The Culture of Fear

I'm humorized by Team Red's new mantra relating to liberty, patriotism, and anti-government. There's so much "chest beating" going on these days regarding to our loss of liberty. What really confuses me is why Team Red didn't get upset when Bush & Company pushed the Patriot Act through without opposition. The reason? The sheeple were scared into a tight herd by the wolf (9/11 terrorism).

An interesting perspective on the Patriot Act is provided below. Why Team Red wasn't throwing tea parties and marches on Washington really confuses me.

"Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism -- a.k.a. the USA PATRIOT Act -- is a huge program with a catchy little title that does more to increase the size of government than it does to fight terrorism. It was easy to pass -- everyone was emotional over the unfortunate September 11 terrorist attacks. It was developed behind closed doors between Congress and the Bush Administration, and there was initially no debate or amendments allowed. It just passed -- unfortunately, using terrorism as an excuse to attack our individuality and personal freedoms. It's anything but patriotic."

"But, why be so concerned with two-year old legislation or any additions to it in the first place? Well, for one we've had more time to think it through and see first hand how this legislation has impacted the "war against terrorism." Are U.S. citizens safer and more secure because of the PATRIOT Act? Or are we at greater risk for being falsely accused and imprisoned for "terrorist" activities? How does this kind of legislation contribute to a culture of fear? Is the PATRIOT Act an invasion of privacy or a necessary law enforcement tool? Who does this legislation really benefit?"

Source and entire article:
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid14_gci914763,00.html

Life At An Inflection Point

I believe that 8 years into this “change in trend”, the masses are finally mentally and emotionally engaged in the situation. Even politicians other than Ron Paul are talking about the subject!

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
Mahatma Ghandi

“Didn’t anyone know that this was coming?” Glenn Beck 9-24-08

Many intelligent people have been forecasting these exact financial events for a long long time. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. The media reports on what “has occurred” and they spend little time presenting the perspectives of intelligent people with regards to what they think “might be coming”. The internet provides a source of extensive content that we all should spend time sorting through and sharing. My personal interest has never really been the financial markets themselves, but more importantly the associated events and changes that will greatly impact our lives, our children’s lives, and our grandchildren’s lives. As I’ve stated before, my 9/11 impact was “is our generation prepared for the challenges ahead because we’ve had it so good for our entire adult lifetime”. We’ve been lulled to sleep by 26 years of comfort and good times. I believe that it’s very important to read and to locate material from a diverse range of sources. CNN probably isn’t the best place. My wife told me last week to “stop reading those books”, but I believe that one should have a perspective on all possible outcomes and have a plan for each. Reading history might be the best place to start because we always seem doomed to repeat it. I’m currently reading “Tradegy and Hope” a documentation of world history from 1880 to WWII.

“George, this one’s a pickle. It’s a pickle. Potter’s paying ten cents on the dollar.” Uncle Billy