Winston Smith: Does Big Brother exist?
O'Brien: Of course he exists.
Winston Smith: Does he exist like you or me?
O'Brien: You do not exist.

O'Brien: Power is tearing human minds apart and putting them back together in new shapes of your own choosing. George Orwell 1984.


CHAPTER 1


The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) prisoners without the incarcerated being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one architect has called the "sentiment of an invisible omniscience."

Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example."

The panopticon as metaphor

Contemporary social critics often assert that technology has allowed for the deployment of panoptic structures invisibly throughout society. Surveillance by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in public spaces is an example of a technology that brings the gaze of a superior into the daily lives of the populace. Furthermore, a number of cities in England (UK), including Middlesbrough, Bristol, Brighton and London have recently added loudspeakers to a number of their existing CCTV cameras. They can transmit the voice of a camera supervisor to issue audible messages to the public. Similarly, critical analyses of internet practice have suggested that the internet allows for a panopticon form of observation. ISPs are able to track users' activities, while user-generated content means that daily social activity may be recorded and broadcast online.

Shoshana Zuboff used the metaphor of the panopticon in her 1988 book In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power to describe how computer technology makes work more visible. In 1991 Mohammad Kowsar used the metaphor in the title of his book "The Critical Panopticon: Essays in the Theatre and Contemporary Aesthetics" (American University Studies Series Xxvi Theatre Arts). Earlier, Michel Foucault used the term more generally as a metaphor in describing Western society.

Examples in contemporary society
England and Wales

The use of photographic surveillance began in 1913 with the surreptitious taking of pictures from disguised locations of the suffragette inmates of Holloway Prison. The first use on record of camera surveillance in public space was that of the Metropolitan Police at Trafalgar Square in 1960. They used two temporary cameras to monitor crowds during the arrival of the Thai royal family and on Guy Fawkes Day. Between 1960 and 1996, the proliferation of the closed circuit system resulted in government spending on it accounting for more than three-quarters of the total crime prevention budget and a mass demonstration against camera surveillance in Brighton in May 1997. Over the next few years, face and license plate recognition was installed in key positions in London. With the recent 7/7 bombings, the effectiveness of the CCTV system has come under scrutiny, with emerging reports showing little or no deterrence of overall crime in London.
The United Kingdom is seen as a pioneer of mass surveillance. At the end of 2006 it was described by the Surveillance Studies Network as being 'the most surveilled country' among the industrialized Western states.
On 6 February 2009 a report by the House of Lords Constitution Committee, Surveillance: Citizens and the State, warned that increasing use of surveillance by the government and private companies is a serious threat to freedoms and constitutional rights, stating that "The expansion in the use of surveillance represents one of the most significant changes in the life of the nation since the end of the Second World War. Mass surveillance has the potential to erode privacy. As privacy is an essential pre-requisite to the exercise of individual freedom, its erosion weakens the constitutional foundations on which democracy and good governance have traditionally been based in this country."

United States

New York City has stated ambitions to create its very own 'ring of steel', very much similar to that surrounding London. It would surround 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) of Lower Manhattan and cost $90 million. As of August 2007, the city had raised about $25 million. As in the case of the already-installed camera security system in London, its ostensible effectiveness is continually under question.
Unmanned-aircraft vehicle systems

A consortium of government agencies and the arms manufacturer BAE Systems intends to begin using drones for the surveillance of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Police forces have signed up to a scheme for "surveillance, monitoring and evidence gathering" to introduce unmanned aerial vehicles "into the routine work of the police, border authorities and other government agencies" for the ­"routine" monitoring of antisocial motorists, ­protesters, agricultural thieves and fly-tippers. The drones stay airborne for up to 15 hours with monitoring equipment such as high-definition cameras, radar devices and infrared sensors and reach heights of 20,000f. They could be used for road and railway monitoring, search and rescue, event security and covert urban surveillance. Other routine tasks could be to use the drones to combat "fly-posting, fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, abnormal loads, and waste management". To offset some of the running costs it was proposed the aircraft could undertake commercial work during spare time and selling the surveillance data to private companies.
Now nowhere is safe from the prying eyes of the powers that be, our every move is watched, scanned and reported on. The NSA has been gathering information on financial records, internet surfing habits, and monitoring e-mails. They have also performed extensive surveillance on social networks such as My space.
European Union

The legislative body of the European Union passed the Data Retention Directive on 2005-12-15. It requires telecommunication operators to implement mass surveillance of the general public through retention of metadata on telecommunications and to keep the collected data at the disposal of various governmental bodies for substantially long times. Access to this information is not required to be limited to investigation of serious crimes, nor is a warrant required for access.


THE DISTURBING TRUTH ABOUT YOUR LIFE

I am about to tell you some disturbing truths I've realized after meditating on them and studying various material from researchers for a long time. Now I have to warn you though, this is very disturbing and once you realize them, you will never look at the world and life the same away again. As they say "Once you see the prison bars, you cannot "UN see" them". So read at your own risk. Choose now whether you will take the "red pill" or the "blue pill". If you choose the latter, then stop now. But if you choose the former, then read on.

The disturbing truth is, we are all slaves to the economic system and our minds are programmed as well. The world is a global enslavement machine and we are programmed with illusions that help us bear our enslavement so that we don't even see it. All those science fiction films that depicted automaton brain-dead societies of the future or on other planets, were trying to tell you something after all.

Moreover, we are also slaves to our bosses, company, spouses, peers, media, parents, teachers, society, government, political system, our ruling elite, our own implanted thoughts and desires, etc. in direct and indirect ways, whether we are aware of it or not.

This is not just physical enslavement, but enslavement of the MIND as well.

Freedom, for the most part, is just a word, not an actual state of existence. The reason people, especially Americans, believe that they have freedom is simply because their minds are programmed to think that they do. You see your slave masters need you to be satisfied with your enslavement to keep you controlled. In order to do that, they give you choices in consumerism and in selecting your occupation. You are "free" to choose your form of slavery and vote for your puppet dictators.

