NDAA: Hedges v. Obama: Did the Bill of Rights die today?Jill Dalton By the time I reach the 40 Centre Street Ive already missed Hedges, Ellsberg, Drake, Chomsky and the other notables whove already entered the Court House. What I find are 25 or so activists milling around and a huge group of photographers standing in a line on the opposite side of the sidewalk watching the proceedings along with several police cars and officers. So much for my dream of a large peoples presence to protest Obama signing the NDAA into law on December 31, 2011 as unsuspecting Americans sipped champagne and sang Auld Lang Syne. Perhaps Obama figured no one would notice; and most people didnt, but Chris Hedges did and he filed a lawsuit against Obama and Panetta. Whenever I mention the NDAA most people give me a quizzical look and ask, Whats that? To which I give them the in a nutshell answer. The NDAA stands for the National Defense Authorization Act, which has provisions for the government to use the US military against US citizens and can throw us into prison without due process until the end of hostilities, which in our case of permanent war means forever! They then look at me and ask, Are you making this up? To which reply, Google it. Lets be honest: who could make this up? Well, besides some member of the SS. Hedges describes the NDAA as, The final battle between the restoration of due process and the imposition of a military state. They seek to subjugate us all. Chris Hedges The only thing more craven then Obama signing the NDAA into law is the total lack of any coverage by the corporate media, which has proven itself to be nothing more than the propaganda arm of the corporate state. There were no cameras from NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX or CNN in front of the courthouse. The reporters were from Democracy Now!, RT, WBAI and various other independent media outlets. But worse still is the complete denial on the part of the American public that anything out of the ordinary is going on. The willful ignorance of Americans is astounding to me. Weve become a nation of zombies. Obama is a brand and I believe he was put into office to do what no Republican could ever get away with. Hes the kindlier gentler face of corporate empire. Here we have a president whos much worse than Bush in so many ways. Obamas extended the wars, created new wars, extended the Bush tax cuts for the rich, gave additional bail out money to the banks, allowed the health insurance industry to write the healthcare bill, extended the PATRIOT Act, escalated drone attacks (6 times more frequently than Bush) and prosecuted twice as many whistle-blowers under the Espionage Act of 1917 as all other presidents combined. Obama has assassinated three US citizens without due process and now wants to carry this draconian power out at home and to that end signed the NDAA into law and amazingly still finds time to ruminate over his kill list on Terror Tuesdays. Under his watch not one member of the Bush Administration has been held accountable for leading us into wars built on false evidence and lies; not one bankers been held accountable for the fraud and corruption that brought down the global economy. Obama is every corporatists wet dream. Glenn Ford refers to Obama as the more effective evil and I have to agree with his assessment. I mean give me a break. Dont listen to what Obama says. Talk is cheap. Look at his actions. Its not that difficult. Obamas completely charmed and neutered the African American community. And the hypocritical liberals are so full of crap. Theyre a bunch of crybabies who under Bush raised holy hell and now under Obama remain silent sycophants to his reign of terror. These so-called liberals are enabling cowards. Defending their murderer-in-chief at every turn. The liver lilied, hypocritical liberals lay prostate and impotent at Obamas feet pleading to be stomped on. They beg for their enslavement. Jesus, are they truly that deaf, dumb and blind? The corporate takeover of our government and the erosion of our civil liberties continue and if its allowed to continue unabated then we are truly done for. We will be a full-blown corporate police state with no rights and no jobs. Well be a penal colony. A third world country filled with serfs and warlords. Hedges affirms, All these laws are being put through by design. The sooner Americans figure out theres no two-party system the better. There is only one party and that my friends is a corporate party that serves the 1% and the corporations. Our government has been taken over by corporate forces that have no loyalty to any nation but only to profit and they will exploit all humanity and the planet until collapse. Because like Chris Hedges says, The only word they know is, More! On my way home I again pass by the transit workers and this time stop to listen to their grievances. They get it. Our 29 billion dollar mayor is trying to break their union. I encourage them, Dont let them do it. Stay strong. Throughout history all totalitarian regimes have eventually turned on their own citizens. The violence always comes home to roost but like Gandhi said, First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win. Chris Hedges: NDAA Update 2.7.13. Jill Dalton is a recovering army brat/writer/performer who has appeared in film and television as well as performing her solo plays in New York and around the country. Most recently she can be seen in and consulted for William Hurt on the HBO film, Too Big To Fail. Her articles have been published on: Dandelion Salad, RSN, OpEdNews Progressive selfnewss Voice NationofChange. Her book, Is It Fascism Yet? is available on Amazon.com linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 