The New American Stasi

The interesting thing about the title to this missive is that some will immediately ascertain the meaning, but some will be clueless. That is indeed the result of the progressive socialist left not teaching history, but engaging in ideological revisionist storytelling.

As well, it is a reflection upon the success of the leftist media in America having succeeded in dominating the narrative and advancing propagandized messaging, not objective news.

The Stasi was the Ministry for State Security, also known as the State Security Service in the Deutschland Democratic Republic (DDR), what we used to call East Germany. In its short forty years of existence from February 1950-January 1990, not too long ago, the “Stasi” was one of the most brutal and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world.

It was comprised of some 90K employees, agents. But what truly made the Stasi so feared was the over 150K hidden informants enabling its mission, mass government surveillance, spying. It was a mission that in those forty short years resulted in the arrest of estimated 250K East Germans.

I am just a mere 58 years of age, but I will never forget the Stasi. See, as a young Airborne Lieutenant stationed in Vicenza Italy (1984-1987), one of our training rotations was to West Berlin for urban combat training. The allied forces, mainly America, had one of the best mock city training facilities in the world and for three weeks we went through that crucible.

However, we did get one day to don our dress uniform, spit-shined jump boots, maroon paratrooper beret…and cross over from liberty and freedom into abject tyranny. Yes, we transited through Checkpoint Charlie and entered East Berlin, behind the venerable Iron Curtain.

This experience came for me in January 1985, and it made an impression that continues to this day. As we walked freely on the streets, in the shops, and visited memorials…we were being watched. But more importantly, the people were being watched to see if there was any interaction with us, beyond the normal transaction of business.

You could see the fear in their eyes, and despair. Imagine knowing that freedom, liberty, is so close, but you cannot experience it. To me, that is the most damning aspect of hope, for it to be so close, yet seem unattainable. There were no smiles, no eye contact…as a young man from the inner city of Atlanta Georgia, just 24 years of age, I saw the face of tyranny, collective subjugation, and the absence of freedom.

Now, 34 years later, I am a retired Army officer, former Member of the US House of Representatives, and I am watching reports of the same tyranny in our America.

Last week, the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed that we have a New American Stasi. As a Member of Congress, I had voted against the renewal of the Patriot Act, a main reason was the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. I could not, and still cannot, fathom having a “secret” court that has the power to grant warrants to conduct surveillance, spying, against American citizens without their knowledge, or ability to defend themselves. That is a complete and utter violation of our Fourth Amendment rights, yet this is what happened.

And last week, Mr. Horowitz confirmed my greatest concerns: Seventeen inaccuracies and omissions were made to this secret court in order to obtain warrants to conduct surveillance, spying, against American citizens. And yes, the entire Mueller special investigation was enacted for one reason, but veered greatly off course, and certain political opposition have found themselves sentenced to prison.

This is how things happen when progressive socialists are in power. What perhaps started with every good intention of keeping us safe from Islamic jihadists and terrorist attacks is now being used against political opponents. I have always admired the hypocrisy of socialists, communists, to claim the title of “Democratic,” such as East Germany did, and North Korea does today. It is a means by which they attempt to deceive and wrongfully label themselves…such as Bernie Sanders with his “Democratic Socialism.”

Let’s be honest, no one is going to willingly accept the tyranny of the left. Their goals, objectives, and ideological domination can only be attained by message control, coercion, intimidation, fear, threats, and ultimately, violence.

In the DDR, also referred to as the GDR (German Democratic Republic), the Stasi were the tools of implementing compliance with the rule of the state. Now, in America, we have the same apparatus growing, hiding, and being used to destroy political opposition. The endgame is the same, create such a looming fear of “resistance” that any and all real “resistance” fades away. There is such a fear in existence of speaking up, that in the end you do not speak at all.

Consider the Member of Congress from Texas, Rep. Joaquin Castro, who publishes a list of supporters to President Trump…why? Think about Barack Obama leveraging the power of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against a constitutional conservative grassroots organization…why? Consider Eric Holder’s Operation Fast and Furious, which resulted in the death of a US Border Patrol Agent, Brian Terry…why?

Think about all the resources of the Obama administration that were used in conjunction with a political, foreign sourced, false dossier, that somehow ends up before a secret court in our America…why? Almost 20 of our States have implemented an unconstitutional act called Red Flag Laws, where a law abiding American knows not his accuser, yet can have his Second Amendment right violated…why? The left fully endorses a violent masked group called Antifa, unleashing them upon liberty loving American’s, and squashing any freedom of speech…why?

We have developed terms such as “Deep State.” We have folks calling themselves the #resistance. What we truly have developing is a New American Stasi…tactics are the same, as well as the objectives.

This column was originally published at CNSNews.