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captainextremis · 7 years ago

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Tumblr’s fucked up the res on this thing so check the image in full screen if u want the good stuff.

Anyway, a little RTS game came out recently called “Tooth and Tail.” Basically, it boils down to an excuse to make a game about war and cannibalism in a Russian Revolution setting. Is gud gaem.

So naturally, I’m starting a fanfic of it. Kill me.

The Road to Hell, Part 1

Under thundering skies, the rain poured down on the cold stone of the pathways cutting in between the chapels and apartments of Levacaloo. The water washed down the stone spires, as cold and uncaring as those who feasted and left the rest to starve. But soon, that mindset would be no more. Bellafide would make sure of it.

Although he hated getting his coat wet or otherwise dirty, he hated the clergy more, and couldn’t wait to see their terrified faces as he stormed into their sacred chapels when they had gorged themselves, and were too fat to run away. His scowl became more set into his brow. And then we feast on them.

“Heyyy, uh...boss…?”

Arroyo shot a glance to his right. A ferret marched alongside him, toting his mobile artillery launcher on his back. He pursed his lips and continued, “...You okay…? You look more...angry...than usual.”

Arroyo brought his gaze forward. “No, no, Ardin. Not angry. Just...determined,” he replied. No one else would talk to him; there was nothing to discuss. The Longcoats had entrenched themselves in The Bonepits using the piles of bones left behind by the many feasts as barriers, hidden traps, and even their own warrens. Arroyo knew that after this, there was no returning from the path he set himself and his army down. But he felt no regret, or even uncertainty. He was doing this for Junior. He might not have been able to give his son a proper funeral, but he could certainly give him a proper sendoff.

The army strode up more of the dozens of stone stairways until they found a flatter stretch of land, covered in bullet hives. Above, Arroyo could see the silhouettes of the falcons circling overhead. He stopped and retreated a few steps, just to be sure he and his men weren’t in their range of vision. Arroyo, the Freight Union, the Distillery Brothers, and his own Wing Demons.

He looked around. His troops were crouching down on the steps, some huddled together, some looking up into the sky. A few of the squirrels were taking extra shots from their bottles of orn. Arroyo huffed and motioned for everyone to get as close as possible. “Whatcha need, boss? Whatcha want us to do?” one of the Brothers asked.

“All of you boys,” he said, pointing to the squirrels, “stay back. The Freight Union will fire on the bullet hives the Civilized. You stay behind them and harass the Wing Demons.”

“Thought that was our job, sir,” said one of the falcons, landing on the ground a few feet to Arroyo’s right.

“It is,” he replied, “We need to get into the feasting halls as fast as lightning while taking as few casualties as possible. Once that happens…” Arroyo trailed off.

Another ferret grinned. “Once that happens, we eat,” he cried.

This remark was met with wild cheering, and Arroyo knew that if the Wing Demons didn’t hear it first, his army would get too impatient and charge without him. So with that in mind, Arroyo stood himself up and with steely will, marched forward. His troops followed him happily, and a few of the more inebriated squirrels started firing their revolvers at the opposing falcons while they were still dozens of feet away. And once they had the Civilized’s attention, they kept it.

“It’s the traitor! Don’t let them through! All fighters, fire at will!” One of the falcons issued their orders, and soon, the rain stopped falling on the ground, because it was all being blocked by hundreds of falcons, flying right at the Longcoat army that stood in defiance of them and all they stood for.

Many of the Wing Demons dipped low and the machine guns started firing as they began conducting hit and run tactics. It was successful, at the start, as they killed off a majority of the squirrels who were too drunk to know what was happening, as well as killing a few more ferrets. However, once Arroyo’s Wing Demons came in, the Civilized soldiers were too busy dealing with them to focus fire on the ground forces.

Arroyo looked up at the dogfight, and the few bodies that were falling every so often. He had to slap a few wrists to keep his soldiers from dragging the carcass away immediately and getting distracted of course, but otherwise, he marched forward with the Freight Union and the remaining Distillery Brothers at his side. He outpaced his army and the first line of machine guns began firing at him, but the ferrets all started launching dozens of volleys at the encampments, and one by one, the bullet hives crumbled.

The Longcoats marched forward, through ever thicker machine gun fire. Those who hadn’t died from being riddled with bullets were, at the very least, bleeding profusely from seven or more puncture wounds; not even Arroyo was exempt from this rule.

He clutched at his arm, shot in three places just below the shoulder. He and his soldiers had pushed through most of the lines of machine guns, but he could see, coming over the hill, that their battle wasn’t done yet. The Morning Light Croakers hopped fervently over the hills, croaking a litany of prayers and curses on Arroyo’s name. He looked down at his shoulder and grunted, “I’ve been hit harder,” before running ahead.

“Forward…!”

Bellafide’s rallying cry called his troops of squirrel pistoliers and ferret artillery back to his side, instilling the resolve that only the leader of the Longcoats could give. In a wave of shouting, they surged forward through the unrelenting hail of bullets, a glint of hunger in each and every one of their eyes. The Longcoats met the Civilized forces and while the initial clash allowed some of the toads to blow themselves up safely, most after that were no more than bloody paste on the ground before the fuse could even hit powder.

Archimedes stood on the steps of one of the ancient buildings that surrounded the Monastic Gardens, gazing out solemnly at the darkened sky, lit periodically by the dull orange of muzzle flashes and black-powder explosions in the distance. He sighed deeply.

He had warned them, all of them. The lower clergy had simply waved him off and continued feasting. Archimedes snorted, wiped his brow, and marched down the steps with the few pigeons, skunks, and toads he could muster. “Follow,” he commanded in his aging, raspy voice.

“Great Missionary,” a toad by his side croaked as he hopped in stride with Archimedes, “you haven’t told us your plan to drive the traitors out.”

Archimedes sighed as he kept marching. “Ah, my child...my plan was not to drive the Longcoats away in the first place,” he explained. “We are simply going to try and kill as many of them as possible, so that we may still feast in the desert.”

“Wffr mmgkin uffghtn rtruht?” a skunk mumbled.

“Take your mask off, my son, no one can understand what’s coming out of your mouth.”

The AFB soldier promptly lifted his mask up and restated his question. “We’re making a fighting retreat?”

Archimedes turned his head and deadpanned. “Not a retreat. A debilitating skirmish.” They marched forward along the stone paths until they came to an area on the main roads that still needed some defenses. Archimedes immediately set about planting Tremormines at the foremost chokepoints, two narrow pathways between the piles of bones.

He returned to his followers, still standing at attention and alert. All that was left to do was wait, and the Longcoats made sure they didn’t wait long. They heard the numerous boots hitting the pavement before they even saw any blue peek the sightlines, but once they so much as saw the bushy tail of one of the Distillery Brothers, Archimedes cried out, “Strike!”

Dozens of skunks began launching gas directly on top of them, and Archimedes instructed his troops to move forward and fire back. They did so, lobbing gas volleys over and over. As to be expected from the traitors, they pushed forward and into Archimedes’ territory, and were hit with both the explosions of four Tremormines, two on each chokepoint, and multiple suicide runs from the Morning Light Croakers. Their sacrifices yielded large chunks of meat that the pigeons and skunks would try to drag away as quickly as they could while still firing their weapons; some of them died that way.

Archimedes had little, if any, time to strategize. He had to focus on killing as many of the Longcoats as possible. In theory, it would be simple, considering Arroyo had so many troops on his bankroll. However, that was also the problem, as hundreds more ferrets and squirrels came streaming into the narrow entrance to the Civilized section of the Bonepits, supported by hit-and-runs by dozens of falcons left over from the initial attack. They swooped in from the darkened skies, firing their guns as brazenly as possible, bullets riddling the ground just as much as their targets.

The toads continued throwing themselves at the Longcoats’ front lines, detonating and sending dozens of conscripted soldiers to black-powder graves while The AFB troops shot gas bombs into the chokepoints. The Longcoats marched through, and some ended up choking to death.

This didn’t stop the tide, however. The Longcoats simply kept coming, and it became obvious to Archimedes that he would have to retreat sooner, rather than later. “Hold!” he called as he marched out. He directed the toads to stand in position at the forefront, allowing them to run a shorter distance before detonating themselves, and built several backup warrens to allow The AFB and the Volunteers to resupply as needed. Under the constant hail of gunfire, it was a difficult task, but it was done. Archimedes stood outside the last warren he could make as the Operators swiftly built it up from the ground. “Excellent,” he muttered to himself, “This will buy me time…”

“Great Missionary!” Archimedes brought his head up and nearly jumped out of his skin. A pigeon fluttered down and perched on the warren, which was being reinforced at this point. “The Longcoats just...just keep pouring in! What are your orders?”

