I think this has been a 150+ year-old wet dream for elites who control both parties. Keep in mind that we’ve descended into quasi-police state status due to the passivity and negligence of Republicans and Democrats. It could be that Republicans are simply more transparent in their goals, while Democrats are using the “velvet glove” approach.

Think about it: Obama had 8 years to attempt rollbacks to the Patriot Act, but he did nothing. I suspect Biden will do nothing, as well. And that’s the core of the problem: this dynamic has taken on a life if it’s own, and it only gets worse because the people we elect fail to take action.

Voting has limited effect in this environment. And while support protesting can be effective, keep in mind that police can easily shut down demonstrations for causes that truly threaten the Establishment. I doubt that Occupy Wall Street protesters would ever have been allowed to flood the streets of Los Angeles and other major cities by the millions.

That’s why I think personal, individual action may be most effective here. Rights can only be taken from us when we agree to hand them over. The problem is that too many people are simply handing them over without thinking.

This is a mind game. You can’t control hundreds of millions of people by forcing them to do anything; the trick is to is convince them to do what you want them to do — and make them believe they’re acting voluntarily.