We will not be silenced
By Mediagonebad
"We will not be silenced" is a T-shirt campaign to spread the message that all of us who believe in freedom for all, democracy and social justice cannot afford to be silent now. “We will not be silenced” is a multi-language statement attributed to a student-resistance movement in Nazi Germany called The White Rose. It is not a statement of action, but a statement of purpose intended to inspire acts of resistance and dissent against a corrupt government that abuses its power, lies, tortures, kills, and abandons the rule of law.
I think everyone who believes in the Constitution should be wearing one of these shirts anywhere people congregate. Bit by bit, yard by yard, the professional politicians now in power are working hard to render the Bill of Rights obsolete, and the shirt’s message is that we, the people of Earth, will speak up to preserve our rights and freedoms. We will not be silenced.
Someday, these professional politicians and their corporate benefactors have got to go. Democracy should be from the bottom up, not from the top down. Maybe someday we will see public financing of campaigns so all candidates have an equal share of the monies and cannot use personal money or donations. Maybe someday we will have more term limits so no one person gets to be all-powerful in any position. Imagine campaigns actually focusing on social issues and solutions!
I believe the Wall Street multi-millionaires who control the military/industrial/media complex have launched a war against the American people. They have long wanted to drive down wages and eliminate benefits, cut corporate taxes, break up the remaining unions, resume COINTELPRO covert spying on Americans, and further rob the public treasury and Social Security to finance extremely profitable weapons production. Through the imbeciles in the Bush administration, they have found a way to advance their agenda.
The people advocating increased domestic surveillance pine for the days of COINTELPRO, a 40-year counterintelligence program that targeted individuals like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and groups like the Socialist Worker's Party, the Black Panthers, and yes, the Democrats. The Watergate break-in helped to expose the enormity and scope of the program. Some of the tactics used by the FBI included break-ins of offices and homes, illegal wiretapping, the infiltration of union and political groups, advocating violence at peaceful antiwar rallies, and workplace harassment.
If anyone thinks that there will be oversight of domestic spying now or that it will be used just to root out potential terrorists, then think again. Stick with FISA. It was set up after COINTELPRO was exposed and it works just fine. The so-called “war on terrorism” is a hoax designed to instill fear, exert social control, and keep the American people in check. Imagine a government so insecure in its rhetoric that it must resort to spying on its own citizens in order to protect itself from them.
We the people have been systematically dumbed-down by education and the mass media and the corporate rulers have us right where they want us -- at each others' throats instead of trying to organize, rebuild democracy, and fulfill the American dream for all. Divide and rule. Make us believe it is "us vs. them" while the super-rich further rob the public treasury and Social Security and drive the United States into Third World status. Bush is a criminal, no better than bin Laden, and I hope that they both answer to the world someday. Bin Laden attacked the US without provocation and Bush attacked a sovereign Iraq without provocation. They are both terrorists.
And we will not be silenced.
"We will not be silenced" is a T-shirt campaign to spread the message that all of us who believe in freedom for all, democracy and social justice cannot afford to be silent now. “We will not be silenced” is a multi-language statement attributed to a student-resistance movement in Nazi Germany called The White Rose. It is not a statement of action, but a statement of purpose intended to inspire acts of resistance and dissent against a corrupt government that abuses its power, lies, tortures, kills, and abandons the rule of law.
I think everyone who believes in the Constitution should be wearing one of these shirts anywhere people congregate. Bit by bit, yard by yard, the professional politicians now in power are working hard to render the Bill of Rights obsolete, and the shirt’s message is that we, the people of Earth, will speak up to preserve our rights and freedoms. We will not be silenced.
Someday, these professional politicians and their corporate benefactors have got to go. Democracy should be from the bottom up, not from the top down. Maybe someday we will see public financing of campaigns so all candidates have an equal share of the monies and cannot use personal money or donations. Maybe someday we will have more term limits so no one person gets to be all-powerful in any position. Imagine campaigns actually focusing on social issues and solutions!
