Recent Reflections

I have been reflecting of late how nothing you do on the Internet today ever really disappears and hence you have to be careful what you put out there. Some of the responses to past posts have made me cringe a little. Such as claims that they were influenced by drugs or various disorders, or attaching uncomplementary labels. A lot of those posters are engaging in formal disinformation to satisfy their agenda. In actuality I have never (not ever) taken recreational drugs, and I seldom drink, although I confess to enjoying a cold beer on rare occasions like many people. The only drug I have taken on any frequent basis is an antihistamine which seems to mitigate the effects of exposure to radiation, like sinus and other tissue swelling, which can get so severe that it becomes difficult to breath. Ridicule is a disservice to many victims who did experience much pain and suffering due to torture. I always console myself by reminding myself that I only relayed the absolute truth, to the best of my ability, and the truth has its own validity and power to ultimately win out. This took a certain amount of courage. Asking me to recant would be like asking Galileo to recant that the earth was round or that the earth revolved around the sun. The flat earth people simply cannot understand at this point in history because so much has been withheld from them. They cannot see past the curtain of disinformation which is maintained and cannot fathom the extent to which their views are controlled, given the strength of the technology available to control them.

The abuse of people which occurred went way beyond the need to suppress information for public safety. The amount of unjustifiable violence and disrespect for the human person that went on was uncalled for on any rational basis. I would characterize it as wanton cruelty unbefitting civilized people in a civilized society. It needed documentation. Neither is it entirely in the past tense. Some of it is continuing, since it never has been properly addressed and nobody was ever held to account for their actions, so perpetrators are fearless.

I was reading the Wikipedia entry on Edward Snowden recently in which the U.S. Attorney General assures the Russian Minister of Justice that, if returned to the U.S., Snowden would not be tortured (as Snowden fears would happen) because "Torture is unlawful in the United States." I immediately thought to myself how laughable this assertion was. As if these people cared even a fig for the rule of law, unless public scrutiny is immediately brought to bear upon them.

I admit to exercising some discretion as to the contexts in which I am able to impart this information, for practical living purposes. One needn't be that frank where there is significant probability of personal harm. This is simply a survival mechanism and is to be understood as necessary in the current climate. And any friends are advised to do the same. For the success of our efforts, we need to be free and functioning, above all.

Where people want to put their focus on the Internet is frequently disheartening, with sites devoted to frivolous nonsense getting millions of hits while major social issues go begging for attention. I also wonder if the Internet is entirely as free as it appears to be, or whether information channels are more controlled than they are commonly held to be, with selective restriction of access. As time goes on, it is predictable that the libertine nature of the early Internet might acquire tighter controls.

If you read this blog be sure to follow links to older posts at the bottoms of pages or you will miss a lot.