The Destruction of the World Trade Center
Welcome to the Death of Freedom


Today is September 11th, 2001. I've had little to do all day other than watch CNN & read on the internet information related to today's destruction of the World Trade Center, as well as the damage done to the Pentagon Building. The more I think about it, the more bleak my outlook becomes. Not about the loss of human life. With as many disasters that occur in the world (both natural and man-made), one can't help but become somewhat numb the idea of mass death, unless someone we know personally is a victim. I find myself less concerned with the actual events that have occurred today, and more with their long-term repercussions.

We have been steadily loosing our personal freedoms for a while now. There are now laws that limit free speech. Don't believe me? Try reading my page about the MPAA , then ask 2600.com whether or not they think the Digital Millennium Copyright Act limits their speech.

There are laws that limit what we may do in our daily lives, even in situations where we are harming no one, stealing from no one, or directly effecting no one at all. These include laws that illegalize the use of certain chemicals the government doesn't like, and laws that mandate the use of safety devices. Abstaining from smoking crack and wearing you seatbelt may be wise decisions, but freedom to only make wise choices is no freedom at all, in my opinion.

We are now subject to laws that punish us for our very opinions. For as long as the United States has been a country, there have been laws against murder and assault. Yet know we have laws forbidding hate crimes. The activities involved in hate crimes are essentially no different than the activities involved in disobeying these other laws. The only difference is the alledged criminal's motivation. If I am convicted of attacking someone because he was wearing a college football jersey, I can be punished under a different law (with more severe penalties) than if I did it because he said something I didn't like. I will have been punished for my opinions as well as my actions.

The right to keep and bear arms is no longer a right. It logically (in my opinion) follows that any right that has attached to it criterea which must be met in order to claim this right (waiting periods, hand gun licenses, etc.) is no longer a right: it has become a privilege. Once the government has managed to limit your access to something, that is a big fat foot in the door to eliminating your access to it. The history of how marijuana was illegalized is a prime example of this.

There are many other examples I could list here of the siphoning away of American personal freedoms, but you should get the idea by now. But, as many examples of this I could list, these are nothing in comparison to what I believe is now coming, because of today's happenings.

I think most of us would agree that most politicians today (those running for state-level or higher positions, anyway) do not base their election campaigns on the relevant issues of the day. They might try to create the appearance of such, but I really believe this is only done for the sake of appearance. You see, as anyone with an even meager knowledge of political science knows, people don't vote issues. They instead vote their wallets, their emotions, or their political affiliation. Public debate exists so people have something they can point to as a reason why they voted for a candidate without feeling foolish. Women don't like to admit it when they vote for a candidate because they think he's sexy (Clinton). Men likewise don't like to admit they voted for the man that most reminded of the loser they got drunk with in high school (George W. Bush). So, politicians have been taking advantage of this situation for some time. This is how "the game" is played.

So, what will politicians of the near future be using to pander to the American public for votes? Abortion? Of course not. Nobody likes that arguement anymore. Health care for the elderly? Well, yes, that issue is going to be around for a while, now that the baby boomers are exiting middle age. But it's not a hot issue, is it? The two hottest issues are going to be military spending and public safety. It is the public safety issue, rather than military spending, that concerns me.

I envision stern, patriarchal men in conservative business suits peering out through millions of television sets in apparent fatherly affection. I can almost hear him telling us that the tragedies of September 11th, 2001 should have been avoided. What allowed these evil men to perpetrate their wicked deeds was a lack of pro-active protection on the part of the government. If he is elected President (Senator, Representative, etc.), he will see to it that these pro-active measures are placed into effect, to insure that this will never happen again. America (and America's children) will be safe. Anyone who is against him is, by default, against safety. I'm sure he'll win a landslide victory.

But, then, what are "pro-active" crime prevention measures? What does the government need to prevent terrorist acts that it doesn't already have? The answer is, our rights. They can't overhear incriminating telephone conversations, because they need a court order to be allowed to listen to them. The same is true of searching the house or car of someone the police suspect is doing something illegal (and evil). They must first convince a judge that they have a good reason for doing so. Hunches and vague suspicions are not enough. Once such obstacles are done away with, the police, the FBI, and other enforcement agencies of the government will be free to protect us in the best way possible. And as to anyone who is concerned about the right to privacy of the average citizen, why should they mind, if they have nothing to hide, right?

So now the government can listen to our private conversations, and enter our homes whenever they want. But you'll notice, the violence and paranoia haven't gone away. In fact, they've increased. Apparently, the new powers the government has bestowed upon itself aren't enough. After all, private citizens still have guns, and access to chemicals that can be used to make bombs. Before we know it, these will be gone as well. Those who complain will be called cop killers.

But this still hasn't made America a safe place, has it? Of course not. How can it be, when the press has the right to speak out against the righteous acts of the government? Why, they're trying to turn the public against us, against safety, against children. Next thing you know, freedom of speech, press, and assembly have all but vanished. I'm sure they'll still exist, if only in some anemic, worthless form. Like today's "right" to keep and bear arms, only the right sort of people will qualify to do these things.

But, what good are all these new powers to catch criminals, if the courts keep letting them go because of simple technicalities? What difference does it make whether or not some evil criminal knows his rights? It doesn't change the fact that he did it, does it? So what if he was only overheard talking about committing a crime, instead of actually caught in the act? He still would have done it, if given the chance. Just look at him. He even looks guilty. Why, I bet he's not even a christian. Everybody know that all true Americans are christians, right? So then, all those technicalities will be done away with. Nevermind the fact that those technicalities were put in place to keep the government from turning into a tyranny. After all, the government cares about you. We only want to keep you SAFE.

Impossible, you say? Never in America, you say? Bullshit. Americans are too stupid, lazy and meek to do anything about it. This country was founded on the idea that people are individuals, not a mass crowd that can be poked and prodded into uniformity. When I look around myself, all I see are lost little children in adults' bodies, desparetely trying to be what they think they're supposed to be. Conformity is a fucking virtue in our society today. Masses of people are tripping over each other in a stampede to be just like someone else. There is obviously something wrong with those people that don't belong to the crowd. They're sub-human, and should be treated as such.

Oh, yes, Americans will vote for these politicians when they come along (and they will come along, just you fucking watch and see). And when they do, it will be the last free election we ever have. The followers of Osama bin Laden (or whomever pulled this off, if they didn't) are probably not even aware of how effective an attack this will prove to be. They have not made "an attack on freedom," like the bullshit rhetoric is already saying, but rather, they've given our own government, and by extension, all of us, the only reason we'll need to kill freedom all by ourselves. And we'll deserve it, too.


Go to "It Begins"
Didn't believe me, huh? Watch here as I document our personal freedoms circling the toilet bowl. Unless otherwise noted, all information is courtesy or Yahoo! News.


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