SC118-6

http://kulturcritic.wordpress.com/posts/ship-of-fools-a-new-hermeneutic/

Ship Of Fools: A New Hermeneutic

There was in Greek mythology a very ancient divinity, traced back as far as Egypt, called Hermes, “messenger of the gods.” He was to interpret or translate the messages of gods into human words. He is also credited with the origin of alphabetic writing, cunning, deceit, and fraud. And there you have it… (the curriculum)!

Of course, messages from the gods were predominantly prescriptions on how to live (rituals, sacrifices) or proscriptions (codes of conduct, etc). After all, that was the principal role of the the World Religions as they emerged out of the early civilizations of the Ancient Near East. But the mouths of the gods were not the only place where such pronouncements originated, at least not for long. The earliest kings of the lands, considered divine incarnations themselves, also assumed the divine right to establish and maintain social order in the emerging city-states. Laws of the land were established, much like Hermes articulated the divine law, through the written word. It was more than likely that it was through the king that Hermes ‘spoke.’

So the interpretation of religious scripture, along with the proper application (interpretation) of legal codes (texts) became an ongoing concern for theologians and jurists (lawyers and justices) alike. Thus their concern gave way to the discipline of hermeneutics – theological and legal interpretations of divine or human law, respectively. And, of course, this is how the initial cunning, deceit and fraud of Hermes just kept on giving, and still gives today, more than ever.

And so, from Feuerbach, Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Bultmann, H.G. Gadamer through Heidegger, we see the unfolding development of the problem of meaning – of the interpretation of religious, moral, social, and legal codes. In other words, we were forewarned that such proscriptions, prescriptions, rights and responsibilities of the citizenry were, and always will be, OPEN TO INTERPRETATION by the experts or those filling the seats of power. Thus do we find ourselves amidst and amok in our current dilemma. The very definitions that inform the laws of the land, and in this case, the definition of the words ‘terrorist,’ ‘spy’, ‘traitor’ are now haunting reminders of this hermeneutic appeal. Some of the edges are being blurred, stretched really beyond recognition (while my guitar gently weeps) — the hermeneutical advantage being driven by the law-makers and other self-anointed experts.

We can of course begin with the issue of ‘espionage’ and Obama’s remarkably free-style application of the ‘legal’ definition to include government or corporate whistle-blowers who choose to disclose issues that are morally or legally questionable, subject to informed debate and consent of the governed in light of the original conditions of the social contract. But, we already know that contracts (social or otherwise) are made to protect one party – the party that drew up the contract – and made to be broken in order to insure such protection is enforced or executed. So, I am afraid the Bradley Manning syndrome may continue unabated for the rest of our nation’s life. But, if you look at our militaristic response to the Occupy Wall Street movement a couple of years back, you will see the same, self-styled hermeneutic of events as they unfolded. There was no respect for freedom of assembly, association, or speech; the people on the streets were treated like ‘terrorists’ engaged in acts of terror. Now, the powers-that-be did not of course speak that way, but it is obvious from their collusion and their militaristic behavior that the cards are being reshuffled in a different direction and to their advantage. They have already gone so far as to inappropriately label whistleblowers as spies and traitors, and they have determined that terrorism is a rampant enough problem in our world, such that the wholesale collection of electronic telephonic, networking, and postal data is a reasonable measure consistent with their obligations to protect the nation, and that it should not to be confused with illegal wiretapping, monitoring, or censorship. It is truly revealing but not surprising that they would label Mr Snowden a spy, when all he did was to disclose the illegal spying of the US administration and their security agencies on American citizens.

Now we have the local Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation director warning a group of county residents that unfounded complaints about water quality could be considered “terrorism.”

You need to make sure that when you make water quality complaints you have a basis, because federally, if there’s no water quality issues, that can be considered under Homeland Security an act of terrorism.

So there you have it folks, another hermeneutic reassessment of the law of the land. But, as farcical as this appears on the face of it; hold your laughter folks and hold on to your hats. It’s only just begun. The band is heating up in the back room and the fat lady is beginning to sing. We will never, ever have a mass demonstration again in the Land of Washington, Franklin, Lincoln and Jefferson. We can never put the number of bodies in the streets as they did this week in Brazil. The powers that be would see this, interpret it, and proclaim it to be an act of TERROR!!

Mark my words, folks. Any congregation of people with the appearance of raising complaints, discussing relevant political issues, or, god-forbid, challenging the official narrative, automatically has the “signature” of a terrorist plot or engagement. Listen clearly, Chris Hedges. They will not allow you much more rope in this game of chicken. They have already laid the ground-work, and executed the strategy nearly flawlessly in Pakistan and other parts of the developing world. It is only a matter of time before they apply the same heuristic, and the same principles of interpretation (hermeneutic) here in the HomeLand!

We are all potential terrorists under the new hermeneutic, articulated so clearly just this week by the avenger-in-chief, (Hermes) Obama, messenger of the One God… MONEY! Collecting call and online data is legal and protective of the oligarchy’s rights under the terms of the contract. The release of classified information that identifies illegal actions of empire are acts of treason or acts of terror, pure and simple. Assembly or association or speech that is inconsistent with the embodiment of the official narrative is terrorism. This is where we are headed folks.

Put a half of million disgruntled citizens on the streets of this country (like they are doing in Brazil) and we will have a new federal prison open for business… the business of incarcerating citizen-terrorists… or we will just ship them off shore to a black-site somewhere for extraordinary rendition; or, perhaps disperse them with a few hundred armed drones. In any event, we, the government, will rid ourselves of some of those seven billion people that are crowding out the deserving few, the chosen, the owners, as George Carlin liked to say.

No folks, it won’t be long before questioning the authorities either online about public policy, or on the streets of a city near you en masse, will be interpreted as an act of espionage, treason, or terror — aiding and abetting the enemy. But, you know, Stalin had a much more efficient way of handling such challenges to his control and to his regime; he just sent folks off to gulags in Siberia, starved them to death in the winter, and then blamed it all on mother nature. I wonder upon what our authorities will blame the silencing of the voices of dissent here in the Home (of the brave)… Land (of the free). I’m certain it’s only a matter of them finding… or rather, articulating, the right hermeneutic!