Thursday, August 26, 2010

Oh, Big Brother

It's been some time. In fact, I'd say it's been quite some time. You probably thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth--if you could be so lucky! No, no, dearlings, I just went....on a vacation, we'll say. But, as long as there are people, and as long as there is government, there will always be a Little Black Soap Box somewhere.

I thought I'd come back with a bang. Time.com posted an article (which is the link, kiddies) about the government's use of GPS to track individuals. In summation (because I know you won't read the article just yet), the government has the freedom to sneak into your driveway and attach a GPS unit to your vehicle, then track your movements for as long as it desires.

When we were little, we were told that we had to be good because Santa Claus was watching us. Now, we have to be good because the government can invade our privacy and watch us. But, wait! There's more!
The court's ruling, [Chief Judge Alex Kozinski] said, means that people who protect their homes with electric gates, fences and security booths have a large protected zone of privacy around their homes. People who cannot afford such barriers have to put up with the government sneaking around at night.
So, if you're really rich or you have political ties, your privacy is just fine! If you work for a living, however, it is not.

Haven't we already given up our freedoms in the name of "Anti-Terrorism"? Have we not already subjected ourselves to unreasonable searches and seizures at US Airports under the guise of the "Patriot Act"? Where are we going to draw the line, folks? It has to be somewhere. How many lives are we going to sacrifice to protect our rights from dictators of other governments only to strip them slowly by our own hands?

"We will not go quietly into the night.
We will not give up without a fight!
Rage--RAGE--against the dying light!"

Props for literate people who know that reference. Hint: It's NOT from Independence Day.

Off topic, a bit there, but listen, folks. RA's back and is here to tell you that we need to be defending our--the middle and lower classes--rights to privacy. The law is clearly written that states our expectations of privacy extend to the property, as well. The government is not above the law. We need to hold them to the same--or higher--standard than we hold ourselves.

...in the meantime, be careful out there. Big Brother is watching. And his presents are handcuffs.

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