“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his
government.”―Edward Abbey, American author
Life in a
post-9/11 America increasingly feels like an endless free fall down a rabbit
hole into a terrifying, dystopian alternative reality in which the citizenry
has no rights, the government is no friend to freedom, and everything we ever
knew and loved about the values and principles that once made this country
great has been turned on its head.
We’ve
walked a strange and harrowing road since September 11, 2001, littered with the
debris of our once-vaunted liberties.
We have
gone from a nation that took great pride in being a model of a representative
democracy to being a model of how to persuade the citizenry to march in
lockstep with a police state.
Osama Bin
Laden right warned that “freedom and human rights in America are doomed.
The U.S. government will lead the American people in — and the West in general
— into an unbearable hell and a choking life.”
These
past 17 years have proven Bin Laden right in his prediction.
What
began with the passage of the USA Patriot Act in October
2001 has snowballed into the eradication of every vital safeguard against
government overreach, corruption and abuse.
The
citizenry’s unquestioning acquiescence to anything the government wants to do
in exchange for the phantom promise of safety and security has
resulted in a society where the nation is being locked down into a militarized,
mechanized, hypersensitive, legalistic, self-righteous, goose-stepping
antithesis of every principle upon which this nation was founded.
This is
not freedom.
This is a
jail cell.
Set
against a backdrop of government surveillance, militarized police, SWAT team
raids, asset forfeiture, eminent domain, overcriminalization, armed surveillance
drones, whole body scanners, stop and frisk searches, roving VIPR raids and the
like—all of which have been sanctioned by Congress, the White House and the
courts—our constitutional freedoms have been steadily chipped away at,
undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded.
Our
losses are mounting with every passing day.
Free
speech, the right to protest, the right to challenge government wrongdoing, due
process, a presumption of innocence, the right to self-defense, accountability
and transparency in government, privacy, press, sovereignty, assembly, bodily
integrity, representative government: all of these and more have become
casualties in the government’s war on the American people, a war that has grown
more pronounced since 9/11.
Since the
towers fell on 9/11, the American people have been treated like enemy
combatants, to be spied on, tracked, scanned, frisked, searched, subjected to
all manner of intrusions, intimidated, invaded, raided, manhandled, censored,
silenced, shot at, locked up, and denied due process.
In
allowing ourselves to be distracted by terror drills, foreign wars, color-coded
warnings, underwear bombers and other carefully constructed exercises in
propaganda, sleight of hand, and obfuscation, we failed to recognize that the
true enemy to freedom was lurking among us all the while.
The U.S.
government now poses a greater threat to our freedoms than any terrorist,
extremist or foreign entity ever could.
While
nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government and its
agents have easily killed at least ten times that number of civilians in the
U.S. and abroad since 9/11 through its police shootings, SWAT team raids, drone
strikes and profit-driven efforts to police the globe, sell weapons to foreign
nations, and foment civil unrest in order to keep the military industrial
complex gainfully employed.
No, the
U.S. government is not the citizenry’s friend, nor is it our protector, and
life in the United States of America post-9/11 is no picnic.
In the
interest of full disclosure, here are some of the things I don’t like about
life in a post-9/11 America:
I don’t
like being treated as if my only value to the government is as a source of
labor and funds.
I don’t
like being viewed as a consumer and bits of data.
I don’t
like being spied on and treated as if I have no right to privacy,
especially in my own home.
I don’t
like government officials who lobby for my vote only to ignore me once elected.
I don’t like having representatives incapable of andunwilling to represent me. I don’t like taxation
without representation.
I don’t
like being bullied by government bureaucrats, vigilantes masquerading as cops, or faceless
technicians.
I don’t
like being railroaded into financing government programs whose only purpose is
to increase the power and wealth of the corporate elite.
I don’t
like being forced to pay for wars abroad that serve no other purpose except to expand the reach of the military
industrial complex.
I don’t
like being subjected to scans, searches, pat downs and other indignities by the TSA.
I don’t
like VIPR raids on so-called “soft” targets like
shopping malls and bus depots by black-clad, Darth Vader look-alikes.
I don’t
like fusion centers, which represent the combined
surveillance efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement.
I don’t
like being treated like an underling by government agents who are supposed to
be working for me. I don’t like being threatened, intimidated, bribed, beaten
and robbed by individuals entrusted with safeguarding my rights. I don’t like
being silenced, censored and marginalized. I don’t like my movements being tracked, my conversations being
recorded, and my transactions being catalogued.
I don’t
like free speech zones, roving bubble zones and trespass laws that
restrict Americans’ First Amendment rights.
