Tyranny, Freedom and the Rising Power of Social Media

This Hub is a Rally to Action.

We live in a world fraught with peril and very real threats to our freedom and to our way of life. It is also a world of incredible opportunity and real power through unity. Where voting used to be the way to have a voice, our inter-connectedness through Social Media is our power against tyranny. And it's easier than voting (unless you live in NM like I do, but that is another Hub).

This Hub Series is a Call to Action. In this Series you will find:

• Scary, TRUE stories of out-of-control government, police and regulators
• Empowering TRUE stories that reveal the Power for Positive Change that happens when we unite through Social Media
• TRUE stories that are happening NOW, and that we can change if we Take Action.

True Story of a Professor's fight for Freedom of Speech and the power of Social Media

This story comes from FIRE, a campus individual rights organization. Posted very recently on Youtube, the video documents the story of the University of Wisconsin-Stout's censorship of Professor James Miller's innocent posters featuring a quote he liked from Firefly. When author Neil Gaiman gets involved, the power of Social Media causes the power elites to back down.

This story carries many messages to which we must be alert:

• The Power to Cause Harm. We live in a world where reputations can be destroyed in a Twitter instant. This professor was probably turned in by an anonymous informant who could have been anyone from a Firefly hater to a student who didn't like their grade. Professor Miller, because he liked a quote about killing (View the Video for details), was portrayed as inciting violence but the video reveals he was not.
• The Power to Restrict Freedom of Speech. The history of our country is based upon one of the most basic freedom's our founder's clearly recognized; that of speech. When we empower our government to rob us of that freedom in the name of Public Safety, (think TSA), we come perilously close to encouraging a tyrannical police state.
• The Positive Power of Community. To me, this is the KEY LESSON. In today's world, the power of Social Media is far more effective than voting. In a country where tyranny, regulation and governmental control and restriction are on the rise, we are not powerless against tyrants. Do not be complacent about this power. Your politicians recognize the threat to their reign represented by Facebook and Twitter. We must be vigilant.

Tyranny Arrives in Many Forms.

Not often do I find myself on the same page as the Reverend Jesse Jackson. This, however is one of those times. Across the country, municipalities are struggling. States, cities, counties all have miscalculated the potential for future revenues and in the process, have "over-promised" on "services". In their never-ending quest to create a Dependent Class, politicians on both sides of the aisle will do seemingly anything to expand their power base - AT THE COST OF YOUR FREEDOM.

Dateline Michigan: Under the auspices of a so-called "Emergency Manager Law", the governor is appointing unelected managers to take over municipality revenue and expenditure decisions. Political Apointees. The latest, from Detroit, (undeniably in grave financial trouble), is the appointment of three un-elected and un-representative "managers. Civil rights activists protest this law, as do I. Do you really think this is far removed from Martial Law? We are frogs coming to a boil.

This story has no national coverage. It is a perfect example of why we need an alternative to the main-stream press ( a FREE INTERNET), and it is a classical example of TYRANNY. When you have no say in how your local government is run, you are no longer free my friends.

Analysis. Michigan State Law Public Act 72 was enacted in 1990. Ever fearful of union power in bankrupt Michigan (sorry, yes, they are now part of the problem), the law specifically does not elimiate collective bargaining but it does allow the placement of "emergency managers" if the "elected officials fail to take steps necessary to prevent and emergency". The question is, who decides what "steps <are> necessary, and what constitutes an "emergency"?

Tyranny, especially in America, is not typically a blatant bat across the skull. No, more often it will be couched in some humanitarian terms, "for the good of the many". In case you are unfamiliar with that phraseology outside Star Trek, I suggest you review the Karl Marx's Communist Manifest.

Tyranny cloaked in 'the common good' is not part of American Freedom, nor our constitution

Although congress recently denied funding for enforcement of the Lightbulb legislation, requiring Americans to convert their familiar incandescent light bulbs to Mercury-Laden compact fluorescent lamps, the law is still on the books and can be enforced any time. This year, 2012, 100w incandescent bulbs are banned. Guess who LOVES this legislation? Yep, its GE. Gosh, I wonder why. To me, this legislation is a PRIME example of a statist government, with lawmakers and major corporations all snuggly and spooning together. I think it is an infringement on our liberties. Check out this video from the WSJ with "the Green Skeptic"

This hub, and series will be an on-going work, so that we may be current and vigilant. Please follow me, give me your feedback, and ideas for other stories. Thanks!