But deep in our subconscious, we all know that we are living an enslavement existence. We are aware of this in our unconscious to some degree. To cope with it, we have to be programmed to accept it, with delusions and mantras such as the notion of "living in a free country which makes us great" and "living to work and serve" etc. None of it makes any sense and only serves to pacify and appease us.

If you think about it, the only reason you believe that you are free or living in "the land of the free" is not because it's true or backed by any objective evidence or reason, but because you were TOLD to believe it. It's no different than Christians believing that the Bible is God's word because they were TOLD that it was and they accept it.

And of course, you are also programmed to believe that "Authority = Truth" and that "Majority = Right". Thus, whatever you are TOLD is what you must believe and accept, and if everyone else accepts it, then it must be right. According to this indoctrination, truth is NOT something you seek and investigate; it's whatever you are TOLD - plain and simple. Most accept this without inquiry. People are not programmed to seek truth. They are programmed to seek a good life and to serve the system, not to think for themselves. Thus, truth is not the highest value, conformity is.

In America, you are raised to believe that you are free and living in "the land of the free". Yet right when you enter public school, all your freedoms are taken away. You are totally controlled like in an Orwellian state. You are told what to do, what to think, what to believe, how to behave, etc. and PUNISHED for dissidence or disobedience. So, you are told one thing, and given the complete opposite! It's like telling someone you love them and then killing them right after. Yet most people never question it, or if they do, they keep it in their private thoughts, because dissidence and nonconformity are NOT allowed in the school system. You'd have to be the biggest idiot not to see the total contradiction, yet because the mind control system in the US is so aggressive and effective; most don't, at least not consciously.
Those who run your media and education establishments are also programmed, just like you, but even more so. In order to serve in their managerial positions of influence, they are held to stricter standards by the controllers, and thus must be controlled even more than you the sheeple are. Their job is not to teach you the truth, but to indoctrinate you with whatever those at the highest levels of power and influence - your slave masters and above - want you to believe. These institutions do not teach you how to think, but what to think, cause that is their function.

Your mainstream media are not truth tellers or truth seeking investigators. They are public relations people for the official version of events - propagandists so to speak. Government, media and education are not there to teach truth to you or enlighten you. They are there to CONTROL you. That's their function. But you don't know that cause you are programmed to assume that "Authority = Truth" and that if everyone else believes it, then it must be true.

William Colby, former director of the CIA, upon retirement came out and said, "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." This makes sense, and explains why even though it is an established fact that the CIA is involved with drug trafficking into the US, the mainstream media don't report such things (except for one report by Mike Wallace which was quickly pulled from the air). In fact there are hundreds of dark disturbing truths about history and world events that the major media, if it cared about the truth, should be reporting on but they don't. The CIA/drug trafficking connection is just one of many.

Now think about it. Does the government ever tell you to think for yourself? Hello no. Does the school system urge you to think for yourself? Nope. Do the mainstream media ever encourage you to think for yourself? No way. What does that tell you? Is society all about truth, or control? Meditate on this and it becomes obvious - that you've been duped and controlled all along.

Look at the big newscasters such as Bill O-Reilly of Fox and Anderson Cooper of CNN. Why do you think they are so narrow, judgmental, arrogant, ignorant, dumb and small minded? (Which clearly shows on their facial expression?) Why do you think they ridicule and attack everything that strays from the status quo? Why do they have that "everything outside the box is bull#" on their faces? Why do they look so "programmed", embodying a "herd mentality"? Why don’t the big corporate media pick newscasters who are wiser, more intellectual and more awake, and less programmed? It's because these figures are how YOU are supposed to be. YOU are supposed to be just like them - narrow, ignorant, dumb and small minded. These figures define the limits of your intelligence. You are NOT supposed to be smarter than them. You are not supposed to be intellectual, awake, wise or free-thinking. You are supposed to be a conformist with a herd mentality, no different than they are.

No one who truly seeks the truth or speaks the truth gets put into positions of influence by the big corporate media. No way. They want ignorance, not awareness. They want you thinking about stupid things like celebrity gossip and pseudo-social issues like "gay rights in the military", etc. Why do you think they spend hours covering such useless and irrelevant topics, and when they cover more important subjects, they only have a few minutes due to "time constraints"? They cater to the stupid, and insult the intelligence of the wise every day. They are idiots who demand YOU to be an idiot too.

You are a slave, puppet, and toy to your slave masters and controllers. That's all you are. These slave masters have engineered the deaths of millions before all throughout history, through all sorts of ways you couldn't even begin to imagine. So what value are you to them? You're just an ant to them.

Why else do you think world events are insane and irrational? Why do you think there is so much unnecessary suffering, unnecessary wars and bloodshed? Why can't logic, reason and common sense solve the world's problems like it should? Obviously its cause your slave masters doesn’t want peace and harmony. They are nothing like you. They do not think like you and they have no empathy with you at all. You're just a toy to them, and an exposable one. Their plans and agenda are unknown to you, and if you knew what they were, it'd be far too disturbing for you to accept. So it's better you don't know.

All we know for sure is that these "slave masters" do not thrive on peace, justice and harmony, but on suffering, stress, fear, conflict, division, inequity, etc. for that is exactly what they have created and engineered all throughout history. They've engineered and funded wars, revolutions, oppression, famines, mass murders, global events, assassinations, terrorist attacks, etc. while feeding the public lies and cover stories about them (aka the official version of history and events). Do a little research and you will find this out. Look up for example, which organizations and individuals funded Adolf Hitler and brought him to power, which you were never told in school, and the "hidden hands" become apparent.

Had they wanted to, the controllers could have engineered a peaceful harmonious world centuries ago. But they didn't and have their reasons. They are not reasons you would be able to understand or accept though, for they are not like you and do not think like you. You can't comprehend them. All you can do is realize the truth about your enslaved existence and how you are controlled and programmed, so that you can "wake up" so to speak.

