Monday, August 19, 2013

Governments Showing Teeth Against Leaks of Surveillance: Miranda, Creon, and Jack in the Beanstock

Update Research (8/20) Update (8/20) Democracy Now!  interviews owner of Lavabit (Snowden's email provider) on shutting down after the government showed its teeth to him.
Even Bloomberg recognizes when the giant, out of control with hubris, goes too far.
Update Research (8/19 9:48 PM): Various comments on the detainment.

8/19/ 4:22 PM 


Governments Show their Acidic Teeth


It appears that the detainment of David Miranda, the partner of Glenn Greenwald is an instance of the British and American governments showing their teeth. They don't like they've been awakened from their slumber (secrets) by Snowden and others trespassers, so they plan to put them in the political ovens and cook them publicly.

But what psychological fairy tale underlies this true story? Are Britain/America the giants and Snowden and other trespassers Jacks, who have climbed up the beanstock? Are Snowden, Greenwald, Poitras and others like them in in the clouds running from the giant? Will they escape with the "Golden" Goose? And what is the Golden Goose for Main Street and what shall we do with it if we manage to secure it? These are questions that need to be answered fast before those ruling over Main Street get ahold of the questions and twist them to satisfy their perspective of events along with the future for Main Street. Right now such people in power mine everything to twist it to their advantage.

One thing for certain, if the Golden Eggs from Golden Goose are meant to help Main Street dismantle the bulk of the surveillance powers and its laws as well as dismantle the global austerity programs, we can be sure that anyone promoting either will be running from the teeth of government.

Why are governments finding it necessary to bare their teeth to the public through detainments such as Miranda's? Perhaps it's a kind of instinct of power to do so, a political knee-jerk reaction. Britain officials told the Guardian that "it" (I guess that means most of us) had its "fun" debate on surveillance and should move on. Rugby anyone? But remember Creon in Antigone by Sophocles? Rather than engage in a healthy introspection on his own shortcomings or errors or listen to others or change a bad decree, Creon shows his teeth to Antigone, his son Haemon and all of Thebes. Clinging to his authoritarian rule, he realizes his hubris too late. Tragedy follows.

The detainment of Miranda is similar in nature to the grounding of the plane of Boliva's president when the US and its allies believed Snowden might be on board. It is a signal of what might happen to future planes (including those carrying a president of a weaker country) that might be carrying Snowden. Teeth showing by a giant can be scary. You can't take it lightly. The giant will cook you in the political oven and use you for its food. How tragic that the giant wants to possess power for itself alone and fears equality in economics and liberties. The leadership around the world needs deep analysis and a new job.

But back to Jack and the Beanstock. Now that Main Street has gotten smarter by finding the kingdom in the clouds, its own position has been put on alert. As a result of climbing the beanstock with Jack (Snowden), Main Street is beginning to see the conditions that threaten its hard fought for rights such as freedom of speech, assembly and privacy.

Main Street is also beginning to sense political positions (including that people in power are nothing more than other ordinary people except for their position) and how these privileged ordinary individuals, who happen to be societal decision-makers, can cause not only chaos but terrible damage and destruction to other individuals and even whole societies.

These decision-makers show their teeth like mad dogs if they feel too threatened. They are never wrong. We need only look at Egypt and now countries attempting to protect their surveillance programs (not to mention their austerity programs).

Main Street is beginning to see just how powerful the giants (never sleeping) are against the Jacks. But baring teeth doesn't give the giant the last word. Main Street has a choice. ( Fill in the obvious. ) Whatever the choice it makes, Main Street must believe that the giant's own self-interest and knee-jerk reactions are not enough to prevent Jack from stealing the Goose and its Golden Eggs or get safely away.

Just because the giant is bigger and stronger (has more money or more connections to money and more weapons), the giant certainly is not wiser, more compassionate or more equitable in spirit, the basis for a humane society intent on keeping global strife at a minimum and keeping pursuit of happiness at a maximum.

Let's assume that the giant (in its hysteria) sees Jack as a kind of political terrorist. Let's assume that kings, presidents, and other officials are just ordinary people except for their positions (usually based on or connections to wealth), and these officials (acting in their own self interests) have brought about not only the austerity programs but also the surveillance systems to protect their positions and privileges.  Let's assume any giant can hold a gun or threat over your head or act beastly by threatening to throw you in jail or kill you. It can dismantle your computers and steal your creative ideas. Now what?

To change rusted or destructive systems (in a timely manner) takes a tremendous will. Global Main Street is the only entity capable of bringing about such a change.

Familiarity--the backbone of the status quo--itself  can be a highly tantalizing but destructive force regardless of the security or illusion of security it offers.

We will have to see what happens to Jack, the Beanstock, the Golden Goose and the Giant.



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