Snarkily liveblogging Bilderberg

Charlie Skelton is liveblogging the scene outside the annual meeting of the Bilderberg Group, a secretive, high security movers-and-shakers event characterized by (literally) private choppers, armed sniper security, and total secrecy. Meanwhile, outside, "a bunch of politically articulate, highly intelligent, engaged individuals: many of whom are scarily young and energetic" have gathered outside the Bilderberg's conference hotel in Switzerland to gather and report what they can:

Thomas Jefferson said: "Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." And: "If once they [the people] become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves."

Without the people's attention to government, government grows fangs; but: "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day."

And then we have Bilderberg. A massive great, sniper-armed, window-tinted, helicoptering slap in the face to any concept of enlightened democracy. Shrouded, misty and removed. A place where "Congress and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors" sit about in secret and do business with bank bosses and the chairmen of corporations, and policemen stand guard lest the citizenry become too informed.

Bilderberg is a backwards step, heading in wholly the wrong direction when "transparency of government" is something we're all clawing towards. It's a dinosaur. A childish, irritating dinosaur. It's Godzuki.

Bilderberg 2011: The tipping point
(via Reddit)