The federal government is somewhat or very secretive

Agree

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by Kevin Cardin

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Complete Control

No matter how many future generations we spawn, our children's, children's, children will never be perusing the history books, reading about another American Revolution. That is one of the few certainties in life, as, for better or worse, our government has foreseen that notion, and consolidated power to a virtually unfathomable degree. No coups, bloodless or otherwise, such as the ones which often take place in third world countries, will ever occur here, in the land of the free.
Whether we are fully conscious of it or not, the government controls nearly every major aspect of our lives in almost every conceivable degree. Granted, every society needs government to establish laws and to, in some manner, help govern the people by means of public service. But just how powerful should government be, and how far should its influence permeate our daily lives?
It is unlikely that the founding fathers of this country would be all too thrilled with the magnitude of which government has become today, and actually has been for countless decades now. One of the primary reasons supporting this conclusion would be the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Hence, the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution's authors believed that if everyone had a gun, that we would all be equal, without government being able to control the actions of its citizens. It's not that they lacked foresight either, but they likely didn't factor B-2 stealth bombers or nuclear warheads into the equation.
So, would the men who led the revolution which gained America independence from the British be pleased with, or gladly face the firing squad in opposition to what our government has developed into? In all likelihood, it would be the latter of the two. Everything these days, from traveling overseas, to what choices you're afforded to eat (FDA approval), to healthcare, to building an attachment onto your home, to what you can watch on television, to driving your car to work, all require some form of government approval.
And since this is going to have to be done at some point, it might as well be now: disclaimer: I in no way endorse or condone, in any way, shape, manner or form, any attempt to overthrow the United States government, and this article is intended solely for the purpose of provoking thought. Delving a little deeper though, isn't it a tad frightening that such a disclaimer should even need to be placed in this opinion piece, just to ensure I am not accused of treason or interrogated over some imaginary, as well as inconceivable conspiracy plot - one which I would also adamantly and unconditionally disavow and condemn? But this is just one other infraction we are forced to live with - in this case, on contradicting the First Amendment, which, among other things, was meant to ensure freedom of the press. Sadly, some of that protection too has been eroded, along with its counterpart the 2nd.
Yet strangely, and somewhat ironically, higher ups at the Pentagon sometimes seem baffled why fewer and fewer young men and women are joining our armed forces these days, which may be the last instance where you still volunteer to relinquish total control to the government. Really, it very possibly has to do with the ever more arduous and invasive personal questions and background checks. And even then, many are excluded from serving because of one minor indiscretion they may have committed in the past.
Another interesting void which is cloaked in secrecy is who really controls our government in the first place? If Congress can block the authority of the commander in chief, yet the President can veto Congress too, that leaves only the Judicial branch of government. And clearly they are not in control, at least of running the country. So is the government really more of an all powerful, faceless entity, whose strings are pulled from a wide variety of different directions? This does seem like the most plausible scenario, as every branch of government always appears to be at odds with one another. And yet, in the end, it performs so cohesively together, projecting power all around the globe, while keeping the majority of Americans relatively complacent and seemingly unaware of its true, near "omnipotence" over us all.
Understandably, there will be some people who read this and surmise its author must be some off the wall fanatic and disillusioned revolutionary. Be assured that is not the case. Simply ask yourself this - what areas of your life are not in some way pervaded by governmental oversight, and you shall easily conclude the reason this piece was written.

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