If they say that it’s for terrorism, then it's ok- that is how we live today...

If they say that it’s for terrorism, then it's ok- that is how we live today. It is a shame to see a company like Verizon forced to hand over tons of data. What happened to Big Business sticking it to the Government? Like not paying taxes, hiring illegals- and shipping jobs overseas?

 Yeah, fuck you America- (in my Big Business voice).

Nope- they did a 360 degree turn on this one. According to Obama back in 2007, our civil liberties were the most important thing on his agenda. I am against these sorts of actions happening in our country for several reasons.

One, I believe in the people, but I do not think that a majority of people are informed enough to understand how important all this information is and what can be done with it.

And secondly, I do not trust our government.  They have a history of abusing power.   

Maybe we should all have thought about it before we accepted the internet into our homes- nothing but a military technology packaged up for civilians.

I’m not against all this because I have “something to hide”- But rather, because this is the opposite of freedom.  People are in an uproar over keeping their guns and repealing health care- but why the fuck aren’t they screaming to get rid of the PATRIOT ACT.

Why is collecting data so important for our government? Because the government can use this data to do a lot of things they shouldn’t do.  For example, they can gather information to identify and track certain groups of individuals that might share the same belief.  Maybe…. Track their location using GPS data, and their calls, and where they gather.  Doesn’t sound too bad if you are thinking “terrorist”, right?  But replace “terrorist” with something else- anything.  Replace it with “Civil rights activist” or “Jew” or “Someone who doesn’t think like us”.  Scary?

This is too much.  That is way too much information for the government to have on its citizens. The common position “I am doing nothing wrong, so who cares if they track me” is nothing more than apathy and ignorance.

I have seen what happens to organizations that stand out and really try to make change-  they get roadblocked. I have seen what happens to individuals like Martin Luther King, and JFK.  Assonated- for their beliefs, their thoughts, and letting people know there is a choice.

We have a choice- here right now. The next few years will be a huge turning point in our lives. Data will become an even bigger business than it is already is and more laws are going to be created to protect and use that data in anyway a company or government sees fit.  

While we sit on these digital soapboxes and share our lives with the world, we are being watched.

I know there are some of you that believe that there will be some revolution- sorry to be real with you- it isn’t coming. WE the People could not overthrow our Government.  

What did our government do with the data that they collected when Russia rang the phone about the Boston Bomber? They dropped the ball- they did not react and allowed a suspected terrorist to conduct a terrorist act.

I understand that we have to sacrifice some of our privacy- things that are not really private. Like when I am walking down the street in front of cameras- attending a sports event- or even shopping at the mall. They can watch me.

But collecting all of this data and storing it “just in case” is not a good reason to take away our rights. To some, this is something that should be done in the name of safety.

But what if freedom of expression became something that was connected to terrorism.  It’s happening all over the world.  Is that acceptable? What if every child was forced to wear a name tag that had a GPS in it? Is that acceptable?

My point is simple- get informed and stay informed. Of course America is safer. But I do not think that it is because personal data has been collected and stored.

And while I am writing this, we just got word that the Government is now tapping into 9 Internet companies. Microsoft, PalTalk, YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, Google, Apple, Skype, and Facebook.  They are providing video, text, audio- pretty much anything you do on your computer.  So now the NSA is all in our shit-

Yeah they know how many guns that you have if you took a picture and placed it online- that little teeny bopper site that you are following- now they have placed you in a category with other people engaging in the same behavior.

There is no reason for these types of actions. I was told once by someone that we were close to tyranny- shit, I think I am staring at it directly in the eyes…