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The Criminalization of Everyday Life

tomdispatch.com

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Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#341

Post by LekkoscPiwa »

kunai wrote: post #314
LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you 100%. My post (I think) was more about decline than collapse. All the negative development we currently see in the US from militarization to weak economy are signs of decline and not collapse. Like UK -- it has declined from an Empire Status, but did not collapse. I agree - the same with Roman Empire.

You're incorrect here again. Byzantium retained its integrity, but Rome, the city, did collapse thanks to invasions by Germanic tribes and the Huns. So did most of Europe that was under Roman control, and some portions of North Africa as well. Constantinople stayed standing for quite a while. Control shifted around, falling into the hands of the Mamluks, Seljuks, and subsequently the Ottoman Turks, from where Turkey…

There is no correct and incorrect. I claim - as many historians do - that The Roman Empire continued for many centuries more than you claim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire

And yet, I agree, there are historians who will claim that The Holy Roman Empire had nothing to do with Roman Empire. Still it is debatable. There is no correct/incorrect here. For me the Holy Roman Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#342

Post by aestra »

beachstartup wrote: post #326
aestra wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, you can't say every State has a Senate. Every State has a legislative branch of government whose setup varies by State Constitution. For example, Nebraska has a unicameral legislature while New York and California have a Senate and Assembly while Texas has a Senate and House of Representatives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Senator > A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.

Cool. Didn't know that was universal terminology.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#343

Post by anoncowherd »

LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #288
dragonwriter wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The situation is hopeless. The only solution is when US runs out of money. Goes bankrupt. Which is quite possible. Once USD isn't the world currency, the country defaults. Why would it? The US dollar not being the world currency wouldn't drop the value of US industrial output , but it would (presuming that it dropped the value of the dollar due to reduced global demand for US dollars) reduce the value of US debt. W…

>Why would it? The US dollar not being the world currency wouldn't drop the value of US industrial output, but it would (presuming that it dropped the value of the dollar due to reduced global demand for US dollars) reduce the value of US debt. 90% of all USD in circulation isn't even in the US borders. Isn't used for the needs of the US industry/economy. Thanks to this the FED can print, print, print into the oblivi…

Good to see someone here making economic sense, instead of thinking we can all get something for nothing for ever and ever.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#344

Post by denom »

blah32497 wrote: post #240
peterashford wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's rather more that the history of states turning fascist shows that the turn is usually proceeded by the state acquiring extraordinary powers on the basis that "insert-bogeyman-here" is out to get us (see Italy, Spain, Germany for past exemplars) and that current citizens would rather be vigilant and ensure that we don't have a fascist future than sit back and allow the possibility that it might occur. "Th…

(I'm gunna respond even though I'm getting downvoted b/c hopefully someone gets something out of this.. but keep it coming! =) ) There is nothing inherently evil in surveillance. In and of itself it's a neutral thing. It's what you do with it that is evil or good. First I'd say that I don't really see how the NAZIs gain power because of surveillance. Hitler didn't seize power because the SA had some intricate intelli…

> There is nothing inherently evil in surveillance. In and of itself it's a neutral thing. It's what you do with it that is evil or good.

This is incorrect, surveillance (observation) is inherently participatory. It is not a neutral act.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#345

Post by afterburner »

JackFr wrote: post #262
afterburner wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many have gone to jail over these actionable items?

AFAIK Fab has yet to be sentenced, and note that as a foreign national, he's not eligible for the country club prisons. At the same time, the you don't see prosecutors going after the hundreds of thousands who lied to obtain mortgages they would otherwise not have qualified for. That is the real irony of the comprehensive settlement of the investment banks -- the banks are paying billions in fines because of borrower…

One guy? Wow, justice at work. We are clearly over-targeting bankers.

Oh I see, you're of the "blame the borrowers" mentality. All those slick willies/poor bums scamming the naive banks out of money. Not at all the banks packaging bad debt with full knowledge of the bullshit they were participating in, due to perverse personal incentives on their own staff trading off huge institutional risk for guaranteed short term personal gain. Nor them taking side bets on the whole system crashing so seeing a win-win either way (those of the GS variety). Not to mention the banks are supposed to know what they're getting into, they are after all the experts.

Last I checked the ones suffering after the crash are most definitely not the banks, but rather the middle and lower class who have not seen effective wage increases in 30 years and now have even more trouble finding a job. Wow they really pulled a fast one on the banks.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#346

Post by joe_the_user »

scarecrowbob wrote: post #329
ryanpardieck wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it extremely distasteful to describe backing down in the face of slaughter as "complicity." If that's the sort of thinking that follows naturally from the model of power dynamics being discussed here, then I think the model is likely intensely flawed.

On one hand, you are correct that it's an ethical problem. But on the other hand I think it's more salient to understand that, say, the students shot down at Kent State were murdered and the general population of the country was on the side of the National Guard.... that's the kind of complicity that most people live under, the same complicity that believes people executed by police for non-compliance deserve their f…

But on the other hand I think it's more salient to understand that, say, the students shot down at Kent State were murdered and the general population of the country was on the side of the National Guard.... that's the kind of complicity that most people live under, the same complicity that believes people executed by police for non-compliance deserve their fates.

If you actually read the thread up your position on it, you'd know that you were equating an unwilling to challenge tanks rolling through your streets due a fear of getting shot with an approval of such tanks rolling through your streets.

It seems to me that intellectuals spouting this kind of nonsense wide-up complicit to power and not in a it's-OK-cause-everyone-is, kind of way.

Re: The Criminalization of Everyday Life

#347

Post by richardjordan »

userulluipeste wrote: post #340
rglover wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the response. Fairly inline with what I thought. Next question, how to prepare? Is it futile to make an effort to protect myself and those around me, or is such a thing feasible (I imagine this would require a huge edit to lifestyle)? I don't want to be "that guy" but I also don't want to be caught in the headlights if shit hits the fan (which it seems is inevitable). Anything to study to guide my thinking…

You may plan your life to get a minimal exposure to future problematic development. Moving to a quiet place overseas might be a wise decision. This being noted though, you may also chose to gird up your belt, lift up your boots, and stay put enjoying what's coming - it'll be a helluva show (definitely worth witnessing)!

I have two kids. One with special needs. I see no joy in a world of increasing instability, rising violence and significant economic shocks.
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