General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)What the hell, DU? [View all]
Alright, I've been out of DU for a few years now. I started lurking again about a month ago, and I just don't know what to say.
The DU I remember was one where liberals and progressives stood up for our civil liberties, were a thorn in the side of the 1% and those in power, and fought for the downtrodden and powerless. After reading some of the threads over the past month, I don't know if I can say that's still the case.
Bear in mind, I'm not lumping all DUers in the same category. In fact, the vast majority of people I remember as fighters then are fighters now. But the disturbing trend--even among people I used to respect and admire--is the surrender to the powerful simply because they have a (D) after their name and they voted for them.
The plain fact is, at this point, our civil liberties are under attack. They have been for years. The surveillance apparatus is expanding dramatically, with no signs of contraction or relenting on the horizon. The rapidly expanding powers of the Executive, military, and private security industry are threatening every right to privacy and personal freedom we hold dear. Dozens are still being held at Guantanamo Bay. The NSA is out of control. The 1% is using its total ownership of police and politicians to suppress dissent and silence the voices for the 99%.
But that's all alright, because Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden are libertarians.
The corporate-owned politicians in Washington love to play this game. Distract, divide, poison the well. When activists rise to challenge the surveillance state or blatant income inequality perpetuated by the rich, they are labeled as "anarchists", "troublemakers", "traitors", "anti-Americans." They dig up every ounce of dirt possible on the movement or the individuals inside the movement to discredit the message. And the corporate-owned media and pundits lap it up, with no sense of responsibility to their journalistic profession.
We've all been there. We were anti-war protestors who were told to "love it or leave it", who were accused of wanting the terrorists to win. We were Occupiers being called "lazy socialists" and "trouble-seeking anarchists." We were ACT UP being called "fascists" and disruptive. We were all bullied and pushed around by the establishment in DC and their friends in the corporate media.
So, what the hell happened? We elected a Democratic president, and all of a sudden civil liberties didn't matter anymore? Our team won, and that meant an end to speaking out?
Has it just become "Obama's America, love it or leave it?"
I don't care what you think about Snowden or Greenwald on a personal level, or what you think about their identification with libertarians, or with their past histories. The fact is, when the corporate-owned Washington politicians were agitated and embarrassed by the NSA leak, they pulled out their usual tricks: distract, divide, poison the well. Their corporate media lapdogs joined in immediately after, digging up every ounce of dirt possible on the leakers and journalists who made their Correspondent's Dinner dates uncomfortable. "Troublemakers", "traitors", "anti-Americans."
Except this time, instead of liberals and progressives fighting for our civil liberties, some joined them.
If you are one of those people, let me be absolutely blunt: You are not a liberal. You are not a progressive. You are joining ranks with the people who went after you not too long ago. You are playing right into the 1%'s hands.
You are part of the problem.
That's all. Had to get that out there.