Now, whether there is a grand conspiracy at the top (e.g. Illuminate, Bilderberg, Secret Societies) and what forces are behind them (Satan, demons, interdimensional beings, etc.) and how high up they go, are all subject to debate. However, what we do know for sure is that we are mind controlled and enslaved. That much is certain.

Moreover, as part of the control system, virtually everything that can set you free has been painted as evil. As one fan of David Ickes put it: "Everything that can set you free has been painted as evil... It's called the "scarecrow technique" and it's used for basically everything that might set us free - through a variety of mindless religions, such as science scepticism, Judaeo Christianity, anti-drug, capitalism, and psychiatry. If people are screaming "evil", there's a good chance so long as it's not hurting someone, that it is actually the path to freedom."
The more you think about all this and meditate on it, the more obvious it all becomes - that you are enslaved, living an enslavement existence and that your mind and beliefs are programmed (not with truth). Along with this realization comes a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, which is natural since after all, what can you do against a whole global system of enslavement, propaganda and mind control? You can't change it, so isn't it better you remain ignorant and not realize the truth?

These are all very disturbing realizations no doubt. It is not pleasant to realize all this. I won't lie to you about that. This is not just about government being corrupt (which everyone already knows). This goes far beyond that into the fact that most of everything you've been told about the world turns out to be false. As Mark Twain said, "The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so."

But it is liberating though, in that once you realize that you were a programmed slave all along, and woken up from it, you are finally free to set your own path and destiny, think for yourself, and realize what you truly are and have been all along - infinite consciousness.

That is why the Nero character in "The Matrix" chose to take the "red pill". He knew that when he woke up and discovered the truth about reality, it would be very disturbing and unpleasant. But as Frederic Nietze said, "No price is too high to pay for the value of owning yourself."

You can take solace in this though. If our universe is holographic and fractal in nature, then any change in one of its parts affects the fabric of the whole. Thus, your awakening does affect the matrix as a whole, similar to the so called "Hundredth Monkey Effect". As Gandhi said, "You must become the change you wish to see in the world.
Do we now live in a Totalitarian society, has it crept up on us while we were busy worrying about the gossip in the street or the lives of our favourite soap operas, do we now live in a Panopticon world, what do you casual reader think.
Total (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. Totalitarianism is generally characterized by the coincidence of authoritarianism (where ordinary citizens have less significant share in state decision-making) and ideology (a pervasive scheme of values promulgated by institutional means to direct most if not all aspects of public and private life).
Totalitarian regimes or movements stay political power through an all-encompassing propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of state terrorism.
We are told that what the government is doing is for our benefit and the good of the country, but is it really? After all its politicians telling us this, do you trust them? We are only told what they want us to here and not the real truth.
Here in the U.K they say that the treasury is bankrupt but money is still found to send aid abroad, how can this be if no money is available?
There is a big outcry about Wikileaks revealing the cables from the United States and all of a sudden Julien Assange is hit with a spurious sexual assault charge and calls are made for him to be tried for treason/espionage, he’s Australian so cannot be charged under U.S laws, or executed, the majority of the cables could be classed as office gossip and as for revealing sites that are possible targets, what does it matter you can bet your dollars the terrorists already know them. All kinds of opinion exist to this subject but read between the lines, an erosion of free speech and the machinations of a government that believes it is above all others.

X-ray vans that can see through walls--and clothes--hit America's streets. Nervous yet?

AS&E's vans can be driven past stationary vehicles to scan their contents or parked to see the innards of passing cars and trucks
With all the fuss about the T.S.A and the backscatter scanners not a lot of people are aware that backscatter vans are patrolling the streets of the U.S as well.
Privacy-conscious travellers may cringe to think of the full-body scanners finding their way into dozens of airport checkpoints around the country. Most likely aren't aware that the same technology, capable of seeing through walls and clothes, has also been rolling out on U.S. streets.
American Science & Engineering ( ASEI - news - people ), a company based in Billerica, Mass., has sold U.S. and foreign government agencies more than 500 backscatter X-ray scanners mounted in vans that can be driven past neighbouring vehicles or cargo containers to snoop into their contents. And while the biggest buyer of AS&E's machines over the last seven years has been the Department of Defence for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the company says law enforcement agencies have also been using them domestically, deploying the roving scanners to search for vehicle-based roadside bombs in American cities. "This product is now the largest-selling cargo and vehicle inspection system ever," says Joseph Reiss, AS&E's vice president of marketing.
These vans could look through your walls at what you’re doing.

Has our privacy has been eroded piece by piece while we were looking the other way?


He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake…


…and by “he” I mean not Santa Claus. That’s a fictional character. That would be ridiculous. No I mean “Big Brother”, the ever watchful eye in the sky.

In today’s high tech, high anxiety world- the increases in surveillance have been astronomical. From the oft publicised wire-tapping (now wrapped up in Congress hashing out a bill to find whether phone companies should be held liable for handing over records without consent to the gov’t) to the ever present security cameras that now perch looking down on so many street corners, it goes to reason that we are no longer ever alone, and privacy has become a thing of the past.

Now of course, there’s many who are ok with it being this way- with the whole world paying so much attention to the “stars” of reality TV parading around with sheer delight at the fact that they’re being watched, the rise of paparazzi observing anyone who could even lay claim to being famous everywhere they go, and of course the fear factor of what might happen if we weren’t being watched- would we ever be safe?!?!?. All our information is available at a few keystrokes and clicks to anyone who wants to find it on the net, but doing all our shopping online is just so damned convenient. (I’m guilty of it too, rest assured).

Benjamin Franklin once said “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” And I think it’s safe to reason that this quote has at no point in our history been more relevant than right now.

