How soon will the US follow Britain's lead (read the attached link) into monitoring all cell phone, twitter, email and other electronic communications in the name of "security." Our answer, probably not long. Even though it breaks every Constitutional right that we have, our "leaders" us will tell us it is in our "best interests." Hey, if cell phones had been monitored, Trayvon might still be alive!
Of course, that is an outright exaggeration of the Martin-Zimmerman issue, however, most people in this country are so uneducated regarding their rights, that it would be easy to add security to one of the duties of the government. We, who understand the Constitution, have seen our rights diminish and the power of the ruling class increase dramatically especially over the past 50 or so years.
Now in Britain, the current government is trying to monitor all communications so that they can discover any threats to the country. The leadership says there will be no permanent records, but can we believe that will go on forever? Doubtful for one reason, how do you prosecute someone without the evidence you collected via the surveillance. Civil rights advocates are very concerned and it seems that the citizenry is not up in arms. Will we be the same here? Probably!
Would your opinion change if we had riots in the streets? Or another 9/11? Unfortunately, most Americans are like the pony-tailed guy who asked Obama in the Obama-Clinton debates, "how are you going to take care of us?" It is not the government's responsibility to take care of us. That is the reason we have unemployment, medicare, medicaid, Social Security, welfare, aid to dependent children, and the end all plan--ObamaCare. Government help should be limited to things that you cannot handle such as interstate commerce, relations with other nations and national defense. Beyond that, states and then the individual and charities should take up the slack.
We know that when the debates start on monitoring media , there will be many who will want to be taken care of and will not see any problem with having the government take over their responsibilities. This will be the end of America as we know it. When the government can spy on you without any fear of retribution by the citizenry, we have a substantial change in the relationship with the government. Anything will go as long as it can be couched in terms of national security.
Let us be diligent. Pay attention to the government, otherwise, we will get the same treatment that the Soviet Union gave its citizens. This reminds me of a joke a Soviet emigre told me. It goes. A Russian and American were debating the benefits of each other's systems. The American said "I can go to the White House and call the President all sorts of names and nothing will happen to me." The Russian says "I can also go to the White House and call the President all sorts of names and when I go back to Russia, I will be awarded a medal." However, he could not do it in Russia!
The point is, viewpoints vary with experience and in America we relish our right to be left alone. Our freedoms can only be guaranteed by our diligence. We must understand that all laws have an impact on our abilities to live our lives unencumbered. Monitoring of our communications is not a step in the right direction.
Conservative Tom
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9179117/New-Powers-to-record-every-phone-call-and-email-echoes-China.html
Of course, that is an outright exaggeration of the Martin-Zimmerman issue, however, most people in this country are so uneducated regarding their rights, that it would be easy to add security to one of the duties of the government. We, who understand the Constitution, have seen our rights diminish and the power of the ruling class increase dramatically especially over the past 50 or so years.
Now in Britain, the current government is trying to monitor all communications so that they can discover any threats to the country. The leadership says there will be no permanent records, but can we believe that will go on forever? Doubtful for one reason, how do you prosecute someone without the evidence you collected via the surveillance. Civil rights advocates are very concerned and it seems that the citizenry is not up in arms. Will we be the same here? Probably!
Would your opinion change if we had riots in the streets? Or another 9/11? Unfortunately, most Americans are like the pony-tailed guy who asked Obama in the Obama-Clinton debates, "how are you going to take care of us?" It is not the government's responsibility to take care of us. That is the reason we have unemployment, medicare, medicaid, Social Security, welfare, aid to dependent children, and the end all plan--ObamaCare. Government help should be limited to things that you cannot handle such as interstate commerce, relations with other nations and national defense. Beyond that, states and then the individual and charities should take up the slack.
We know that when the debates start on monitoring media , there will be many who will want to be taken care of and will not see any problem with having the government take over their responsibilities. This will be the end of America as we know it. When the government can spy on you without any fear of retribution by the citizenry, we have a substantial change in the relationship with the government. Anything will go as long as it can be couched in terms of national security.
Let us be diligent. Pay attention to the government, otherwise, we will get the same treatment that the Soviet Union gave its citizens. This reminds me of a joke a Soviet emigre told me. It goes. A Russian and American were debating the benefits of each other's systems. The American said "I can go to the White House and call the President all sorts of names and nothing will happen to me." The Russian says "I can also go to the White House and call the President all sorts of names and when I go back to Russia, I will be awarded a medal." However, he could not do it in Russia!
The point is, viewpoints vary with experience and in America we relish our right to be left alone. Our freedoms can only be guaranteed by our diligence. We must understand that all laws have an impact on our abilities to live our lives unencumbered. Monitoring of our communications is not a step in the right direction.
Conservative Tom
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9179117/New-Powers-to-record-every-phone-call-and-email-echoes-China.html
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