"Freedom is Slavery!"

January 4, 2010 at 11:33 A.M. A previously corrected "error" was reinserted in the text. I have now corrected that "error." I expected much worse.

December 5, 2009 at 2:57 P.M. A letter was deleted from a single word. I have now restored that letter.

November 19, 2009 at 11:26 A.M. Cybercrime and harassment from New Jersey continues, every day.

November 2, 2009 at 12:48 P.M. Obstructions, cybercrime, harassments made accessing these blogs difficult and will (probably) result in vandalisms and defacements of writings, once again. Has Senator Bob been indicted yet? Are the Grand Juries hearing the Menendez matters still "out to lunch"? This spectacle now disgraces the Senate of the United States of America which is contaminated with the presence of an "alleged" bribe taker. ("Senator Bob, the Babe, and the Big Bucks" and "Does Senator Menendez Have Mafia Friends?")

Timothy Williams, "U.S. Fears Iraquis Will Not Keep Up Rebuilt Projects," in The New York Times, November 21, 2009, at p. A1. ($53 BILLION in Iraq may have been wasted.)
Taimoor Sha & Alissa J. Rubin, "Suicide Bomber Strikes Afghan Market, Killing at Least 15 People," in The New York Times, November 21, 2009, at p. A8.
Elisabeth Bumiller, "Gates Says U.S. Could Cut Aid if Afghans Fail to Curb Corruption," in The New York Times, November 21, 2009, at p. A8. (BILLIONS OF DOLLARS are being wasted in Afghanistan aid that is stolen.)
"Hunger in the United States," (Editorial) in The New York Times, November 18, 2009, at p. A34. (" ... a record number of households [49 million] had trouble getting sufficient food at one time or another last year." Were such households filled with starving Americans "secure"?)
Noam Chomsky, "Crisis and Hope: Theirs and Ours," in Boston Review, September/October, 2009, at p. 25.
Neil MacFarquhar, "Disagreement Over Goals At a Meeting On Hunger," in The New York Times, November 17, 2009, at p. A13.
Jason DePearle, "49 Million Americans Report a Lack of Food," in The New York Times, November 17, 2009, at p. A14.
Sarah Sewall, "Do the Right Thing: A Genocide Policy That Works," in Boston Review, September/October, 2009, at p. 33.
David W. Chen & David M. Halbfinger, "In New Jersey, President Makes Case for Corzine," in The New York Times, November 2, 2009, at p. A1. (NJ has $8 BILLION deficit, much of it due to theft of public funds by lawyers, judges and politicians who disapprove of my "ethics.")
Carlotta Gall & Jeff Zeleny, "Out of Race, Karzai Rival Is Harsh Critic of Elections," in The New York Times, November 2, 2009, at p. A1. ("Carlotta Gall?" Is this "Manohla Dargis"? "Ginger Thompson"?)
"The Press Association: Call for 'World Food Crisis' Action," http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iTDrp0EYuBzqvYQNapDYiFOev0ng
Adam Liptak, "Inmate Count In U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations'," in The New York Times, April 23, 2008, at p. A1.
"Ban on Genetic Bias Advances," in The New York Times, April 23, 2008, at p. C1.
Elizabeth Drew, "Molehill Politics," The New York Review of Books, April 17, 2008, at p. 12.
Stephen Holmes, "Is Defiance of Law a Proof of Success? Magical Thinking in the War on Terror," in Karen J. Greenberg, ed., The Torture Debate in America (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 118.
George Orwell, 1984 (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1949).
Johanno Strasser, "1984: Decade of the Experts?," in Irving Howe, ed., 1984 -- Revisited: Totalitarianism in Our Century (New York: Harper Perennial, 1984), p. 149.
Uviller, "Evidence From the Mind of the Criminal Suspect: A Reconsideration of the Current Rules of Accessing and Restraint," 87 Columbia L. Rev. 1137-1212 (1987). (It was inconceivable to this author that the techniques deemed dangerous for use in criminal litigation would become common in civil cases or non-cases, handled secretly, in an American jurisdiction.)
Joan Didion, Fixed Ideas: America Since 9/11 (New York: NYRB, 2003).

"Errors" were inserted in this essay. They have now been corrected, again. January 11, 2009 at 4:17 P.M.

You are a little early for your job interview at the U.S. State Department. Adjusting your nice suit, you sip from a Starbucks mug, place your briefcase at your side, make yourself comfortable at this pleasant and unexceptional government office. You wore your good suit -- the blue one, made by Brooks Brothers -- a nice white shirt with button-down collar sets off a gray silk tie. Polished black shoes and a neatly folded handkerchief in your pocket convey the right message: "attentiveness to details is assured if you hire me."

