I plan to write more about all the scandals and the recent revelations about "data mining" but I want to point out a major reason why this is way off the rails.Let's say that I post blogs on my web site vey critical of Obama, which I do often. Let's then say that someone attempts to kill Obama. As a result of this attempt, the FBI gets this "second warrant" to to specifically dig into the phone calls and internet usage of the attempted assassin. So the FBI gets the warrant and begins looking into the suspects internet activity in order to find out if he has any accomplices and they find that the guy has read my blogs on a couple of occaisions and that I have been hyper-critical of the President. Would, could and why wouldn't they then go to judge and ask for a warrant to "spy" on me?
Maybe the judge says that their is no direct link between me and the suspect so he turns them down, but maybe he doesn't. Maybe if they are turned down they put me on some other less intrusive watch list, who knows? Is this paranoid speculation? Who knows? But the very fact that I not only believe that this hypothesis is possible but under certain circumstances likely could cause me to stop excersising my Constitutional Rights to be critical of my government.
But I want you to think about this, if I am now or in the future put on some sort of watch list by my government for what I write here on this blog, you are now on it too. Because they store all of this information for future investigative purposes.
We all are being monitored, not in the future, but now. It just a matter of time until your two degrees of separation from some event catches you in the web.
Have a nice day in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Its true Jer, very true.
ReplyDeleteNot to make lite of it but way back when some of this type stuff was starting to surface,Glen Beck; wrote on the internet,something that contained all the key words that send up flags. It was quite funny,even though its quite scary.
Jer. I comment on your blog and the comment shows up,then later it disappears.
ReplyDeleteI assume its the anti spam thing,but it is annoying.
I agree - you're very right about this, Jer. And after you posted this, Williams Briggs posted a blog (wmbriggs.com) saying the same thing. We all have something to hide just by our patterns and associations.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in my opinion, it's working. We're being terrorized by our own government. Who doesn't feel uneasy about his phone calls and e-mails and credit cards being monitored? Who isn't afraid of an IRS audit? And does any one of us feel safer?
Number.
ReplyDeleteMost arent afraid of our actions or conversations.
But we should fear defending them.
Afterall they have concise records,we only have vague recollection of events and connections that were meaningless(for the most part)when they happened.
It is scarey very scarey.
With all the gumption and beneficial expertise you exude and believe in,in this atmosphere would you run for office?
Hopefully the answer is yes.
But most likely a normal human being would cringe and not be as brave as Snowden.
Afterall Snowden faces life behind bars. A politician only faces personal degradation and defeat.
The atmosphere of societal /Governmental destruction via the most twisted of facts is the Chicago way.
Shall we talk about how Obama obtained his seat in the legislative branch?
How much would you be willing to bet that surveillance didnt play a part?
But we should fear defending them.
ReplyDelete