Can One Illusion Under "God" Continue to Keep the Common Man in Eternal Subjugation?

Halloween visitors with the President, 31 October 1963

The new and advancing technologies driving the profound changes we see today are bound to eventually change the balance of political power in one way or another. If we the people remain alert and take advantage of the opportunities this new technology offers, we can  level the playing field in ways never seen before.

However,  the global elite are well aware of  this threat to their supreme power. In part, it explains our current situation: a desperate privileged class, bound and determined to remain in control, who must rely increasingly on force, covert or overt, to maintain their place in the social hierarchy. One thing for sure: this distinctively neo-liberal, elitist, and monarchistic group will not go down easy, despite their seemingly progressive rhetoric promoting democratization, liberty, transparency, and the rule of law. They must steadily convince us that those in power act in our best interest, and what better way to do that than a "Potemkin" administration.

President Kennedy speaks at rally in Fort Worth, 22 November 1963.

We were were promised change under President Obama's administration, despite the fact that he has, in fact, made some positive changes,  since he took office, it appears that unlike, former President John F. Kennedy (JFK), President Obama is not prepared to take on those "opposing forces, around the world, by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy" that JFK spoke of, and challenged.  It's not surprising, considering what happens to those who courageously take on those who have everything to lose if the status quo .

So, the Obama administration, for the most part, avoids straying too far from former President Bush's path, which includes: an escalation on the "war on terror" and no big plans to dismantle the failed "war on drugs."  Moreover, rather than the transparent, collaborative, democracy President Obama promised, we the people, remain subservient  to multinational corporate interests and the establishment elite, all the while, carrying on under the increasing surveillance powers put in place under the Patriot Act.

"It’s 18 months and, if not now, when? ... Guantanamo is still not closed. Military commissions are still a mess. The administration still uses state secrets to shield themselves from litigation. There's no prosecution for criminal acts of the Bush administration. Surveillance powers put in place under the Patriot Act have been renewed. If there has been change in the civil liberties context, I frankly don't see it. -- ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero

Are we headed toward a global governance, in which international elites play pass the power, in an effort to render itself unaccountable to its citizens?

Well, as increasing economic interconnection becomes a reality, it exposes us to the covert motives of multinational corporations. This expanding sphere of influence creates the conditions for effective international governance.

". 'substantial decisions are frequently taken by unaccountable officials operating in arcane and secretive international forums, which exert strong pressure on, even if they do not formally bind, national decision-making processes.'

“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.” -- President John F. Kennedy Speaking to the American Newspaper Association April 27, 1961

"For we are opposed, around the world, by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence; in infiltration instead of invasion; on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice; on guerillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific, and political operations. Its preparations are concealed not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined, its dissenters are silenced, not praised; no expenditure is questioned. - President John F. Kennedy

"This is, in theory, still a free country, but our politically correct, censorious times are such that many of us tremble to give vent to perfectly acceptable views for fear of condemnation. Freedom of speech is thereby imperiled, big questions go undebated, and great lies become accepted, unequivocally as great truths." Simon Heffer in The Daily Mail, 7 June 2000

The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money and more power.

They claim to be superpatriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjugation” -- Vice President Henry Wallace

Links: 

Remarks at the Breakfast of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, November 22, 1963 - JFK's last words.

GOSCON - is the Government Open Source Conference, an annual event produced by Oregon State University's Open Source Lab. Now in its sixth year, the conference focuses on the role of open source software and collaboration as an enabler of leading Open Government and Transparency initiatives throughout the US. Speakers come from all levels of government, from City Officials to Federal Agencies.