I don’t
like laws that criminalize Americans for otherwise lawful activities such
as holding religious studies at home, growing vegetables in their yard, and collecting rainwater.
I don’t
like the NDAA, which allows the president and the
military to arrest and detain American citizens indefinitely.
I don’t
like the Patriot Act, which opened the door to all manner of government abuses
and intrusions on our privacy.
I don’t
like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has become America’s standing army in direct
opposition to the dire warnings of those who founded our country.
I don’t
like military weapons such as armored vehicles, sound cannons and the like
being used against the American citizens.
I don’t
like government agencies such as the DHS, Post Office, Social Security
Administration and Wildlife stocking up on hollow-point bullets. And I
definitely don’t like the implications of detention centers being built that
could house American citizens.
I don’t
like the fact that police departments across the country “have received tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly
200,000 ammunition magazines; thousands of pieces of camouflage and
night-vision equipment; and hundreds of silencers, armored cars and aircraft.”
I don’t
like America’s infatuation with locking people up for life for non-violent
crimes. There are thousands of people in America serving life
sentences for non-violent crimes, including theft of a jacket, siphoning gasoline
from a truck, stealing tools, and attempting to cash a stolen check.
I don’t
like paying roughly $29,000 a year per inmate just to
keep these nonviolent offenders in prison.
I don’t
like having my hard-earned taxpayer dollars used against me.
I don’t
like the partisan nature of politics today, which has so polarized Americans
that they are incapable of standing in unity against the government’s abuses.
I don’t
like the entertainment drivel that passes for news coverage today.
I don’t
like the fact that those within a 25-mile range of the border are getting a
front row seat to the American police state, as Border Patrol agents are
now allowed to search people’s homes, intimately
probe their bodies, and rifle through their belongings, all without a warrant.
I don’t
like public schools that treat students as if they were prison inmates. I don’t like
zero tolerance laws that criminalize childish behavior. I don’t like a
public educational system that emphasizes rote memorization and test-taking
over learning, synthesizing and critical thinking.
I don’t
like police precincts whose primary purpose—whether through the use of asset
forfeiture laws, speed traps, or red light cameras—is making a profit at the
expense of those they have sworn to protect. I don’t like militarized police
and their onerous SWAT team raids.
I don’t
like Department of Defense and DHS programs that transfer surplus military hardware to local and state
police. I don’t like local police dressing and acting as if they
were the military while viewing me as an enemy combatant.
I don’t
like government programs that reward cops for raiding homes and terrorizing
homeowners.
I don’t
like being treated as if I have no rights.
I don’t
like cash-strapped states cutting deals with private corporations to run the
prisons in exchange for maintaining 90% occupancy rates for at
least 20 years. I don’t like the fact that American prisons have become
the source of cheap labor for Corporate America.
I don’t
like answering to an imperial president who operates above the law.
I don’t
like the injustice that passes for justice in the courts.
I don’t
like prosecutors so hell bent on winning that they allow innocent people to
suffer for crimes they didn’t commit.
I don’t
like the double standards that allow government officials to break laws with
immunity, while average Americans get the book thrown at them.
I don’t
like cops who shoot first and ask questions later.
I don’t
like police dogs being treated with more respect and afforded more
rights than American citizens.
I don’t
like living in a suspect society.
I don’t
like Americans being assumed guilty until they prove their innocence.
I don’t
like technology being used as a double-edged sword against us.
Most of
all, I don’t like feeling as if there’s no hope for turning things around.
Now there
are those who would suggest that if I don’t like things about this country, I
should leave and go elsewhere. Certainly, there are those among my fellow
citizens who are leaving for friendlier shores.
However,
I’m not giving up on this country without a fight.
I plan to
keep fighting, writing, speaking up, speaking out, shouting if necessary,
filing lawsuits, challenging the status quo, writing letters to the editor,
holding my representatives accountable, thinking nationally but acting locally,
and generally raising a ruckus anytime the government attempts to undermine the
Constitution and ride roughshod over the rights of the citizenry.
Our
country may be in deep trouble, but all is not yet lost.
The first
step begins with you.
1. Get
educated. Know your rights. Take time to read the Constitution. Study and
understand history because the tales of those who seek power and those who
resist them is an age-old one. The Declaration of Independence is a testament
to this struggle and the revolutionary spirit that overcame tyranny. Understand
the vital issues of the day so that you can be cognizant of the threats to
freedom. Stay informed about current events and legislation.
