Stick Around

There's been a lot of gloomy talk in the air lately.  It certainly isn't hard to figure out why.  We live in very troubled times and recently it seems like almost all of the news has been bad, especially for people like us.  Freedom seems to be vanishing, privacy is a thing of the past, and there's no end of predictions on how technology will be used against us in the near and distant future.  And even though it seems like the opposite is true, this is the time when positive change is most likely.  We just have to be around to see that it happens.

The world has been changed by some very powerful people.  Of that there can be no doubt.  And there is great danger in allowing their changes to stand for the simple reason that people will become accustomed to them - either through apathy or from not knowing of another way.  Changes in culture and society solidify into the norm faster than you can imagine.  Before any of us know what has happened warrantless searches, state sanctioned torture, imprisonment without charge, and technology used to monitor our every move and categorize us will become the status quo.  It will then be so much harder to move things back to the way they were since we won't have the weapon of fear at our disposal as those changing the world today do in such great abundance.

Some of the changes occurring today are necessary and even good.  Few would argue that decent security on airplanes is a bad idea, provided that it's implemented in an even-handed and sane fashion.  But so far it hasn't even come close.  Never mind the fact that there are gaping security holes you can drive a truck through.  What's more insidious is that people who dress in a certain manner, buy tickets with cash, or get one way instead of round trip tickets are defined as suspects.  This is supposed to somehow be comforting to the masses.

These traits are then widely publicized which makes it rather simple for any questionable people to avoid being defined as such.  And as if that wasn't enough, suspicious people get to know in advance that they've been defined as suspicious thanks to the presence of four large S's on their boarding passes!  This seems less a means of finding such individuals and more a method of getting people to conform to a particular behavior pattern.  Either that or it's just a really dumb implementation of security.  Whichever is true, it isn't making anyone any safer.

Demands for picture identification on airplanes may also seem like a good idea at first.  What better way to identify dangerous people before they cause problems?  Except that it's really quite trivial for someone to bypass this requirement with a fake ID, as many have already done.  It's such a glaring hole that one has to wonder if we're all being set up for the "necessity" of having a national ID card that's standardized throughout the nation and mandatory to carry.  As of the beginning of the year, such a card is now required for all adults in the Netherlands.  The government of the United Kingdom is pushing for a similar card.  Germany has had one for years.  It's not inconceivable that something like this could be a reality in the United States in the very near future, especially when it's made clear to us how "ineffective" the current system really is.  And public opinion is slowly being turned in favor of such a system due to the "risks" of not having one.

Then there's the Internet which is increasingly seen as a tool for terrorists.  On more than a few recent occasions, we've seen the activity of hackers compared to that of terrorists.  Any rational person can quickly conclude that no action of any hacker in recorded history has ever held a candle to what terrorists do.  Why make such an incredibly distorted claim in the first place?  It's not very hard to figure out the rationale.  As long as the connection can somehow be made, it will remain in the minds of the public the next time amazon.com is unreachable or spam clogs their inbox.

It won't matter that hackers aren't in any way responsible, nor will it matter that these inconveniences are trivial in the bigger scheme of things.  As long as the fear somehow manifests itself - and in most cases it will simply be fear of a "what if" scenario - an Internet disruption will be as serious an issue as a bombing.  And the culprits will be equally nebulous in each case.  In addition to the demonization of hackers and their sympathizers, the net itself will come under increasing scrutiny and control.

Whenever changes of this magnitude have been made in the past, we could always count on the checks and balances of our system of government to ensure that it was all being done fairly and that nobody's rights were violated - at least in theory.  The real danger today is that even this safeguard is being targeted as a threat of sorts.  The USA PATRIOT Act makes it possible to completely bypass the Constitution when it's deemed necessary by various law enforcement and governmental agencies. Warrantless searches, monitoring of library users who read certain books or publications, infiltration of organizations that simply criticize the government, the ability to hold people (including U.S. citizens) indefinitely without charges if they're labeled (without explanation) as a "terrorist" or "enemy combatant" - two terms with increasingly vague meanings...  The list goes on and on.  And while sections of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire at the end of this year, there are forces at work to make it even stronger and more permanent.

It's truly amazing what fear can accomplish.

With all of these developments, it's little wonder so many people are seriously considering leaving the country and starting fresh someplace else.  And with the new US-VISIT program that actually requires foreign visitors to be fingerprinted upon entry to the country, we're not surprised so many people are crossing the United States off their list of places to visit.

But if people give up, the battle may truly be lost.  And a war analogy is perhaps what is in order here.  What would happen if one side in a war simply walked away?  Obviously, the other side would dominate and do as it pleased.  It would be absurd to think that life would miraculously be restored to the way it was before the battle began.  In a war that one believes in, fighting in whatever ways one can is the only acceptable course of action.

Bleak as it may seem, the changes that have been taking place can be influenced by our voices and our actions.  Total Information Awareness, PATRIOT Act II, and elements of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) have all been dealt severe setbacks due to public opposition and legal challenges.  Had these objections not been made, we would be living under far more restrictive rules that would have made our worries of today seem trivial.

Let's not fool ourselves - all of these draconian regulations will be back under different names and under new circumstances.  Those who want these kinds of changes in our lives are quite relentless.  That's why it's so important that we not let our guard down, ever.

It's easy to give up and go to what may seem like a more pleasant environment.  But looks can be deceiving.  Anything that's a threat here will eventually (if not already) be a threat anywhere else in the world.  And abandoning the fight only helps to ensure the outcome.  You're supposed to feel helpless, like you can't possibly make anything change.  But if you look back at history, you'll see that all of the shifts in direction - good and bad - were initially begun by a relatively small and insignificant number of individuals.

It may seem hopeless.  It may appear as if we're merely witnessing a long series of negative steps that will eventually crush freedom and outlaw opposition.  But it doesn't have to be this way.  We can unite and seek out more people who see the threat in these trends.  They do exist and they are everywhere, even within the government itself.  What better way to prove that you believe in free speech, free association, the Constitution, civil rights, etc. than to stand up and fight for them when they become endangered?

We look forward to the battles ahead.