Look, first off, I'm not one of those nutters who thinks we should do away with federal law enforcement agencies, or spy agencies, or the Coast Guard, or the interstate system, or the SEC.
BUT.
Strange things are happening here in the United States of America, right now, that are so troubling it is almost hard to believe they are occurring. Your taxpayer money is going toward these things. And your silence and/or apathy is tacit approval, not only in my eyes but in the eyes of the government.
What am I talking about?
Aside from the terrifying results of a NYU/Stanford non-partisan study on the use of American drones in Pakistan -- the Spark Notes version of the data-rich study is that our drones are, in some cases, performing 'double-tap' sorties... which sounds all well and good, until you learn that 'double-tap' means the drone returns after it strikes and launches additional missiles into the building, killing rescue workers, innocent bystanders trying to help burn victims, and local medics.
And the victims of these strikes are targeted based on remote 'pattern of life' analysis -- if you don't know what that means, that's OK, because I don't either. But it doesn't sound terribly judicial or transparent.
Again, I said ASIDE from all of that -- yes, I'm worried about what we're doing in Pakistan with taxpayer money, but I'm more worried about what we are doing right here.
And I also mean, aside from the billions we are allegedly spending on data centers to intercept and store Americans' electronic communications without a warrant, in fairly clear violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Ready to put on your tinfoil hat? Here's where things get weird.
Ready to put on your tinfoil hat? Here's where things get weird.
This government, our government, a supposedly moderate government of Barack Obama (he has an iPad and a Spotify playlist and likes dogs and is funny on Jay Leno! He must be moderate!) is now claiming the legal right to install surveillance cameras in your home or on your property without a warrant. And is doing so, in some cases.
If they hate us for our freedoms over in Pakistan or wherever, I'm pretty certain the hatred will dry up soon, because this is not freedom. As CNET reported, "Police are allowed in some circumstances to install hidden surveillance cameras on private property without obtaining a search warrant, a federal judge said yesterday."
The government has evidently lost its mind, as have our federal judges. Tricky situation.
And no, I'm not suggesting things would be fantastic or magically better under a Romney administration -- that's not the point of this article. I suspect if Romney won, which according to Nate Silver he won't, this insanity would continue at the same pace, if not faster.
Regardless of who wins on Tuesday, we need to put our collective feet down and Just Say No. Respect our right to privacy. Respect our Constitutionally guaranteed rights. And treat us, taxpayers and citizens, with more than a shred of dignity.
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