The Irony of Independence Day in 2013

Today is July 4, 2013.  The 237th anniversary of the day our nation declared to mother England, our freedom from their rule.  We usually celebrate such an occasion with barbeques and fireworks.  Today in Tallahassee though, city officials cancelled the big celebration at Tom Brown Park due to the torrential rains and thunderstorms which have pounded our fair city for the past few days, with the rain stretching back over a week.  I agree with their decision, after all, if it is storming again tonight, we sure don't need thousands of people out in it.  And there is another part of me which finds it ironic and perhaps appropriate the celebration be cancelled.  You see, those folks in 1776, they were more free then, than we are now. 

Today we talk of freedom as though it is overflowing in abundance, and yet the sad fact of the matter is, it is dying.  Oh, some of you just rolled your eyes and said in your head, there he goes again.  Go ahead.  Admit it.  I don't care, because in this case, it would be much better for me to be wrong.  If only I were.  But, I do believe our freedom is dying from neglect and apathy. 

Think of all the new rules you follow just to fly on an airplane today.  Once upon a time you didn't undergo a computer-aided strip search, take off your shoes, your belt, your watches, glasses, wallets and such.  Don't think I don't understand why, I do.  We do it to be safe.  Certainly I get it.  But at the same time, step back for a moment and think about this for a minute.  If this computer is so invasive as to render you naked, why can't it scan shoes, a belt and a wallet? 

So, we submit (heck I fly a few times a year at least, so I do it too).  But, it is still a loss of privacy.  Some people won't fly anymore simply because they refuse to submit.  More power to them.  I appreciate their commitment to principle. 

If you use the internet at all or carry a smartphone, well, guess what, you have almost no privacy at all.  Thanks to Edward Snowden we now know for certain our own government is logging each and every single phone call, have the capacity, capability and technology to flip a switch and hear those calls too.  Plus, they can read your email, see what Google searches you are doing, and have a nice list of websites you are visiting. 

Most people will say, so what?  They don't read my email.  Actually, they do.  The programs used to mine this data, they look for keywords.  So, no, Agent Smith isn't sitting at a desk reading your email about your work environment sucking, or the great sex you had last night, or the Nigerian prince who is promising you $10 million if you just give him a $1000 loan.  But, WOPR, SkyNet, Hal or whatever it is called, does scan your email.  Yes, it really does.  Read the news, or at least what passes for it these days.  European governments are pissed at the United States for stealing away their data too.  I could link a dozen stories about that specifically.

So when someone who works in Information Technology warns you when the government starts talking about SOPA (Links to explain in detail: https://www.eff.org/issues/coica-internet-censorship-and-copyright-bill and http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm)  and CISPA (Link: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/04/cispa-passes-out-house-without-any-fixes-core-concerns), you need to understand, these are even greater power grabs by the government and corporations to further limit your privacy, choice, and access to information. 

The Patriot Act was bad enough, we forfeited those first few freedoms in the interest of catching terrorists.  Indeed the act was set to expire starting December 31, 2005.  But, of course, there were still bad guys out there, so it got extended to 2010.  In 2010, it got another extension for a year, and in May of 2011, President Obama signed a 4-year extension.  So, the "temporary" Patriot Act has now been law longer than any president has ever served, saved FDR.  Later this year, it will pass even him.  And does anyone really believe there will come a day when the government will willingly give back all those rights because all the bad guys have been caught?  Please.  We will have to demand they stand down and return those freedoms, limit those powers and return the Constitution to it's rightful place.

These are but a few examples of how privacy and freedom have been abridged in the past 12 years.  Somehow our country survived for 225 years without such things.  The internet even existed for some of that time, as did cell phones. 

Listen, I use the internet, I carry a smartphone, and I fly.  All I am saying is this: be aware, pay attention more, and put pressure on your Senators, Congressmen, and other elected leaders saying "enough!"  When you hear about SOPA, CISPA, PIPA, or even the Patriot Act, tell them to vote no, to stand FOR freedom for a change.  Life, a good life, is all about balance.  Find the happy medium which can exist without big brother reading your messages, tracking your phone (I didn't even include the bit about how 85% of smartphones have GPS functionality and it is also tracked), and logging your calls. 

This isn't some conspiracy-nut rant, or even a Science Fiction story; these are things your government is doing right now as you read this note. 

Yes, roll your eyes some more.  They are counting on it.  After all, it keeps you safe.  Just take a moment please on July 4th and if you don't want to listen to me, listen to Benjamin Franklin: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Note: I am still very proud to celebrate our Independence Day, and damn proud to be an American.  Thanks to the many brave and courageous souls who have played a role in securing all the freedoms we do enjoy.  I just think we need the occasional kick-in-the-butt reminder, freedom is always under assault, and not always by a foe on foreign soul who will declare his attack upon it.  Sometimes the threats are from within, and sometimes even well intentioned, but they are threats nonetheless.   

A couple of other quotes I felt somewhat relevant from some smart people:

James Madison: "I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

Unknown: "Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves."