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Noam Chomsky: The Amazing Rise andFall of Presumption of InnocenceBy Jan Wellmann, JanWellmann.com19 March 13

he most bizarre part of Section 1021(b)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) is that almost no one has heard about it.

And whoever has heard about it, doesn't want to talk about it.

It's almost as if someone took Dr. Goebbels' "The bigger the lie, the more it will bebelieved" - dictum and mutated it into a 21st century super weapon:

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Author, historian and political commentator Noam Chomsky. (photo: Ben Rusk/flickr)

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"Tell the truth, but make it so shocking that no one wants to hear about it."

No one wants to hear about the military having the power to detain you on Americansoil, without due process, indefinitely, at the discretion of the President. It sounds tooStalin. It reeks of conspiracy theory. Besides, it's clearly unconstitutional. So let's go getsome lunch.

That's why on December 4, 2012, the new NDAA passed the Senate with a 98-0vote. Almost everyone was out to lunch.

Except seven individuals who decided to sue Obama instead. But other than that, theresulting rumpus was minor.

Since February 13th, "The Seven" are on their way to the Supreme Court. But noone wants to hear about it. A few individuals against the United States government soundstoo Matthew McConaughey, unless you're a natural-born activist.

Chris Hedges, the leading plaintiff in the case against Obama and former New YorkTimes war correspondent, writes about "NDAA and the Death of the Democratic State."But no one wants to really read about it.

Most aspiring journalists and independent minds who become curious about NDAAfind that there is a deafening silence around the topic. When they try to raise questions, thesilence deafens them further.

Then there are the conspiracy buffs. They distance the problem from the mainstream audience even further. No one wants to be associated with folks who think that thePresident could be a reptile.

And then there is Noam Chomsky. He looks at the situation from the orbit,comfortably snug in his multidisciplinary mental space station, focusing on the connectionsbetween events – rather than the events themselves.

It's a long journey from the concept of "freeman" to "NDAA." And there is probablyonly one man who can explain it.

Comments

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# Uranus 2013-03-19 19:34

The military commission or tribunal is now History's Most Sacred Cow. It's themost touchy issue about which I've ever written. After denouncing this faux-pseudo legal system in writing, I've had my phone and internet service turned offmysteriously, three times. Care to make it four?

Isn't it curious NDAA passed unanimously? It leaves you with the same questionwe asked after the overwhelming passage of the Military Commissions Act of2006: who would vote for this piece of plop, and why did everyone vote for it yetoffer no explanation?

The other day I heard a guy say that after 99% of us are exterminated, a militarytribunal form of world government will be implemented. You must admit, it all

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makes perfect nonsense.

I have a new theory of what's to come, pieced together from things people havetold me, that is so far out it's a revelation. The good news is it doesn't include ajustice system, especially a really ridiculous one like suggested by NDAA.

# tpmco 2013-03-19 22:06

Only the present has sacred cows. The 1% will allow the continued survival ofthe willing slaves--laundry still needs done.

# ritaague 2013-03-20 03:35

In my humble opinion, Uranus, it's frightening more than curious that NDAApassed unanimously. So thankful I am for the great (and then some) plaintiffs inHedges, et. al. v. Obama et. al.. The legal team representing said plaintiffs,again, great and then some. And then, last but absolutely not least, the greatjurist who not merely heard the case, but gave a brilliant analysis when ruling inplaintiff's favor of why this Fascist style, POLICE STATE AIN'T GREATpower grab violates Constitutional law/rights.

I, like you, seek truth, listen, question, then form theories of what's very likelyto come. But, I confess, hope I still do that we the sheeple can and will evolvesomehow into a Star Trek world, where greed and need for power and controlover all has gone bye bye, and is replaced instead with virtue (i.e. humility) andassistance giving to any and all in need of assistance. More love, more caring,more giving, more sharing. And, to hell with evil greed and power addiction.

I do so hope, work and pray that NDAA will go away.

# DaveM 2013-03-19 20:23

In 1971, filmmaker Peter Watkins created "Punishment Park", a pseudo-documentary portraying a sort of "alternative present" (it is very clearly set in the time it wasmade). Draft dodgers, anti-war protesters, and similar are dragged in front ofmilitary tribunals and given a choice between long prison sentences or"Punishment Park". The latter is a desert-based version of "capture the flag" inwhich the defendants, as "players", are to reach a particular location without beingcaptured by police and National Guard personnel who are pursuing them.