Are you wondering what it is I’m going on about? Has Mr. Jones just gone off the conspiratorial deep end? Maybe, but even so- here’s a little list of news from the world about just how we’re being kept tabs on today, for better or for worse…

In Britain, authorities have compiled the world’s largest DNA sample database.

‘The database is growing at a rate of 30,000 samples a month. One hundred thousand juveniles who have never been cautioned, charged or convicted of a crime now have their DNA stored forever on the national database, as well as around a million adults. Just as worrying is the fact that 77 percent of young black males population of England and Wales are now on the database. That tallies neatly with the statistic that black people are six times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched by the police. Criminologist Ben Bowling:’

‘For some the answer to such obvious disproportionality and discrimination is to extend the database still further and make the collection of DNA samples compulsory for all citizens, residents and visitors to the UK. Judge Lord Justice Sedley recently called for such a ’solution:’

Justice Sedley: ‘Going backwards would be a disaster; going forwards has very serious but I think manageable implications; it means that everybody, guilty or innocent should expect their DNA to be on file for the absolutely rigorously restricted purpose of crime detection and prevention. If you’re going to have a database like this it has to be universal, otherwise you’ve got a category that slips through the net.’

A little more news about the wiretapping and the bill being passed around Congress right now-

“For the last six years, our largest telecommunications companies have been spying on their own American customers,” said Sen. Christopher Dodd, who led the effort to kill the bill. “Secretly and without a warrant, they delivered to the federal government the private, domestic communications records of millions of Americans — records this administration has compiled into a data base of enormous scale and scope.” He also added that he’s never seen a president with contempt for the rule of law equal to this.”

Supporters of the dodgy electronic surveillance program say it’s necessary for national security. Oh sure. We couldn’t possibly have security in the Fatherland/Homeland without giving up your rights. Consider that, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the software used by the FBI to spy on phone calls intercepted 27,728,675 calls (or “sessions”) in 2006. And how many FISA court orders did the FBI get in the same year? Just 2,176, which means that one court order can cover a lot of ground. Just think of what they’re doing without the court orders.

Online social network Facebook recently caught massive heat from its users for adding Beacon, an application that would broadcast purchases made from affiliated online retailers on the users profile and in bulletins to the user’s friends.

Maybe Facebook thought someone who posts pictures in his online photo album of himself playing naked beer pong didn’t have a problem with privacy and wouldn’t mind broadcasting anything he bought from site advertisers to everybody on his friends list.
If so, it misjudged its audience and missed the point that even though users are putting their entire lives up for public viewing, they still want to be the ones controlling what gets posted. The Beacon application took that control away from them.

Nice to see people will still fight for some amount of freedom to privacy. Sort of. Of course, there are other places where that fight is being taken a little more seriously. Again to the U.K. and the retaliations against what some are viewing as over-reaching violations of privacy in the way of traffic cameras.

“Motorists Against Detection, the vigilante anti-speed camera group have announced a summer of MADness which will see them target for destruction all speed cameras in the UK. It’s now going to be a period of zero tolerance against all speed cameras, said their campaigns director Capt. Gatso.

“He added: In many areas the cameras have not saved one life – the statistics for road deaths haven’t gone down. In some areas they have actually gone up – in Essex, for instance, which has a high density of cameras there are more people being killed. We are now planning to target any and all cameras until the Government sees sense and rethinks its road safety policy. Before we had speed cameras we had the safest roads in Europe – since their introduction this is no longer true.”

So what are they doing in response? Burning them. Lots of them.*

And the British aren’t the only ones dealing with such cameras. The U.S. gov’t has spent millions on the watchful eyes within the spending for Homeland Security and fighting terrorism. For example-

Liberty, Kan. (population 95), which accepted a federal grant to install a $5,000 G2 Sentinel camera in its park, and Scottsbluff, Neb. (population 14,000), where police used a $180,000 Homeland Security Department grant to purchase four closed-circuit digital cameras and two monitors, a system originally designed for Times Square in New York City.

Because the next target in a terrorist attack will surely be in a place like Liberty, Kansas, where all 95 of its residents must keep a forever vigilant watchful eye. The park there has long been viewed as a safe haven for Muslim extremists and Al-Qaeda operatives you know.

Even Hollywood has caught on to the fact that we’re pretty much always being watched, with the completely non-publicized release of the film “Look” this month.

(E) Very scene of the film is shot from the perspective of a surveillance camera, from the bubble lens above an ATM, to the elevated perspective of the security cameras that are ubiquitous and sometimes invisible, across the US.

An IBM report last year estimated there were 26 million surveillance cameras in the US, while the iSuppli research company forecasts that international sales of surveillance systems will more than double to 66 million units by 2011.

One of these cameras caught Look’s director, Adam Rifkin, singing along to a song in his car as he passed through an intersection, triggering a red light camera. The image Rifkin saw with the fine that arrived in the mail a week or so later was astonishingly sharp and unflattering.

“I felt violated,” he says, but also inspired. Rifkin began looking for surveillance cameras, and the laws that govern their use. The cameras were everywhere and saw everyone. By Rifkin’s assessment, the average American could expect to be filmed 200 times a day. The laws governing that coverage were surprisingly lax.

“In 37 states it’s legal for hidden cameras to be in dressing rooms and bathrooms,” Rifkin says. “I wanted to throw a bucket of cold water onto the public’s obliviousness about these cameras.”

Think about that the next time you feel like going for a pee in a public restroom.

So with all of this going on, and the elections right around the corner, what do some of the Candidates have to say about all of this govt’ watchdogging going on?

(Hillary) Clinton told The Des Moines Register in a statement that one of the country’s greatest strengths is its capacity to protect the safety of citizens and protect their civil liberties. “As president, I will do everything in my power to protect our country from future terrorist attacks,” she said. “But that does not mean that we must sacrifice the rule of law or our Constitution in the name of security.”

Barack Obama said the Bush administration has put forward a false choice between civil liberties and security. “When I am president, there will be no more illegal wiretapping of American citizens,” he said in a statement to the Register. “No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war.”