2. Get
involved. Become actively involved in local community affairs, politics and
legal battles. As the adage goes, “Think nationally, act locally.” America was
meant to be primarily a system of local governments, which is a far cry from
the colossal federal bureaucracy we have today. Yet if our freedoms are to be
restored, understanding what is transpiring practically in your own backyard—in
one’s home, neighborhood, school district, town council—and taking action at
that local level must be the starting point. Responding to unmet local needs
and reacting to injustices is what grassroots activism is all about. Getting
involved in local politics is one way to bring about change.
3. Get
organized. Understand your strengths and weaknesses and tap into your
resources. Play to your strengths and assets. Conduct strategy sessions to develop
both the methods and ways to attack the problem. Prioritize your issues and
battles. Don’t limit yourself to protests and paper petitions. Think outside
the box. Time is short, and resources are limited, so use your resources in the
way they count the most.
4. Be
creative. Be bold and imaginative, for this is guerilla warfare—not to be
fought with tanks and guns but through creative methods of dissent and
resistance. Creatively responding to circumstances will often be one of your
few resources if you are to be an effective agent of change. Every creative
effort, no matter how small, is significant.
5. Use
the media. Effective use of the media is essential. Attracting media
coverage not only enhances and magnifies your efforts, it is also a valuable
education tool. It publicizes your message to a much wider audience.
6. Start
brushfires for freedom. Take heart that you are not alone. You come
from a long, historic line of individuals who have put their beliefs and lives
on the line to keep freedom alive. Engage those around you in discussions about
issues of importance. Challenge them to be part of a national dialogue. As I
have often said, one person at a city planning meeting with a protest sign is
an irritant. Three individuals at the same meeting with the same sign are a
movement. You will find that those in power fear and respect numbers. This is
not to say that lone crusaders are not important. There are times when you will
find yourself totally alone in the stand you take. However, there is power in
numbers. Politicians understand this. So get out there and start drumming up
support for your cause.
7. Take
action. Be prepared to mobilize at a moment’s notice. It doesn’t
matter who you are, where you’re located or what resources are at your
disposal. What matters is that you recognize the problems and care enough to do
something about them. Whether you’re 8, 28 or 88 years old, you have something
unique to contribute. You don’t have to be a hero. You just have to show up and
be ready to take action.
8. Be
forward-looking. Beware of being so “in the moment” that you neglect
to think of the bigger picture. Develop a vision for the future. Is what you’re
hoping to achieve enduring? Have you developed a plan to continue to educate
others about the problems you’re hoping to tackle and ensure that others will
continue in your stead? Take the time to impart the value of freedom to younger
generations, for they will be at the vanguard of these battles someday.
9. Develop
fortitude. What is it that led to the successful protest movements of the
past headed by people such as Martin Luther King Jr.? Resolve. King refused to
be put off. And when the time came, he was willing to take to the streets for
what he believed and even go to jail if necessary. King risked having an arrest
record by committing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. A caveat is
appropriate here. Before resorting to nonviolent civil disobedience, all reasonable
alternatives should be exhausted. If there is an opportunity to alter the
course of events through normal channels (for example, negotiation, legal
action or legislation), they should be attempted.
10. Be
selfless and sacrificial. Freedom is not free—there is always a price
to be paid and a sacrifice to be made. If any movement is to be truly
successful, it must be manned by individuals who seek a greater good and do not
waver from their purposes. It will take boldness, courage and great sacrifice.
Rarely will fame, power and riches be found at the end of this particular road.
Those who travel it inevitably find the way marked by hardship, persecution and
strife. Yet there is no easy way.
11. Remain
optimistic and keep hope alive. Although our rights are
increasingly coming under attack, we still have certain freedoms. As I make
clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People,
we can still fight back. We have the right to dissent, to protest and even to
vigorously criticize or oppose the government and its laws. The Constitution
guarantees us these rights. In a country such as the United States, a citizen
armed with a knowledge of the Bill of Rights and the fortitude to stand and
fight can still be a force to be reckoned with, but it will mean speaking out
when others are silent.
Practice
persistence, along with perseverance, and the possibilities are endless. You
can be the voice of reason. Use your voice to encourage others. Much can be
accomplished by merely speaking out. Oftentimes, all it takes is one lone voice
to get things started. So if you really care and you’re serious and want to
help change things for the better, dust off your First Amendment tools and take
a stand—even if it means being ostracized by those who would otherwise support
you.
It won’t
be easy, but take heart. And don’t give up.
WC: 2781
ABOUT JOHN
W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional
attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford
Institute. His new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People
(SelectBooks, 2015) is available online at www.amazon.com.
Whitehead can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org.
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