The government official who interviewed you last week greets you right on time. You are ushered into this person's office, take your seat, and are informed -- with an affectation of concern -- that the U.S. government cannot hire you because (based on genetic testing) there is a 40% risk that you will commit an infraction of some kind within the first 10 years of employment. ("'The Island': A Movie Review.")

With a smile, this "generic person" further informs you that, on the bright side, there is only a 15% chance that you will be arrested or convicted for a crime, whether or not you commit one. America can no longer wait for such things to occur. The policy now is to take "preemptive action." ("'The Stepford Wives': A Movie Review" and see Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report.")
Potential criminals or those capable of an impermissible thought will not be hired. Perhaps they will be deemed "unethical," long before there is any proceeding required to make such a determination, confirming what is already decided. True, this policy seems to exclude EVERYONE from employment.

Persons who may commit crimes are also eliminated or excluded from polite society, of course, before they have an opportunity to take a costly misstep. In this way, everyone's civil liberties can be protected and the American way of life guarded from the terrorist plots being hatched, even as we speak, in the deserts of Arabia. We must protect the public! 1988-2010? (One new "error" inserted and corrected.)

There are some lingering technical problems due to the fact that many of those who are not hired go on to be very successful. Mysteriously, others who are given important positions, commit crimes for which there was no genetic predisposition. American scientists are baffled at this state of affairs, insisting that no one at all should be hired in the future. Furthermore, the entire population of the United States should be incarcerated or equipped with ankle bracelets to provide electronic monitoring in order to protect our civil liberties and guarantee our freedoms.

"The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners."

Feeling safer in the "land of free and home of the brave"?

"The United States has, for instance, 2.3 MILLION criminals behind bars" -- many of whom are former elected officials and attorneys from N.J.! -- "more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London." ("Havana Nights and C.I.A. Tapes.")

In the event that anyone is confused about this matter, allow me to make it clear that I have never been charged with or convicted of a crime, even in a jurisdiction that manufactures criminal accusations for political reasons. Unless I am framed for something -- which is always possible in New Jersey -- I doubt that I will ever be charged with a crime.

Time to remove another letter from one of my words, again. Many harassments were experienced today, including deletion of an essay I wrote dealing with the Cuba issue. New "errors" have just been inserted and corrected in this essay, once again, allowing me to start another year and administration on a familiar note with New Jersey's corrupt officials.

"China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison." ("Foucault, Rose, Davis and the Meanings of Prison" and "Havana Nights and C.I.A. Tapes.")

In light of this reality, many people in China are baffled at American officials' public expressions of concern about civil rights in Beijing. Yes, there are civil rights issues in China. There are civil rights issues in America. There are civil rights issues in every human society. Furthermore, these issues are understood differently in the various cultures of the world. "President Obama in China: Economy, Security and, Yes, Human Rights," (Editorial) in The New York Times, November 16, 2009, at p. A24. (Is China or America likely to be "pressed" into adopting one position or another on a controversial issue?) Michael Wines, "China Writer Fights Penalty Over Charter On Rights," in The New York Times, January 5, 2010, at p. A6. (Was Liu Xiaobo raped or stolen from in China? Was he slandered to friends and family members by persons affiliated with the government who refused to identify themselves or speak to him "face-to-face"? Was Mr. Liu starved or denied the truth concerning actions taken against his life?)

Another "error" was, apparently, inserted and corrected in the foregoing paragraph. (Soon: "Is Joel T. Leyner, Esq. New Jersey's Slimiest Fixer?" and "Debbie Poritz Likes the Ladies!")

How is it possible for U.S. officials not to see the absurdity and contradiction in U.S. calls on China to release a person held for 2 years on a state secrets charge, when we have held persons for longer than that -- until recently, on NO charges? Keith Bradsher, "U.S. Presses China in Case of Oil Geologist Held for 2 Years on State Secrets Charge," in The New York Times, November 21, 2009, at p. A4. (In a way, I am being "held" on no charges, since my rights are violated, publicly, along with your rights of access to my writings.)

Mere diversity of population in the U.S. is not enough of an explanation for this phenomenon of excessive imprisonment. Certainly, our celebration of violence -- equating physical cruelty with masculine achievement in sports and military life -- may have something to do with this alarming situation. Far be it for me to suggest that sexism may be a social pathology associated with such things as criminality. ("What a man's gotta do.")