(Mitt) Romney said that “the best way to protect this country is to have effective intelligence and counter-terrorism work. And while we must be respectful of civil liberties and privacy concerns, we must never forget that the No. 1 right that the government must protect is the right to be alive.”

I guess to really wrap this insanity up right; I have to leave you with the words of a man far wiser than I, the legendary George Carlin:

“As far as I’m concerned, all of this … security—the cameras, the questions, the screenings, the searches—is just one more way of reducing your liberty and reminding you that they can fuck with you anytime they want- as long as you’re willing to put up with it. Which means, of course, anytime they want? Because that’s the way Americans are now. They’re always willing to trade away a little of their freedom in exchange for the feeling—the illusion—of security.”


Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free.
But you’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see.
John Lennon, Working Class Hero1


CHAPTER 2
ARE WE REALLY FREE


So who the hell are you, then? What lies behind those eyes? When you
look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see the real you, or what
you have been conditioned to believe is you? The two are so, so,
different. One is an infinite consciousness capable of being and creating
whatever it chooses, the other is an illusion imprisoned by its own
perceived and programmed limitations.
Which of these “yous” is controlling your life?


Most people would answer “yes! We live in a free country!” However, in order to answer to this apparently simple question we have to clarify a couple of concepts.

First, we have the concept of political freedom, which is a combination of the ability to exercise, in an unrestrained form, the following rights: Assembly, association, education, movement (or travel), press, religion (or belief), speech, and thought. Anyone who lives in an environment that provides the above mentioned rights can consider itself living in a free society. However, is that enough?

There is also the concept of philosophical freedom. I went to the Wikipedia to find a good definition of this and I found this: “Freedom is a many-faceted, positive term encompassing the ability to act consciously, in a well-balanced manner and with self-control in a given constructive direction”.” It is often measured by the degree of absence of external restraint or external control; however, the biggest restraints come from the self: ignorance, which leads to fear, then restraint; and the lack of self-control”. External restraints (or control) are also the ones that make a society not free from a political point of view.

Given the two concepts, we must conclude that in order to be free, we have to live in an environment that provides enough rights {political freedom) and, at the same time, be able to act always consciously without internal restraints (philosophical freedom). Therefore, an individual who lives in a politically free society cannot consider itself free if its actions are limited by ignorance, fear and lack of self-control. Likewise, a person who is intellectually superior and emotionally balanced cannot consider itself free if it lacks the essential rights mentioned above.

Now, after the definitions have been provided, how many of us are really free? We can argue that, in most countries, you live in a politically free society. So, in order to define ourselves as free we have to concentrate in the concept of philosophical freedom. We can reduce the issue to 2 simple questions. Are we ignorant? And, do we always exhibit self-control? (Or do I never let my emotions take control of myself?)


Ignorance is not an absolute term. We can be ignorant about some topics and knowledgeable about others. If we remain ignorant with respect, for example a potential threat, we become fearful, therefore prisoner of an emotion. This is a moment of weakness that can be used by other individuals to restrict our political freedom. The key to fight ignorance is to achieve high quality information. How do we achieve it in a world that seems to have an abundance of it? There are 3 elements that I took from an article by Sheldon Richman. They are independent thought, rigorous questioning and rational scepticism. If we exercise these 3 elements in our everyday gathering of information, we certainly become freer.

Emotion control is also important. Fear, rage, panic, sadness, extreme joy, can certainly impair the judgment and limit the range of options we have we confront situations. We are human beings, not machines, so we certainly will be moments in which our freedom will be restrained by an intense emotion.

Having said everything, I must conclude that freedom is not an absolute term. We can be free sometimes and prisoner in other times. However, I can say that there are people that are freer than other ones. Living in a politically free society that lets us speak our mind and travel where we want is certainly not enough.
Taken from THE HOLLYWOOD LIBERAL 2007.

ARE WE REALLY FREE OR IS THE PANOPTICON IN FULL OPERATION; READ BETWEEN THE LINES.


FEMA, THE INVISIBLE GOVERNMENT?

Some people have referred to it as the "secret government" of the United States. It is not an elected body, it does not involve itself in public disclosures, and it even has a quasi-secret budget in the billions of dollars. This government organization has more power than the President of the United States or the Congress, it has the power to suspend laws, move entire populations, arrest and detain citizens without a warrant and hold them without trial, it can seize property, food supplies, transportation systems, and can suspend the Constitution.

Not only is it the most powerful entity in the United States, but it was not even created under Constitutional law by the Congress. It was a product of a Presidential Executive Order. No, it is not the U.S. military nor the Central Intelligence Agency, they are subject to Congress. The organization is called FEMA, which stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Originally conceived in the Richard Nixon Administration, it was refined by President Jimmy Carter and given teeth in the Ronald Reagan and George Bush Administrations.

FEMA had one original concept when it was created, to assure the survivability of the United States government in the event of a nuclear attack on this nation. It was also provided with the task of being a federal coordinating body during times of domestic disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. Its awesome powers grow under the tutelage of people like Lt. Col. Oliver North and General Richard Secord, the architects on the Iran-Contra scandal and the looting of America's savings and loan institutions. FEMA has even been given control of the State Defence Forces, a rag-tag, often considered neo-Nazi, civilian army that will substitute for the National Guard, if the Guard is called to duty overseas.

THE MOST POWERFUL ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Though it may be the most powerful organization in the United States, few people know it even exists. But it has crept into our private lives. Even mortgage papers contain FEMA's name in small print if the property in question is near a flood plain. FEMA was deeply involved in the Los Angeles riots and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the black helicopter traffic reported throughout the United States, but mainly in the West, California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado, are flown by FEMA personnel. FEMA has been given responsibility for many new disasters including urban forest fires, home heating emergencies, refugee situations, urban riots, and emergency planning for nuclear and toxic incidents. In the West, it works in conjunction with the Sixth Army.

