Soldiers For The Cause The Opposite of a Soldier of Fortune
I woke up to disappointment today after reading the Senate had passed the National Defense Authorization Act while simultaneously rejecting the Udall, Webb Amendment.
For those who are unaware, which seems to be the majority of the United States, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill was drafted in secret by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). The bill redefines America as a “battlefield” and authorizes US troops to conduct military arrests of US civilians on US soil, and to indefinitely detain citizens without charge or trial. The Udall, Webb Amendment cosponsored by Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) and Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) would have stripped sections from the bill that authorize the military to indefinitely detain individuals without charge, to force police officials to transfer a large number of terrorism suspects into military custody, and to further institute restrictions on the transfer of cleared Guantanamo detainees. Click here to see how your Senators voted.
Does that scare you? I hope so, because it should. I am more fearful now than I was after George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law in 2001. How many of your friends know about the NDAA bill? I post updates to various social networking sites on a regular basis in an attempt to inform my friends and family about important issues that they should care about. I have noticed not many care, though there are a few who do, and I am more thankful for them than they could ever realize.
I am having a hard time understanding how the American populous can be so apathetic when it comes to the important issues. The media, of course, plays a large role in the non-exposure of truth to the general public. We have been dumbed-down so much that we no longer care about the real, true current events. Instead we care about the latest American Idol winner or Lindsay Lohan’s continued drug addiction or Pippa Middleton’s newest beau. Why is it that many of my friends can name every member of the Kardashian family, but they cannot tell me who Herman Cain or Michelle Bachmann are? I have friends who vote in every X Factor poll but have yet to cast their vote when it really counts. That troubles me to no end.
What other factors play a part in this ignorance? I have friends who complain about being unemployed. I tell them what the Occupy Wall Street Movement is. I tell them that they should be a part of the movement because unemployment is one of the major issues being discussed. “No, it’s just not my thing,” an unemployed and longtime friend told me. Well, wake up friend, because this is exactly your thing.
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” -Plato
It is time for everyone in America to wake up. In fact they should have woken up a long time ago, as all signs have been and are pointing to major national and global revolutions.
American apathy is one major issue that has kept me awake many nights these past few years. I am quite sure that I will lose even more friends over this article than I have already for my incessant Facebook postings pertaining to economic, political, and social issues that affect us all.
I am okay with that because I know I am doing the right thing, and when all hell breaks loose on American soil, maybe I will no longer be seen as the guy always wearing the proverbial tinfoil hat.
I think you make a good point about the ease of voting on those television programs. It is convenient. Voting in general is made difficult. Why don’t we vote on weekends? This should have been a proposition that the American public should have voted on from their homes. I am confident that the average person would have done the right thing. Americans are the hardest working people in the world. That takes a toll on an individuals mind. Dulls them into a routine of apathy. It’s not their fault. It might not be a big conspiracy but its a systemic flaw in our economic system that degrades the basic tenants of democracy.
I understand your feelings about losing friends… my OWN “incessant Facebook postings pertaining to economic, political, and social issues” seem to have alienated many of my own friends… but I can’t stop myself from trying to inform those who aren’t paying close attention… some have stopped listening, and it concerns me… there’s a LOT of things happening right now that people need to be paying attention to, but many are not, and I don’t get it.
I am currently deciding whether to repost your fine article, since I am in the same place with several of my FB and real life friends. I couldn’t agree more with your words. Particularly because my work is in spiritual counseling, and there is a sense in that group that the only thing that can be done is to meditate or pray. But how will you know what to meditate on? We are so programmed to believe that it will all be OK if we just keep our nose to the grindstone and keep working. And spending. And if you are out of a job it is somehow your fault, etc. Thank you for your heartfelt words. The apathy scares the Pjesus out of me as well.
Man this is dangerous territory !!1–Even with the laws as they were it took a lifetime to find justice through a Habeas Bullshit Damned Corpus–People you’d better wake the F#*% UP!!! –To Hell With It –No Need To Be Nice Here FUCKKK!!