Made on a shoestring budget which makes its supposed filming by a British newscrew almost believable, the movie follows a group through the "park" whileanother is filmed facing the tribunals that will determine their fate. Innocence is notan issue. Defendants are told that their guilt has been predetermined and that theonly thing they are allowed to do is attempt to prove their innocence (withoutattorneys, preparation time, or evidence) or choose their punishment.

While dated in many respects, 42 years later the film looks suspiciously likeprophecy. It has never been easy to find, but I highly recommend it. Should itvanish from store shelves or rental outlets....perh aps its grim predictions about thefuture of American authoritarianis m will indeed have come true.

# Johnny 2013-03-20 06:49

The Hunger Games, too.

# Anarchist 23 2013-03-19 22:34

9/11; 9/11; 9/11-All of this would have been unthinkable except for 9/11. Thatfalse flag operation put the final nail in the coffin that has been being nailed shutever since ( in my lifetime at least) the Kennedy assassination. As the gov. hastaken more and more egregious actions-the lie that was the Gulf of TonkinResolution that green-lighted the widest war in Viet Nam was the first of many tofollow, changing us from a democracy into a nation that considers it has a godgiven right to make preemptive strike against countries that 'might' become ourenemy, we have finally morphed into the super-state that Nazi Germany could onlydream of being. Now comes the repression of our own populace on a much largerscale

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while the 'Good Germans' ignore what is being done to minorities and dissenters.Don't believe me? All just conspiracy theory? Wait!

# Jerome 2013-03-19 23:08

Just reading or listening to the good professor about this loss of freedom messes upmy mind for days. It is like a mantra or a childhood tune that keeps repeating overand over. There must be something we can do to stop this headlong plunge intopolice/military state. How do we get the public's attention and keep their attentionlong enough to get them to awaken? Awake and spurred to action. But action thatdoes not trigger those in control to use their control methods and tools to discredit,disrupt, or destroy those taking the action. A demonstration, a peacefuldemonstration of 100 is met by a tenfold force, congregate 1000 and the controllerssend 10,000 armed, ready and willing to fracture sculls, pepper spray the alreadyimmobilized, arrest for no reason. What are we to do?

# robcarter.vn 2013-03-20 00:21

Thus I can find no Basis in law or civil rights & Liberties law of Australia, why asPM Gillard says she would extradite Julian Assange an Australia to a 3rd countryUSA for indicted USA crime not committed by that Australian citizen. Then in thelight of this "Material assistance to terrorists" USA can avoid trial just murderAssange as he gets into their police or Interpol custody in Sweden or UK orAustralia as they did to Binh Laden. I can agree international EU sex law agreement may allow extradition from UK toface trial on that and due process, but to answer mere suspicion investigators inSweden is a no-no. They can go to UK to d that questioning on safer Ecuadoramnesty land, as Assange has 0offered. Clearly Sweden is playing the USAsummary murder game also. Just using rape fabricated charges to get custodyfalsely.Ander that system No citizen of any country in any country is safe from USAbreach of Magna Carta civi;l rights,

# RLF 2013-03-20 02:58

I've been reading Chris Hedges and about him. NDAA is why I voted green. I thinkthe intelligence community forced this because of the country being on the edge ofeconomic collapse and they were afraid of the civil unrest that would ensue. Thiswill be one of the infamous laws ever passed. It is right up there with incarceratingthe Japanese americans in WWII. And to URANUS...what good is a justice systemif it is filled with geniuses like Obama and Holder! Way to go Harvard!

# tuandon 2013-03-20 03:12

I am probably setting myself up for a stint in a concentration camp by sayin this,but...Sieg Heil. We are goose-steppin towards a Nazi state at high speed. TheObama I voted for has betrayed us all...I will not support him again even if he runsfor dog catcher.

# wantrealdemocracy 2013-03-20 07:39

We have not been betrayed by Obama. If you had studied his voting record youwould not have been so full of hope for change. Obama is a puppet of the top1% same as all the elected officials of the two major political parties. Don't votefor either a D or an R for that position as dog catcher or any other position inany level of the government of the United States---especi ally if you don't wqnt"Sieg Heil" to be our national mantra.

