Throughout the years, as I've witnessed the gradual takeover of the levers of power by the current corporate oligarchy now ruling the United States, I've often marvel about how well-coordinated and seemingly imperceptible it as been.
As I watched it happened, it has also been frustrating to see much of the citizenry totally oblivious to the wholesale undermining of democracy and the Constitution by the ruling elite.
Way, way back, I remember thinking (years before 9/11) about how the wealthy elite and corporatist cartels were taking steps to take over and consolidate their power. I almost saw it like a script...
They (the Neo-cons) needed a "
Pearl Harbor" type of event in order to take advantage of the fear and shock in the population, so they could then put in place what is essentially a proto-fascist infrastructure.
Strength lies in organization, in careful long-range planning and implementation, in consistency of action over an indefinite period of years, in the scale of financing available only through joint effort, and in the political power available only through united action and national organizations.
-- The Powell Memo / Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
The ruling elite would put in place a legal framework that allowed them to transfer vast amounts of power and wealth to themselves, and they would build a total-information-awareness surveillance apparatus to control people, along with the effects of propaganda from the mainstream media conglomerate.
In his book, Propaganda, published in 1928, Edward Bernays wrote: "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."
-- truth-out.org
They would get everybody online, offer multiple free and convenient services, including social networks, and then would build very detailed dossiers which could then be used to control people (in multiple ways).
It was all happening right there, in front of us, right in the open, but nobody seemed to notice, or care.
“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”
- Adolf Hitler
Remarkably, and sadly, even to this day, there are still people who first, have no clue about how much we've fallen into proto-fascism, and don't even think there is anything much wrong with the system at all.
And as I've watched this happening, in real-time, throughout the years, I've always felt that only when a large-enough number of people became aware of this situation, would they be able to unite in solidarity in order to remove the corporatist oligarchy and restore our constitutional rights, and democracy.
As the nefarious and highly secretive corporate controlled for-profit surveillance/security industrial complex continues to build a massive legal and physical infrastructure, the pace with which they will be able to build extremely sophisticated (and granular) personality, psychological, attitudinal, political, and ideological dossier will become the stuff of science fiction (the dystopian kind).
Because of the sophistication of highly-advanced propaganda techniques the population is currently being subjected to, there will be a very large segment that is now totally controlled (mentally), and will remained so no matter what happens. So the proto-fascist ruling elite doesn't have to worry about them too much.
The problem-child for them is the hyper-vigilant, hyper-aware citizen who sees and knows exactly what's happening, because in her activism, she is capable of helping awaken a large-enough number of the citizenry, and that eventually could present a threat to corporate domination of the state.
Hence, that's why you see a coordinated effort between corporatist cartels and government functionaries on the take (i.e., the for-profit national security apparatus), in demonizing and criminalizing social justice activism, including the Occupy movement, which they have named as a terrorist threat.
If nothing is done, the prospects are truly terrifying. Cutting to the chase, once groups and individuals are duly identified as threats by a "Minority Report"-like though police, based on highly sophisticated dossiers, they could be targeted in multiple ways, and much of it could be done in an almost imperceptible manner.
People could be targeted by sabotaging their economic security (and viability), by exposing them to employers surreptitiously. If they deviate in any way from certain social standards of behavior, or if they've committed mistakes, or petty crimes in the past, they could be subjected to character assassination.
Since 9/11 private corporations have greatly expanded the intelligence community. Seventy percent of the community’s budget now goes to private contractors. So members of Congress, reporters, and suspected leakers are not just vulnerable to government surveillance; they are vulnerable to corporate reprisals, should their investigations or disclosures pose a threat to companies in the intelligence business. These surveillance powers can be used not only to protect secret agencies from criticism; they can be used, as General Motors once used them, to try to discredit critics like Ralph Nader.
-- Christopher H. Pyle
And if none of that works, they could just start dropping dead, without hardly anybody noticing... A
car accident; a (purported) heart attack; a mugging/robbery.
I know, I know, to many people this may look far-fetched, but if you come to understand and accept the notion that the levers of power are indeed under the control of what in the final analysis are corporatist fascist thugs, then it does not look as far-fetched any longer.
Think about something... Let's assume that the vast majority of the "security analysts" are patriotic, decent people who believe they are truly helping protect the country. Maybe there is not malice, or nefarious purposes in their minds.
But the problem is that once you put together these massive, very detailed databases about citizens, within the security apparatus you could see the rise of rogue elements.
Why is that? Follow the money. You have 70 percent of the national security budget going towards for profit corporations. If there is one business ethos in this country is that of constant and rapid (market) growth. Once you marry the interests of for profit corporations with that of national security, you've totally subverted the mission.
BloomberdBusinessWeek: "Booz Allen, the World's Most Profitable Spy Organization"
So imagine if certain vocal and effective activists start getting some traction and are eventually seen as potential threats to the "business," the "market," the "growth and profit" projections of these companies. Who's to say that given the highly-secretive conditions under which the surveillance program is kept, you could not have cells of corporate actors with access to information about people (activists) considered threats to their "business objectives?" And who's to say that as this system entrenches itself, that some of these cells would not take unilateral action against certain individuals?
