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Dissent and Freedom of Speech
Where is America going?

Nik Green
Where is America going in this new Millennium?

I have heard a number of comments recently from people in everyday
circumstances. We had a computer repaired by the manufacturer not so
long ago, and the technician, who was obviously a highly intelligent as
well as creative person, was very aware at the rapidly changing status
of freedom of expression of all varieties in America. Being an aware
person, she was naturally appalled at the current and ongoing decimation
of many of the principles upon which America was founded. But despite
this disquiet, she has decided to not voice her feelings publicly,
preferring to "stay under the radar", in her words.

This is *not* the America of which the founders dreamed, and a
indictment of the Bush Administration's methods, which resemble
authoritarianism. In the wake of 9-11, with the raw emotional response
to the disaster, coupled with President Bush's dictum that "if you are
not with us, then you are with the terrorists", many people now react
with a kneejerk response against any reasoned discussion on terrorism
and 'rogue states'. Ideas that run counter to this Administration's
methods and philosophy are subject to the catch-all trawlnet that is now
employed diss constructive dissent) of being somehow "unpatriotic". A
large portion of we-the-people are now scared and reluctant to voice
their true feelings and opinion, specially if leaning leftwards. The
bastions of what America is really all about, namely free speech, 'life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness', freedom of assembly, equal
opportunities...for all... is slipping, incrementally, under a barrage
of stealthy legislation passed by a compliant Congress, members of which
are individually and collectively scared of being painted by the
corporate media as "going soft on national security concerns". Our
rights are being eroded in a stealthy manner so as not to be noticed,
such as when Congress is poorly attended, or late at night, or just
before recesses, or buried deep in other legislation so as to escape
notice.

I heard someone only recently say "you had better watch out what you
print". I have noticed that activists working for various local and
national causes are now scared to appear on camera. These kind of
sentiments I am noticing on an almost daily basis, and mostly since the
terrorist attacks of 9-11. Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesperson
encapsulated this attitude in late 2001 when he warned all Americans to
"watch out what they say". That quintessentially un-American piece of
legislation known as the Patriot Act...talk about a contradiction in
terms....was passed without even being read by most members of either
House. It is the most horrible piece of fundamentally anti-American
neo-fascist legislative sludge since WW2.

In recent years, there have been a series of demonstrations against
those ethically challenged organizations as the International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank, accusing them with a variety of actions that
are anti conduct-worthy-of-the-human-species, and anti human rights in
general. A large and well-meaning section of the population here in the
U.S. is appalled by the well-documented human rights abuses that go on
in many third world nations and rogue states, where brutal governments
are paid off by big business, much of it U.S. owned and controlled, and
these actions are supported, funded and even initiated by the World Bank
and IMF.

The immense power wielded by the big business and banking community to
use the media to alter the public perception for their benefit is now
being employed to control and use police forces nationwide to trample
the rights of all counter opinions, specially when expressed too
publicly. As we gradually submit to the iron fist of global privately
owned corporate elite, and their unmitigated thirst for total control
and power, there are still many of us who feel that we have to make our
voices heard, and in the absense of any platform at the IMF and World
Bank meetings, the streets are the sole places left to voice objections
and reasoned argument. This situation makes it easy for those
powers-that-be who are against freedom of expression: just use the
compliant and co-opted law enforcement agencies to systematically round
up and silence the dissent. Those who who speak out or employ activism
against the evil deeds of big business are routinely stomped by
arbitrary arrest and pepperspray assault, physical abuse and violence as
well as trumped up charges and denial of access to lawyers, even
pre-emptive arrest for planning a protest. If anybody noticed, it is
clear that the Washington D.C. police in the September 2002 DC
demonstrations are highly politicized, with sympathetic law enforcement
action coming in from all over this nation, being blatantly biased and
acting firmly on the side of the global corporate criminals and their
Bush Administration brown-nosing puppets and brown-shirt wannabe
puppets.

Meanwhile, the real criminals, namely those who defraud and steal
billions to feather their own nests, are going unpunished. Yes of
course, a few selected unfortunates are being singled out for public
attention to make it look as if top corporate executives and moguls are
actually subject to the laws of the land. But in general, this is not
the case. My prediction is that the likes of the majority of the top of
the Enron Organized Crime heirarchy (to name one in hundreds) will not
see a day in jail. After all, they were the ones who interviewed most of
the Bush Cabinet to see if they were "the right material for their
corporate plans"


Lest we ever forget: if it wasnt for the actions of protesters, the
United States of America would never have happened and we would still be
under the rule of the British Monarchy. Ouch.