The lives of others

Yesterday I watched the 2006 German movie The Lives of Others. You can find a review of it here:

http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/movies/09live.html

The movie describes how the East German Stasi spied on that nation's citizens. The Stasi's goal was "to know everything". Their motto was that they were the "Shield and Sword of the Party". I know someone who was interrogated by the Stasi (unfortunately I cannot reveal their identity or the circumstances).

Today the United States of America (including me) is in the grip of such an organization. Here it masquerades as the "Department of Homeland Security" and the "National Security Agency", but it is definitely a Stasi on Steroids (SS).

Some noteworthy aspects of the movie:

(1) The plot involves a story smuggled out of East Germany and published in the West. The story is about how East Germany has stopped keeping statistics on how many of its citizens commit suicide. This story reminds me of what I previously said about America's "disappeared":

http://sainthoward.blogspot.com/2013/07/americas-disappeared.html

(2) At the end of the movie after the Berlin Wall has been torn down, the citizens of former East Germany are allowed to see the files which the Stasi kept on them. The files are NOT redacted in any way, and the identities of the spies are made available for viewing. This will NEVER happen in the US. There will NEVER be a revealing of the truth, and the identities of the criminals who spy on us will NEVER be revealed. In this regard at least, America is worse than the WORST things we have ever been told about our so-called enemies.

(3) The movie character known as "HGW XX/7" is somewhat reminiscent of Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning, and/or Julian Assange, although on a smaller scale. I think most people who watch this movie would regard HGW XX/7 as a good man (Sonate vom Guten Menschen), or perhaps even a hero. In America, however, people like Snowden, Manning, and Assange are considered to be traitors who are deserving of death. What does that say about us as a people?

Watch this movie if you can find it. Then reflect on its implication for you and for our nation. And then ask yourself just what the fuck is going on in Washington and why. From my perspective, none of it is good.