Nation of Change: "FBI Knew of Plot to Execute Occupy Activists but Did Nothing"
This is why this situation is so dangerous, and it is why people who just shrug their shoulders and say "Well, if I don't have anything to hide, I should not be worried," are actually helping this system entrench itself (even if unwittingly).
You have to understand something... The problem is the issue of "motives." If we had a truly publicly-run national security apparatus free of undue influence by the profit motives of corporations, then overall, the motives behind those who run it would closely align to the "protect and serve" ethos. But, by and large, the national security apparatus has basically turned into just another profit center for for the corporate elite that rules America.
And that right there is what makes it proto-fascist. As this gargantuan corporate-controlled for profit national security industrial complex continues to grow rapidly, in order to keep demand (and market growth), they will come up with more and more reasons to collect more and more data, on everything. It is the nature of the beast.
The NSA is currently finishing construction on its Utah Data Center, a new $1.2 billion storage facility near Salt Lake City. When it's finished, the data center will be able to hold and process five zettabytes of data, according to NPR.
And this growth will coincide with the loss of our human and constitutional rights, until we eventually find ourselves living in a veritable oppressive surveillance police state... I often write that we are already living in one, and many of my critics point out that I would not be able to write about these things if we did. They have a point, but as I look at what's happening right now, and at the accelerated pace the surveillance police state is being built (with very little opposition from the population at large, I may add), in the not too distant future (perhaps even within five years or so), activists who rise up in peaceful opposition, will be silenced.
What to do...
Obviously, I've been thinking about this for years, and I've tried to raise awareness (and for much of that time I've been called a tin-foil-wearing conspiracy theorist for the trouble--until recently). I will continue thinking about this seemingly intractable problem (trying to raise awareness in the 3 to 10 percent of the population needed to present a credible resistance and opposition to the corporate ruling elite), but so far, here's what I've come up with (which I humbly present for consideration by activists):
- Unity And Solidarity: The first and most important step is to try to do everything possible to connect with other awakened people as soon as possible. They are a small minority right now, but they are everywhere. Design the mechanism to bring people together, and most importantly, to build a sense of solidarity, and cohesiveness.
- Counter-propaganda: This is the second most important step; nothing of meaning will happen (as it relates to truly being able to challenge the corporate state) until this step is taken very seriously. So once you find each other, find unity of purpose, and become a cohesive movement, your next step should be to engage in a very serious counter-propaganda campaign focused on number one, the awakening of other people, and number two, the recruiting of as many people as possible to the resistance movement.
- Taking On The System: Now, with solidarity and strength in numbers (you only need a few thousand people nationwide to get going), you can start taking very focused, strategic, and coordinated (peaceful) action against the brutal corporate state. Initially, you'll be able to put pressure on it.
- Take-down: Once organized in large numbers, you will quickly see the enormous power (to the people) that comes as a result. As you continue to build strength in numbers, and as your pressure tactics become more and more effective, eventually this will lead to a head-on confrontation with the fascist corporate state. At that point it will be up to the ruling elite if they want to go down as the result of a peaceful revolution, or a violent one.
Finally, in my activism, I will continue focusing on these simple truths. I will continually reach out to groups and people of good will in order to help foster collaboration and unity among the disparate progressive and activist groups.
And as I've said many times before, I will never advocate violence or illegality of any kind. Why is that? By now people must know that only those with overwhelming power can resort to violence and criminality with impunity, as it is the case of the criminal corporatist cartels running things now in the United States (and many other countries).
At this point, we don't have neither the unity, solidarity, nor power to even begin to think that any type of violent uprising will be able to overtake the system.
The power we do have is the power to find each other, to compare notes, to form strong nationwide coalitions, until it turns into a powerful-enough peaceful resistance movement. We have that power. The question is, are we going to elect to use it.
Resources:
REPEACE: Repeace is an online social movement that wants to cut the ties between private interests and government with a very simple method. Repeace wants to make accountability a profitable currency, at times where institutionalized corruption has become endemic. By rallying people behind 3 positive pledges (demands) Repeace creates a market for accountability and hopes to move small-medium business to new standards of social responsibility (back off of funding elections in exchange of support). The movement is called Repeace, which means "realize peace" and is inspired by John F. Kennedy's alternative interpretation of peace, from his 1963 Commencement Speech at American University. Repeace is not only a relevant project and a suggested solution, but the reflection of the current nations revolutions, which are, in essence, demands of accountability.
Independence Day (4th of July): RESTORE THE FOURTH TO HOLD PROTESTS ON JULY 4TH FOR FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHTS - Restore the Fourth is a grassroots, non-partisan, non-violent movement that seeks to organize and assemble nationwide protests on July 4th, 2013. Protesters in over 100 cities across America will gather to demand that the government of the United States of America adhere to its constitutionally dictated limits and respect the Fourth Amendment.
Each blue dot on the map below represents a member of a growing nation-wide network of social justice and anti-corruption activists committed to finding the best way forward. Join us in the effort!
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Ray Pensador |
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