Obama’s “Society of Fear”

Townhall.com ^ | November 14, 2013 | Bob Barr

[Kaslin]

In observational experiments, researchers constantly battle a phenomenon called the “Hawthorne effect,” where subjects of experiments alter their behavior when aware of being studied. For example, in 2011, researchers at Carnegie Mellon mailed postcards to customers of an electric company, informing customers they were the subjects of a company study on electricity usage. Researchers found that customers who received weekly postcards – simple reminders that their electricity usage was being observed -- cut electricity usage by nearly three percent.

The Hawthorn effect is not just limited to psychological studies. Behavior modification is the hallmark of any “society of fear,” in which citizens live under the constant threat of government surveillance. In an environment where individuals reasonably believe their actions are being tracked, recorded and monitored by government agents, citizens are prone to avoiding behavior that will raise red flags. Using such psychological terror, States are better able to control and minimize anti-establishment behavior, and even undesirable thoughts.

Jeremy Bentham discovered this phenomenon more than two centuries ago in his “Panopticon” study. More recently, as a student of Chicago politics, Barack Obama became aware of the power of fear. In fact, many of Saul Alinksy’s “12 Rules for Radicals” -- the Bible for budding liberal activists such as Hillary Clinton and Obama in their early days -- incorporate the power of fear. Understanding this, it becomes clear why Obama has chosen fear, more so than any other emotion, as his primary catalyst to pass his radical agenda; something that has worked remarkably well for the country’s 44^th President.

Following the 2011 “Wikileaks” data breach, Obama implemented a leak-squelching, internal surveillance scheme tabbed the “Insider Threat Program,” designed to turn co-worker against co-worker in pursuing leaks of classified information. According to McClatchy, there is even a course called “Treason 101,” for employees of the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which teaches psychological profiling of would-be whistleblowers. “I’m waiting for the time when you turn in a friend and you get a $50 reward,” national security law attorney Kel McClanahan told McClatchy, referring to Obama’s “War on Whistleblowers.”

This “Obama effect” is not limited to tightly-monitored government employees. Fear and intimidation techniques are employed by the Administration against the private sector as well. The Obama Department of Justice, for example, seized the phone records of the Associated Press, digitally stalked Fox News correspondent James Rosen, and is thought to be behind hacking the computer of CBS reporter Sharyl Attkinson – actions precipitated by media stories challenging the Administration. Making this even more sinister, all these steps occurred while the Internal Revenue Service was intentionally targeting anti-Obama activists with tax audits, and applying unprecedented scrutiny in approving the nonprofit status of Tea Party-affiliated organizations.

The federal government is not alone in its use of fear to enable the Hawthorne effect. Local and state governments also rely on the threat of Big Brother to engineer “better” citizens. Several states across the U.S. are looking at “black boxes” in vehicles as a solution to road congestion and taxation -- a strategy backed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. While state and federal officials laud such devices as a more “accurate” way to tax road use, privacy advocates see the insidious social engineering behind this plan. If a driver is constantly aware his or her behavior behind the wheel is being recorded -- and, given what we know about government, reasonably assumed to be transmitted back to the DMV or the driver’s insurer -- that driver likely will modify his behavior to please anonymous government “watchers.”

This is the Obama Fear Effect in everyday application. Citizens are afraid to speak, act and think freely. They fear having their computers hacked by government bureaucrats and lawyers, being audited by the IRS, or even being ticketed for rolling through a stop sign one midnight months ago. So, to avoid making trouble, citizens opt to “be on their best behavior” with government officials.

A truly free society exists only when citizens have a reasonable expectation they are free to live their lives without the fear of unwarranted interference from the authorities.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, there is a growing expectation that is quite the opposite -- that we are, or soon will be, the victims of government targeting, for either personal or political motives. This is exactly what Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service bodyguard for Obama who is now running for Congress, meant in an interview with Glenn Beck when he said, “[i]t’s only a matter of time before someone slaps an email on your desk from 15 years ago… and says ‘look what we got against you.’”

This is the reality of Obama’s new Fear Society, where nobody is safe and everybody is subject to scrutiny; and only those most loyal to the State have the least to fear.

[bert]

Fear as a motivator..... hmmmmm

Does Obama fear death?

[equaviator]

I’m in on the rise of the new counterculture.

[C210N]

[i]t’s only a matter of time before someone slaps an email on your desk from 15 years ago...

Kind of like having the proverbial New Black Panther at-the-polling-place on your shoulder wherever you go.

