Let’s start with what we believe to be the facts:
The federal government has been secretly collecting information about the telephone records of millions of Americans for years. In addition to phone calls, under a surveillance program code-named “Prism” — a covert collaboration between the NSA and FBI — online activity is also being monitored by the federal government, as they’ve had unprecedented access to citizens’ internet behavior via scouring the servers of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple, etc. While there exist claims of this being solely to prevent terrorism, the claims are ambiguous, as the reality is the federal government has been secretly spying on people for years.
Transparently speaking, I find myself with multiple instantaneous — sometimes even emotional — reactions…
“Hmmm… doesn’t sound good… doesn’t sound healthy… sounds a little deceitful… dishonest… doesn’t sound like a practice that’s good and pure and right… sounds like it has way too much potential to be corrupted by those in power… how can it not be corrupted by those in power?…”
The Intramuralist hasn’t completely made a conclusion regarding the goodness of this practice. One bottom line is that if bad people are up to bad things, then it would help us to know about it ahead of time.
However, there are still 2 things that bug me. First, the glaring hypocrisy…
… the hypocrisy from Pres. Obama…
Confronting the public uproar, Obama only defended the vast collection of data. He said that “modest encroachments on privacy” were “worth us doing.” Yet as a one-time senator, Obama’s words were strikingly different. He blasted Pres. Bush for the same activity, calling it “a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand.” He continued, “I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.” (Note: sometimes I think all persons running for president should realize that perhaps there are a few things they don’t really comprehend prior to assuming office…)
There also exists hypocrisy from those who want to make this an issue all about Obama…
True, the warrantless surveillance has expanded under Pres. Obama, but it was initiated under Pres. Bush. Republicans and Democrats have advocated the covert cause. Republicans and Democrats continue to support it now. If it’s wrong for one, it’s wrong for both. This is not a partisan issue; it’s an issue of individual liberty and potential government overreach.
More than the glaring hypocrisy, however, there is one aspect that bugs me more. I believe the root cause of a government that believes it has the right to access our private data is one thing and one thing only: government is too big.
Smaller government is more efficient. Smaller government wastes less money. Within smaller government, the actions are less covert; there’s more transparency — less secrecy — and we can actually discern what our elected officials are doing; there is valid reason to trust. Within smaller government, there is increased humility; there is a realization that the elect actually serve the people. There is less narcissism — less confusion with those who desire — and desire to be — a king. There are fewer speeches primarily designed to sway public opinion — and more actions that truly speak louder than words.
Yes, actions always speak louder than words. Such is why the fact that our government is secretly spying on its people speaks very loud indeed.
Respectfully,
AR