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When in Rome....
Jan. 14th, 2004 08:42 amSometime back someone said something about civil rights as outlined in the US Constitution and another terror attack. That if there is a nuclear, chemical or biological attack withing the borders of the US, they would throw out the Constitution in favor of a military style goverment.
That was sometime ago, but the idea has stuck with me. Since that time I have been surveying the game board with an eye for this.
My conclusion? Not impossible, not likely, but not impossible. The level of apathy and blind trust is about right, patriotic insanity is running high. School children are required to make the pledge of allegiance once a morning. We have an very loosely defined adversary. Rudolf Hess would salivating over the potential if he was alive today.
Things have cooled down a bit since the World Trade Center attacks. But looking back on the event two years later, it shrinks in the light of history. Certainly a terrible incident, a lesson to be learned in many different ways. Events such as the dual atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 tower above the Trade Center attack in the history books (and we did that one).
But on to the lessons learned part about the attacks, my personal lessons. I've learned to appreciate our civil workers. I've learned that some people hate us enough to do the worst they can. I've learned to be a little more careful, that we are no longer insulated from the rest of the world. I've also learned a thing or two about folks putting absolute faith in the government.
Looking around my workplace, many people just tow the line out of ignorance of the facts or fear of being singled out as unpatriotic. No amount of facts, proof of lies or just good ol' fashioned common sense will sway them.
The only thing that does sway them is the television. This softness of mind is most distressing to me. Is there some sort of hypnosis I am not picking up on here? They act like parrots, regurgitating the words that previously came out of the picture and sound box on the breakroom wall. Taking it all in as the holy truth, with no critical thought on the information presented.
Although this is not entirely true. They have all sorts of debate over the local professional football teams performance last Sunday. Or if Paris Hilton is a slut or not, and if they would in fact "do her". ;)
This is where I see the possibility of harm to our civil rights. The lack of critical thought on the level of the average American. We are soft of mind, reluctant to generate our own opinions, preferring to have them formed for us. We have a awesome military machine that can smash anyone, anywhere. We represent 2% of the world population, and 30% of consumed energy and goods. We are growing fatter, our couches grow deeper. A fairly new religion is storming the world.
When in Rome....Fall like the Roman's do? Rally like the German's did in 1934? Overextend our control like the Soviet Union? Just beyond the gameboard I can faintly see the red flags from history.
That was sometime ago, but the idea has stuck with me. Since that time I have been surveying the game board with an eye for this.
My conclusion? Not impossible, not likely, but not impossible. The level of apathy and blind trust is about right, patriotic insanity is running high. School children are required to make the pledge of allegiance once a morning. We have an very loosely defined adversary. Rudolf Hess would salivating over the potential if he was alive today.
Things have cooled down a bit since the World Trade Center attacks. But looking back on the event two years later, it shrinks in the light of history. Certainly a terrible incident, a lesson to be learned in many different ways. Events such as the dual atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 tower above the Trade Center attack in the history books (and we did that one).
But on to the lessons learned part about the attacks, my personal lessons. I've learned to appreciate our civil workers. I've learned that some people hate us enough to do the worst they can. I've learned to be a little more careful, that we are no longer insulated from the rest of the world. I've also learned a thing or two about folks putting absolute faith in the government.
Looking around my workplace, many people just tow the line out of ignorance of the facts or fear of being singled out as unpatriotic. No amount of facts, proof of lies or just good ol' fashioned common sense will sway them.
The only thing that does sway them is the television. This softness of mind is most distressing to me. Is there some sort of hypnosis I am not picking up on here? They act like parrots, regurgitating the words that previously came out of the picture and sound box on the breakroom wall. Taking it all in as the holy truth, with no critical thought on the information presented.
Although this is not entirely true. They have all sorts of debate over the local professional football teams performance last Sunday. Or if Paris Hilton is a slut or not, and if they would in fact "do her". ;)
This is where I see the possibility of harm to our civil rights. The lack of critical thought on the level of the average American. We are soft of mind, reluctant to generate our own opinions, preferring to have them formed for us. We have a awesome military machine that can smash anyone, anywhere. We represent 2% of the world population, and 30% of consumed energy and goods. We are growing fatter, our couches grow deeper. A fairly new religion is storming the world.
When in Rome....Fall like the Roman's do? Rally like the German's did in 1934? Overextend our control like the Soviet Union? Just beyond the gameboard I can faintly see the red flags from history.
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