When most people think of destructive government wars, images of drone strike wreckage and murdered civilians come to mind. But while organized, physical violence is a repulsive form of oppression, the state employs a variety of tactics to wage war on its own citizens. They are more subtle than batons and guns but far more effective than violence alone. They seek to conquer not bodies, but minds.

Over-Medication and the Drug War

Whether out of rabid greed or calculated malice, the federal government continually approves corporate medications that cloud free thought. Painkillers and anti-depressants leave users zombie-like, causing further depression and often, addiction. Children are routinely over-diagnosed and medicated and are often forced to take anti-psychotics that they testify makes them groggy. Pesticides and chemicals like aspartame also inhibit brain function. The problem of “legal” brain cell killers is compounded by the fundamental philosophy of the Drug War.

The War on Children’s Minds

In addition to over-medicating children, the education system forces a strict regimen intended to foster obedience at the expense of consciousness.Students around the country have been disciplined for everything from wearing yoga pants to sharing food with hungry friends. The reasoning behind it is not to help others, but to instill the power of authority (always in the name of morality and safety).

Universal Surveillance

The government has long been eager to capitalize on technology to garner control. Take the FBI’s powerful new facial recognition system or the DEA’s nifty tools that spy on drivers in their cars. The president recently issued an executive order to continue government spying.
The government’s overzealous, watchful eye has created an environment where people are not free to be themselves or freely engage in their interests.

The Radicalization of Peace and Protest

The government has made a habit of designating otherwise peaceful actions as terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security has taken a particularly active role in this process. DHS gave money to the NYPD with the intention of policing protests with machine guns and implementing “counter-terrorism” policies. In fact protests have effectively been criminalized by executive order, to include any area that can arbitrarily considered federal property.
DHS has helped militarize the police forces that surround peaceful demonstrations around the country. When innocent-and often admirable actions and views-are considered a threat to the state, it is clear that that state is out to suppress dissent and independent thought.

The Rise of Islamophobia

Without public support for war, the meddling hands of government are tied. One of the ways to placate opposition to military intervention, however, is to dehumanize those the government will inevitably kill. Doing that requires collectivization, which the United States government has successfully promoted. Thanks to constant fear-mongering by politicians and the media, massive portions of Americans are terrified of and hateful toward Muslims.The dehumanization of an entire demographic of people is a terrifying tool used by the elites to manipulate public opinion (it was used by the United States government against Germans and the Japanese, and of course, by other states craving war).

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