There is a saying “Power tends
to corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). It is amazing how quickly we are willing
allow ourselves to inch our government towards absolute power in the name of
safety from terrorists.
We look to our politicians to
govern and in that role we overlook their flaws and hypocrisies if they but
promise to do things we like. We condemn
corporations and bemoan the fact they are protected by the law just as
individuals are, but we empower the government to do things we would never
allow from a company – all in the name of protection.
Where is the concern and outrage
over the government’s collection of vast quantities of cell phone calls? Oh right, they are just doing that to find
the terrorists so they can be stopped before something bad happens. The ordinary man or woman has nothing to
fear, unless they happen to disagree with the administration.
What we know for certain is that
information can be gained by anyone with the time, talent, desire or funding to
seek it, and it can be used for whatever purpose the owner chooses.
If, as we see, the current
politicians want to remain in power what better way than to know what everyone
is talking about so you can shape your message.
I wonder, is that why NSA spying has the support of both major parties?
No comments:
Post a Comment