He was silent for a moment, but spoke with whatever wisdom he could muster in a pitched battle. “Child, you must hold as long as you can. Pass these words along to the rest of the Civilized forces,” he articulated.

As he turned around to plan a fast escape route, the pigeon asked again, “What about you, Great Missionary? What will you be doing?”

“Ah…” He paused, then quickly explained, “I will venture out to see if there are any other Civilized who yet live, and I will return to reinforce our numbers.” The pigeon nodded intensely and then flew back to the front lines with a retreating call of “Come back quickly, sir!”

Archimedes watched her go and sighed in relief. Then, he ran. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. After all, a few hundred soldiers could be replaced easily; loyalty was relatively cheap these days, going for three meals a day and a roof over one’s head. His own life, however, was the only thing keeping the Civilized together. Him, and Sage Marro. He tore through The Bonepits, the thunder of distant gunfire still ringing out across the city. Archimedes was only thankful that the Longcoats hadn’t pushed further in, as getting into the countryside would be easy, even without the use of the Warrens. He just had to run a bit further…

He rounded a corner, and saw only a pole swing out to meet him. Archimedes felt it hit him in the face before it actually landed, and he was sent backward, and sprawled out on the ground. There was no time to even come to grips with the pain, as Bellafide himself, who had been waiting for the Great Missionary to show his crooked face, proceeded to roar with a fury long-repressed, and swung his own flag again in an overhead strike, determined to break Archimedes’ skull open. Archimedes countered as fast as he could, holding up his own flag to block the blow.

Arroyo was so dead set on choking the life out of Archimedes that he didn’t expect the old coot to kick him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back when the wind got knocked out of him. It allowed Archimedes to struggle to his feet, coughing and trying to numb the throbbing pain in his temples by sheer force of will as he jogged away as fast as he could.

Naturally, when Arroyo saw that, he wasn’t having any of it. “You’ll pay for what you did to my son, you hypocrite!” he yelled after Archimedes. He charged forward, still screaming, but his hatred blinded him to the fact that Archimedes might not be done. Despite the beatdown, Archimedes turned around and used that momentum to swing his banner in a wide arc. It smashed into Bellafide, sending him careening to his left and smashing into a pile of bones. They came down like an avalanche.

Arroyo was far from dead, or even out cold, but his vision was blurry, the world was spinning, and he could feel his nose bleeding. All he knew for certain was that Archimedes, from where he was standing was smiling. It wasn’t the smile of a kind minister either; it was the condescending smile that the Civilized wore whenever a new course was chosen for the Harvest. “I have seen what you have become,” he said, “and it is delicious. I can’t wait to savor it one day.”

Before Arroyo could stammer out a counter, Archimedes had run off. He couldn’t say he was surprised; the Civilized might have a garrison under their jurisdiction, but the clergy would never fight for themselves. He eventually regained the strength to stand up, brush his coat off, and look back into the horizon, filled with smoke and dimming fires rising up over the piles of bones. He grinned mirthlessly.

They had a garrison, at least.

As he stared back at the chaos unfolding behind him, he felt nothing inside but a burning determination to end the war before it could even gain momentum. He pivoted and marched out of Levacaloo, leaving the Longcoats to feast on what remained of his army. He knew, however, they wouldn’t set foot in the Gardens yet. The rest of the clergy would keep them full long enough for him to regrow his follower count.

#tooth and tail #pocketwatch games #arroyo bellafide #bellafide #archimedes #the longcoats #the civilized #tooth and tail fanfic #feedback appriciated

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aboriginalnewswire · 7 years ago

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Scientology: The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard

