It’s like a George Orwell novel come to life.
On Tuesday, May 22, 2012, I attended an Obama 2012 rally at Keene State College where vice president Joe Biden was scheduled to speak. I arrived at the event about two hours before Biden was expected to arrive and the college campus was crawling with secret service agents, campus security, event coordinators, and of course, the KPD. There were metal detectors in the entrance to the student center where the event was being held and everyone, students included, had to be wanded down on their way in. The elite must be protected. Typical.
After surveying the situation inside, I headed outside to meet videographer Dave Ridley and Graham from Cop Block. Graham was wearing an Anonymous mask and carrying a Ron Paul sign. We noticed some people holding signs that said things like “Why won’t you talk about how you failed?” and “What will 1 trillion buy? A new president!”. They were standing behind a fence that had been set up way off on the edge of all the activity. Welcome to the “free speech zone”. And here I thought all of America was supposed to be a free speech zone. Silly me. I suggested the demonstrators exercise their free speech and leave the partitioned area with their signs, I even attempted to lead by example by borrowing one of their signs and walking around the entire area outside the student center with it. No one rules if no one obeys, but unfortunately Graham and I were the only ones refusing to obey and the rest of the demonstrators remained in the designated zone.
When Graham and I approached the building to enter (he was still wearing the mask and carrying the Ron Paul sign), we were immediately intercepted. The security guard at the door automatically assumed that Graham was in fact not Graham, but Ian Freeman, who has a no trespass order for the property. After harassing Graham and demanding he show ID, which he did not have, the guard called the KPD. Two officers came to the scene and confirmed that Graham was not Ian and was not banned from the property. When we finally got through the long line to get through the security check and metal detectors manned by secret service agents, the event coordinators inside would not let Graham into the event with either his mask or his sign and demanded he leave them at the front desk. However, upon going inside the auditorium, we were offered signs that said “Obama 2012” which apparently is the only speech approved for use by that campaign. I had different ideas.
Meanwhile, the vice president was running late and by the time he arrived at the event, I was sick and tired of being there. The entire thing was contrived to accomplish the intended end goal, which is to lie to the public. Nobody was talking about the fact that Obama is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people due to his war-mongering in the name of corporate interest, the fact that the economy is in the toilet, or that the dollar is on it’s way to complete collapse. Nobody was talking about bank bailouts or NDAA. They were too busy applauding throughout the pathetic Obama 2012 propaganda video portraying Barack Obama as a hero instead of the criminal he is.
When the vice president was finally introduced and the applause subsided, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to speak out. I called out through the auditorium “Joe, are you going to have me indefinitely detained for questioning you?” and as security approached to escort me out, the surrounding crowd began to chant “Yes We Can” over and over again. When they began to quiet, I yelled back “are you saying yes to indefinite detention” and they commenced their chanting.
Who says “yes we can” to indefinite detention? What sort of individual thinks this is okay? The obvious answer is one who does not think at all but instead repeats whatever propaganda is imposed upon them, just like the sheep in Animal Farm, but instead of “four legs good, two legs baaaaad” it is “yes we caaaaaan”.
