Stop Shunning Mr. Privacy
Our ‘hilarious’ and ‘informative’ went out the window weeks ago, and now our ‘clever’ is getting pretty threadbare. A valiant attempt to return to form will happen in the coming days. For now, there is only this:
Let me just set a few things straight. I recognize the reality that there are disgruntled people in the world who would attack, maim and kill civilians in order to “send a message.” That said, I have no problem with…
- …searching an individual’s home without their knowledge if they are suspected of being a terrorist.
- …infiltrating a club or organization if its members are suspected of terrorist activity.
- …looking at an individual’s library records if they are suspected of being a terrorist and such records will be useful in investigating terrorist activity.
- …looking at an individual’s medical records if they are suspected of being a terrorist and such records will be useful in investigating terrorist activity.
- …tapping and individual’s telephone if they are suspected of being a terrorist.
- …requesting the phone company’s billing records of an individual who is suspected of being a terrorist.
- …tracking an individual’s financial transactions if they are suspected of assisting in the funding of terrorist activity.
- …etcetera.
But really, is it too much to ask that these things be done LEGALLY? I’m thinking— if memory serves —that we’re supposed to have a system of checks and balances in place to handle exactly this kind of thing.
As far as I can tell, there are very few individuals in the world bent on carrying out terrorist attacks. But there are a very great number of innocent people who deserve to have their Amendment IV Rights protected, many of whom— I must believe, in order to preserve my own sanity —don’t even buy into the group-paranoia that makes everybody a suspect of terrorism.
It used to be that folks who shunned privacy— by, say, getting hot-and-heavy in a public place —were told, “C’mon! Get a room!”
Now the folks who shun Privacy are in peoples rooms. They should be told, “C’mon! Get a warrant!”
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Stump Lane 
Ha! Brilliant. Equating “get a room” with “get a warrant”!
Yes, wanting things done legally is just too much. After all, you’re dealing with the government.
Q: And the government response to this will be?
A: Prosecute the media for reporting on this activity.
As often happens, Democracy Now! got me going on writing this post with this noon’s report: Is Bush Administration’s Bank Spy Program One Part of a Resurgent Total Information Awareness?
There was a great quote from Jonathan Turley, Professor of Constitutional Law at George Washington University, on the program:
[dripping sarcasm] I think that’s just fantastic! [/dripping sarcasm]