O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts

[anart]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5255712

Quotes from this short piece on retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's speech:

"Pointing to the experiences of developing countries and former communist countries where interference with an independent judiciary process has allowed dictatorships to flourish, O'Connor said, 'We should be ever vigilant against those who would strong arm the judiciary into adopting their policies. It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings'."



Oh that she had possessed the courage and fortitude to make such a statement while still serving on the Court. Actually, oh that she had possessed the courage and fortitude to make such a statement BEFORE G.W. was selected by this very Supreme Court for the office of President. While this speech is being lauded on alternative news and liberal websites, it seems to me that so very little, so very late, is nothing to be lauded at all.

 

[rs]

I do not understand how it can be that "mainstream" people are using words like "impeachment" and "dictatorship" out in the open, and yet there are not riots in the streets.

I guess it goes to the success of the climate of fear that pervades our society. Fear of avian flu, fear of terrorists, fear of losing our jobs, fear of not being able to fill our 30 gallon SUV gas tank.

Somewhere between Woodstock and retirement we lost track of "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose". We have succeded in surrounding ourselves with lots and lots of things we do not wish to lose, and our fear is dominating our decisions. (Or lack thereof...)

We all carry around "excess baggage" and it is just so hard to come to grips with the reality that if you want to stop carrying it around, you have to set it down and walk away...

 

[Mr. Premise]

Good question. I think what it is is that most people in the United States see themselves as spectators not actors. TV has helped them convince people that they are helpless observers of other peoples' power games. Other people do politics. We watch-- or not. There has been a systematic effort to convince people that nothing they do will make a difference. The culmination must have been the huge demonstrations before the Iraq War that both parties ignored.

I do not understand how it can be that "mainstream" people are using words like "impeachment" and "dictatorship" out in the open, and yet there are not riots in the streets.

...

 

[anart]

Indeed. I also think that there is an element of intentional passivity involved, and whether that is being put in place with HAARP, chemtrails, audio/visual programming cues or subliminal messages reinforced by electronic wave technology and strobe light precursers, I've no way of knowing. I just know that nobody is awake here, and with what is going on and coming out in general areas of awareness, something is keeping people from taking to the streets. It could simply be the factors rs and Don have mentioned, but a combination of those factors and emotional/mind manipulation by technology of which we are unaware, seems much more likely to me.

 

[Justin]

It seems that to a certain extent fear has increased people's passivity and denial. That could be partly caused by all the brainwashing/biochem/EM manipulations that are in full effect. Many people may still believe that things will get better when a new election brings new government officials. Or perhaps they fall into justifications / denials such as "well, things will get better...there are always ups and downs" or any number of thoughts that dismiss the need to evaluate things as they truly are.