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.
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Sibel Edmonds is the Publisher & Editor of Boiling Frogs Post and the author of the Memoir Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story. She is the recipient of the 2006 PEN Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her “commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy” Ms. Edmonds has a MA in Public Policy and International Commerce from George Mason University, a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from George Washington University.
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