China, America, Big Brother, and the Olympics

I am refusing to watch the Olympics this year. I think you should too if you care about the rights of human beings. But if watching who is going to get the gold medal in any given event is more important to you, then be my guest.

The only reason that China was granted the privilege of hosting the games was because they hoped that it would encourage China to giving more rights to it’s citizens once the spotlight was on them. Exactly the opposite has happened.  Aside from that, it’s US companies that are supplying China with the technology to be able to do these things!! This kind of transaction is strictly forbidden by law, but under the guise of Olympic security, we’ve allowed it.

Instead, they have pumped up their already outlandish security and introduced the world to the always feared, reserved for conspiracy theorists, Orwell’s Big Brother of 1984 police state. Right there. In your face. We’re here, we’re feared, get used to it.

So for those that think this type of surveillance will never happen in America, think again. We already have several cities, Detriot being the most notable, with surveillance cameras lined down the streets. The government has blatantly admitting that, yes, we are spying on you. We all know for a fact there are lists with millions of names on them of people in activist and protest groups.

We didn’t have this stuff 10 years ago. And it wasn’t quite as widespread as it is now even 5 years ago.  It gets worse and worse slowly over time and as long as we all feel safe, it’s worth it.

Yes it’s a tired old euphemism, but we are just like frogs in boiling water, we know it’s happening, but it’s not enough to make us want to stop it because we’ve convinced ourselves that it won’t get as bad as it is in places like China.

We’ve seen the President and congress pass through legislation that literally lessens our freedoms every single single time.

PATRIOT Act

Executive order to declare Martial Law

Detentions centers being built all over the country by none other than Halliburton

The new surveillance bill that just past

The possibility of the REAL ID card that was actually supposed to go into effect this very year a couple months ago.  Thankfully, there was so much opposition against it they’ve postponed it, but only until they can reword it enough to satisfy everyone opposed.

Like the quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Social Democrats,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Social Democrat.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew,
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

~ by Anya on August 8, 2008.