By Rei Tanotsuka, 22 July 2019
“Where there is a guilty conscience something may bring safety, but nothing can bring ease.” Seneca
What is happening to the West?
Maybe this has always been our nature. Traditionally, denial has been the most expedient way of dealing with our intemperate nature, however among the desert so plain, a few butterflies emerge to change the barren moral landscape into an oasis of hope.
The EU gag
Everyone’s voices are getting muffled or muted. In the EU, article 13 of the copyright law has been passed. This snuffles content creators by necessitating content sharing services to buy licenses. If they don’t, they run afoul of the law, or content creators using the service will be blocked from uploading their work, should they use unlicensed content.
This is legally murdering the freedom of speech rights, something that all governments have in their crosshairs. Since the Europeans are known to be ahead, might as well try it out on them first eh? Don’t get jelly, we will have ours soon!
The US gag
The US has long arrested protesters and critics of big US corporations. The Dakota Excess Pipeline protest saw 76 arrests in a single day when the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, along with other protesters, demanded that the $3.8b environmental destruction be halted. Any leaks from this pipeline will taint the Missouri River, a water source used by millions of Americans. Total arrests to date, tally over 700.
When the South Dakota lawmakers passed the ‘Pipeline Package’, protesters were quick to highlight SB 189 as a cause for concern. This seemingly innocuous 5 letter number combo, erodes the First Amendment, the right to freedom of assembly.
“SB 189 allows the state to sue any individual or organization for “riot boosting” or encouraging a protest where acts of violence occur. That means individuals can now be held criminally or civilly liable even if they “do not personally participate in any riot but directs, advises, encourages, or solicits other persons participating in the riot.””
Big Corporations are not the only nemesis of American citizens. Like in every country, you MAY NOT question the decisions of your government. America doesn’t limit its arrests to citizens who feel consternation towards environmentally destructive projects, it also arrests the pious for protesting the inhumane treatment of migrants at the US-Mexico border.
70 Catholic sisters, clergy and parishioners were irreverently handcuffed away as they peacefully protested against the abominable treatment of minors at the detention centre.
The OZ gag
“The case is about allegations the Australian government was spying on East Timor in 2004 while the two countries were negotiating a lucrative oil and gas treaty. Witness K, a spy who worked on the operation, took his complaint to the Inspector General of Intelligence Security, and with approval engaged Mr Collaery as his representative. Mr Collaery and Witness K are accused of conspiring to provide information about the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, an offence that at the time carried a maximum of two years imprisonment.”
It is ironic that Australia with its abundance of natural resources, perfect sunshine and superficially happy disposition, can be so disturbingly enthralled in a psychosis that propels it to plunder, brutalise and extort. Australia does not NEED to be this MENTAL, it chooses to be.
Mr K’s court hearing will be a closed one, a real life imitation of Kafka’s perturbing art. Nothing about this case is transparent or normal, putting in plain view where Australia’s heart really lies. Not for the individual rights of citizens to call out the corrupt reality of our government, but to build a fortress around Australian corporations to profit off the poor.
Australia is aiming for unbridled access to the Timor Sea’s oil and gas reserves because this way, Australia can siphon royalties from oil and gas fields which rightfully should go to East Timor.
This is no doubt wrong, but how wrong?? Let’s look shall we?
Australia ranks as 21 in the richest country index in 2019. Guess where Timor- Leste ranks? 139!! Yep, we are stealing from the poor, a Reverse Robin Hood if you will, and you want the real groin kicker? We actually have a government site claiming how pristine our intentions are in ‘helping’ this impoverished nation. How? By stealing whatever resources they have and need to get out of abject poverty. No, we didn’t call it ‘Looting Leste’, we called it ‘Aid‘
The Butterflies…….
If we didn’t have the courageous and morally incorrigible men and women who have made it into the dark web of our world, the government intelligence agencies, and made the penultimate sacrifice – their freedom, we would never have known the atrocities committed on our behalf.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, it is a brief introduction to the people who tried to change history by attempting to put a kibosh on our unscrupulous governments thirst for global dystopia.
Daniel Ellsberg : He unleashed the Pentagon Papers to the world via New York Times. The Pentagon Papers was a 7000 page document, ” evidence of a quarter century of aggression, broken treaties, deceptions, stolen elections, lies and murder.”
Bradley Manning/Chelsea Manning: Without Manning’s generous contribution to Wikileaks, we would have never known the unpardonable acts committed by US military service men on journalists and civilians in Afghanistan. To read a report on the violations of international law committed by the US TJSL Legal Studies Research Paper No. 05-07
Edward Snowden: Edward told the world how much America actually spies on its own citizens. Alot. A whole damn lot. Every email, every conversation recorded and archived. You thought China was bad? America is worse. The only country that was willing to protect him from getting a bullet from the US? Russia. He’s living in Moscow, enjoying borscht without government agents tailgating him….how ironic eh?
Katherine Gunn: UK’s whistleblower who uncovered America’s attempt to ‘persuade’ UN members to push forward the US’ agenda to invade Iraq. There is a movie made about her, soon to be released in early August 2019, starring Keira Kinghtley. This one will definitely be a popcorn evening for me when it comes out.
Julian Assange, need I say anymore? The Ecuadorian Embassy under Richardo Patino granted Assange asylum, only to have new president Lenin Moreno, overturn this. We are all done for if Julian gets extradited to the US.
The Point
The reason why I am incensed by the West is not simply because it is fallible. Every nation on this planet is a mixed bag. What irks me, is the self serving, pompous attitude it holds in chastising other countries for the very act it regularly commits with aplomb!