This conversation probably belongs on a non-public forum. I have no objections discussing, just objections to TPTB knowing that I am discussing it...
Harassment for taking pictures of situations that are sensitive for either military or propagandistic reasons is surprising only for its relative mildness. One photographer was summarily shot, ostensibly because his camera was "mistaken" for a weapon, but quite possibly precisely for pointing the camera in the wrong direction. While I do not approve of assassinations, I don't think anything anyone could humanly do on this earth would prevent things like that from happening.
What troubles me more is assassinations completely outside of war-zones or war-situations, torture of helpless unarmed prisoners of war, and summary executions, especially for acts that aren't recognizably criminal.
This is nothing new. The concepts of "jus pre bellum", "jus ad bellum", and "jus post bellum" were never perfectly realized, and, being essentially Christian concepts (they were codified by Saint Thomas Aquinas), were dumped instantly by the French Revolutionaries. Ever since then, they have been used more for propagandistic purposes, to paint the enemy as war criminals, than as actual policy. At this point they are essentially completely ignored, except when someone is watching.
Now let's cut right to the chase: what are the prospects that draconian information-control and personnel-control policies will be implemented in North America and Europe?
Quite good I think. We're already seeing the beginnings. Here is how I conceptualize it:
- Black lists of people being monitored with the intent of finding them guilty of something
- White lists of people who are protected, like Dr. Phillip Zack, for whose sake it appears Dr. Bruce Ivens was sacrificed as a patsy. There is a fine Russian word for these people, sometimes used in English, "Nomenklatura". I suggest, however, "whitelist" as opposed to the blacklist.
- Everybody else. It's easier to get on a black-list than a white-list, so I suggest watching yourself.
I think there are ways of dealing with this lists...make your own lists...
