Spiralling Ever Downwards
Posted on August 30, 2008
Filed Under Journal |
So it comes down more and more, and I have to wonder how long sites like this one will be allowed to keep going. Maybe that is somewhat despairing paranoia on my part? New Police-like powers have been granted to a wide range of private citizens in the UK. Now council workers, private security firms, dog wardens and housing officers among others have the ability to issue fines for minor so called ‘criminal acts’ such as dropping litter. They also go as far as having the power to demand your identity and address as well as publish a photo of you in the local newspapers, such as happened to this poor lady:
How long until we can be fined for being ‘politically incorrect…
…How long until these ‘Community Safety Accreditation’ Officers get the power to arrest and enter homes?
As if all this isn’t enough, plans are underway to outfit supermarkets with holding cells, for shoplifters (and other ‘criminals’ who come under the scrutiny of the ‘Community Safety Accreditation’ officers?)
The short-term lockups could hold prisoners for up to four hours where they would be finger-printed, photographed and have a DNA sample taken.
They would allow beat bobbies to remove offenders from circulation without spending too long off the street themselves.
Offenders held in the cells could then either be released with a fine, or referred for further action or charging.
The so-called “supermarket cells” have already been piloted in Selfridges on Oxford Street.
I won’t draw any historical parallels, because all but the most idiotic will be able to see them.
A number of widely recognised writers have started removing articles from their websites - Stuart Wilde among them, leaving numerous implications of the place such articles will have in the future. Where do we draw the line between giving into fear and using intuition and self-preservation? But then what is written down is essentially permanent…yes even on the Internet…Google stores everything!
Back in April I mentioned some rumours regarding police officers going on ’secret’ training for riot control. Other rumours from the same source were regarding private citizens being issued police-like powers. The reason? Well because there is a ‘war’ coming, in the resulting chaos the police and military will be required for extensive riot control. At the time I thought the rumours too fantastical to even bother posting. But here we are with ‘Community Safety Accreditation’ Officers, and brewing trouble in Georgia.
When I hear what is occurring in Georgia I am reminded of the situation with Germany and Poland; a ’small’ conflict which ignited across the entire world. There are too many countries getting involved, there are lines and alliances being drawn. There is a marked arrogance with threatening Russia with economic sanctions when much of Europe is so dependant upon Russian gas and oil. This to me seems one of the largest powder kegs for decades.
So where do we go from here as individuals? We can keep our heads down, and walk a silent inner path of spiritual awareness. But how far can this take us? A time seems to be approaching where there will be no where to hide, and no stone left unturned. Where ’secret police’ will be watching from undercover, badges waiting to be flashed, and penalties issued. It’s all spiralling down.
I look out the window and it isn’t as dark as I imaged such times would look. It isn’t bleak, it isn’t overcast neither is it raining. It looks just as it has ever done. There’s a profound truth in that isn’t there?
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17 Responses to “Spiralling Ever Downwards”
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I do think this is unjustifiable paranoia. The criminal acts such dropping litter are just that, criminal acts. They always have been. What has always been the problem is the enforcement against litter droppers. It may not be a problem to you (perhaps you are a litter dropper), but it costs the UK £500 million per year to clear up litter. As it is, I constantly see people drop litter with impunity and I wish there was some real enforcement being applied. There probably never will be with attitudes like yours and we will be conmdemned to be plagued by litters and other ‘minor’ offenders. Do you wish to see a world wherer minor offenders are never brought to account?
[ Quote ]Isn’t the law there to work as a deterrent, rather than a means of punishment?
I have no problems with these laws being enforced. But it is the job of a Police Officer, not the likes of my neighbour who just happens to work for the council.
And no I am not a litter dropper - you made a bit of a strawman statement there. I just don’t want to see power abused.
[ Quote ]The point is that the current level of enforcement means that there is virtually no deterrent; witness the amount of litter choking this country. You should also be aware that even with the powers you describe litter droppers can simply refuse to co-operate and the enforcers are impotent to act as there are no powers of arrest. You are also incorrect in believing that this is the job of a police officer. There is no abuse of powers as there are currently very few powers available for anyone to abuse. Bring on real enforcement such as they have in Singapore and stop being on the side of the ‘minor’ criminals.
