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http://daypage.net/ar/DayPage~2013-08-05~Fear_Mongering_the_Surveillance_Society.mp3
The following rush transcript probably contains errors and/or omissions…August 5th: Fear Mongering the Surveillance Society
Today is Monday, and here’s Johnette Downing to sing about it…
[Song clip: Johnette Downing singing “the Days-of-the-Week song” -trad.]
Well, let’s get into the dirty business of this Monday. Over the weekend, the drumbeat of fear over alleged terrorist threats began, coming from administration officials…
All attempts at containing the NSA surveillance scandal have failed. Edward Snowden is still free. The more progressive representatives in Congress aren’t buying the line that everyone needs to be snooped on in order to be safe. Claims that terrorist attacks have been thwarted got whittled down from 57 instances to less-than-one in cross examination of NSA promoters testifying in Congress. Worst of all, the people, and their representatives aren’t doing what they’re told. They’re not accepting the bull poop they’re being given, and more truth about the surveillance society keeps slipping out.
So, what’s a totalitarian state to do? Declare war? That one has been overplayed and worn out for the time being. What’s left is to go back to “the threat of terrorism”: stories, warnings, of vague, “secret” threats designed to make one feel unsettled, worried, and maybe even fearful are seeded throughout the lamestream media. Wasn’t it George Bush who said:
[actuality: George Bush “Fool me once…”]
This is getting very tired and pathetic. For hundreds… thousands of years… power mad regimes have used fear and intimidation as the instrument of their repression. Isn’t it time for it to end?
[Song clip: James Brown ” Poppa’s got a brand new bag”]
[Rex attempting and failing to sound like Smokey the Bear] – This is Barry Smoker (pfft) saying: Kids, only YOU can prevent totalitarian regimes.
[Song clip: James Brown “Ain’t That a Groove”]
And that’s Day Page for Monday… I’m Rex Latchford, and I’ll be baaaack when the page in the Big Book turns to a new… DayPage… You can hear past DayPages at DayPage.net. It’s a production of Radio InfoWeb.