The Herald-Dispatch
Patriotism is a dangerous force that must be stamped out in America if it cannot be restrained. If patriotism compels you to pursue questions that powerful interests can't allow to be answered, then you may now be considered a radical, under the Homegrown Terrorist Prevention Act, H.R. 1955. The House overwhelmingly passed the act (it's now in the Senate), which targets Americans who refuse to accept the "official version" of recent historical events.

If you believe that JFK was killed by a conspiracy that included Oswald, you would be in agreement with the findings of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations, but you would be found guilty of harboring an "extremist belief system," under the new "thought crimes" act.

If you believe that America is controlled by a powerful elite who make all the big decisions for us instead of by the American people or the "leaders" that we elect, then you are a "conspiracy theorist." If you attempt to infect others with your extremist beliefs in order to "advance political, religious, or social change," then you are guilty of "radicalization" and may find yourself indicted for "facilitating ideologically-based violence."

If you question why America is in the mess it is in today, then you had better come up with an answer that is acceptable to the thought police. This is just fine-tuning the un-Constitutional restrictions of the "Patriot Act," which gave the authorities the power to learn what we were reading, who we were talking to and what we had to say. Now they want the power to know our thoughts, so that they can limit our beliefs.

People of America, wake up. Look around you and see what is being planned for you and your children. Tomorrow or the next day, we will awaken to the sounds of tanks and hundreds of boots, marching in time. Why do you think Bush quietly created powers for himself to declare "martial law" at will, the authority to use military forces in domestic police actions, to repeal "habeas corpus," to declare American citizens "enemy combatants," and the Halliburton/FEMA camps, that the military has the power to turn into "civilian labor camps."

Why is it that the national news media have maintained an ongoing news blackout about the afore-mentioned police state power plays when you can read the actual orders for them on the Internet? They are all accomplished facts, waiting for the day of implementation. Why aren't sweeping changes that amount to the death of American Constitutional democracy considered newsworthy? This long chain of media negligence, lying by omission, proves media complicity in every step toward American dictatorship.

Plans are made and in place, to submerge American national sovereignty in an internationalism "New World Order." The dreaded "North American Union" is just another step in that direction. It is time that every patriot proudly embrace the label "radical" and step forward en masse to denounce this conspiracy of treason.

Peter Chamberlin is a resident of Wheelersburg, Ohio

Oh? So you posted this in a news paper? The opinions page aren't loading for me. If I were you, I'd concentrate on something that you can change and not get NSA behind your back.

Ah it loaded. I can't seem to find your piece there.

Anyway, if you wish people to listen to you, you'll need to make sure that their mind is clear of all that junk. Next, you'll have to learn to fight these people using their rules. If you can beat them in a maze they've created, I'm sure they'd give up. Or at least expose themselves.

Thank you, jenx!
The importance of this sort of article in mainstream media can't be understated - it appeals to "ordinary people", and appeals to reason & common-sense; I can only hope that this journalist has a long and healthy career ahead.

People need to join-the-dots for themselves.

I myself want to hear more of this sort of stuff, because it might - just - make the average person think & reason just a little... we all need stuff like this.
To my mind, this is journalism at its very best - it makes people think, question... maybe even reject our pre-programmmed notion of authority on the basis of rationality - all very good stuff!
Since history began, planting first the seed of doubt has enjoyed more success than stating a thing outright from the outset; best of luck to the Herald Tribune journalist, I like his style, & hope to hear more from him.
Encouraging stuff, thank you
Mairi