On Independence Day, we are reminded of how our forefathers fought to free us from rulers who abused their power and who did not listen to the problems and complaints of the citizens.
This should remind us also that we as a country must continually fight against the inherent nature of government to limit our freedoms and to control our actions and behaviors. To control us.
What does this have to do with computers? Right now, the government has the right to tap your phones, record your cell phone conversations and text messages, read your emails, watch what websites you go to and demand that stores give up records of what food you eat and what books you read.
According to the Constitution, you have the right to to live your life without interference from, or monitoring by, the government.
Any government, at any level.
Right now, we are giving up those rights. It is not up to the government to decide what we say on the phone, or who we talk to. Or how we use our home computers.
Once we give up the right to privacy(and yes, the courts have upheld a traditional "right to privacy") and non-interference in our lives by the government, we will never get them back short of revolution.
Are you up for revolution; without knowing how much it will cost you personally?
I didnt think so.
So we, as Americans, must make sure our representatives are not cowed by the minority of citizens and the moneyed special interests who would tell our representatives that they must take away our rights, in order to make us "safe."
The world is not a safe place; but we are adults, we accept that there is risk involved in living.
We must prevent our representatives from taking away that risk. When we lose the risk in life, we lose the freedoms that made that risk possible.
Remember, Ben Franklin said "Those who desire both Security and Liberty deserve neither and will receive neither."
Happy Independence Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment