So you are up to date it is imperative that you follow this link, otherwise you may not get this post.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/02/patriot-act-notextended

So now that you have read this, you will know that the House failed to extend 3 of the most horrific violations of due process and habeus corpus. I know that there are many people who will say that this is a good thing and that the House is starting to care about the people. But don’t fail to notice that the House is still in favor of a more limited violation of people’s lives.

I want to take a few moments to point out some quotes by some men who are more gifted and intimately aware of what is at stake when you are willing to trade freedom for “safety”

“Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety.”  Benjamin Franklin

“A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.” Thomas Jefferson

“Fear is the foundation of most governments” John Adams

These words are no less true today than they were in the days of these men and the enemy we face is no less powerful or dangerous to our lives than those of the British army and King George III. Make no mistake that the tyranny that existed then, exists today and we are at a moment where we need to stand up and declare that we are not going to lie down and take these gross and blatant executions of our freedoms as free people. Free people we were intended to be and free people we should remain at all costs. Yes I am telling you that the fight for freedom is a fight and it will be costly, but if you are not willing to put your very life and the lives of others on the line for it, you don’t understand what it means to be free. I am not talking about going to another country and fighting a war with people who are not threatening us in any way. I mean fighting the domestic terrorists who are currently called Congressmen and women, Senators, lobbyists and Presidents.

I know it is a reaction to think of such thinking as wrong and immoral, but ask yourself, who taught you it was wrong and immoral to think this way? Wasn’t it the very people we are now accusing of molesting the Constitution and praying on out fears like predators in a jungle? I am not telling you to kill people. I am not telling anyone to destroy property. I am not telling anyone to kidnap, steal or be violent. Not without provocation. The law allows us to defend ourselves and the defense of our freedoms is the whole framework of our country and the very thing we are taught to admire and champion in our history classes. I am telling you to be educated. I am telling people to stop being sheep. I am saying take off the blinders and question authority at every turn and every opportunity and do not fear or follow people simply because they are in a position of power. If you boss looked through your bag while you were working, he would be fired instantly for violation of civil liberties. If an elected official walked in your front door and told you to show her your financial records, you would throw them out and they would be jailed. So why is it different because someone has a badge or a uniform or a gun? It isn’t. They are relying on your fear of their symbol of power to do nothing and take it.

If you want this country to change, you have to be wiling to do something to make it happen. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.” Well, if we do the same thing over and over by electing officials who are members of parties (yes both parties are included) that are the slaves of corporations, through a process that has little meaning (yep, the “election” process is a sham and you know it), then why are you surprised when the same crap happens administration after administration. Note that the article said the White House (that’s Obama) urged congress to vote to extend the 3 measures that the Bush White House enacted. There is no real difference between politicians, no matter what party, gender or color. They are not the same as us because nearly none of them have to live in our worlds. 99% of them don’t fly commercial airlines and have to submit to the security measures, they are not in the same tax bracket, they don’t have children in the military and they don’t have to worry about being added to no fly lists, having the government seize their financial records, wire tap their phones or have their rights to due process violated. Most of them are supporters of The Fed and are supported by corporations and big industries.

So what do you expect when the people you are relying on to speak for you, don’t even speak your language and haven’t seen where you live? They can’t represent us because they aren’t like us. And more importantly, they never will understand us because they will never be like us. None of them are going to worry about how to feed their kids, pay their mortgage or make a car payment. They are never going to have to make a decision between paying the house note, the electric bill or buying food. This is not a world they will ever understand, so stop expecting them to. If these are the people you are waiting for to save you, you are already dead and the day is lost.

So what do we do? We march. We demonstrate. We pool money and buy airtime on local TV stations. We take out ads in newspapers. We make sure that everyone knows that we are in this by ourselves. “If we don’t stand together, we will hang by ourselves” Thomas Paine. It was true over 230 years ago, it is true today. We don’t buckle. We don’t break. We don’t surrender. We look to the people in Cairo and we follow their example. We look to the people in Tunisia and we understand they are wiser than we are and we learn from them.

What will you do?

“The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.” Thomas Paine