war against a vague and ever- changing enemy. The war took place largely in the abstract, but it served as a convenient vehicle to fuel hatred, nurture fear and justify the regime's autocratic practices.

Bush's war against terrorism has become almost as amorphous. Although we are told the president's resolve is steady and the mission clear, we seem to know less and less about the enemy we are fighting. What began as a war against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda quickly morphed into a war against Afghanistan, followed by dire warnings about an "Axis of Evil," the targeting of terrorists in some 50 to 60 countries, and now the beginnings of a major campaign against Iraq. Exactly what will constitute success in this war remains unclear, but the one thing the Bush administration has made certain is that the war will continue "indefinitely."

MINISTRY OF TRUTH

Serving as the propaganda arm of the ruling party in "1984," the Ministry of Truth not only spread lies to suit its strategic goals, but constantly rewrote and falsified history. It is a practice that has become increasingly commonplace in the Bush White House, where presidential transcripts are routinely sanitized to remove the president's gaffes, accounts of intelligence warnings prior to Sept. 11 get spottier with each retelling, and the facts surrounding Bush's past financial dealings are subject to continual revision.
The Bush administration has been surprisingly up front about its intentions of propagating falsehoods. In February, for example, the Pentagon announced a plan to create an Office of Strategic Influence to provide false news and information abroad to help manipulate public opinion and further its military objectives. Following a public outcry, the Pentagon said it would close the office -- news that would have sounded more convincing had it not come from a place that just announced it was planning to spread misinformation.

INFALLIBLE LEADER

An omnipresent and all-powerful leader, Big Brother commanded the total, unquestioning support of the people. He was both adored and feared, and no one dared speak out against him, lest they be met by the wrath of the state.

President Bush may not be as menacing a figure, but he has hardly concealed his desire for greater powers. Never mind that he has mentioned -- on no fewer than three occasions -- how much easier things would be if he were dictator. By abandoning many of the checks and balances established in the Constitution to keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful, Bush has already achieved the greatest expansion of executive powers since Nixon. His approval ratings remain remarkably high, and his minions have worked hard to cultivate an image of infallibility. Nowhere was that more apparent than during a recent commencement address Bush gave at Ohio State, where students were threatened with arrest and expulsion if they protested the speech. They were ordered to give him a "thunderous ovation," and they did.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING

The ever-watchful eye of Big Brother kept constant tabs on the citizens of Orwell's totalitarian state, using two-way telescreens to monitor people's every move while simultaneously broadcasting party propaganda.
While that technology may not have arrived yet, public video surveillance has become all the rage in law enforcement, with cameras being deployed everywhere from sporting events to public beaches. The Bush administration has also announced plans to recruit millions of Americans to form a corps of citizen spies who will serve as "extra eyes and ears for law enforcement," reporting any suspicious activity as part of a program dubbed Operation TIPS --
Terrorism Information and Prevention System.

And thanks to the hastily passed USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department has sweeping new powers to monitor phone conversations, Internet usage, business transactions and library reading records. Best of all, law enforcement need not be burdened any longer with such inconveniences as probable cause.

THOUGHT POLICE

Charged with eradicating dissent and ferreting out resistance, the ever- present Thought Police described in "1984" carefully monitored all unorthodox or potentially subversive thoughts. The Bush administration is not prosecuting thought crime yet, but members have been quick to question the patriotism of anyone who dares criticize their handling of the war on terrorism or homeland defense. Take, for example, the way Attorney General John Ashcroft answered critics of his anti-terrorism measures, saying that opponents of the administration "only aid terrorists" and "give ammunition to America's enemies. "

Even more ominous was the stern warning White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer sent to Americans after Bill Maher, host of the now defunct "Politically Incorrect," called past U.S. military actions "cowardly." Said Fleischer, "There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is."

What would it take to turn America into the kind of society that Orwell warned about, a society that envisions war as peace, freedom as slavery and ignorance as strength? Would it happen overnight, or would it involve a gradual erosion of freedoms with the people's consent?

Because we are a nation at war -- as we are constantly reminded -- most Americans say they are willing to sacrifice many of our freedoms in return for the promise of greater security. We have been asked to put our blind faith in government and most of us have done so with patriotic fervor. But when the government abuses that trust and begins to stamp out the freedom of dissent that is the hallmark of a democratic society, can there be any turning back?

So powerful was the state's control over people's minds in "1984" that, eventually, everyone came to love Big Brother. Perhaps in time we all will, too.
Daniel Kurtzman is a San Francisco writer and former Washington political correspondent.

That is a great article from UW.

We all have our roles.

Links galore, I have never seen this. I will save this. This is a treasure that I have been looking for.

We all have our roles.