Let\u2019s start with what we believe to be the facts:<\/p>\n
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The federal government has been secretly collecting information about the telephone records of millions of Americans for years.\u00a0 In addition to phone calls, under a surveillance program code-named \u201cPrism\u201d \u2014 a covert collaboration between the NSA and FBI \u2014 online activity is also being monitored by the federal government, as they\u2019ve had unprecedented access to citizens\u2019 internet behavior via scouring the servers of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple, etc.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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Transparently speaking, I find myself with multiple instantaneous \u2014 sometimes even emotional \u2014 reactions…<\/p>\n
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\u201cHmmm… doesn\u2019t sound good…\u00a0 doesn\u2019t sound healthy… sounds a little deceitful… dishonest… doesn\u2019t sound like a practice that\u2019s good and pure and right… sounds like it has way too much potential to be corrupted by those in power… how can it <\/em>not<\/em><\/strong> be corrupted by those in power?…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Intramuralist hasn\u2019t completely made a conclusion regarding the goodness of this practice.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, there are still 2 things that bug me.\u00a0 First, the glaring hypocrisy…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n … the hypocrisy from Pres. Obama…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Confronting the public uproar, Obama only defended the vast collection of data.\u00a0 He said that \u201cmodest encroachments on privacy\u201d were \u201cworth us doing.\u201d\u00a0 Yet as a one-time senator, Obama\u2019s words were strikingly different.\u00a0 He blasted Pres. Bush for the same activity, calling it “a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand.\u201d\u00a0 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.”\u00a0 (Note:\u00a0 sometimes I think all persons running for president should realize that perhaps there are a few things they don\u2019t really comprehend prior to assuming office…)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There also exists hypocrisy from those who want to make this an issue all about Obama…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n True, the warrantless surveillance has expanded under Pres. Obama, but it was initiated under Pres. Bush.\u00a0 Republicans and Democrats have advocated the covert cause.\u00a0 Republicans and Democrats continue to support it now.\u00a0 If it\u2019s wrong for one, it\u2019s wrong for both.\u00a0 This is not a partisan issue; it\u2019s an issue of individual liberty and potential government overreach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More than the glaring hypocrisy, however, there is one aspect that bugs me more.\u00a0 I believe the root cause of a government that believes it has the right<\/strong> to access our private data is one thing and one thing only:\u00a0 government is too big.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Smaller government is more efficient.\u00a0 Smaller government wastes less money.\u00a0 Within smaller government, the actions are less covert; there\u2019s more transparency \u2014 less secrecy \u2014 and we can actually discern what our elected officials are doing; there is valid reason to trust.\u00a0 Within smaller government, there is increased humility; there is a realization that the elect actually serve<\/em> the people.\u00a0 There is less narcissism \u2014 less confusion with those who desire \u2014 and desire to be<\/em> \u2014 a king.\u00a0 There are fewer speeches primarily designed to sway public opinion \u2014 and more actions that truly speak louder than words.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yes, actions always speak louder than words.\u00a0 Such is why the fact that our government is secretly spying on its people speaks very loud indeed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s 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.\u00a0 In addition to phone calls, under a surveillance program code-named \u201cPrism\u201d \u2014 a covert collaboration between the NSA and FBI \u2014 online activity is also being … <\/p>\n