I have to wonder where the outcry is for all the injustices that are occurring daily and systematically in this country. Where is the public outcry for our slavery to the Federal Government by abusive interest rates for students, corporate puppet rule, and a historically ineffectual Congress? Where is the call for a riot about the attack on the Bill of Rights? Our 1st, 2nd, and 4th Amendment Rights are under attack as we speak. From the NSA scandal, to Stop-and-Frisk policies, to fire arms restirctions, to the buying and silencing of the media, rulings that bloggers aren’t journalists, the use of free speech on the internet as evidence, money as free speech, arrests of peaceful protesters, and indeed the public scrutiny of any body of people exercising their right to assemble and protest our freedoms are under siege. All too oftenwe engage in protests by meme, image, and Facebook share. We are finding too much humor in the affair, and are too complacent in the events transpiring. The only other alternative it seems is mob rule and violence.
Our speech has been stolen under the banner of Capitalism, our right to bear arms justified as increased safety, and our freedom of privacy is (astoundingly) being absconded and presented as a protection of privacy. It’s absurd, and surely we must all be ineffectual, lazy, and stupid if we take but one moment to try and swallow this feces and call it sweet.
Where are the riots against the thievery of the very essential rights that make us American? Instead, what we have are flaccid responses posing as placards of strength.
“We’ll remember at the next election”
“Vote ‘em out”
“Impeach them”
These are very civil slogans, evoking the right to use civic powers as recourse to the removal of civil rights of all Americans? But our very right to civic power and civil duty is being eroded, and our freedom to stand up legally is being weighed down constantly. It seems to me like these are the same sort of soft euphemism for “illegal strike” that I heard at the Rally. With no justice there can be no peace, but with no rights there is no proper concept of justice. It seems that with the growth of technology the government has decided to eschew the 9th and 10th Amendments in order to attack many of the others. Powers not enumerated to the Federal Government by the Constitution lay with the States and the People. Yet it seems as if the Federal Government is growing the power to leave its own boundaries behind, exempting the cogs in the Congress and other branches from the rules the peons starve and drown by.
Brandon, as I read this I found myslef nodding and talking out loud to you through the computer. This is brilliant – simple, yet profound and effective and I am passing it along.
I am one of those baby boomers that was out in the street letting my voice be heard with the thousands that felt as I did. Over the years my voice became silent, not for any other reason than I felt it was useless … very few people were outraged and nothing was getting done. I kept voting and yet, the people that do the most harm kept getting elected. I’m afraid I became apathetic.
With Facebook I have a small outlet to speak my mind … and if people don’t agree with me, we have a few options – we can have a meaningful discussion, and hopefully arrive at some mutually beneficial conclusion – or one or the other of us can use the ‘Block’ option.
I have noticed recently that current events are drawing people together. They are organizing and speaking out. Thanks for your voice. This old rabble rouser needed it!
I had a similar thought after all the “Zimmerman’s days are numbered” insistence. He won’t be touched, and mostly because nowadays, people rely too much on social media to make societal changes. Petitions and default photo changes are considered enough. I saw a post about boycotting Florida tourism, aiming to “hit them where it hurts” as if anyone would deny their children the pleasure of seeing Micky and Minnie this summer. But at least they posted their disbelief in the verdict.
Well said Brandon.