Showing posts with label Brutality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brutality. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

On the US Torture Report


As Americans are hearing now from their government of the "enhanced interrogations" taking place in CIA held facilities. The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its "Torture Report", and with it a flood of charges of inhumane treatments, murder, brutality and absolute detestable behavior from government employees and military service members. Of course there is no shortage of those who try and justify the treatment of detainees. Those that clamor for the reduction of the government, it's footprint into the lives and actions of people and claims of fiscal conservatism, have been using their loudest bullhorns to defend the actions of government officials and the military industrial complex, calling these actions "right for the public interest".

I am not sorry to say that any man who wishes these actions to continue or to propagate some idea of immunity for those involved are of the lowest respectable people of this earth to me. The idea that in order for "the good of the public" this evil must exist and be administered to other humans is completely asinine and reprehensible.

"No good can come from this evil,
 no justice can come from torture 
and no light from this darkness."

Torture is Torture no matter the reason or the results.
Torture is not acceptable when those you vote for say it is and those that follow them allow themselves to commit it. Shame not only for the politicians who contrive this action but all those in uniform or suit in the name of the government that facilitated or propagated torture of any other person. No act that is immoral for an individual to do unto others suddenly or miraculously becomes moral with the sanction of a State or central authority.

As Murray Rothbard states "In contrast to all other thinkers, left, right, or in-between, the libertarian refuses to give the State the moral sanction to commit actions that almost everyone agrees would be immoral, illegal, and criminal if committed by any person or group in society...if we look at the State naked, as it were, we see that it is universally allowed, and even encouraged, to commit all the acts which even non-libertarians concede are reprehensible crimes." (Ch. 2, "Property and Exchange")

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Building an Empire

The other day the Fox News Channel's show The Independents ran a segment on "costs of another conflict abroad and the inner workings of the military". Trying to advertise the segment they posted to social media a blurb and photo showing a map. This map had every country represented that the US military had a presence and the very few that had no presence at all. It was a stark reminder that even today empires are being built, they are being expanded.





There are many people who dismiss the idea that what the United States Government and by extension its arm of force, the military, are in essence building and expanding the largest empire in the worlds history. Larger the Attila the Hun's, Larger than Cleopatra and the Egyptian empire, even larger than the Roman and Persian empires. So what does it take for some to see it for what it is. 
Defined by Merriam-Webster it is "(1) :  a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority; especially :  one having an emperor as chief of state 
(2) :  the territory of such a political unit

 :  something resembling a political empire; especially :  an extensive territory or enterprise under single domination or control

 :  imperial sovereignty, rule, or dominion
capitalized [Empire State, nickname for New York] :  a juicy apple with dark red skin that is a cross between a McIntosh apple and a Red Delicious apple."

Under these definitions it should be easy to recognize how some see it as an empire. The US Government makes it a point to be the hand of Aid, humanitarian or militarily, or it makes a point to be a main aggressor in affairs in an attempt to gain favor and control from other governments and its own people.

When under the rule, and in this case the threat of violence or better stated annihilation, the entire world is set as an empire under the United States. The US engages, first in the humanitarian aid and relief efforts for various nations, takes on health related issues abroad, engages in wars, intervention, removing political leaders and general mayhem making around the world, all with the implicit approval of the American Taxpayer, who is the wallet and bank for such ventures.

But why?
Why do other nations put up with embassies, military presence, intervention, despotism and meddling in international affairs? Money is one answer. Foreign monetary payments, meant for aid, is the bribery most governments accept for these actions. Fear is the another answer. The US has an aura of violence, of brutality, of annihilation. The world witnesses this day in and day out, yet most don't even bat an eye. The world watched as the US dropped the only atomic bombs to ever be used in warfare on largely civilian population in Japan in World War 2, and then gave them the ability to determine who could and couldn't have such weapons.

It doesn't take much to realize that the US is an empire, though I assume most would rather not believe it or accept it as so. We live in a dangerous time, in a dangerous place and with dangerous people. 






















Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Local Police Receive Military Surpluses

This is a short post I will be addressing to a local newspaper. 
These procurements are only for Nassau County Florida. If you wish to find out what Surplus Goods your local Police and Sheriffs Offices have petitioned for and received please follow the link and fill in the drop down menu. 

As events unfolded in Ferguson MO the world watched a militarized police presence to quell riots and looting. I started looking as to what hardware our local police forces were acquiring under the 1033 Program in accordance with Department of Defense and its Defense Logistics Agency. "According to the program's informational website, the 1033 Program has transferred $5.1 billion in military hardware from the United States Army to local American law enforcement agencies since 1997."  

This list was compiled and retrieved from The Free Thought Project website.


REFRIGERATION UNIT,MECHANICAL 1 Unknown $0.00 4/9/2014 FL NASSAU
REFRIGERATION UNIT,MECHANICAL 1 Unknown $0.00 4/9/2014 FL NASSAU
REFRIGERATION UNIT,MECHANICAL 1 Unknown $0.00 4/9/2014 FL NASSAU
REFRIGERATION UNIT,MECHANICAL 1 Unknown $0.00 4/9/2014 FL NASSAU
REFRIGERATION UNIT,MECHANICAL 1 Unknown $0.00 4/10/2014 FL NASSAU

RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
RIFLE, 5.56 MILLIMETER 1 Each $499.00 4/14/2008 FL NASSAU
  
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each$138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU
RIFLE,7.62 MILLIMETER 1 Each $138.00 12/28/2006 FL NASSAU

TRUCK,UTILITY 1 Each               $39,052.00           04/9/2014 FL NASSAU

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/military-hardware-local-pd-stockpiling-database-show-you/#JBgmeT4tpXOdtjJK.99