[Springfield Reformer]

Cash for Clunkers never made economic sense. But with the advent of Big Brother Boxes, it makes sense to push us toward wider use of newer cars. What we need is A) a campaign to keep them out of our cars, or plan B) some technical insight on how to defeat the device, and a corresponding legal strategy for dealing with the tax angle. Time to be exceptional Americans: outsmart the Marxists.

[tet68]

Every thing we post can and will be used against us
should the democrats succeed in gaining total control.
We are the children of freedom and are used to speaking
our minds, that will not be tolerated in the progressive
future.

[Hardastarboard]

Several states across the U.S. are looking at “black boxes” in vehicles as a solution to road congestion and taxation -- a strategy backed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The insurance companies are already working on tracking your driving behavior. Think Progressive Insurance, and how they "offer" to reduce your rates if you'll just plug in their little tracker. They're all going to do that, first as an "option", then as a requirement if you want to be insured. Bank on it.

[listenhillary]

If one is afraid to speak against evil, they have already lost. Assume the position and accept the shackles.

If not speaking out is a tactic to remain free while taking the fight to the authoritarians, I’m OK with that.

[spokeshave]

Thats why Obama has started his "Department of Nudge"

Gov't Knows Best? White House creates 'nudge squad' to shape ... www.foxnews.com/.../govt-knows-best-white-house-creates-nudge-squa...‎ Jul 30, 2013 - The term "nudge" has already been associated with the new ... (the department which the team will be a part of) told FoxNews.com: "As part of ...

Federal 'nudge squad' led by 20-something wunderkind gears up to change Americans' behaviors – for our own good By David Martosko In Washington PUBLISHED: 14:00 EST, 30 July 2013 | UPDATED: 14:06 EST, 30 July 2013

When does a nudge become a shove? Americans may find out in coming years, as the federal government is setting up a 'behavioral insights team' to tinker with the way we accomplish everything from saving money and staying in school to losing weight and becoming more energy-efficient. A document from Maya Shankar, a late-20s Yale graduate and former violin prodigy, sketches out the Obama administration's grand plans for behavioral science. Shankar joined the Obama administration in April as a senior policy advisor at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy. '[I]nsights from the social and behavioral sciences can be used to help design public policies that work better, cost less, and help people to achieve their goals,' says her proposal, first spotted by Fox News when Shankar sought help from a university professor. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381478/Federal-nudge-squad-led-20-wunderkind-gears-change-Americans-behaviors--good.html#ixzz2kdJI1HuN Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Your "Nudge Master" ...enjoy

[Kaslin]

This is why we must make sure that they don't get complete control. Unfortunately there are some in here who don't get it

[Kaslin]

Of course it didn’t. Many cars were destroyed who were in good condition and could have been sold to people who couldn’t afford a brand new car

[Pollster1]

Keeping in mind the NSA monitoring and the IRS enthusiasm for acting as an enforcer for their Dear Leader, I have no comment.

[null and void]

Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!

To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...

[null and void]

Of course it didn’t. Many cars were destroyed who were in good condition and could have been sold to people who couldn’t afford a brand new car

And someone with a car of their own isn't utterly dependent on public transportation.

That is unacceptable to a statist.

[wally_bert]

Remote drive control could be mandated so someone can be driven to the nearest reeducation camp and be forcibly removed. The vehicle can be demoted to the nearest crusher (dissident occupant optional if the camp is full or busy) for disposal. Of course the best ones will wind up at the dachas of the Marxist elite.

[Nifster]

Yeah good old Bob Barr.... the libertine that decided working with dims ain’t all that bad.

O admin has his brown shirts (does that make me racist?) and Chicago thugs doing Jarrett’s work. Fear is only bad if it prevents me from doing what needs to be done

[Skepolitic]

“Obama has chosen fear, more so than any other emotion”

Not true. ENVY is the central organizing feature of the Democrat Party. They only use fear to keep people in line.

[supercat]

Many cars were destroyed who were in good condition and could have been sold to people who couldn’t afford a brand new car

The program was designed to target for destruction cars which were in good condition, since it only accepted cars which had been owned for a year or more by someone who was buying a new car. People who are able to afford a new car are far less likely than the population at large to keep a car which is isn't in good shape.

[equaviator]

Gotta wonder if OnStar doesn’t transmit directly to the NSA.

[Travis McGee]

Life Under Obamacare. This is the real goal.