[cador]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_us/laser_beam_aircraft

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. " - Benjamin Franklin

"Big Brother is Watching You" - George Orwell

"When the civil "conflict" started and got worse, people generally decided to either stay in the cities and lose most of their civil rights under the guise of security or leave the cities for more isolated and rural areas. " - John Titor, time traveller from 2036

[Chocky]

John Titor sounds like a South Park character

[SilverHair]

Gestapo headquarters West, othewise known as Washington, DC., just getting geared up.

Can you imagine what things will be like when the economy is in a total shambles and the masses are in revolt. No doubt summary executions will be commonplace, and the government won't even pretend to need these draconian laws to carry out their terror.

Hope I can sit it out far away from the population concentrations, since at least government takes the path of least resistance and round-ups are easiser where the prey is more easily taken.

[Woodchuck]

I tend to see this differently.

In the USA, there are three states. (Federal, State, and Local)

When TSHTF, Federal and State Govt's will protect the greatest numbers. You can see this with the global responses to the current Asian earthquakes/tsunami's. Big Governments are tripping over themselves to get aid to Asia. They will be a force of stability.

It's the local guys you have to watch. The movie "Cold Mountain" clearly shows all of this.

My strategy is the same both pre-peak and post-peak. Something like this.

A. Support your local Police and Fire Depts. Go to the bake sales, buy raffle tickets, donate clothes and money etc.

B. Support all other local institutions. (Churches, Schools, Charities, etc.)

C. Vote, and let it be known that you do vote.

D. Contribute to you favorite political party. Contribute to both if you really want to play it safe.

E. Obey the law.

F. Don't be a jerk. Use common sense and courtesy.

G. Mind you own business, and you will most likely be ignored. After peak oil, that's a good thing.

[Chocky]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E'). Obey the law.

[LaLaLand]

I don't think the American government will be coming after the masses any time soon. Things aren't bad enough yet. So I’m thinking the power elite don't feel threatened enough to start turning on the lower citizenry quite yet. These are the people you have to watch, not the poor. There is plenty of prosperity within the higher levels of the middle class, they aren't concerned about oppressive government or monopoly corporations at this time. I’m thinking things will start to unfold within 15 years. The energy teeter-totter should become apparent by that time if society keeps up with its arrogance at this time. We will see…

People also have guns here, and they will not give them up easily. The state will think twice before turning on a well-armed citizenry. That’s why I will NEVER support any politician that postures an anti-gun attitude.

Feel good propaganda and jingoism are still very miniscule at this point, in my opinion, some might argue differently. A lot of people don't buy into the worst of it, like fox or cnn, only the perpetually clueless. When you start witnessing large-scale propaganda efforts that seem bent out of shape over long periods of time, such as the build up period before the military industrial complex invaded Iraq, I’d buy a gun and let your loved ones know what’s up, but keep quiet when encountering socially conservative people. Basically, never trust a follower of any type. Also if you see property values in rural areas close to fresh water rising at accelerated rates, I’d be suspicious. My biggest fear is the privatization of water, this issue is on the table here in the USA. Accelerated privatization of the local/state police is also another sure sign of negative social trends.

I have no faith in the average American (about half of this country), they don't pay attention, thus they are easily fooled into crooked logic. The election of Bush was a sign 4 years ago. I don’t know about the rest of you, I watch this administration like a hawk, I don’t trust them. Yea, I’m a skeptic by nature. Freedom of the press is absolutely critical now and in the future if the working class want to make it through any repressive times.

[SilverHair]

I agree that the average man is not near any sort of social disorder and for the time being we will progress at the moderately increased rate of destruction of freedom that has been the trend for quite some time.

It is out of economic distress that political upheaval comes. One needs to be suffering enough to risk his life to risk confront government, and that level of suffering has just not arrived yet. When economic pain is much in excess of that experienced in the US in the 1930's or worse that which brought Hitler to power in Germany, then you will start to see the signs of impending civil war/revolt. This will accelerate governmental repression which in turn will stimulate more unrest until things get really bad.

If the conditions under King George in 1776, the conditions in USA 1861, and the conditions in Russia under the Tzar, were sufficient to bring about civil wars, then certainly the economic distress brought about by the slide from the peak of energy production should be unsettling by a factor of 10. It is hard to imagine that this will not participate civil war/revolution in many, many locations including the USA and Canada (hell, Canada already is ready to split between French and English).

The masses now mostly grovell at the feet of government; later they will riot and bite the hand that now figuratively feeds them. As was poetically shown in Cold Mountain, it is impossible to avoid being drawn into the conflict, and you will be forced to take sides. When government institutes a gun grab law and a few more "Patriot Acts", you will know the time is near, since it will be a sign that they know the pot is about to boil.

Sort of interesting to think that the future is already cast, and that we just need to wait to see the performance.

[Tavington]

Although I disagree with certain elements of "The Patriot Act", I feel that in this case it was justifiably used.

We need to be reminded that in order to function in a free society that we need to obey the rules so that everything can function in an orderly fashion.

What this person clearly did was endanger the lives of an entire airplane and quite possibly his neighbors. Such behavior cannot simply go unpunished. Perhaps setting a strong example will stop others from doing the same thing.

I notice a trend of some of you (you know, the right-wing survivalist types) complaining about the lack of privacy and the supposed threat to civil liberties. The "tin foil hat brigade" somehow thinks that having cameras installed in buildings and street corners is an infringement on their personal liberty!

I'd like to remind these primitives that we are living in the 21st century. A more supervised and orderly society is needed to improve our quality of life. Would you complain that if you were robbed in a parking lot that the video surveillance footage was used to help catch the criminal?

Security cameras and laws to permit the police to perform their work more efficiently will not affect 99% of the public that is law-abiding. If you are not doing anything wrong, then what do you have to worry about?

[KiddieKorral]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tavington', 'I')f you are not doing anything wrong, then what do you have to worry about?

[Apathy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KiddieKorral', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tavington', 'I')f you are not doing anything wrong, then what do you have to worry about?

[LaLaLand]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tavington', 'W')e need to be reminded that in order to function in a free society that we need to obey the rules so that everything can function in an orderly fashion.