[Peace-discuss] "tiip of the spear"

[David Johnson]

Excellent article Wayne !

David J.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "E. Wayne Johnson" <ewj at pigs.ag>
To: "peac >> 'Peace-discuss'" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 1:46 PM
Subject: [Peace-discuss] "tiip of the spear"


> From "the simon black newsletter":
>
> Military tacticians and historians often make use of the term 'tip of the 
> spear.' It refers to a combat force that is used to puncture the enemy's 
> initial lines of defense, to be quickly followed by concentrated forces 
> which destroy any remaining threat.
>
> Tactically, the tip of the spear is a bit of a blitzkrieg-- an unexpected 
> onslaught of firepower and destruction that takes the enemy by surprise, 
> scatters his resources, and fractures his morale.
>
> I'm convinced that what we're seeing right now from the US Transportation 
> Security Administration (TSA) is the tip of the spear in the government's 
> battle for increased control of the public.
>
> The groundwork has been laid for years-- legislation empowering the TSA 
> has gradually eroded civil liberties to the point that airports in the 
> United States have now become 'no rights' zones. "Please remove your 
> shoes" has now become "Take out your prosthetic breast so I can check it 
> for explosives."
>
> Passengers who show up to an airport in the United States are now given 
> two options: (a) go through the radiation bath [don't worry, the 
> government says it's safe...] and let the TSA see you naked, or (b) let 
> the TSA thugs grope you and fondle your children's genitals.
>
> This is not enhanced security protocol, this is a systematic 
> desensitization to government intrusion. The idea is to get people used to 
> new procedures, then continue to add more layers of government control.
>
> Certainly, people will complain. They will be outraged... YouTube videos 
> will abound of TSA agents stroking women's breasts and disrobing 5-year 
> old boys. The government will hold firm, though, responding that the 
> tactics are necessary and that they will 'look into' egregious violations.
>
> To be clear, some of the tactics are designed to be scaled back as 
> concessions. It's like turning up the volume from 0 to 10... everyone 
> starts screaming that it's too loud, so the government turns it down to 8. 
> People think, "ah, that's not as bad..." and eventually become accustomed 
> to the noise.
>
> In time, the government turns it up from 8 to 20. People pour into the 
> streets again, protesting until the government turns it down from 20 to 
> 15. People once again become accustomed to the noise as the new normal. 
> This cycle escalates until no one can remember the sound of silence any 
> longer.
>
> It's fairly easy to do-- there will always be politicians and bureaucrats 
> who can invent stories about innocuous white powders and men in caves that 
> scare the daylights out of people.
>
> Similarly, there will always be long lists of sociopaths, perverts, and 
> pedophiles who are attracted to a job description that authorizes them to 
> grope, fondle, humiliate, and intimidate others.
>
> And of course, there will always be spineless nincompoops who stand by 
> without protest as their wives and children get violated by government 
> agents... and then rationalize their inaction as a necessary sacrifice for 
> safety...
>
> ...The fact is that body scanners are as ineffective at threat detection 
> as metal detectors.  Furthermore, the government has ruled out the idea of 
> scanning air or seaborne cargo... because, clearly, cargo would never be a 
> target. The little old lady with the prosthetic hip? Definitely. Cargo? No 
> chance.
>
> These tactics are not about security... they're about submission, 
> obedience, and cultivating the slave mentality-- that people should be 
> afraid of their government and happily yield to authority without question 
> or hesitation.
>
> To be fair, it's not just in the US; I woke up this morning to a front 
> page photo in the Wall Street Journal of a machine gun toting policeman in 
> Germany cruising a passenger train because of some hackneyed terror 
> threat. Much of the world is living in a similar state.
>
> This is the tip of the spear, and what comes next can only be worse. I 
> don't say this to stir emotion or create a sense of panic, but rather to 
> appeal to reason:
>
> The threat is very clear-- we need not fear men in caves or silly powders, 
> but rather the malignant intentions of our governments and the perverse 
> men who are attracted to its works. If these aren't the clearest signs of 
> a police state, I don't know what else could be.
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss
>