I’m kind of glad I waited to continue these thoughts another day after seeing what all has been going on with the Occupy protesters. As much as it sucks to say it, all of the clashes with police just re-emphasized what I already believed. And as much as I want to believe, and want to remember that we don’t live in a police state (yet), it’s hard to see that when the headlines are so full of information to the contrary. Which all leads up to why peaceful protests, reform movements, etc, won’t change America.
The harsh reality is that we, as a citizenry, don’t have the power any more. When the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written, time were much different. Technology was much different. Any citizen would have the same access to weapons as his local sheriff, constable, marshal, or militia member…except for maybe a cannon or a mortar. The playing field, so to speak, was very level. If there were a reason to fight, each would have about an equal chance of winning…or losing. Even in groups, such as local militia, the playing field was very level. Those cannons and mortars could be purchased for use and an individual trained on how to use it pretty easily. With today’s technology however, citizens don’t have that equal advantage.
I don’t know anyone that owns riot gear, a tank, or an F22 fighter. So if the federal government ever decided to flex that military muscle on its own citizens, how would we defend ourselves? More sit-in protests? Call our local representative in Congress? Would we look for outside help from another nation? In the unlikely event that something like that happened, what would we need to do to protect ourselves?
In this kind of world, us against them, how many of our own brothers, sisters, parents, friends, etc, would fight with the government against the citizens and how many would stand up and fight with the citizens? How many would “follow orders” and how many would recognize the blatant disregard for the legal system in the orders they receive? It starts to get tough when you start asking questions like that. I wonder if the Occupy protesters realize this…in their effort to fight Wall Street corruption and push for change in Washington.
The system is definitely marred. I personally believe that it isn’t there to protect our freedoms anymore. We’ve become so used to being a global police force that we’ve started to police our own citizens too much. We’ve disregarded political sovereignty oversees and we’re ignoring personal sovereignty at home as well. Can we regain that through diplomacy with our own leaders, or will it come down to revolution or civil war? For everyone’s sake I hope it is the former and not the latter.
This is my last conversation on politics for a while. It gives me a headache and makes me want to listen to RATM at high volumes. The next few posts will be shinier and happier…hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