FEMA was created in a series of Executive Orders. A Presidential Executive Order, whether Constitutional or not, becomes law simply by its publication in the Federal Registry. Congress is by-passed. Executive Order Number 12148 created the Federal Emergency Management Agency that is to interface with the Department of Defence for civil defence planning and funding. An "emergency czar" was appointed. FEMA has only spent about 6 per cent of its budget on national emergencies, the bulk of their funding has been used for the construction of secret underground facilities to assure continuity of government in case of a major emergency, foreign or domestic. Executive Order Number 12656 appointed the National Security Council as the principal body that should consider emergency powers. This allows the government to increase domestic intelligence and surveillance of U.S. citizens and would restrict the freedom of movement within the United States and grant the government the right to isolate large groups of civilians. The National Guard could be federalized to seal all borders and take control of U.S. air space and all ports of entry.

Here are just a few Executive Orders associated with FEMA that would suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These Executive Orders have been on record for nearly 30 years and could be enacted by the stroke of a Presidential pen:

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.

* EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has broad powers in every aspect of the nation. General Frank Salzedo, chief of FEMA's Civil Security Division stated in a 1983 conference that he saw FEMA's role as a "new frontier in the protection of individual and governmental leaders from assassination, and of civil and military installations from sabotage and/or attack, as well as prevention of dissident groups from gaining access to U.S. opinion, or a global audience in times of crisis."

FEMA's powers were consolidated by President Carter to incorporate:

* the National Security Act of 1947, which allows for the strategic relocation of industries, services, government and other essential economic activities, and to rationalize the requirements for manpower, resources and production facilities;

* The 1950 Defence Production Act, which gives the President sweeping powers over all aspects of the economy;

* the Act of August 29, 1916, which authorizes the Secretary of the Army, in time of war, to take possession of any transportation system for transporting troops, material, or any other purpose related to the emergency; and

* The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which enables the President to seize the property of a foreign country or national.

These powers were transferred to FEMA in a sweeping consolidation in 1979.

HURRICANE ANDREW FOCUSED ATTENTION ON FEMA

FEMA's deceptive role really did not come to light with much of the public until Hurricane Andrew smashed into the U.S. mainland. As Russell R. Dynes, director of the Disaster Research Centre of the University of Delaware, wrote in The World and I, "...The eye of the political storm hovered over the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA became a convenient target for criticism." Because FEMA was accused of dropping the ball in Florida, the media and Congress commenced to study this agency. What came out of the critical look was that FEMA was spending 12 times more for "black operations" than for disaster relief. It spent $1.3 billion building secret bunkers throughout the United States in anticipation of government disruption by foreign or domestic upheaval. Yet fewer than 20 members of Congress, only members with top security clearance, know of the $1.3 billion expenditure by FEMA for non-natural disaster situations. These few Congressional leaders state that FEMA has a "black curtain" around its operations. FEMA has worked on National Security programs since 1979, and its predecessor, the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency, has secretly spent millions of dollars before being merged into FEMA by President Carter in 1979.

FEMA has developed 300 sophisticated mobile units that are capable of sustaining themselves for a month. The vehicles are located in five areas of the United States. They have tremendous communication systems and each contains a generator that would provide power to 120 homes each, but have never been used for disaster relief.

FEMA's enormous powers can be triggered easily. In any form of domestic or foreign problem, perceived and not always actual, emergency powers can be enacted. The President of the United States now has broader powers to declare martial law, which activates FEMA's extraordinary powers. Martial law can be declared during time of increased tension overseas, economic problems within the United States, such as a depression, civil unrest, such as demonstrations or scenes like the Los Angeles riots, and in a drug crisis. These Presidential powers have increased with successive Crime Bills, particularly the 1991 and 1993 Crime Bills, which increase the power to suspend the rights guaranteed under the Constitution and to seize property of those suspected of being drug dealers, to individuals who participate in a public protest or demonstration. Under emergency plans already in existence, the power exists to suspend the Constitution and turn over the reins of government to FEMA and appointing military commanders to run state and local governments. FEMA then would have the right to order the detention of anyone whom there is reasonable ground to believe...will engage in, or probably conspire with others to engage in acts of espionage or sabotage. The plan also authorized the establishment of concentration camps for detaining the accused, but no trial.

Three times since 1984, FEMA stood on the threshold of taking control of the nation. Once under President Reagan in 1984, and twice under President Bush in 1990 and 1992. But under those three scenarios, there was not a sufficient crisis to warrant risking martial law. Most experts on the subject of FEMA and Martial Law insisted that a crisis has to appear dangerous enough for the people of the United States before they would tolerate or accept complete government takeover. The typical crisis needed would be threat of imminent nuclear war, rioting in several U.S. cites simultaneously, a series of national disasters that affect widespread danger to the populous, massive terrorist attacks, a depression in which tens of millions are unemployed and without financial resources, or a major environmental disaster.

THREE TIMES FEMA STOOD BY READY FOR EMERGENCY

In April 1984, President Reagan signed Presidential Director Number 54 that allowed FEMA to engage in a secret national "readiness exercise" under the code name of REX 84. The exercise was to test FEMA's readiness to assume military authority in the event of a "State of Domestic National Emergency" concurrent with the launching of a direct United States military operation in Central America. The plan called for the deputation of U.S. military and National Guard units so that they could legally be used for domestic law enforcement. These units would be assigned to conduct sweeps and take into custody an estimated 400,000 undocumented Central American immigrants in the United States. The immigrants would be interned at 10 detention centres to be set up at military bases throughout the country.

