Some people would think that Science Fiction predicting the future would be silly. Some may feel that we may be cynics and/or “Doom and Gloomers”. But think about the two top stories I read over my morning coffee:
“TRMS Michigan GOP Autocracy” – Rachael Maddow ( http://youtu.be/ok5zXLCATYc ) A news report on how Michigan state government (which is majority controlled by the Republicans) is usurping Democracy in the state. Literally changing the law to obtain and maintain control of the government and to cut out the democratic process. To the point of even trying to side step the State (and possibly Federal) Constitution. They even had the balls to state in their appeal that the Ingham County Circuit Court did not have jurisdiction or Authority to freeze the laws they passed illegally. (Keep in mind that the process has to start here to get to the State Supreme Court). So, there is the Tyranny aspect of my morning. (Please view the video for more information).
“Porjectglass” – Google Glasses ( http://g.co/projectglass ) (http://www.foxnews.com/
Many are very concerned about this technology. The idea of even more direct and influential access to the conscious and (quite possibly) the sub-conscious, particularly by an AI, is really sparking some conversation. Controversy, which has been a well known marketing concept by people like Madonna, Michael Jackson and many media artists, is the fast track to making something go from a silly little gadget to the technological breakthrough of decade.
Everybody has heard of the Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”. The reason this is a curse is that the perception of a period of excitement and wonderment is usually coupled with the potential for our own demise and damnation. We have unfortunately worked ourselves into a corner that we currently can’t get out of. The true nature of our Government was to have a government of less involvement in the lives of its citizens. Its goal by the original fore fathers was to avoid the Tyrannical control of government in our lives that was attempted to be imposed by the King of England. Our ancestors were willing to die. Let me say that again. They were willing to DIE for the chance to live free. Yet, as the years have progressed, the government slowly grew. Its power, influence and involvement in our daily lives has grown to an uncontrollable level. It was the idea that our government was developed with hope of the first peaceful process of revolution. yet, it has been tossed away as we have had our attention drawn away to other things.
We, as a people, have become more concerned about our own personal safety and security than our freedom. The last thing in the world we want is to die for anything. In fact, we are willing to give up on all of our freedoms for the ability to just live a little longer. And now, the government is so huge and so powerful, that there is not much if anything we can do to stop it. Revolution is completely out of the question. Where the original idea of national defense proposed by the original founders was to keep only enough military to defend us from outsiders in a time of peace, and to be able to militilize in a time of war. Also, that time of war would only be if we (the country) was under attack. Previous to the Korean War, the idea of war without attack of our soil would be preposterous. The Barbary War and the War of 1812 were only fought due to actual attacks on American ships. The Spanish – American war did have the aire of controversy at the time, but we had already annexed the land of Texas and Mexico was trying to take it back. Once again, response to direct attack of US soil. (keep in mind that we have always considered US ships as American soil). Other that the bloody Civil War, our casualties remained low during these conflicts. We didn’t enter WWI till our ships were attacked. Till that point , we were very reluctant to get involved in even that one. (being one of the last countries to enter into the conflict). We even retained that point of view all the way through World War II. It wasn’t until that they broke (at the time anyway) our cardinal rule that we would not fight until attacked on our own soil. The attack on Hawaii was the ultimate game changer. It boggles the mind how significantly different the world as we know it would be if it weren’t for a possibly hung over watch commander.
Jump to today. Now we fight conflicts over the potential of attack. And not of the serious threat to our countries sovereignty, but the potential to interrupt our ability to be safe and live a long life. Secluded publicly in our own personal reality fed to us through our fashionable eye-ware. We have become so distracted, that when we are attacked on our own soil, we arm up and overtake a country that had nothing to do with it. We spend billions of dollars on attacking a country that was proven to not only have no involvement, but had actually denied funding to the very organization that did attack us.
Now, in this day and age, the government runs with its own agenda, completed autonomous of its citizens and without regard of its citizens. But now it is ok because we no longer need freedom. We can now look to the future through our holographic glasses and believe that we see the world as we want to see it, not how something else programs us to.
In the words of Dennis Miller – “But that’s my opinion, I could be wrong”
“Mom’s gonna fix it all soon. Mom’s coming ’round to put it back the way it oughtta be…and I’m praying for rain. I’m praying for tidal waves…”