While the 'war on terrorism' and 'national security' are always cited as the reasons for the passage of the laws and judicial decisions curbing civil liberties, Hedges sees another reason behind the repression: corporate influence. In these times of economic distress and widening inequality, the elites in the corporate world fear potential unrest and seek control, Hedges said. A mass-surveillance system serves their interests.
"Totalitarianism no longer comes through communism or fascism; it comes now from corporations," Hedges said. "And these corporations fear those who think, write and speak out and those who form relationships freely. Individual freedom impedes their power and their profit."
Hedges, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of a dozen books, including "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt" and "Death of the Liberal Class," dismissed the idea that reform of our government and repealing anti-democratic laws will somehow come from elected officials like Obama or members of Congress.
About the recent proposal by Obama to restrict NSA's metadata collection, in the wake of Snowden's revelations, Hedges said at first it seems good, "until you look at the details."
Then he said, "I ask you, how many times does Barack Obama have to lie to you before you get it?"
He said Obama had broken a number of pledges concerning civil liberties and constitutional matters, including the promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison; a pledge to revisit the Patriot Act; the promise to shut down our "black sites"; and the promise to reverse unconstitutional executive decisions by his predecessor, former President George Bush.
"We got none of this. We got more untruths," Hedges said.
To restore our liberties, Hedges said, the American people cannot look to government officials. "It means refusing to trust in their cosmetic reforms. Reforms will never come from those complicit in crimes."
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