REX 84 was so highly guarded that special metal security doors were placed on the fifth floor of the FEMA building in Washington, D.C. Even long-standing employees of the Civil Defence of the Federal Executive Department possessing the highest possible security clearances were not being allowed through the newly installed metal security doors. Only personnel wearing a special red Christian cross or crucifix lapel pin were allowed into the premises. Lt. Col. North was responsible for drawing up the emergency plan, which U.S. Attorney General William French Smith opposed vehemently. The plan called for the suspension of the Constitution, turning control of the government over to FEMA, appointment of military commanders to run state and local governments and the declaration of Martial Law. The Presidential Executive Orders to support such a plan were already in place. The plan also advocated the rounding up and transfer to "assembly centres or relocation camps" of a least 21 million American Negroes in the event of massive rioting or disorder, not unlike the rounding up of the Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

The second known time that FEMA stood by was in 1990 when Desert Storm was enacted. Prior to President Bush's invasion of Iraq, FEMA began to draft new legislation to increase its already formidable powers. One of the elements incorporated into the plan was to set up operations within any state or locality without the prior permission of local or state authorities. Such prior permission has always been required in the past. Much of the mechanism being set into place was in anticipation of the economic collapse of the Western World. The war with Iraq may have been conceived as a ploy to boost the bankrupt economy, but it only pushed the West into deeper recession.

The third scenario for FEMA came with the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King brutality verdict. Had the rioting spread to other cities, FEMA would have been empowered to step in. As it was, major rioting only occurred in the Los Angeles area, thus preventing a pretext for a FEMA response.

On July 5, 1987, the Miami Herald published reports on FEMA's new goals. The goal was to suspend the Constitution in the event of a national crisis, such as nuclear war, violent and widespread internal dissent, or national opposition to a U.S. military invasion abroad. Lt. Col. North was the architect. National Security Directive Number 52 issued in August 1982, pertains to the "Use of National Guard Troops to Quell Disturbances."

The crux of the problem is that FEMA has the power to turn the United States into a police state in time of a real crisis or a manufactured crisis. Lt. Col. North virtually established the apparatus for dictatorship. Only the criticism of the Attorney General prevented the plans from being adopted. But intelligence reports indicate that FEMA has a folder with 22 Executive Orders for the President to sign in case of an emergency. It is believed those Executive Orders contain the framework of North's concepts, delayed by criticism but never truly abandoned.

The crisis, as the government now see it, is civil unrest. For generations, the government was concerned with nuclear war, but the violent and disruptive demonstrations that surrounded the Vietnam War era prompted President Nixon to change the direction of emergency powers from war time to times of domestic unrest. Diana Raynolds, program director of the Edward R. Murrow Centre, summed up the dangers of FEMA today and the public reaction to Martial Law in a drug crisis: "It was James Madison's worst nightmare that a righteous faction would someday be strong enough to sweep away the Constitutional restraints designed by the framers to prevent the tyranny of centralized power, excessive privilege, an arbitrary governmental authority over the individual. These restraints, the balancing and checking of powers among branches and layers of government, and the civil guarantees, would be the first casualties in a drug-induced national security state with Reagan's Civil Emergency Preparedness unleashed. Nevertheless, there would be those who would welcome NSC (National Security Council) into the drug fray, believing that increasing state police powers to emergency levels is the only way left to fight American's enemy within. In the short run, a national security state would probably be a relief to those whose personal security and quality of life has been diminished by drugs or drug related crime. And, as the general public watches the progression of institutional chaos and social decay, they too may be willing to pay the ultimate price, one drug free America for 200 years of democracy."

The first targets in any FEMA emergency would be Hispanics and Blacks, the FEMA orders call for them to be rounded up and detained. Tax protesters, demonstrators against government military intervention outside U.S. borders, and people who maintain weapons in their homes are also targets. Operation Trojan Horse is a program designed to learn the identity of potential opponents to martial law. The program lures potential protesters into public forums, conducted by a "hero" of the people who advocates survival training. The list of names gathered at such meetings and rallies are computerized and then targeted in case of an emergency.

The most shining example of America to the world has been its peaceful transition of government from one administration to another. Despite crises of great magnitude, the United States has maintained its freedom and liberty. This nation now stands on the threshold of rule by non-elected people asserting non-Constitutional powers. Even Congress cannot review a Martial Law action until six months after it has been declared. For the first time in American history, the reins of government would not be transferred from one elected element to another, but the Constitution, itself, can be suspended.

The scenarios established to trigger FEMA into action are generally found in the society today, economic collapse, civil unrest, drug problems, terrorist attacks, and protests against American intervention in a foreign country. All these premises exist, it could only be a matter of time in which one of these triggers the entire emergency necessary to bring FEMA into action, and then it may be too late, because under the FEMA plan, there is no contingency by which Constitutional power is restored

FEMA CAMPS
There over 600 prison camps in the United States, all fully operational and ready to receive prisoners. They are all staffed and even surrounded by full-time guards, but they are all empty. These camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) should Martial Law need to be implemented in the United States.

The Rex 84 Program was established on the reasoning that if a mass exodus of illegal aliens crossed the Mexican/US border, they would be quickly rounded up and detained in detention lefts by FEMA. Rex 84 allowed many military bases to be closed down and to be turned into prisons.

Operation Cable Splicer and Garden Plot are the two sub programs which will be implemented once the Rex 84 program is initiated for its proper purpose. Garden Plot is the program to control the population. Cable Splicer is the program for an orderly takeover of the state and local governments by the federal government. FEMA is the executive arm of the coming police state and thus will head up all operations. The Presidential Executive Orders already listed on the Federal Register also are part of the legal framework for this operation.

The camps all have railroad facilities as well as roads leading to and from the detention facilities. Many also have an airport nearby. The majority of the camps can house a population of 20,000 prisoners. Currently, the largest of these facilities is just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Alaskan facility is a massive mental health facility and can hold approximately 2 million people.

A person named Terry Kings wrote an article on his discoveries of camps
located in southern California. His findings are as follows:
Over the last couple months several of us have investigated three soon-to-be prison camps in the Southern California area. We had heard about these sites and wanted to see them for ourselves.