Scientology's fight for apartheid - Fighting for Apartheid There exist in the public domain a number of documents and letters from the Church of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard himself, detailing the way in which they tried to ingratiate themselves with the government of H.F. Verwoerd. That government has frequently been regarded as the originator of "grand apartheid", the system which became notorious in the 1960s for its rigid "pass laws", physically separating blacks and whites, and for the forcible relocation of the black population from the cities to the frequently ghastly conditions of the squatter camps and townships. The documents indicate the firm and sustained support of Hubbard and the Church for the Verwoerd government and for apartheid policies. In HCO Executive Letter of 16 August 1966, Hubbard circulated a report from John McMaster (a white South African who was supposedly the "first clear" and "Pope" of Scientology, later expelled during a purge) regarding progress in South Africa. It praises the activities of one Jan Du Plessis on behalf of Scientology, referring to alleged interviews by Du Plessis with Dr. H.F. Verwoerd (then Prime Minister) and also the Admiral of the South African Navy. It concludes: "You asked for strong Orgs in South Africa. You will get them and there will be a friendly reciprocity of flow with the Government." [HCO Executive Letter, 16 August 1966; reprinted in K.T.C. Kotzé, Inquiry into the Effects and Practices of Scientology, p. 59, Pretoria 1973] A few years earlier, in November 1960, Hubbard wrote a letter to Verwoerd praising the implementation of forced resettlement: "Having viewed slum clearance projects in most major cities of the world may I state that you have conceived and created in the Johannesburg townships what is probably the most impressive and adequate resettlement activity in existence." [dated 7th November 1960, Jo'burg; reprinted in K.T.C. Kotzé, Inquiry into the Effects and Practices of Scientology, p. 59, Pretoria 1973] He goes on to lambast those who denounced the policy of forced resettlement: "Any criticism of it could only be engaged upon by scoundrels or madmen and I know now your enemies to be both." [ibid] This was not the first time Hubbard had expressed his active support for Verwoerd and the policies of "grand apartheid". He was willing to offer practical assistance as well as letters of support. Three weeks previously, he had written the following to Verwoerd: "Those who understand are never swayed by vicious writings in the English press. To cope with those who could be swayed we work ceaselessly to secure communication lines to create an image closer to the fact. We are doing everything we can to change the complexion of the English language press and in a very few months we hope to have the means of completely altering this public image. Peace with strength can yet save, with your undaunted leadership, South Africa. Meanwhile we sincerely hope that vileness such as that in last week's Sunday Times does nothing to dismay your dedication. I apologise that we were not yet able to prevent such a travesty, but can promise a better future in such things." [dated 17th October 1960, Jo'burg; reprinted in K.T.C. Kotzé, Inquiry into the Effects and Practices of Scientology, pp. 59-60, Pretoria 1973] In other words, Scientology would endeavour to muzzle the press so that it could no longer criticise Verwoerd or his policies. This was not an idle promise, as the Church has a long history of attacking and infiltrating newspapers which it sees as a threat. Hubbard was not the only Scientologist to write to the South African Government. When it was announced in 1960 that Liberia and Ethiopia were to take legal action against South Africa to bring the Government to book for its implementation of apartheid, a Mr. S. J. Parkhouse (the HASI's Director of Official Affairs) wrote the following secret letter to Dr. Verwoerd: "On bringing to Dr. [sic] Hubbard's attention the fact that Liberia and Ethiopia intend to insitute an action against the Union [of South Africa] in the World Court Dr. Hubbard suggested that the Union itself would be well within its rights in bringing suit against any and all countries seeking to promote internal trouble in the Union through the use of boycotts etcetera. Consequent to our discussion Dr. Hubbard prepared a form of suit which could be used by the Union in the World Court. I enclose a copy for your perusal. Apart from the blow that this would strike for the Union on the International front it would appear that such an action would establish the World Court as a place where civil matters between Nations could be settled without warfare and thus would be of service to humanity as a whole. In closing I would assure you of our continued willing assistance at all times." [dated 7th November 1960, Jo'burg; reprinted in K.T.C. Kotzé, Inquiry into the Effects and Practices of Scientology, p. 60, Pretoria 1973] This makes it clear that the Church of Scientology was willing, and attempting, to take an active role in the South African Government's struggle against the growing anti-apartheid movement. Of course, the Church was not the only foreign organisation to oppose boycotts and sanctions against South Africa - in the 1980s the British government was prominent in its refusal to sanction South Africa. However, the basis for that stance was that boycotts and sanctions would hurt the black population far more than it would help. As the above letter makes clear, the Church was opposed to boycotts and sanctions because it supported the policy of the South African government. The letter shows that the Church sought to actively defend apartheid. The support for the South African Government expressed in the previous extracts was not simply a matter of supporting a government, as distinct from a political party. Take the following letter from L. Ron Hubbard: "I wish to extend my appreciation to South African Scientologists for their splendid activities and alertness. And I wish to thank the South African Government for its forbearance and ex-Minister of Health Herzog for his sense of justice and fair play in his 1968 pro-Scientology decision [not to appoint a Commission of Enquiry into Scientology] ... Note, please, that the press in Southern Africa call Dr. Radford and Dr. Fischer when it wants adverse comments on Scientology. Those two are