I believe that in the final analysis, this story is about the "banality of evil." You see, in recent months the terms "police state" and "surveillance state" have been used with increased frequency, mainly because of the revelations by Edward Snowden about the for profit, corporate-controlled national security apparatus.
And some people get confused when they hear the term "police state," after looking around and not seeing jack-booted thugs breaking their doors, nor are aware of a strongman at the helm of a fascist government. But in reality, the nature of the fast ascending police state is surprisingly banal: The crushing oppression that's increasingly reaching more and more people emanates from the profit motives of corporations and a desire of top public officials to cash in on their positions. It all starts with profiteering and the relentless drive to expand market-share.
Because when it comes to top officials in both, the public and private sectors, they have basically become one and the same, which means that in many areas, the two sectors have essentially merged.
And when it comes to policing, surveillance, and national security, the merging of the public and private sector represents one of the most serious threats to civil liberties, to the rule of law, and to respect for constitutional protections.
You see, the expected quarterly growth and market-share gain of the plethora of security-related corporations demands an ever-expanding source of income, of profits. And that in turn gives public officials incentives to turn the justice system into a profit center... That means more onerous laws, hard-ball tactics by DA's, huge increases in fees across the board, the militarization of the police, and the rapid spread of surveillance systems. Eventually, it all turns into more oppression--into a police state (albeit for profit).
That is why newly-appointed NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton's "spin[] through the revolving door" is so appalling: From Top Cop to the Corporate Boardroom: Ex-Police Chiefs Spin Through Revolving Doors Into the Private Sector
"Bratton's seamless shifting between police agencies and private intelligence firms, or the board of Motorola, raises significant questions," Crockford said. "It's a problem in that police are supposed to serve the public interest. But corporations have other interests, competing interests, and other motives."
In a Los Angeles Times article in 2009, years before Bratton was hired by Motorola Solutions, former California Assembly member Tom Hayden said "there were obvious red flags" back when Bratton was hired straight out of Kroll Inc. to run the LAPD. "The man monitoring the city's compliance with a federal decree was the friend and former employer of the man he was supposed to be monitoring. Was this really the sort of independent, conflict-free relationship required of a monitor?" Hayden called for an independent inquiry. None was ever undertaken.
The emphasis is mine
Actually, in Bratton's case, the revolving door has been spinning so fast, that is really hard to keep track of it all without dizzying. He started as a cop in Boston in the 1970's, then moved on to the New York Transit Police from 1990 to 1992, and appointed police commissioner in 1994. Then in 2000 he "incorporated The Bratton Group LLC to contract with governments and corporations over security matters." Eventually he went to work for the LAPD, and then Motorola, a company that would later benefit financially from his spins between the public sector and the private sector.
One of LAPD's biggest vendors is Motorola Solutions Inc. The Illinois-based technology giant inked $53 million of contracts with Los Angeles during Bratton's term as chief; $16 million of these contracts were directly with the LAPD. For example, in 2006, Motorola installed a video surveillance system in LA's Jordan Downs public housing community. The company also outfitted a police cruiser with video surveillance gear, an automated license plate reader and the ability to conduct facial scanning and biometric recognition of pedestrians, according to a company press release.
"We're really excited about the technology partnership with Motorola," Bratton said shortly after the cameras and wireless radios were installed around the all-black apartment complex in one of the poorest sections of LA.
The emphasis is mine
And the problem of the fast-rising surveillance police state doesn't end with profiteering, with public officials selling their offices to the highest bidder. It goes deeper than that, extending into outright illegality, as I reported in a recent diary: Report: U.S. Gov. And Corporate Security Companies Collude to Bring Down Social Justice Groups
Here's what the Los Angeles Times reported:
Corporations are increasingly spying on nonprofit groups they view as potential threats with little fear of retribution, according to a new report by a corporate watchdog group.
The large companies employ former Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, FBI, military and police officers to monitor and in some cases infiltrate groups that have been critical of them, according to the report by Essential Information, which was founded by Ralph Nader in the 1980s.
"Many different types of nonprofits have been targeted with espionage, including environmental, anti-war, public interest, consumer, food safety, pesticide reform, nursing-home reform, gun control, social justice, animal rights and arms control groups," the report said.
The emphasis is mine
And this is just a very small sample of some of the components of the fast-rising police state. Once you put it all together, including how all major telecom and tech companies have essentially meshed with the national security apparatus, providing unfettered access to networks, databases, and users' information, the total information awareness police state begins to emerge.
And that explains why "[m]ore than 560 authors from 83 countries have signed an appeal against mass surveillance": A STAND FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
This fundamental human right [privacy] has been rendered null and void through abuse of technological developments by states and corporations for mass surveillance purposes.
A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity, our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space.
It all comes down to the profit motives of corporations having meshed with the desire for personal enrichment by government functionaries in every sector, be it military, police, regulatory, or legislative... It is a feeding frenzy; everybody is in it to make a buck. And we the people have become just things to be exploited in the name of corporate profits.
We are going to have to figure out a way to end this madness!
Book Project: Countdown to Revolution
As the corporate state continues its rapid ascension, accompanied by increased levels of corruption and oppression, many activist groups are are organizing in opposition and resistance. I believe that these groups will become more cohesive and strategic as months go by and that by the spring of 2014, we may see some mass organizing and sustained protests (among other peaceful resistance activities).
With that in mind, I've made a commitment to write a book to be published on April 15, 2014, focusing on answering the following questions: What is the true nature of the system? What's preventing people from organizing in large-enough numbers and in a sustained manner in order to gain the strength necessary to challenge the hegemony and power of the corporate state? What role does propaganda plays in the public discourse and understanding of the current state of affairs? I'm very interested in getting input about these questions. For those interested in sharing ideas, visit my book project webpage, or send an email to contact@raypensador.com.
Countdown to Revolution
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Market For The People |Ray Pensador | Email List | Twitter | Facebook
Sockpuppets & Trolls Watch: Their aim is to disrupt, to annoy, to introduce "noise" in order to prevent meaningful discussions of issues. Their tactics include casting aspersions (attack on the reputation or integrity), and ad hominems, where instead of addressing issues, they attack the character of people. They also engage in mockery, and logical fallacies. A good source of information about the tactics used by sockpuppets, trolls and hacks is "The 15 Rules of Web Disruption." Once you familiarize yourself with those tactics, it is pretty easy to spot the potential troll. Once spotted, the best thing is to ignore them. And talking about trolls, visit my "Trolls gone wild! diary to read about how they do their thing, and to see them in action!