Highly relevant wisdom from presidents past...

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

...Eisenhower's farewell, Carter's "Crisis of Confidence", Kennedy's secret societies:

[zeemike]

1. Things sure have changed.

All those things that Ike warned us about have come true, and his party now embraces them as virtue...
But don't look back...just move forward.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. Yes they have come true...

... and now we're tasked, not with preventing them from happening, but with trying to
bring sanity and reason back to government and reverse, or at least slow down, our fast
spiral toward total MIC tyranny. Many people think this will require nothing short of a
revolution -- I think they're right.

[HatTrick]

3. More StormCloudsGathering

Dude, what's up with you and these conspiracy theories sites?

I'm not one to trust the mainstream media, but StormCloudsGathering?

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

8. Thanks for your input HatTrick.

[siligut]

4. Secret societies have tools that most people cannot/will not fathom

Please realize that they recruit within agencies like the CIA and NSA, so any 'secret' information that they have access to is shared.

When I was pressured to join a group, they told me I had a choice, either join or end up a slave. With that sort of inducement plenty of good people have fallen prey.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

5. I'm sure that kind of deceptive, pressure packed presentation...

...works on some people who would otherwise not be inclined to serve in such thoroughly corrupt government agencies.

"You can be a wolf and run with our pack, or you can be one of the sheep" is another false dichotomy sometimes offered to persuade those not wanting to take part in morally reprehensible behavior.

Such recruiting tactics however, do not inspire genuine loyalty and lasting commitment. If there's an upside maybe it's that organizations held together by these bonds of fear tend not to endure the test of time very well. I'd say this is a vulnerability that can be exploited.

[siligut]

6. Well, they can ruin your career and for some that is devastating

Yes, if you can actually make them face the reality of what they are doing, some that were decent people before falling into the trap might have second thoughts. But any misconduct will be punished and commitment to the group is constantly reinforced. Now that we know more about what the NSA is doing, it is easier to understand that there is no privacy for anyone who is suspect.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

7. Yes that is devastating. The implied threat of losing their jobs...

... is how Big Brother keeps all their print and television media puppets in line.

And I would imagine their are many many people in government jobs, and especially the military who
keep their mouths shut for reasons of self preservation.

All very Orwellian, and steadily becoming worse.