[ Quote ]The trouble in Georgia escalates, whilst on the home-front we are faced with civilian law enforcers along with holding cells in supermarkets - we are clearly on the threshold of great change.
As always in such times there are people who are concerned only with the criminality which occurs on their own doorstep - litterbugs, smoking, being drunk. For these sorts, reporting neighbours to the authorities for such infractions is but one step away. A narrow focus, eyes cast downwards. Obedience,
righteousness, correctness, conformity, enforcement and all that malarkey.
This is the future we face. Some look far enough to see what is coming, and in reality it isn’t a difficult thing to do. They only need to be able to look past their own Ego based belief systems and their social conditioning. Ultimately we reap what we sow, and the time for reaping is rapidly approaching.
Some people talk of ’sides’ as though we are a divided people, the ‘them and us’ mentality. A population becomes divided when their collective spirit has been broken. This is not a difficult thing to understand.
And so we are left with many a semantic dance, farces of words and counter-words which serve no purpose other than to feed the self-righteousness of the un-aware Ego. In many ways there is nothing wrong with that, after all it is a choice to be that way. And all the time there is freedom of choice there is room for freedom of spirit.
Beware those who would have you look over your shoulder for possessing an opinion. Those who put words in your mouth, and make silent subtle accusations behind (un)intelligent statements. Beware those who speak in terms of ’sides’, theirs is a black and white world full of fear and loathing. Such fear always demands control of the perceived ‘incorrect’.
Possessing such an Ego really must be quite a burden to carry. Unfortunatly it is a burden which historically has dragged down entire nations.
Hence the title of this post ‘Spiralling Ever Downwards’, a subject most eloquently proven and displayed by the timely and I might add, very quick comments.
[ Quote ]Seems to me the powers-that-be are refining and consolidating their power and control, which manifests in all these various ways, from local crime to world wars. Ignorance is not the way. Fear is also not the way, of course. Mindful awareness is a good place to start. Where to be, what to do, should then present itself. As the future unfolds just to be calm and ready for anything - as long as we can write about it here the better, but you are right, our time is likely short.
[ Quote ]Fear is the great imobalizer isn’t it? The closer the threat - or at least the perceived threat gets, the greater the extent fear will be felt.
I agree, mindful awareness is certainly one of the places to begin. Yet on another level, whilst I could intellectually foresee a police-state, seeing it so close certainly gives pause for concern if nothing else.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in such great momentum. How do we help brace ourselves against getting swept up in such a thing?
[ Quote ]There seems to be an impression that I am a narrow-minded person who cannot see the big picture. You could not be more wrong and I can tell you that I understand more than most here what the true big picturen is. I cannot however understand why you think we are on the verge of a police state when the authorities are so constrained by procedures and rules that they are in many aspects powerless. People can happily commit many criminal acts with impunity and it is those who speak about ‘police states’ that collude in such a situation. You steal from a shop, what do you expect to happen? That they sit you on a chair and ask if you would mind not disappearing? You drop litter and when challenged you raise two fingers and carry on (this happens now and there are no plans to change it). It is the paranoid here who help this to continue. You are in fact the real problem here.
[ Quote ]You are right, the police are tied by too many bureaucratic procedures. Not all ‘police-states’ need be enforced by force. A population (by population I mean both citizens and authority figures) that cannot move through fear of breaking regulations, laws, and rules is equally tied. We cannot put our bins out too early, we must put our rubbish in the correct bin, people cannot smoke, parking regulations are ridiculous, certain words and phrases can get a person in ‘trouble’; it goes on and on. The Police are tied by too many rules, just as the people are tied by too many rules. The bureaucratic nonsense goes both ways and this is the ‘police-state’ that I am referring too. Where people are ‘policed’ by each other, bolstered by too many rules and bureaucracy, and the fear or threat of being ‘wrong’ or a ‘problem’.
So I agree completely, cut the red-tape.
You speak of me being the problem. Yet you have written three comments here and in each one you have made accusations against me. From being a litter dropper, to a supporter of criminals and now apparently I am the so called ‘problem’.
