Why do you just roll over and accept these things?

Question

This country is filled with some of the stupid people I have ever seen in my short life. I mean really I can not believe how many people still support the President. I am heartened by the ones who have seen the light however. How are you just okay with illegal wiretapping? Saying I have nothing to hide so I dont have to worry, does not make it ok!! Its wrong! Why do you take this? Why dont you demand better from your leaders and hold them accountable? God why you just blindly support this mans so called war on terror? Do you really think you are safer now than ten years ago?

HAHAHA!! I have always believed the government is always watching everything that is done and that certain words or phrases in converstations trigger them to be recorded.You cant trust them at all! At all!!!!

Answer 1

What explains the gullibility of Americans, a gullibility that has mired the U.S. in disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that promises war with Iran, North Korea, and a variety of other targets if neoconservatives continue to have their way?

Part of the explanation is that millions of conservatives are thrilled at the opportunity to display their patriotism and to show their support for their country. Bush's rhetoric is perfectly designed to appeal to this desire. "You are with us or against us" elicits a blind and unquestioning response from people determined to wear their patriotism on their sleeves. "You are with us or against us" vaccinates Americans against factual reality and guarantees public acceptance of administration propaganda.

Many Americans find the government's message much more reassuring than the actual facts. The government's message is: "America is virtuous. Virtuous America was attacked by evil terrorists. America is protecting itself by going to war and overthrowing regimes that sponsor or give shelter to terrorists, erecting in their place democracies loyal to America."

Sugarcoated propaganda doesn't present Americans with the emotional and mental stress associated with the hard facts.

Many Americans have turned a blind eye to the administration's illegal and unconstitutional spying on the grounds that, as they themselves are doing nothing wrong, they have nothing to fear. If this is the case, why did our Founding Fathers bother to write the Constitution? If the executive branch can be trusted not to abuse power, why did Congress pass legislation establishing a panel of federal judges (ignored by the Bush administration) to oversee surveillance? If President Bush can decide that he can ignore statutory law, how does he differ from a dictator? If Bush can determine law, what is the role of Congress and the courts? If "national security" is a justification for elevating the power of the executive, where is his incentive to find peaceful solutions?

Emotional appeals to fear and to patriotism have led close to half of the population to accept unaccountable government in the name of "the war on terrorism." What a contradiction it is that so many Americans have been convinced that safety lies in the sacrifice of their civil liberties and accountable government.

If so many Americans cannot discern that they have acquiesced to conditions from which tyranny can arise, how can they understand that it is statistically impossible for the NSA's mass surveillance of Americans to detect terrorists?

Floyd Rudmin, a professor at a Norwegian university, writing at CounterPunch.org applies the mathematics of conditional probability, known as Bayes' Theorem, to demonstrate that the NSA's surveillance cannot successfully detect terrorists unless both the percentage of terrorists in the population and the accuracy rate of their identification are far higher than they are. He correctly concludes that "NSA's surveillance system is useless for finding terrorists."

The surveillance is, however, useful for monitoring political opposition and stymieing the activities of those who do not believe the government's propaganda.

Another reason for the gullibility of Americans is their lack of alternative information to government propaganda. The independence of print and TV media disappeared in the media consolidations of the 1990s. Today a handful of large corporations own the traditional media. The wealth of these corporations consists of broadcast licenses, which the companies hold at the government's discretion. Newspapers are run by corporate executives, whose eyes are on advertising revenue and who shun contentious reporting. The result is that the traditional media are essentially echo chambers for government propaganda.

The Internet and the foreign news media accessible through the Internet are the sources of alternative information. Many Americans have not learned to use and to rely on the Internet for information.

Many Americans find the government's message much more reassuring than the actual facts. The government's message is: "America is virtuous. Virtuous America was attacked by evil terrorists. America is protecting itself by going to war and overthrowing regimes that sponsor or give shelter to terrorists, erecting in their place democracies loyal to America."

Sugarcoated propaganda doesn't present Americans with the emotional and mental stress associated with the hard facts.