United Party members. The United Party supports psychiatry in South Africa. Therefore, unwittingly the Government is led to pay for opposition and subversion." [LRH, HCO Information Letter, 16th February 1969; reprinted in K.T.C. Kotzé, Inquiry into the Effects and Practices of Scientology, pp. 60-61, Pretoria 1973] This letter clearly reveals Hubbard's determination to enter the South African political arena. His support was not only for the Government, it was for the ruling Nationalist party, which he perceived as being friendly to Scientology and hostile to psychiatry - a pet hate of his. Despite his efforts, Hubbard found that the South African government was not as friendly towards Scientology as he had hoped. In the wake of critical reports on Scientology from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, it was decided that an inquiry would be held into the activities of South African Scientology. On 28th March 1969, a Commission of Inquiry was established, consisting of nine members under the chairmanship of Mr. K.T.C. Kotzé, a retired Supreme Court Judge. Under the provisions of the Commission Act of 1947 it had the power to summon witnesses and hear their evidence on oath. Its report, more than 240 pages long excluding the many pages of additional annexes, was eventually published in June 1972. It was highly critical of the conduct of the Church of Scientology. In particular, the Commission condemned practices such as "disconnection" (of Scientologists from "troublesome" friends and family), "noisy investigation" (i.e. the use of public smears to make opponents "shudder into silence"), "security checking" and the dissemination of what the Commission called "inaccurate, untruthful and harmful information in regard to psychiatry" and it recommended that such practices should be legislated against. No such legislation and no other action against Scientology was ever actually forthcoming, and the Kotzé report itself seems to have been generally (and unfairly) forgotten. Nonetheless, it does still make fascinating reading and it heard some extraordinary evidence. One of the most peculiar things to come out of it was the details of an alleged plot by the Jo'burg org to instigate an armed black uprising in the late 1960s. The Rand Daily Mail reported that one witness told the Kotzé Board that a Mr. Parkhouse, then chief executive of the South African Church of Scientology, had planned to arm and organise 5,000 black Africans to seize control of the country. The article stated: "Mr. Parkhouse asked me to process him on the E-meter", he [the witness] said. "He had just returned from a trip to Mr. Hubbard's headquarters at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, England [then Scientology's world HQ]. While processing him I discovered he had a terrific problem. "Eventually he told me he was worried because he had been made responsible for organizing and arming 5,000 Africans to seize control of South Africa. I talked him out of it and he eventually stopped worrying about his instructions." The witness also told the commission that he did not know what became of Hubbard's plans or of Mr. Parkhouse." [Rand Daily Mail, Feb 2, 1969] If this is true, it must have happened some time before Hubbard's final departure from England in 1967. Its veracity is unknown, however - as one might expect, any supporting evidence is locked away in Scientology vaults and the Church of Scientology denies the allegations. Armed rebellion was certainly not Hubbard's style, and given the demonstrable support which he and his followers gave to apartheid, his ordering an armed black rebellion seems distinctly improbable. In the absence of any firm evidence either way, though, this will have to remain a moot point. -- Scientology and racism - Wikipedia - Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard has been accused of harboring racist views; in a letter to his first wife, Polly Grubb, Hubbard wrote "You shouldn’t be scrubbing the floor on your hands and knees. Get yourself a nigger; that’s what they’re born for." Hubbard also strongly defended the apartheid system in South Africa and reportedly considered founding his own all-white colony on the continent. [1][2][3] He also spoke ill of Asians, saying "The trouble with China is, there are too many chinks here". [1][4][5] Publicly, the following quotes are attributed to L. Ron Hubbard in his books and lectures used as study materials for Scientologists: "The Zulu is only outside the bars of a madhouse because there are no madhouses provided by his tribe. Primitives are far more aberrated than civilized peoples. Their savageness, their unprogressiveness, their incidence of illness." "The African tribesman, with his complete contempt for truth and his emphasis on brutality and savagery for others but not for himself, is a no-civilization." "As long as a white foreman is there, they will prevent soil erosion; but the moment that a white foreman turns his back boo! There goes the whole program. And you finally get up to the point of where he's supposed to take care of something, a lesson which has never been taught to the native of South Africa." "Now we say there's, well, another place in the world there's India. Wonderful place except for its people." "The South African native is probably the one impossible person to train in the entire world he is probably impossible by any human standard." "You'll find in Africans a fantastic amount of heavy space opera and so on, going on which makes the colored African very, very interesting to process because he doesn't know why he goes through all these dances and why he feels so barbarous." [6] In one video taped lecture, L. Ron Hubbard is seen drawing a square and filling it in all black while saying "Portrait of a negro hiding in a coal cellar at midnight, which is simply this." [7] There are however some African-American followers of Scientology including Isaac Hayes, a soul singer and the voice of Chef in the animated series South Park. An African-American former high-ranking Scientologist, Jesse Prince, has claimed that current Church leaders David Miscavige and Norman Starkey repeatedly called him racial slurs. [1][8][9] The Johannesburg Sec Check reportedly included the question "Have you ever slept with a member of a race of another color?" amongst other questions asking about arson, embezzlement, incest, and other crimes. [2][10][11] --