The first one we observed was in Palmdale, California. It is not operating as a prison at the moment but is masquerading as part of a water facility. Now why would there be a facility of this nature out in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no prisoners? The fences that run for miles around this large facility all point inward, and there are large mounds of dirt and dry moat surrounding the central area so the inside area is not visible from the road. There are 3 large loading docks facing the entrance that can be observed from the road. What are these massive docks going to be loading?

We observed white vans patrolling the area and one came out and greeted us with a friendly wave and followed us until we had driven safely beyond the area. What would have happened had we decided to enter the open gate or ask questions?

This facility is across the street from the Palmdale Water Department. The area around the Water Department has fences pointing outward, to keep people out of this dangerous area so as not to drown. Yet, across the street, the fences all point inward. Why? To keep people in? What people? Who are going to be its occupants?

There are also signs posted every 50 feet stating: State of California Trespassing Loitering Forbidden by Law Section 555 California Penal Code.

The sign at the entrance says: Pear blossom Operations and Maintenance Sublet Receiving Department, 34534 116th Street East. There is also a guard shack located at the entrance.

We didn’t venture into this facility, but did circle around it to see if there was anything else visible from the road. We saw miles of fences with the top points all directed inward. There is a railroad track that runs next to the perimeter of this fenced area. The loading docks are large enough to hold railroad cars.

I wonder what they are planning for this facility? They could easily fit 100,000 people in this area. And who would the occupants be?

Another site is located in Brand Park in Glendale. There are newly constructed fences (all outfitted with new wiring that point inward). The fences surround a dry reservoir. There are also new buildings situated in the area. We questioned the idea that there were four armed military personnel walking the park. Since when does a public park need armed guards?

A third site visited was in the San Fernando Valley, adjacent to the Water District. Again, the area around the actual Water District had fences logically pointing out (to keep people out of the dangerous area). And the rest of the adjacent area which went on for several miles was ringed with fences and barbed wire facing inward (to keep what or who in?) Also, interesting was the fact that the addition to the tops of the fences were fairly new as to not even contain any sign of rust on them. Within the grounds was a huge building that the guard said was a training range for policemen. There were newly constructed roads, new grey military looking buildings, and a landing strip. For what? Police cars were constantly patrolling the several mile perimeter of the area.

From the parking lot of the Odyssey Restaurant a better view could be taken of the area that was hidden from site from the highway. There was an area that contained about 100 black boxes that looked like railroad cars. We had heard that loads of railroad cars have been manufactured in Oregon outfitted with shackles. Would these be of that nature? From our position it was hard to determine.

In searching the Internet, I have discovered that there are about 600 of these prison sites around the country (and more literally popping up overnight do they work all night). They are manned, but yet do not contain prisoners. Why do they need all these non-operating prisons? What are they waiting for? We continuously hear that our current prisons are overcrowded and they are releasing prisoners because of this situation. But what about all these facilities? What are they really for? Why are there armed guards yet no one to protect themselves against? And what is going to be the kick-off point to put these facilities into operation?

What would bring about a situation that would call into effect the need for these new prison facilities? A man-made or natural catastrophe? An earthquake, panic due to Y2K, a massive poisoning, a panic of such dimensions to cause nationwide panic?

Once a major disaster occurs (whether it is a real event or manufactured event does not matter) Martial Law is hurriedly put in place and we are all in the hands of the government agencies (FEMA) who thus portray themselves as our protectors. Yet what happens when we question those in authority and how they are taking away all of our freedoms? Will we be the ones detained in these camp sites? And who are they going to round up? Those with guns? Those who ask questions? Those that want to know what’s really going on? Does that include any of us? The seekers of truth?

When first coming across this information I was in a state of total denial. How could this be? I believed our country was free, and always felt a sense of comfort in knowing that as long as we didn’t hurt others in observing our freedom we were left to ourselves. Ideally we treated everyone with respect and honoured their uniqueness and hoped that others did likewise.

It took an intensive year of searching into the hidden politics to discover that we are as free as we believe we are. If we are in denial, we don’t see the signs that are staring at us, but keep our minds turned off and busy with all the mundane affairs of daily life.

We just don’t care enough to find out the real truth, and settle for the hand-fed stories that come our way over the major media sources television, radio, newspaper, and magazines. But it’s too late to turn back to the days of blindfolds and hiding our heads in the sand because the reality is becoming very clear. The time is fast approaching when we will be the ones asking "What happened to our freedom? To our free speech? To our right to protect ourselves and our family? To think as an individual? To express ourselves in whatever way we wish?"

Once we challenge that freedom we find out how free we really are. How many are willing to take up that challenge? Very few indeed, otherwise we wouldn’t find ourselves in the situation that we are in at the present time. We wouldn’t have let things progress and get out of the hands of the public and into the hands of those that seek to keep us under their control no matter what it takes, and that includes the use of force and detainment for those that ask the wrong questions.

Will asking questions be outlawed next? Several instances have recently been reported where those that were asking questions that came too near the untold truth (the cover up) were removed from the press conferences and from the public’s ear. Also, those that wanted to speak to the press were detained and either imprisoned, locked in a psychiatric hospital, slaughtered (through make-believe suicides) or discredited.

Why are we all in denial over these possibilities? Didn’t we hear about prison camps in Germany, and even in the United States during World War II? Japanese individuals were rounded up and placed in determent camps during the duration of the War. Where was their freedom?

You don’t think it could happen to you? Obviously those rounded up and killed didn’t think it could happen to them either. How could decent people have witnessed such atrocities and still said nothing? Are we going to do the same here as they cart off one by one those individuals who are taking a stand for the rights of the citizens as they expose the truth happening behind the scenes? Are we all going to sit there and wonder what happened to this country of ours? Where did we go wrong? How could we let it happen?

Impressum

Texte: Andrew Scorah 2010,all rights reserved.Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48)
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.12.2010

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