Wouldn't it be great if the Feds knew everything that there is to know about you and while they are at it know what you are doing at all times?
This would certainly give the FBI, CIA and Police Departments everywhere the ability to solve crimes and protect all of us from acts of terrorism perpetrated by our own citizens, as well as those who come into our country in order to do us harm. There are dangers everywhere, and our law enforcement agencies must be given the tools necessary to protect us.
Of course, at the same time, we should monitor the whereabouts and activities of all visitors to our country. If you want to visit the United States, then you must agree to wear a monitoring device so that the Feds will know where you are at all times, and will also be able to determine who you are conspiring with.
The following stolen from an article in the Washington Post sent to me a few days ago that demonstrates at least a small part of our nations willingness to violate our constitution in a "well intentioned" attempt to save it.
"The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad."
This will work very well for "them" when combined with the overall electronic surveillance, telephone and internet communications, credit reports, iris scans and such. Can you imagine if "they" are out to "get" someone, the arsenal of data that they will posses?
When I would see this stuff in the movies or on television dramas I would think: "look at what they do in order to catch the bad guys." That's just GREAT in the movies, but nowhere else.
It was over 30 years ago that I purchased a few items from a small grocery store, and when I tried to pay for the purchase with a credit card, the clerk asked me to supply him with a thumb print in a device that he had telling me that he was not allowed to accept credit cards without the thumbprint.
I refused, and told the clerk that I would not be purchasing anything if was necessary that I leave a "souvenir" thumb print. The clerk yelled at me as I left shouting that I was obviously a criminal and a communist if I was unwilling to give "the system" a thumb print. His attitude, like so many, was that if I did nothing wrong, I had nothing to fear from "the system or the government."
Our country has gone wild following the horrid event of 9/11 and this right wing government is encouraging all of the law enforcement agencies the opportunity and the money to do things that 7 years ago would have been considered unthinkable as to "information gathering and spying" on Americans. One can only wonder what the administration is doing that we don't know about. It is not that they have exactly upfront about their activities in recent years.
The Washington Post will publish a story this week detailing how the Feds had gotten the AC Nielsen Company to report to them directly as to what their "sampling group" has been watching on television.
The Feds also have an understanding with Google, Yahoo, MSN, as well as all Internet providers to report on the activities of all of their customers.
As of this moment Movies.com has refused to provide the Feds with the information they have requested as to what movies Americans are going to see. Apparently NetFlix has unfortunately adhered to a request as to the DVD's titles that they are supplying to their customers.
Now for the truth as I know it, ALL of the contents in the last few paragraphs that I have attributed to the Washington Post I made up. I lied about all of it, but isn't it creepy that it all seems to conform within the realm of possibility in the country we live in.
Many of my friends blame the system for all of this. Many others blame the terrorists for all of this. I choose to blame the people in our government who have used the horrors of 9/11 in order for them to takeover our previously constitutional democracy.
It would appear that many of our citizens would support the mid 20th Century expression of "I'd rather be Red then dead!" So many are accepting the promulgations of the government when it implies while negating the Constitution, "fear not, we will protect you from the terrorist hordes." This administration negates the notion of our "...having nothing to fear but fear itself" by promoting at every opportunity the notion that we all MUST be in constant fear all the time.
May we have a voice vote on the following please?
Who among us believes that there will be an "event" that will "allow" the incumbent administration to rescind or cancel the upcoming election and stay in power?
Can't happen here you say?
Why not?
Norman Horowitz