Why do you make such accusations? Should I not have written the original post? Is a person holding an opinion different to yours the cause all social problems? So ok - I am open to the possibility that I am ‘wrong’ - that’s a valid result of freewill. But why is it a ‘problem’, and why does it demand that you make accusations?
[ Quote ]Well let’s break it down:
‘We cannot put our bins out too early’. - What! I have never heard of such nonsense. If it does happen then it is very localised and certainly not normal.
‘We must put our rubbish in the correct bin’. Of course you must. The reason for this is to ensure efficient recycling. The alternative is to continue unsustainable land-filling and speed up the loss of resources.
‘People cannot smoke’. People most certainly can smoke. What they cannot do is impose their carcinogens on others in internal public areas. Should it be normal for smokers to do as they please?
‘Parking regulations are ridiculous’. In what way. Perhaps have no parking regulations or just enough regulation to satisfy you?
‘Certain words and phrases can get a person in ‘trouble’’. Excuse me? What do you mean? Perhaps you mean racist language. That is on fact the only language that is prohibited. Would you prefer otherwise?
I don’t think I need to make accusations you seem to make them against yourself quite adequately. Think hard about the things you seem to agree with and ask yourself why many think of you as the problem.
From all that you have said you sound exactly like an extreme right wing Tory, perhaps even BNP. People with your views must be challenged.
[ Quote ]Thanks Justin, I think you have summed up your intentions here very well!
[ Quote ]Well handled Marcus. Its a pleasure to read comments from someone who had no need to partake in verbal combat - silent knowing is a wonderful thing
[ Quote ]Thanks Panoramic.
I think that in the end the domination of the world Ego will fade away; it has a habit of shooting itself in the foot…
[ Quote ]I would certainly hope that the people utilizing these new means of ‘enforcement’ are human, and thus utilize common sense and benefit of the doubt. However, I’m sure there are abusers out there who would lock somone up in a temporary holding cell, or the like, just to feel powerful or in control. I certainly hope society and community would hold the abusers accountable, the same way as the abused offenders.
I definitely believe “due process” should be maintained regardless of who is empowered to enforce the rules.
[ Quote ]The problem that I see it - is that this isn’t a responsible method of enforcement. It doesn’t really matter how decent the people may or may not be - the trouble arises when the people are set-up to police themselves.
Your right ‘due process’ should indeed be maintained, and that requires reasonable rules and transparent methods and means of enforcement.
[ Quote ]The more laws we create, the more criminals we create. Why yes, we should not be tossing litter, as in a previous comment, but the real problem in not in the enforcement, it’s in the attitude that created the urge to litter in the first place. Obviously, this applies to more than just littering. I am trying to say that it’s not lack of enforcement that causes these ‘problems’, it’s some underlying cultural issues. Maybe ignorance, lack of education, maybe they are acting out against a system with too many rules - I don’t know.
In any case, I think people will just act out against each other the more they are pushed or forced to ‘behave’. Kind of a hostile finger pointing environment where people don’t really get along. The just behave how they are told -or else. We should all get along because we want to; not because we have to.
[ Quote ]All it would take is for people to not accept it period but they would have to be willing to go to jail thats all it would take. I say that because freedom isnt free you have to be willing to give somthing if you dont you allow the abuse you make excuses to yourself why its ok and how you can manage to live with it but then that only means they will further take your freedoms you must be willing to sacrifice.
An interesting thing however is the law does protect us against all of this, infact you never had to pay a fine in your whole life or follow any of the rules if you chose not to and the law of this country would actually protect you if you chose to do that however we have been tricked into thinking we are obliged to conform to whatever new rules and regulations they create you are not.
for more information go here
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=6729904244308031068&ei=qujHSOPdMoiuiAL695XOAg&q=think+free&hl=en
[ Quote ]Looks like an interesting video Dan! Thanks.
I didn’t know that about UK law. The problem is fear isn’t it. We have become so accustomed to what we may lose that we fear taking any action.
I noticed on the front of Saturadays telegraph that things have been taken a few steps further. The public is being hired by local councils to act as snoops - or ‘covert human intelligence’ as they are being called. This includes hiring kids as young as 8 years old.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2689996/Children-aged-eight-enlisted-as-council-snoopers.html
It’s difficult not to find fear and anger in this…
[ Quote ]