The cult of expertise and mortal dread of the undetermined and creative experimentation in life and loving resulting from liberation of gay and alternative life-styles is a source of concern to government agencies seeking to control "deviant behavior" by suppressing the freedoms of everyone. It is important for government to control how and with whom you have sex. Theft of public funds and torture in New Jersey, on the other hand, is nothing to worry about. I continue to insist that Mr. Rubio's homosexuality -- if he is a homosexual as so many people say -- should not preclude him from marrying or holding elective office in Florida. ("Senator Bob, the Babe, and the Big Bucks.")

"[The U.S.] has 751 people in prison or jail for every 100,000 in population. (If you count only adults, one in 100 Americans is locked up.)"

What is the rate of incarceration in China? Cuba? It is my understanding that, in both Communist countries, the rate of incarceration is lower than in the United States.

Given this reality and the madness of continuing violations of the spirit and letter of America's Constitution by government agents, it is difficult to believe that there are many of our civil liberties left to protect from "the enemies of freedom." In this struggle to preserve the spirit of this great nation, you -- especially, young people -- are "either with us or against us."

What are the consequences of spending $70 BILLION on prisons and $800 BILLION on weapons and defense-related costs when you factor in the expense of the war(s) in which we are involved? Is anyone in America's political circles insane enough to wish to provoke a military confrontation with China? How will we pay for such a conflict if China does not lend us the money?

"On June 11 [2009] the Financial Times reported, 'the United Nations' World Food Programme is cutting food aid rations and shutting down some operations as donor countries that face a fiscal crunch at home slash contributions to its funding.' Victims include Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and others. [Like Cuba, which is not harming us in any way, but whose people will suffer from the U.S.-created global credit crunch.] The sharp budget cut comes as the toll of hunger passes a BILLION -- with over one hundred million [persons] added in the past six months -- while food prices rise, and remittances decline as a result of the economic crises [largely atributed to Wall Street greed!] in the West." (Chomsky, p. 25.)

An exclamation mark is highly appropriate in the statement enclosed within brackets. Perhaps this is a good moment for Mr. Menendez or New Jersey to insert another "error." ("Manohla Dargis Strikes Again!")

New Jersey faces $32 BILLION in unpayable debt; $1 BILLION in tax increases for 2009-2010; BILLIONS in fraud and theft as well as misspent public funds, including the $2 BILLION Xanadu scam, as President Obama "makes the case for Mr. Corzine." (The state deficit is now at $11 BILLION.) Say goodbye to your N.J. state pensions. Ethics? How many lawyers have been involved in these various elaborate frauds? How many lawyers have rationalized and covered-up torture in America's and New Jersey's prisons and jails? Do you speak to me of "Ethics," Mr. Rabner? New Jersey symbolizes the opposite of legal ethics and legality to the world as the only American jurisdiction in all of our history to be sued by the SEC for fraud. ("No More Cover-Ups and Lies, Chief Justice Rabner!")

The statistic used to be 25-50,000 deaths from hunger in the world per day. When these financial realities hit the Third World, we will ensure that twice this number of persons will die of starvation and thirst. 100,000 people per day by 2010-2011 may starve because Wall Street became obscenely greedy and needed a "bail out."

How do we live with ourselves? Who wants to talk about "ethics"? Is the answer to have hackers insert "errors" in my writings and prevent me from publishing my writings? Do you wish to threaten a child or one of my aged relatives in order to intimidate me? Is this how America demonstrates to the world its commitment to free speech? I doubt it.

Sadly, after writing the foregoing statement, I discovered newly inserted "errors" that are not found in previous versions of this text. ("Roberto Unger's Revolutionary Legal Theory" and "What is it like to be tortured?")

You must decide whether you wish to live a free or an utterly "safe" life. Freedom comes with a little risk. It may be more honest today to dispense with the Constitution, declaring elections and democratic processes suspended, indefinitely, in this state of emergency. The risk-warning code for today in New York is "orange." I can only hope that it will not be purple by tomorrow. No one that I know in this city knows or cares what this color-coding system means, if it means anything, which I doubt.

Does the love-life of your neighbors concern you to such an extent that you are willing to grant to the state and federal governments the power to criminalize some sexual relationships, but not others? I hope not. Is any person's inner life or the fleeting impressions and sexual thoughts of a person the business of the state? Are these things to be examined and discussed without a victim's consent by a group of officials extracting information, like a woman's ovaries, as the victim is kept "unconscious" of abusive hypnosis techniques to which he or she is subjected without consent or acknowledgement? Is a society that does such things, secretly, then lies about it -- moral? (See "Terry Tuchin, Diana Lisa Riccioli, and New Jersey's Agency of Torture" and "What is it like to be tortured?")

