I have been reading and watching reports on the rallies in Russia in support of protest leader Aleksey Navalny. And I have been comparing these protests and rallies to what we have, or actually what we haven’t, over here in the United States, the supposed land of the free.
Where are the supporting rallies and protests over the prosecution, jailing and torturing of Bradley Manning? Where are they? Other than a few dozen gathering here and there, and a handful writing in this or that alternative page on the web? We are talking about an established outrageous case—even acknowledged by pawns such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty.
Same goes for the hunt for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Same goes for the jailing of John Kiriakou. Same goes for the persecution of hundreds of other courageous truth-tellers and whistleblowers. Same goes for the disclosures of our government’s torture, kidnapping and illegal detainments, illegal wiretapping . . .
Where are the protests and rallies? Where is the outrage?
What distinguishes the reaction of Russians from Americans? Is it because they lived under the open despotism of communism and still carry fairly fresh memories? Is it the cabbage in their diet, or Vodka? No really; what is it?
What does separate those protesting in Turkey and elsewhere in the Middle East against their oppressive regimes from us Americans under our oppressive regime? Where does their resolve, unity and commitment come from? What does our lack of resolve and courage stem from?
Don’t take me wrong, we have plenty of rage and outrage-directed towards our abused children in the millions, road rage, urban violence, suburban rage . . . But somehow we seem to have no rage or outrage when it comes to the truly outrageous system governing us from above—untouchable and unaccountable. It has been a gradual death. It has been a painful death—the death of needed outrage against the corrupt, oppressive and ruthless regime in the USA.
In addition to publishing Boiling Frogs, where this article originally appeared, Sibel Edmonds is the founder and president of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding national security whistleblowers. She has appeared on national radio and TV as a commentator on matters related to whistleblowers, national security, and excessive secrecy & classification, and has been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The American Conservative, and others. Her book, ‘Shooting the Messenger,’ co-authored with Professor William Weaver is forthcoming from Kansas University Press.
I believe that this is the first song about Edward Snowden
Every Call You Make
http://www.everycallyoumake.com
The lack of resolve and courage is the result of having too much and fearing losing it, and above all a media that constantly lies and distracts us from the important issues.
It’s also through an intelligence apparatus, long experienced in subversion, infiltrating and co-opting such movements and where thought necessary, jailing or murdering the leaders. That and the fact that the USA doesn’t seem to have had an active socialist or left wing party (within the West European sense) or political tradition.
I think the US establishment views mass popular movements and protests like ‘Occupy’ that call for social justice and fairness as threats to the power of concentrated wealth and will do anything to stop a real alternative to Democrat-Republican politics from ever emerging.