Posted on 05/14/2013 7:36:31 PM PDT by vannrox
Some days one can't help but look at the headlines and think of Ayn Rand.
With all the destructive measures by desperate governments from Cyprus to Argentina, it seems sometimes like we're reading from the pages of her seminal work, Atlas Shrugged.
But what we're seeing now seems to have far surpassed Atlas Shrugged. We're definitely into 1984 territory.
We've recently learned that the US federal government has (a) secretly tapped the Associated Press's phone records, and (b) used the nation's tax authorities to target opposition political groups.
This is the same sort of thing one would expect from Belarus or Azerbaijan. But these sad events are, unfortunately, no longer surprising in the Land of the Free. Nor are they isolated.
One appalling example is the case of Richard Hatch, who I spoke to a few days ago. You may remember that Richard won the first season of the TV series Survivor back in 2000/2001... and the million dollar prize that went along with it.
Tax-wise, it was a complex matter; the production took place off the coast of Borneo, so the prize money was technically Malaysian-sourced income. Plus a number of other issues.
But Hatch and his tax team filed returns. They claimed the prize money. They paid tax on it. They even sought additional guidance from the IRS.
Never once did the IRS issue a 'notice of deficiency', essentially a routine letter they send when they think you owe them money.
And yet, Hatch was ultimately charged with a crime-- 'attempted' tax evasion.
Now, it's absurd that tax evasion is even a criminal matter in the Land of the Free. It's even more absurd that 'attempted' tax evasion is a crime.
But it defies all reality that an individual, who was fully up to date on his filings and being advised by licensed tax professionals, was personally tried and convicted of such a ridiculous charge, having never once been notified by the government that he owed a single penny.
After this shocking conversation with Richard, I spoke to William Binney, a 35-year veteran of the NSA. During our call, Binney walked me through some very technical details about the government's illegal monitoring and archiving of ALL Internet traffic, and HOW they're doing it.
William Binney is a man of tremendous integrity; he resigned from the NSA to protest the wanton dismantling of the Bill of Rights.
Since then, government thugs have kicked down his door at gunpoint. He's been maliciously sued by Uncle Sam. He's had his private property seized. All because he continues to expose the crimes that they're committing.
And these are crimes, plain and simple... clear violations of the Fourth and Fifth amendment. Bottom line, EVERYONE is being monitored. Every email is being archived. And the data is being shared across the government spectrum with law enforcement as well. This is important.
Today, there are thousands of crimes on the books in the Land of the Free. If they want to, they can get you for anything, even 'attempted tax evasion'. You can't even apply for a passport without being threatened with jail time.
And with such ubiquitous surveillance, they can get any information they need to seize property or incriminate anyone they want on whatever stupid law they can dig up.
The easy course of action is to live in denial-- "It can't happen here, it won't happen to me." Everyone wants to think this. But it does happen. And given the trend, it's going to happen much more.
This isn't intended to be gloomy, rather a sobering wake up call. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is step back, look at the big picture, and realize that these tactics are no longer fiction. This is now reality in the Land of the Free. Welcome to 1984.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?
ping!
Scary stuff............
Great Article! Thanks.
Obama always exposes his fear by accusing others of what he is doing to them.
Obama knows that that which will undo him is what he should fear the most.
As a smokescreen defense he accuses others of what he is doing, and hopes to put them on defense so that he can continue doing to them what he fears that they will do to him.
For example, we should politicize, demonstrate strong political motivation, speak and behave in the most un-PC manner, bicker, argue, unseal his flunking University grades, place all his staff under oath, place Obama under oath and IMEACH and REMOVE Obama and his Commie pals.
The responsibility of an opposition party is to provide a check and a balance on the other political party.
Hence, it is time for Republicans to shed their sorry RINO skins and have a good old-fashioned, rip-roaring, verbal thrashing of the tyrannical Obamanation.
I was in Long Island a few weeks ago and received a ticket in the mail for $80 for taking a right turn on a red light without coming to a complete stop. The ticket had three photos of my car. Apparently I did not come to a stop for a full three seconds before beginning my right turn.
What can you do when you get an $80 ticket from Long Island when you live in Massachusetts? It would cost me way more than $80 to drive back to Long Island to contest it so I just went ahead and paid it.
I'm thinking that people with out-of-state plates are especially targeted for these kind of tickets because they know that they will likely not be contested. This must drive a lot of revenue back to the town.
And I don’t even think the NSA National Data Center in Utah is fully up and running yet to further assist the New Nazi Gaystapo in clamping down on its regular U.S. citizens.
The scary part to me is that while it is 80 pct in place, 90 pct of the people don’t seem to be paying any attention.
Like the frog in a pot of cold water as the temperature rises. By the time it wants to jump out, it will be too late.
And the ACLU is dead, dead silent. Not a single peep from them.
I tried that for a while, but my feet got wet and sand kept blowing into my eyes.
“Police State is about 80% in place”
Utter and complete bullsh*t.
Just because some people cower and live in a fascist sh*tbole doesn’t mean that everyone does.
Participating in a different world. Just like the thugs in Detroit do, but I tend to have more erudite tastes and better style.
There are alternatives to the mainstream.
/johnny
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?
I’ve done the voting, the writing of letters, the town halls. I’ve paid my taxes, obeyed all laws, buy American when I can. I’ve done everything possible an individual can do.
The moment has not arrived where I can do any more.
So I wait. I know you know what I mean.
Don't pay it. Don't go back. Move out of Mass to a reasonable state. That's what I'd do.
You could also move out west, change your name, and learn to run fenceline, if you think you can work with barbed wire.
/johnny
From the rumors I’ve heard it will be more focused on domestic spying than international and they will have access to tools they’ve never had before. Now if you have multiple alias online they will be able to link them to you via your IP address for one. Will also probably have highly advanced Traceroute analytical mapping tools as well.
It's ok morally, to ignore stupid or immoral laws. In fact, I see that as obligatory.
/johnny
/johnny
The police state can only exist when we quit fighting.
I’ve got about 4 more stages of fight left in me.
Any law that contradicts my religious beliefs is null and void. Any law that contradicts the constitution is null and void.
Stupid laws? Depends on the stupidity. Don't spit on the sidewalk Thursdays at ten pm every third year during the full moon if it is raining after a hailstorm the previous Friday night? I can live with that.
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