We Are All Prisoners Now

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
AlJazeera Magazine
January 5, 2008

At Christmas time it has been my habit to write a column in remembrance of the many innocent people in prisons whose lives have been stolen by the U.S. criminal justice (sic) system that is as inhumane as it is indifferent to justice. Usually I retell the cases of William Strong and Christophe Gaynor, two men framed in the state of Virginia by prosecutors and judges as wicked and corrupt as any who served Hitler or Stalin.

This year is different. All Americans are now imprisoned in a world of lies and deception created by the Bush Regime and the two complicit parties of Congress, by federal judges too timid or ignorant to recognize a rogue regime running roughshod over the Constitution, by a bought and paid for media that serves as propagandists for a regime of war criminals, and by a public who have forsaken their Founding Fathers.

Americans are also imprisoned by fear, a false fear created by the hoax of “terrorism.” It has turned out that headline terrorist events since 9/11 have been orchestrated by the U.S. government. For example, the alleged terrorist plot to blow up Chicago’s Sears Tower was the brainchild of a FBI agent who searched out a few disaffected people to give lip service to the plot devised by the FBI agent. He arrested his victims, whose trial ended in acquittal and mistrial.

Many Europeans regard 9/11 itself as an orchestrated event. Former cabinet members of the British, Canadian and German governments and the Chief of Staff of the Russian Army have publicly expressed their doubts about the official 9/11 story. Recently, a former president of Italy, Francesco Cossiga, said in an interview with the newspaper, Corriere della Sera (November 30, 2007), that “democratic elements in America and Europe, with the Italian center-left in the forefront, now know that the 9/11 attack was planned and executed by the American CIA and Mossad in order to blame the Arab countries, and to persuade the Western powers to undertake military action both in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

It is unclear whether Cossiga was being sarcastic about the opinion of skeptics or merely reporting what people think. I have written to him asking for clarification and will report any reply that I receive. Apparently, the Italian media has not offered a clarification.

Cossiga’s statement has not been reported by a single U.S. newspaper or TV channel, raising doubts among Americans that the government is not a strong point of the corporate media. Americans live in a world of propaganda designed to secure their acquiescence to war crimes, torture, searches and police state measures, military aggression, hegemony and oppression, while portraying Americans (and Israelis) as the salt of the earth who are threatened by Muslims who hate their “freedom and democracy.”

Americans cling to this “truth” while the Bush regime and a complicit Congress destroy the Bill of Rights and engineer the theft of elections.

Freedom and democracy in America have been reduced to no-fly lists, spying without warrants, arrests without warrants or evidence, permanent detention despite the constitutional protection of habeas corpus, torture despite the prohibition against self-incrimination–the list goes on and on.

In today’s fearful America, a U.S. Senator whose elder brother was a military hero killed in action can find himself on the no-fly list. Present and former high government officials, with top secret security clearances, cannot fly with a tube of toothpaste or a bottle of water despite the absence of any evidence that extreme measures imposed by “airport security” makes flying safer.

Elderly American citizens with walkers and young mothers with children are meticulously searched because U.S. Homeland Security cannot tell the difference between an American citizen and a terrorist.

All Americans should note the ominous implications of the inability of Homeland Security to distinguish an American citizen from a terrorist.

When Airport Security cannot differentiate a U.S. Marine General recipient of the Medal of Honor from a terrorist, Americans have all the information they need to know.

Any and every American can be arrested by unaccountable authority, held indefinitely without charges and tortured until he or she can no longer stand the abuse and confesses.

This predicament, which can now befall any American, is our reward for our stupidity, our indifference, our gullibility, and our lack of compassion for anyone but ourselves.

Some Americans have begun to comprehend the tremendous financial costs of the “war on terror.” But few understand the cost to American liberty. Last October a Democrat-sponsored bill, “Prevention of Violent Radicalism and Homegrown Terrorism,” passed the House of Representatives 404 to 6.

Only six members of the House voted against tyrannical legislation that would destroy freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and that would mandate 18 months of congressional hearings to discover Americans with “extreme” views who could be preemptively arrested.

What better indication that the U.S. Constitution has lost its authority when elected representatives closest to the people pass a bill that permits the Bill of Rights to be overturned by the subjective opinion of members of an “Extremist Belief”.

– Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan administration. He is credited with curing stagflation and eliminating “Phillips curve” trade-offs between employment and inflation, an achievement now on the verge of being lost by the worst economic mismanagement in U.S. history.

Source: Middle East Online

Sphere: Related Content

del.icio.us:We Are All Prisoners Now digg:We Are All Prisoners Now spurl:We Are All Prisoners Now wists:We Are All Prisoners Now simpy:We Are All Prisoners Now newsvine:We Are All Prisoners Now blinklist:We Are All Prisoners Now furl:We Are All Prisoners Now reddit:We Are All Prisoners Now fark:We Are All Prisoners Now blogmarks:We Are All Prisoners Now Y!:We Are All Prisoners Now smarking:We Are All Prisoners Now magnolia:We Are All Prisoners Now segnalo:We Are All Prisoners Now gifttagging:We Are All Prisoners Now

Email this

  1. Fact Finder on January 5th, 2008

    Great article!!!

  2. Lars Wirth on January 5th, 2008

    An excellent article, not just applicable to the American people, but to all so called free western societies. Cheers

  3. John on January 5th, 2008

    This does not tell us anything new. We have know for years that this regime is evil. We are all cowardly scum who deserve this abuse for accepting it for so long. The Declaration of Independece and Constitution mean nothing anymore, we are more interesting in Britney Spears, football, and American Idol, and the internet. So go back to enjoying yourself in your cozy home as the bars are being installed all around you.

  4. Martin Timothy on January 5th, 2008

    “…Former President of Italy, Francesco Cossiga, said democratic elements in America and Europe know that the 9/11 attack was planned and executed by the American CIA and Mossad in order to blame the Arab countries, and to persuade the Western powers to undertake military action both in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Paul Craig Roberts

    Dr Roberts then tells us that Cossiga’s statement has not been reported by a single U.S. newspaper or TV channel.

    Now hear this you all talking heads men and women on the networks, and affiliate stations and broadcast centers across America… Volunteer for truth, tell the public, never mind what Rupert and his paid goons think, sure you will lose your jobs, then be sacked and beaten to a pulp and maybe murdered Arkinsaw Flu style.

    Which is why volunteers are needed in the first place… The good ones like Gary Webb are dead, he was a two shot suicide in 2003, he had written a story re possible CIA involvement, via the now infamous Iran Contra lead, in large scale coke imports into the US… A claim given credence when executive jet aircraft that had made rendition flights to Gitmo crashed in the Yucatan with tones of cocain on board.

  5. Globalstomp on January 5th, 2008

    There will always be those who like violence and fear and promote it but I think the majority of people don’t like war or violence or being lied to which is why every American should educate themselves about what these people are really about. I don’t think for a minute the good people would elect a Nazi to this highest office, but they did. I don’t think they would knowingly elect a drug smuggler and high criminal to office but they did. I don’t think they would elect his complicit murdering wife to office but they are trying to. Why? Because if the media wasn’t involved none of those criminal bastards would be free but rather in prison and to those that have put every president we’ve had in office since 1913 screw you the people have spoken and we are awake and your going down.

    We can’t hold onto the illusions they have given us like freedom and voting any longer and it will take a real comittment to be diligent as a responsible citizen and really doing something for this country for a change. Get off your lazy asses or go to prison when they come for YOU no other way to look at it.

    What they can’t stand is an informed public gathering together under a common cause of freedom and peace and electing legitimately thru a real grass roots effort with organization and determination to rid this country of the evil globalist central bankers once and for all. We can start by expelling all traitors that survive a trial and never let them in this country again like the Rockefellers for one……if they survive.

  6. Globalstomp on January 5th, 2008

    PS if you want to identify the real enemy it’s the one’s speaking against a grassroots effort and Dr. Paul. They show their faces everyday in the mainscum media………

  7. Barb Clark on January 5th, 2008

    Yes, I love the article. But, I warn everyone that we can do something about the National health Intelligence Network (NHIN) before it is TOO late. Don’t be fooled by this high sounding network to link your medical records. It is Super Fatherland. It will mean extortion and black mail using your confidential medical records against you. I know, I have a petition in the U.S. Supreme Court (07-8419) on this exact issue. This is nothing more than an intelligence gathering machine that will collect personal and private health information about you. It is the national wiretap of your medical records. STOP THE NHIN! I mean it. Wake up.

    www.BarbClark.org

  8. Marc Louis Hebert on January 5th, 2008

    Any chance we can get this read at the next State of the Union?