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clubofinfo · 7 years ago

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Expert: Everyday the future looks a little bit darker. ― Alan Moore, Watchmen Nothing has changed. Just our luck that 2017 gave us more of the same bad news that we experienced the year before and the year before that: Endless wars. Toxic politics. Violence. Hunger. Police shootings. Mass shootings. Economic rollercoaster. Political circuses. Senseless tragedies. Loss. Heartache. Intolerance. Prejudice. Hatred. Apathy. Meanness. Cruelty. Poverty. Inhumanity. Greed. Here’s just a small sampling of what we suffered through in 2017. The new boss proved to be the same as the old boss. True to form, the new boss (Donald Trump) proved to be no better than his predecessors in the White House in terms of protecting the citizenry from the American police state. Indeed, after a year in office, Trump actually paved the way for further assaults on our freedoms: The predators of the police state wreaked havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government didn’t listen to the citizenry, refused to abide by the Constitution, and treated the citizenry as a source of funding and little else. Police officers shot unarmed citizens and their household pets. Government agents—including local police—were armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield. Bloated government agencies were allowed to fleece taxpayers. Government technicians spied on our emails and phone calls. And government contractors made a killing by waging endless wars abroad. Police became a power unto themselves. Lacking in transparency and accountability, protected by the courts and legislators, and rife with misconduct, America’s police forces were a growing menace to the citizenry and the rule of law. Shootings of unarmed citizens, police misconduct and the use of excessive force continued to claim lives and make headlines. One investigative report found that police shoot Americans more than twice as often as previously known, a number that is underreported and undercounted. For example, a San Diego man was shot and killed after it was reported he was “fiddling” with a shiny metallic object: a pen. That doesn’t account for the alarming number of unarmed individuals who died from police using tasers on them. 911 calls turned deadly. Here’s another don’t to the add the growing list of things that could get you or a loved one tasered, shot or killed, especially if you are autistic, hearing impaired, mentally ill, elderly, suffer from dementia, disabled or have any other condition that might hinder your ability to understand, communicate or immediately comply with an order: don’t call the cops. For instance, Justine Damond called 911 to report a disturbance and ended up dead after police dispatched to investigate instead shot the 40-year-old yoga instructor. Likewise, Carl Williams called 911 to report a robbery and ended up being shot by police, who mistook him for a robber in his own home. Traffic stops took a turn for the worse. Police officers have been given free range to pull anyone over for a variety of reasons and subject them to forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases. This free-handed approach to traffic stops has resulted in drivers being stopped for windows that are too heavily tinted, for driving too fast, driving too slow, failing to maintain speed, following too closely, improper lane changes, distracted driving, screeching a car’s tires, and leaving a parked car door open for too long. Unfortunately, traffic stops aren’t just dangerous. They can be downright deadly at a time when police can do no wrong—at least in the eyes of the courts, police unions and politicians dependent on their votes—and a “fear” for officer safety is used to justify all manner of police misconduct. The courts failed to uphold justice. A review of critical court rulings over the past decade or so, including some ominous ones by the U.S. Supreme Court, reveals a startling and steady trend towards pro-police state rulings by an institution concerned more with establishing order and protecting the ruling class and government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution. For example, continuing its disturbing trend of siding with police in cases of excessive use of force, a unanimous Supreme Court declared that police should not be held liable for recklessly firing 15 times into a shack where a homeless couple was sleeping. A culture of compliance paved the way for sexual predators. Twenty years after America gave a collective shrug over accusations of sexual harassment by Bill Clinton, sexual harassment suddenly made headlines after a series of powerful men, including Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, were accused of predatory behavior in the workplace. Patriotism trumped free speech. At a time when the American flag adorns everything from men’s boxers and women’s bikinis to beer koozies, bandannas and advertising billboards (with little outcry from the American public), a conveniently timed public dispute over disrespect for the country’s patriotic symbols during football games further divided the nation and detracted from more serious conversations that should have been taking place about critical policy matters of state. Mass shootings claimed more lives. Mass shootings have taken place at churches, in nightclubs, on college campuses, on military bases, in elementary schools, in government offices, and at concerts. The mass shooting in Las Vegas that left more than 50 people dead and more than 500 injured was the deadliest to date and left us with more questions than answers, none of them a flattering reflection of the nation’s values, political priorities, or the manner in which the military-industrial complex continues to dominate, dictate and shape almost every aspect of our lives. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and healthcare costs skyrocketed. Despite being one of the world’s richest nations, America’s poor grew to 41 million people living in poverty. That doesn’t include the number of Americans struggling to pay their bills and make ends meet. Americans currently pay $3.4 trillion a year for medical care. We spent more than $10,000 per person on health care in 2016. Those attempting to shop for health insurance coverage right now are understandably experiencing sticker shock with premiums set to rise 34% in 2018. It’s estimated that costs may rise as high as $15,000 by 2023. We became a nation of snowflakes. We have entered a new age where there can be no freedom speech, expression or thought. We have become a nation of snowflakes, snitches and book burners: a legalistic, intolerant, elitist, squealing bystander nation eager to report fellow citizens to the police for the slightest offense. Americans allowed their fears—fear for their safety, fear of each other, fear of being labeled racist or hateful or prejudiced, etc.—to trump their freedom of speech and muzzle them far more effectively than any government edict could. Ultimately the war on free speech—and that’s exactly what it is: a war being waged by Americans against other Americans—is a war that is driven by fear. That bottled up dissent bubbled over and fomented even more hate, distrust and paranoia among portions of the populace. Civil discourse was drowned out by intolerance, violence and militarized police. In Charlottesville, Berkeley and St. Louis, the presence of violent protesters and militarized police turned First Amendment activities into riots. Charlottesville, Va., has become the latest poster child in a heated war of words—and actions—over racism, “sanitizing history,” extremism (both right and left), political correctness, hate speech, partisan politics, and a growing fear that violent words will end in violent actions. In Charlottesville, as in so many parts of the country, the conflict centered on how to reconcile the nation’s checkered past with the present need to sanitize the environment of anything—words and images—that might cause offense. The courts empowered the government to wreak havoc on our liberties. In one particularly outrageous incident, a Virginia court authorized police to take pictures of a teenager’s genitals and force the young man to masturbate—or be subjected to “an erection-producing injection”—as part of a teen sexting case. A Massachusetts court had no qualms about forcing the subject of an investigation to unlock his phone so government agents could search it. The cost of endless wars drove the nation deeper into debt. Waging endless wars abroad (in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Syria) didn’t make America—or the rest of the world—any safer, any greater, or any richer. Meanwhile, the nation’s infrastructure is falling apart. The interest alone on the money America has borrowed to wage its wars will cost an estimated $8 trillion. Overcriminalization went into overdrive. A Florida couple was threatened with $50 daily fines for growing vegetables in their front yard. Arizona introduced legislation that would allow the government to seize the assets of anyone associated with protests that “disturb the public peace.” The Internet of Things crossed over into the twilight zone. Google Home updated its features to allow users (and Google) to remotely control smart, internet-enabled devices such as lights, switches, thermostats, security cameras, washers, dryers, vacuums and more. Toys that talked back with the help of connected technologies also exposed kids to the risk of strangers hacking into and communicating with them, without their parents’ knowledge. Government agencies padded their pockets at the expense of taxpayers. In Virginia, drivers traveling along a toll road during rush hour were hit with a $40 toll to travel a 10-mile stretch of road, part of a new dynamic price gouging scheme aimed at penalizing single-occupant vehicles traveling during peak times. The plight of the nation’s homeless worsened. In communities across the country, legislators adopted a variety of methods (parking meters, zoning regulations, tickets, and even robots) to discourage the homeless from squatting, loitering and panhandling. One of the most common—and least discussed—practices: homeless relocation programs that bus the homeless outside city limits. Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another. First Amendment activities were pummeled, punched, kicked, choked, chained and generally gagged all across the country. The reasons for such censorship varied widely from political correctness, safety concerns and bullying to national security and hate crimes but the end result remained the same: the complete eradication of free speech. Google also announced plans to dedicate 10,000 staffers to tracking down “extremist” content on YouTube. The Surveillance State rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies, police, hackers and power failures. The Department of Homeland, which has been leading the charge to create a Surveillance State, began deploying mandatory facial recognition scans at airports and improperly gathering biometric data on American travelers. Police were gifted with new surveillance gadgets that allows them to scan vehicles for valuable goods and contraband. Even churches got in on the game, installing “crime cameras” to monitor church property and churchgoers. The Corporate State tapped into our computer keyboards, cameras, cell phones and smart devices in order to better target us for advertising. Social media giants such as Facebook granted secret requests by the government and its agents for access to users’ accounts. Triggered by background noise, Google Assistant has been actively recording phone users’ conversations. And our private data—methodically collected and stored with or without our say-so—was repeatedly compromised and breached. Technology drove teens to suicide. Studies show that the rapid explosion of cell phone use and increased screen time by young people have contributed to a climate in which teen mental health is failing and suicide rates among 13- to 18-year-olds are skyrocketing. Police became even more militarized and weaponized. Despite concerns about the government’s steady transformation of local police into a standing military army, local police agencies continued to acquire weaponry, training and equipment suited for the battlefield—with full support from the Trump Administration. Connecticut expanded its crime-fighting tools to equip police with drones and surveillance to “analyze crime and traffic patterns and capture suspects.” Massachusetts police began using their military armored vehicle (intended for dealing with natural disasters) to intimidate residents making too much noise. Drones became more lethal. DARPA, the government’s military research agency, unveiled a plan to deploy a swarm of armed, surveillance mini-drones. The Pentagon also provided a glimpse into its future plans for kamikaze drones and tethered, targeted killer drones. Science got scary. Researchers created “humanized” mice using organs taken from fetal tissue. Genetic engineers created an entire synthetic DNA genome watermarked with encoded links and hidden messages. The FDA approved the first digital pill embedded with sensors to monitor patients’ intake. And DARPA funded research towards the creation of genetic extinction technologies that could be used to eradicate or alter whole populations. The government waged a renewed war on cash. Championed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the government’s attempts to seize cash and other valuables under the guise of asset forfeiture moved into high gear. Denver made $2.4 million in car seizures in one year alone. One Alabama town turned its police force into a money-making operation to increase revenue. Police waged a war on kids. So-called school “safety” policies, which run the gamut from zero tolerance policies that punish all infractions harshly to surveillance cameras, metal detectors, random searches, drug-sniffing dogs, school-wide lockdowns, active-shooter drills and militarized police officers, have turned schools into prisons and young people into prisoners. In Georgia, 900 high school students were subjected to body searches by sheriff’s deputies as part of a warrantless drug sweep. The Deep State reared its ugly head. The Deep State—a.k.a. the police state a.k.a. the military industrial complex—took over. The American system of representative government was overthrown by a profit-driven, militaristic corporate state bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad. When in doubt, follow the money trail. It always points the way. The U.S. military industrial complex—aided by the Trump administration—armed the world while padding its own pockets. Not content to sell an arsenal of weapons and military equipment to the world, the U.S. government pushed to amend a global arms control agreement to allow it to sell military drones globally. Let’s not take the mistakes and the carnage and the toxicity of this past year into a new year. The power to change things for the better rests with us, not the politicians. As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the police state is marching forward, more powerful than ever. Thus, if there is to be any hope for freedom in 2018, it rests with “we the people” engaging in local, grassroots activism that transforms our communities and our government from the ground up. Let’s resolve to work together to make this new year better than the last. http://clubof.info/

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