I believe the Wall Street multi-millionaires who control the military/industrial/media complex have launched a war against the American people. They have long wanted to drive down wages and eliminate benefits, cut corporate taxes, break up the remaining unions, resume COINTELPRO covert spying on Americans, and further rob the public treasury and Social Security to finance extremely profitable weapons production. Through the imbeciles in the Bush administration, they have found a way to advance their agenda.
The people advocating increased domestic surveillance pine for the days of COINTELPRO, a 40-year counterintelligence program that targeted individuals like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and groups like the Socialist Worker's Party, the Black Panthers, and yes, the Democrats. The Watergate break-in helped to expose the enormity and scope of the program. Some of the tactics used by the FBI included break-ins of offices and homes, illegal wiretapping, the infiltration of union and political groups, advocating violence at peaceful antiwar rallies, and workplace harassment.
If anyone thinks that there will be oversight of domestic spying now or that it will be used just to root out potential terrorists, then think again. Stick with FISA. It was set up after COINTELPRO was exposed and it works just fine. The so-called “war on terrorism” is a hoax designed to instill fear, exert social control, and keep the American people in check. Imagine a government so insecure in its rhetoric that it must resort to spying on its own citizens in order to protect itself from them.
We the people have been systematically dumbed-down by education and the mass media and the corporate rulers have us right where they want us -- at each others' throats instead of trying to organize, rebuild democracy, and fulfill the American dream for all. Divide and rule. Make us believe it is "us vs. them" while the super-rich further rob the public treasury and Social Security and drive the United States into Third World status. Bush is a criminal, no better than bin Laden, and I hope that they both answer to the world someday. Bin Laden attacked the US without provocation and Bush attacked a sovereign Iraq without provocation. They are both terrorists.
And we will not be silenced.
Jamie, your sentiments are inspiring. Each of the last two posts is well written and clear as a bell.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it was bad enough that I, many, many years ago, learned to sing “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” This “cute” little song was about a man who stole land that did not belong to him and slaughtered the inhabitants who had lived on that land for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
I fear that, no matter how clear the truth is, it may not help your audience, the youth of today. In order for clarity to be of any use, one has to be looking at it. Today’s youth, and those that aren’t really all that young, are more interested in the activities you mention.
I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but my daughter is twenty-five. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA and I live in CA. We don’t see each other much, but she’s on my mailing list. I asked her if she agreed with what Cindy Sheehan was doing. She had never heard of Cindy Sheehan.
My own daughter has almost no idea of how close we are to losing the greater portion of our freedoms. She’s disengaged.
Even though I’m sad that my own daughter is clueless, I know she’s not alone. Corporations have ensured that kids aren’t drawn to subjects live civics, social studies, political science.
Corporations want kids interested in material science like physics, chemistry, engineering.
When Bill Gates donates money and/or computers to schools, there is always a caveat that the schools build their curriculum around technical rather than intellectual knowledge.
Yet, you write the truth. If one young person reads your words, maybe that person will pass it on to a friend and maybe it will be passed on to enough of today’s youth to jump start them. This loss of freedom affects them as well and they just need to look up from gaming in order to get a glimpse of where we’re headed. They need to feel a sense of urgency.
This is why I’m truly conflicted about reinstating conscription. I’d hate to send even more kids into harm’s way, but it could be the spark that starts a peace movement where it’s needed the most, among the young.
Keep up the great writing, Jamie.
To friendship,
Michael
Thanks for your kind words, Michael. All I can do is try to write the truth as I understand it and hope that someone will read it, relate to it on some level, and pass it on. I don't have any illusions about being right or wrong, but my goal is to inspire someone, anyone, to act. Have you ever seen that movie "Pay it Forward"? One act by one person CAN make a difference.
ReplyDeletewww.wewillnotbesilenced.com
ReplyDeleteI read your blog and thought you may be interested to know that on February 28, 2007 part two of the powerful anti-war music flash video www.wewillnotbesilenced.com became live for all to view. The message needs to reach the masses. Your support is crucial in educating the oblivious who need to open their eyes and realize that we as Americans have other options and as a collective also have the power to make a difference. We need to redirect the path towards a positive future and release ourselves from the chains of our so called leaders.