# kyzipster 2013-03-20 04:51

All true. Is it also possible we're experiencing apathy and helplessness, a sort ofshell shock? Eight years of Bush and his wars gave me mental exhaustion. Seemedlike there was at least one shocking revelation every single day, year in and yearout. It's not like people didn't protest, the media ignored it for the most part but itdid help to turn the tide. It's difficult to get a movement going against a moreliberal president when the alternative is still so extreme and frightening but that isno excuse. We can support some of his efforts while protesting this inexcusable

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and unconstitutiona l law.

# fredboy 2013-03-20 05:04

Looking at this from the orbit of the last 20 years clearly validates his premise:Americans have been intentionally dumbed down by such influences at hate radioand TV, evangelical and political absolutism, and related factors that they can nolonger even consider objective analysis. And that's what the presumption ofinnocence requires.

Teach logic, critical thinking and reasoning, objective analysis and related thinkingapproaches in our schools--every year, if possible. Otherwise, we'll all be led bydrooling fanatics in the future. Let's face it, we've already had a taste of that, andthe taste was wretched.

# mrbadexample 2013-03-20 06:22

The people in charge have made it pretty clear that there will be no discussion ofcertain topics. None of the presidential debates touched on the drone strikeprogram or the NDAA or FISA because the two candidates were in lockstepsupport of them, and no other candidates were invited. It's even clear what is off-limits for discussion on the ten-year anniversary of invasion of Iraq--I've seen afew street protests, but if I hadn't been subscribed to lefty news services, I wouldhave never known about them.

The problem with progressives and leftists is that they have to spend an inordinateamount of their time explaining that these things are happening. We are in a periodof a-history, where the Civil War is whatever the guy on talk radio said it was. Ifwe can't agree on what is fact and fiction, how can we agree on what is needed torevitalize the country?

# Poet1964 2013-03-20 06:30

Scary times we live in and how I wish that things were far healthier and with moretransparency and with the true best wishes of our whole population. God help usall.

# da gaf 2013-03-20 08:34

Quoting Poet1964:

Scary times we live in and how I wish that things were far healthier andwith more transparency and with the true best wishes of our wholepopulation. God help us all.

DON'T COUNT ON A MYTHICAL GOD TO COME IN AND TAKE CAREOF BUSINESS..UNLES S YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT GOD ISTHIS WHOLE EXISTENCE AND WE ARE INCLUDED...NOT- TWO..IT ISWE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS ANDIT IS OUR BEING UNCONSCIOUS AND ASLEEP THAT ALLOWED THISCOUNTRY TO GET IN SUCH A HORRIBLE SITUATION.

# Johnny 2013-03-20 06:46

"Conspiracy buffs?" You will have to do better than name calling if you want yourargument to carry any intellectual credibility, Ms. Wellman.

Are you claiming that the ugly things the government does happen merely byaccident, rather than by plan? Fredboy says "intentionally dumbed down." Tell us,please, how he is mistaken.

# kitster 2013-03-20 07:50

(to paraphrase) "they came for x because he/she was an x...and because i was notan x i did nothing. (so on and so forth). and then they came for me."

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has it become "darkness at noon" in amerika?

the rich get richer, the people suffer, and big brother gets bigger.

"war is peace. ignorance is strength. slavery is freedom."

did george orwell really mean 2013?

# da gaf 2013-03-20 08:26

DON'T YOU PEOPLE UNDERSTAND- THIS IS NOT THE LAND OFDEMOCRATIC ..IT IS THE LAND OF HYPOCRISY!..THI S UGLY EVILGOVERNMENT DURING THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION ARRESTEDAN ENLIGHTENED SPIRITUAL MASTER WITHOUT AN ARRESTWARRANT AND POISONED HIM IN JAIL..FOR WHAT? AND THEY GOTAWAY WITH IT! and what are all these FEMA CAMPS ABOUT? WHY ARETHEY BUILT WAY OUT IN THE WOODS?THE PEOPLE HERE IN AMERICA HAVE BETTER WAKE UP...ANDUNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE REAL "PLANET OF THE APES!" ANDTHIS GOVERNMENT IS PROOF OF IT!

# Edwina 2013-03-20 09:22

Orwell's "1984" has been happening since 1984 when Reagan began to take backthe gains of the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and theenvironmental movement. And the dirty wars in Central America and theCarribean should have been a wake-up call. Not that many people didn't sound thealarm. But it seems it happened slowly enough that most people were like theproverbial frog in hot water: they didn't get it until it was too late. People andcommunities are again organizing: against police brutality, for civil liberties,against environmental destruction like mountaintop removal and the Keystone XLpipeline.

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