[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
From the little revealed so far about Edward Snowden and his National Security Agency leaks it’s at least quite clear a quasi-governmental apparatus built a huge technical infrastructure to snoop and spy on Americans. The assurances that this was all done within the law and intent of the Patriot Act is the most laughable hooey, Congress and the little people have been flat-out lied to, the serious contortions of language, secrecy and intent all but screaming plain criminality here.
Crooks often break the law because they’re confident they won’t get caught, that’s just one of the problems in all this absurd and very dangerous secrecy surrounding the NSA. Defenders of secrecy always throw up this smokescreen of security, oblivious that the mentality of deception and criminality behind it can easily creep into other policy areas, severely distorting the democracy and of course leading the country further astray.
Tragically this has already occurred, I don’t miss much but it completely flew under my radar that the Obama administration is actually trying to pass a new treaty—the “trade” Trans-Pacific Partnership—in secret, huge portions of the proposed text are unseen and Congress, ludicrously, is forbidden to disclose what they have seen.
Attempting to constrain my temper I’m going to simply list the relevant points and observations over this amazing policy TTP stunt with some basic electoral implications.
/* The intellectual immaturity in proposing a plain treaty remaining secret is incongruously ludicrous, can they be serious and real about this? If a treaty must be classified then the sky must be purple, is that truly what you’re trying to slap into the brains of the little people?
It’s psychologically fascinating that secrecy can so quickly regress the human mind to that of a babbling five year old, yes, but for the rest of us who remain grown up it’s quite insulting. Whatever mental crowbars and back flips required to barf out such mental trash, well, please throw the machinations immediately into reverse and join the community of functional adults once more. Quickly, please.
/* The continuing pliability and obsequiousness of the modern United States Congress to the Executive is an utterly dismaying example of institutional dysfunction. It’s abysmally sickening to watch alleged representatives of the little people and democracy actually accept this ratification framework, the instant answer to such proposed lunacy of secrecy should have been to get a god damn therapy appointment and get the hell outta my office for even thinking I could face my people for voting on something so critical but yet so unknown.
In cursory research on TPP only Alan Grayson and Elizabeth Warren so far have acquitted themselves as representatives of the United States Congress, the rest have bleated along.
/* Since secrecy reduced the intellects of the administration to clucking first-graders it’s no surprise the distortion horribly distorted the notion of treaty itself, from what we know it’s full of law having nothing to do with trade at but very much in the interests of relentless corporate lobbying, like severely constraining the internet so scared old people can make money like they always did.
/* Secrecy of course cloaks the immediate and obvious harm in the proposed law, no shit you’d never get it passed if it was plain and open what was in TPP. Irrespective of the ethics and maturity in choosing the tactic of secrecy, by so blatantly violating the ethos of democracy quite naturally the result would be instant severe harm to the little people.
/* By proposing a “trade” treaty in secret contempt is the driving mental force for those proposing it on multiple levels, but a singular reminder of those who have given lives and limbs for the democracy in order here. We have built and fought for this country for over 200 years, yet for those who have given so much in defending the democracy your secrecy stewardship of their legacy and sacrifice is a disgusting disgrace. We didn’t fight two world wars and protect our oil so fiercely so modern Americans could flatly state the sky is purple to screw the little people behind their backs in secrecy. No, we did not.
/* Powerful contempt for the little people and the democracy severely discourages the base and activism community. Markos Moulitsas recently noted again the sad decline of the personal political blogger, one wonders how many would have stayed active had their leadership not shown such contempt for them.
It took a lot for me to get this done, it’s painful, bewildering and sad. If we think that we as Democrats can get away with this TPP framework we are so totally mistaken. Without earnest stewards of the democracy the institution degrades and fails, so will our electoral chances in 2014 and 2016, of course. So far Grayson and Warren have come through a stewards of the democracy, the little people desperately need many more from Congress. Anyone? Anywhere?