  9. milidude on January 6th, 2008

    when they come for me to take me away to the “re-education camp”, i will gladly give them my bullets and gun…… first the bullets thru the muzzle of my gun, then i will give them the butt of my rifle for those who survived my first attempt at being copperative. viva-la-blanco wey!(long live for the white bull) there are too many of us here(military or plain-ole- redneck, that feel and believe as i do, for them(the elitest) to succeed, we will ultimately prevail if not for the sake and future of our kids, i will gladly give my life to protect and preserve for them. the tree of liberty will be growing well soon from being watered with the blood of the tyrants.

  10. Charles on January 6th, 2008

    In 1913 the federal reserve act,hijacked our congress and we didn’t fight! In 1933 F.D.R. raped the american people of ALL our GOLD&SILVER and we didn’t fight!What will,”WE THE PEOPLE” do now? We need to ring the bell of freedom and liberty, from every church steeple,from every court yard, from every street corner!! If we here silence then we deserve slavery,but if FREEDOM does RING then let us fight!! LET FREEDOM RING! LET FREEDOM RING!!

  11. Justin on January 6th, 2008

    Great article, however the fact that it is coming from Al-jazeera, a known islamo-fascist media outlet, tarnishes it somewhat.

  12. Al Rotundo on January 6th, 2008

    Who do you expect to publish it, Rupert Murdoch? The author is more than credible.

  13. Barb Clark on January 6th, 2008

    Pardon me for being slightly off subject; but with regards to the Real ID program that Dr. Pual spoke about at the debates I would like to alert everyone to a bigger threat to privacy.

    Senate Bill 1693 (Clinton, Kennedy) creates the National Health Intelligince (Information) Network (NHIN), a military style “situational awareness network of networks” designed to provide “situational awareness” of pandemic attacks.

    Phase One is to gather up data on all physicians, nurses, paramedics, etc. This is Super Fatherland and its worth. Pass the word to halt NHIN until the privacy and security issues can be worked out. This is worse than Real ID as it will eventually allow a national wiretap of your medical records. STOP NHIN.

    www.BarbClark.org

  14. John Mascaro on January 7th, 2008

    I have read Dr. Robert’s positions in the past and heard him on Alex Jones’s Show on various occasions. I very much agree with many of his points.

    My only concern, from a purely strategic perspective, is that the Patriot community and its spokespersons be very discerning regarding what forums and messengers are used to communicate these very valid issues to avoid being easily discredited by the establishment media and by individuals who may be the subject of the Patriot community’s grievances.

  15. Andy on January 7th, 2008

    John, it doesn’t matter what outlet they use, it will ALL be discredited.
    The BBC,CNN and even AP have repeatedly published articles, unfortunately they have never been “front page” or “prime time”, they reserve that for Britney Spears….sigh.

  16. John Mascaro on January 10th, 2008

    This comment is time sensitive: Vote Now 11PM ET/10CT Send Text Message to 36288 and text should say: R4 to vote for Ron Paul Post Fox News SC Debate

  17. aghjm soqrvialj on May 23rd, 2008

    semwhriyd nxaohdvbe lhuzji cqfzrnwts bqmwt pqajxe wmcv

  18. pdlzn ywumofv on May 23rd, 2008

    cgkjn jzmewkd jknift ulczmhyk qdbliavg pjnkuw smdoqz

  19. oprz mnuopz on May 23rd, 2008

    qacjeopx ulcyoszb mhtgfz vwmh lejgxqcfo uqfr xyoh

  20. xbgoeml wfzpts on May 23rd, 2008

    ycovsad tyqwkrhen aowz xzbe xhvbriet ivpstz evrftclm

  21. florida lottery official site on June 30th, 2008

    gqdsful xwabco cikqnuo btldv
    http://www.lottocom.s5.com/lottocom/floridak florida lottery winning

  22. clozaril side effects on July 21st, 2008

    srodc crjqbfi jwqvlie
    http://www.gratisweb.com/efftreatment/clozaril clozaril side effects

  23. what is the side effects of zestoretic on July 25th, 2008

    crtgz
    http://medlem.spray.se/certifi.....toreticwww zestoretic and alcohol