In National Socialist Germany, by the time propaganda lost its grip, Germans were in the hands of a police state. It was too late to take corrective measures. Not even the military could correct the disastrous policies of the executive. In the end, Germany was destroyed. Does a similar fate await Americans?

Answer 2

I'd consider general acceptance of homosexuality part of a utopian concept that I don't expect will ever happen, no. But I would like the world to improve in various ways including homosexuality acceptance so that it's more utopian and less arbitrary and hostile. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't "let" you make your own choices in peace, but that also doesn't mean that I think anyone should also roll over and accept when someone is actively literally opposed to their existence and happiness, either. So just don't be too touchy if your attacks are attacked, when you're the aggressor.

Answer 3

I can't believe how many people are lemmings programed by the main stream media to believe the government is wiretapping anyone who is not at least suspected to be involved in illegal activity or terrorism. If you think that the CIA just started spying on suspect people since President Bush took over, your a fool. The only difference is a hostile media exposing it.

Answer 4

Most of the Bush supporters fall into 3 catagories: They are nationalists, Christian fundamentalists or G Norquist, rabid anti tax folk. or a combination of the 3.
Add in a big dose of fear and it boils down to blind support when it comes to depriving us of our civil liberties. Its a shame we have this thing called the Constitution that prevents us from becoming a police state.

Answer 5

The amusing thing is, I have yet to see anyone come up with a rational legal explanation for why Bush is justified in breaking the law, other than "it's always OK to break the law to defend against terrorist" or "because the president can always break the law".

And while those soundbites might be the only possible answers, that doesn't make then valid legal justifications in any court.

Answer 6

As someone who, in their younger days flipped then president Richard Nixon the bird,and by doing so landed himself on the F.B.I.'s list of radicals and insurrectionists,i refuse to ever roll over for the corruption present in our government.From being on the FBI list as a result of my display of disgust for tricky dicky,i now find myself on the homeland securities list as a potintial terrorist because i so firmly believe in my rights as an american as laid out in such documents as the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE and THE BILL OF RIGHTS and not to mention THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I find more enemies at home in the employ of the government than i do on forgiegn shores..Their very actions speak for themselves.And lets not forget to mention the largest terrorist organization in the world,our very own INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.
I vote,and that is the form i must legally take to make the changes in my government that i see need to be changed.Those that do not vote have no right to complain,as they do nothing to change the very system they complain about.
If you feel strongly enough about something to voice an opinion,then you should back up your beliefs with actions.The meek will inherit nothing.Americans on the whole no longer vote,and look at the government that we have as a result.The majority of voters are special interest groups,and they are putting the people in office who will listen only to them and ignore the rest of America.
Safer now?I fear my government more than i fear terrorists from other lands.At least if a terrorist shows up at my door i can shoot them down like a dog.But my government has passed all the laws they want in order to protect themselves from freedom loving Americans,while raping those very same Americans under the 'we know whats best for you' frame of mind.
How long will my fellow Americans kneel down on their knees like mindless,gutless sheep and surrender their rights to a government which has become anti American ?
Always question authority,because without questioning of their actions,those in power will proceed along the course of their own desires,and leave you behind in the ruins.

Answer 7

I guess people don't accept these thing, but they don't believe they can do anything about it. And no, this so called "war on terror" is NOT God's will. I am sure God despises President Bullshit, and will eventually punish him appropriately.

Answer 8

Part of what you're saying makes sense, but the intellectual elitism is going to put people off. Saying that people are stupid because they disagree with you just makes you look like an asshole. But that's just me.

Answer 9

Just because you think that it is wrong does not mean that it is illegal, and in this beautiful country if we didn't have different viiew points then we would not be free.

Answer 10

protecting the terrorist by doing away with NSA should be considered aiding and abetting and should be punishable by death. With all of your hate you cannot prove one freedom you have lost and the NSA does not give a damn about you phone calls. Quit scaring the poor little damnocrats and supporting terrorist activities!!!!!