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Sad for my grandson today.
Quote from: ponytail on June 04, 2013, 09:47:27 PM Sad for my grandson today.Ponytail, when you're sad the Prankster is a little sad too. I hope everything is OK.I was away at a funeral because my 92 year-old aunt passed away. No condolences, please. She lived a full, vigorous life until her last few years and, given her condition, her passing was a blessing. The service was not a mournful one (although there were a few), but rather a celebration of her life and a remembrance of what her life meant to our family.
I don’t often get political, but let’s review the bidding………domestic surveillance drones in the thousands going to the tens of thousands, traffic monitoring/public area surveillance cameras multiplying like rabbits, IRS targeting of certain groups and releasing confidential tax data, Justice Dept. snooping into reporters’ phone calls, e-mails, etc., and NSA (a super secret agency whose existence the government wouldn’t even acknowledge until the 1980s) compiling CDRs (call detail records) on 100 million Americans and monitoring internet activities of ?whom?. Are we far from PSAs urging us to monitor our neighbors’ activities in the name of security and patriotic? Our society is beginning to remind me of one I once read about:War is peace.Freedom is slavery.Ignorance is strength.Big Brother is watching.When a society gives up its freedom an inch at a time, after a while people tend to focus on the new inch or two they're giving up, not the yards they've already surrendered.
Hawthorne was right, acquisition of knowledge occurs far more quickly than the acquisition of wisdom. Since 9/11, fear seems to be triumphing over freedom.
Nicely done yourself, PD!I'm reminded of something said in the 1930s by (I believe) a member of the American Communist Party: "If you give starving people a choice between bread and freedom, which will they choose?"In today's world the question might be: "If you give people frightened for their safety a choice between security and liberty, which will they choose?"I also ran across an interesting quote: "We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security." This was said by Dwight D. Eisenhower in the context of his warning regarding the "military-industrial" complex. Look at what Al Qaeda has caused US government/society to become since 9/11. Can anyone truly say the terrorists are losing?I'll cease the polemic now. This is not a political site. I apologize if I have offended anyone.
I agree that we don't take the time often to ponder things- mostly because alot of it is beyond our control or "for our own good". We are made to believe that our government is doing what is best for the American People...in reality government is doing what is best for whom??? idk the answer to that??? We are watched, monitored and TOLD...yes I said TOLD what to do in every aspect of our lives. There is NO freedom of speech, NO freedom at all if you think about it. Oh, they may make us think that we do..its all a lie. Goverment is now in schools telling you if your child is overweight! A letter gets sent home after they weigh your child??? (When the heck did this start happening?!?) Even your french fries have to be cooked in what oil they say. (all for our own good mind you). They also have their noses in which medications have to contain less tylenol, because I guess there is a big epidemic of liver failure among tylenol users (which is an over the counter med). Oh, and in Massachusetts you are fined if you don't have health insurance- but more and more companies are hiring per diem people so they don't have to offer health coverage! And I have been reading about police taking DNA samples of people they have in custody- well heres a better one...I went to the doctor the other day and he takes out these swabs to check my DNA, because supposedly there is a new technique out now that will tell doctors (by your DNA) which meds will be most useful for you and which ones they think may not work on you specifically. Waiting to hear the results when I go back to him. IT WAS JUST CREEPY....although I did do it. I just wonder if this is the government getting everyones DNA through "innocent" means, because I'm sure it will be stored in some data bank somewhere..then it will eventually lead to increased payments in insurance because they will be telling you that you are pre-disposed to diabetes, heart disease..etc. I think some of these "crazies" that believe the goverment has a secret agenda...aren't so crazy after all. Hurry up and delete this post...they may be watching!!!!