Are we in a position to judge the "ethics" of other countries? Do we still believe in freedom of speech?

Discussions and evaluations of the candidates in the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania centered on whether Mr. Obama wore a flag pin on his lapel. It is preferable to discuss, seriously, whether what that flag symbolizes is endangered by new legislation granting oppressive powers to government. ("Manifesto for the Unfinished American Revolution.")

America cannot accept ranking 17th among industrialized nations in scientific and philosophical literacy among university graduates. I am told that this number from the late nineties is now even lower and test scores are worse. ("Nihilists in Disneyworld.")

The primary source of information about the world consulted by my fellow Americans is "The Colbert Report," others opt for David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart. Regular readers of newspapers is down in New York and the rest of the nation. Less than 5% of Americans, allegedly, are aware of the looming hunger crisis, or the number of casualties in Iraq, the fact that Toyota is the number one automobile manufacturer in the world, or the continuing economic crisis facing the U.S., while less than 2% of Americans are regular readers of serious books of any kind. Political debate in America has too often been reduced to snide ad hominem character assassination. Last Sunday's New York Times was a disaster such as I never imagined possible in an American newspaper:

"Global action was demanded to tackle the 'silent tsunami' of the world food crisis amid warnings that more than 100 MILLION people faced being plunged into hunger." ( See Chomsky, above.)
In 2009-2010, again, the number of hungry persons in the world is approaching 1 BILLION. About the same number of people face misery and death from thirst and denials of access to clean drinking water. These people will be at your doorstep, if these problems do not generate the serious attention of the global community. (Spacing was affected in this essay since my previous review and other inserted "errors" are always expected.)

"Greed and Obesity" are the words most often associated with your country (if you are an American) by the world's peoples, followed closely by "cruelty," "selfishness" and "stupidity." New Jersey, for example, is equated with political and legal corruption, torture, theft or waste of public funds and silencing of dissidents, mutliplying pollutants and cancer. Billions of dollars in the hole as a result of mafia and other criminality in the government and courts of the Garden State. (See "Law and Ethics in the Soprano State" and "New Jersey's Feces-Covered Supreme Court.")

The reelection of Mr. Corzine, if it happens, will have no effect on the poisonous machinery of Democrat politics and the infamous mafia-government partnership in Trenton. Care for a Jersey tomato?

Do these matters concern you? I am involved in a daily struggle to speak as a free human being of the experience of torture and censorship. I am guaranteed this right to speak under the U.S. Constitution, which is (or so I was taught) the Supreme Law of the land. That same Constitution tells me that I have been tortured by hypocrites who have the nerve to speak to me of "ethics." ("New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics" and "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")

The response to what I say is further cyberwarfare, hackers, obstructions of my efforts to communicate. The solution to criticism in Trenton is to beat up the critic. Threats against me or my family members will not solve your problems in Trenton. ("Censorship and Cruelty in New Jersey" and "How Censorship Works in America.")

We find ourselves involved in a military campaign that seeks to resolve a set of intractable political and cultural divisions in an artificially-created nation, without a tradition of democratic institutions, with a population divided on religious as well as secular grounds, where "success" and "completion" of America's mission is undefined and vague. The challenge in Iraq is not, primarily, military. 5,000 and more American service people have died, so far. Hundreds of thousands of others have also died. No one has defined what constitutes "victory" in the region.

Why are we in Iraq? Well, part of the answer is 9/11, of course, and the residue of the Gulf War. Another answer is found in our recent history, which no one bothers to read:

"We not only expect them [political leaders] to use other nations as changeable scrims in the theater of domestic politics but encourage them to do so. After the April 1961 failure of the Bay of Pigs, John Kennedy's approval rating was four points higher than it had been in March. [Will Cuba be next on the invasion list? Iran? North Korea? Pakistan?] After the 1965 intervention in the Dominican Republic, Lyndon Johnson's approval rating rose six points. After the 1983 invasion of Granada, Ronald Reagan's approval rating rose four points, and what was that winter referred to in Washington as 'Lebanon' -- the sending of American marines into Beirut, the killing of 241, and the subsequent pullout -- was, in the afterglow of this certified success in the Caribbean, largely forgotten." (Joan Didion, pp. 33-34.)

Should we sacrifice Constitutional principles for "expediency," Mr. Obama? Does the Obama Administration believe in freedom of speech? Does Mr. Obama oppose slavery? Please close the guantanamo facility because it is hurting America's credibility each day that this "concentration camp" (Susan Sontag) continues to exist.