Thoughtcrime is terrorism now.

nytimes.com

Thoughtcrime, coined by Orwell and enacted in a recent movie "Minority Report", is becoming reality. Alleging an Al Qaeda plot to topple the Sears tower in Chicago, the FBI arrested 7 Florida men on Thrursday night on terrorism charges, an event that sent anchors go rabid on the likes of Fox News. Well, what a difference a day or two makes.

According to the New York Times:

Mr. Gonzales acknowledged that the men, who had neither weapons nor explosives, posed 'no immediate threat.' But he added, 'they did take sufficient steps that we believe does support this prosecution.'

In general, Mr. Gonzales said, homegrown terrorists 'may prove to be as dangerous as groups like Al Qaeda.'

Apparently the 7 Florida men who only had poverty and Haitian origin in common had said something incriminating to an FBI informant which was enough for the AG to jump up and down and make a big brouhaha about. Initially claiming that they were related to Al Qaeda, the FBI backed off that assertion in a hurry when they found out, according to the NYT that the "group wore uniforms bearing a Star of David and met for Bible study."

They were charged under an anti-terrorism clause making "material support" for Al Qaeda punishable by up to 15 years.

This comes on the heels of an unfortunate Lodi youth of Pakistani origin, convicted for allegedly attending a terrorist camp -- a charge which was never proved. The informant (paid a quarter of a million dollars by the FBI) in this case was an older Pakistani man who egged the young man on to say and do things which landed him in trouble. After that young man was convicted, one of the jury members admitted to being pressured:

“I was under so much stress and pressure (from the other jurors) that I agreed to change my vote,” Lopez, of Sacramento, said in her statement. “I never once throughout the deliberation process and the reading of the verdict believed Hamid Hayat to be guilty.”

A frightened and pliant population, a government eager to assume total control, the warnings of Orwell and the words of Herman Goering spoken at the Nuremberg trials (below), are coming true day by day.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."