"Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." -VGood evening. Today once again is one of my favorite holidays, Guy Fawkes day. It is what I commonly like to consider as a reminder that any people can tear down their government and replace it with a new one if it becomes corrupt and no longer serves the majority of that population. All over the world more and more governments are clamping down little by little individual rights of its citizens in the name of greater freedom and security. China, North Korea, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Cuba, and Venezuela are what I would consider countries where human rights and civil rights are either severely curtailed or nonexistent. In these countries, dictators and iron fisted governments reign uncontested and unopposed without a measure of control or accountability irregardless of what they want people to think. Russia, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia are countries where civil liberties and human rights are really beginning, or have been, trampled on with more sure to follow. The United States is not immune to this either, as we have seen our civil liberties severely stomped on; NSA spying on citizens, the Federal Government dictating to the states, increased usage of presidential executive authority usurping authority from Congress, and a slow chipping away of free speech and the right to bear firearms (both of which are guarantees in the US constitution). What everyone should watch out for from their government is when they try to eliminate freedom of the people through use of fear of what could happen if the people do not surrender their rights. Governments that use fear to motivate and rule their people are dictators and places like Russia and China (i.e. China's now defunct population control plan). Governments should be protecting and empowering their citizens to govern themselves always, after all that was a large part of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, even when revolution happens people have trouble forming a new government (Iraq, Libya, Russia, China, and Iran) that functions properly and serves the people while retaining the revolutionary ideals. I won't get into what is necessary for rebuilding a country and it's form of government, but I will say that it takes work and everyone working together. As I always try to say, be watchful of your freedom as oftentimes it slips away slowly, bit by bit and then before you know it you are left with nothing. Good luck everyone and remember, "people should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.."
V's Speech to London
Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman interview
