When the FBI loses your luggage
When I try to raise concern about the implications of the USA Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, breeches of free speech, and things of this nature the most common argument I hear from others is that “As long as I am not doing anything wrong, what do I have to worry about?” Since theoretical arguments about the nature of power and government do not seem to penetrate the narrow views of said people, I will focus this post on a real world example of the consequences of letting your liberties slip away. I ran across this post on a blog I read every once in awhile. Read carefully, this is not some REAL ID internet rumor meant to stir up hysteria. This is the real world that we have allowed to develop, and actually encourage and defend as “Safe”. While this is going on, we continue to support leaders who claim they are "Protecting the Homeland" (does anyone else think this phrase drips of 1930’s German facist rhetoric, or cold war era communist propaganda?) without giving any critical thought to what we are giving up in order to retain this elusive idea of safety. If I have to appeal to the utterly American ideal of “me first”, then I will. Let’s say your name matches that of a “known terrorist” and you can't fly to your friend’s wedding, your luggage is “lost” or you are otherwise inconvenienced. Well at least its all for a good cause right? At least I will be safe on that airplane, right? The truth, folks, is that we are not guaranteeing anything for ourselves except the slow bleed of our freedoms and liberties. As we continue to argue about whether or not freedom is making progress in Iraq and Afghanistan, our own freedoms are being plucked away from us. These freedoms were not easily won - if you learned anything in school - and they will be lost at an incalculable cost if people don’t stand up and defend the ideals laid down in the Constitution. “When liberty is taken away by force, it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered” – Dorothy Thompson
3 comments:
i saw the other day that Amtrak is going to have similiar security checks as airports. where is this going to stop? grocery stores? gas stations? church?
The standard reply to any example of real world consequences for the innocent is that such instances are rare and they are a small price to pay for security. No one claimed the system was perfect, all we are saying is that checking bags at random for no reason (http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1175102054303320.xml&storylist=simetro)
is obviously safer than not checking them at all. Unless you are doing something wrong, the only consequence you are likely to suffer is having to leave 5 mins early. How can a rational person be against that?
To anonymous:
But the point is that you are allowing the government to decide what is 'wrong' or 'right' for you. If we continue to sit back and let that happen, they will just continue to take their iberties at the cost of our freedom. And there are obviously times when 'mistakes' are made and innocent people are affected. You think the government cares when that happens? They don't, because we have given them that right.
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