The Rule of Law

We've complained about a lot of things in these pages over the years.  And we don't see that coming to an end anytime soon.

In the hacker world alone, there have been so many cases of injustice that many books can and have been written concerning only some of them.  This has been the case from the beginning, mostly based upon fear and misperceptions.  Intelligent people are punished, castigated, thrown out of school, fired from their jobs, even sent away to prison all because of fear, anger, and a general lack of understanding.

It's that last element that feeds the other two and it parallels so much else that goes on in the world and that has filled our history.  Not understanding people who are different in some way is what causes some to want to hurt them - or at least to keep them far away.

We speak out about these things because we feel we must.  Especially those instances where more people seem to disagree with our conclusions... those are the ones where our voice may be the only opportunity to hear a different perspective.

But, of course, injustice is everywhere, and the hacker community is rather tiny when put into perspective.  In the larger world of technology, we frequently witness issues of privacy intrusions, corporate abuse of technology, governmental overreach, or just plain old shoddy security that helps make it all possible - this is all injustice of a different kind that affects everyone in some manner.  Technology enthusiasts like us have a unique view into these issues and often can explain things in ways that others can't or won't.  Again, we feel compelled to use our voices to draw awareness when it all just doesn't seem right.

And, of course, we also touch upon the bigger picture on occasion, where events are just too consequential to ignore.  Movements towards fascism, oppression, mass disinformation, or all manner of ugliness that can turn the tides of history - these cannot go unremarked, even when our voice is but one microscopic element of a chorus standing up against the darkness.  We must never silence our true feelings, not when we feel alone nor when we feel like we're amongst millions.

But throughout all of these instances, each and every time we've spoken out on some issue, raised awareness of an injustice, or questioned assumptions, we've never given up on the system itself, even when that system was proving to be corrupt or broken.  We always believed that there was a pathway for justice to prevail, however difficult.

We've seen federal agencies like the FBI and the Secret Service lie and abuse their power many times over the years.  We've witnessed all kinds of abuse by law enforcement in many jurisdictions.  And we've experienced our share of ignorant judges, caught up in their own feelings of power and control, unwilling to learn or question their own preconceived notions.

But we've also seen good.  We've been there when justice has prevailed.  We know that the system can change if we get involved and start changing it from within.  We believe in people power, a difficult but invaluable nut to crack, but which is capable of forever altering everything once awoken.

While some of this might seem naive and hopelessly optimistic, what matters is that we all speak our minds honestly and do our best to build the world we want, all the while dealing with the inevitable setbacks and disappointment.  The progress is there if we're willing to see it.

In recent years, we've been disturbed by increasing signs that these beliefs aren't actually held by everyone, particularly those who had previously claimed to value them more than anyone else.  And apparently, all it took to unveil this well hidden truth were some simple setbacks of their own.

Recent events in our nation have uncovered some truly shocking truths.  The sense of entitlement that a particular faction clung to turned into something much uglier once it was questioned and defeated.  Many of us saw something like this coming.  But the majority didn't realize what we were facing until January 6, 2021.  That was when we almost lost our democratic system of government.  On that day, not only was the United States Capitol stormed by violent protesters at the behest of a defeated president, but it was attacked from within by lawmakers who tried to carry out this president's orders and overturn a legitimate election.  There is nothing in that statement to debate; this is very well documented from all sides.

To see police violently attacked by the very people who claimed to be their biggest supporters really put things into perspective.  Apparently this "support" was contingent on their not being on opposite sides of an issue.  Once that happened, law enforcement became the enemy and were even called traitors by those who had assumed police would help them overturn the election.

Fast-forward to this summer when the now former president was accused of having stolen a bunch of top secret documents that could threaten the country's security, as well as put a number of individuals in harm's way.  Once more, the entitlement kicked in with him and his cronies believing they somehow couldn't be touched by the law.  But that's not how the system is supposed to work.

Umm... Eric?

When the FBI did their job and conducted a search of the location where these documents were believed to be, they now became the enemy.  Members of Congress were quoted saying things like "Defund the FBI" and even "We must destroy the FBI," referring to them as part of the "deep state," jackbooted thugs, Democratic operatives, you name it.  Names and addresses of agents were made public.  They were now targets.

We believe all of this illustrates a very basic fact.  For all of the times we've found our community to be the victims of injustice at the hands of federal, state, or local authorities, we fought back through our words and whatever legal representation we could muster.  We condemned actions that we found to be unfair and we called people out who were acting in a particularly dishonorable way.  But we never advocated attacking, targeting, or causing any sort of harm to them as individuals, nor did we attempt to tear down the institutions they represented.  We certainly called for change and for people to be held accountable for their actions.  That's how the system should work.


Umm... Eric?

The people who have been in the headlines recently don't have the same confidence in that system.  When things don't go their way, they become violent in short order.  It doesn't matter if what they are fighting against is the will of the people or a representative of law and order.  It doesn't matter if it's a person they were friends with a few days ago.  Once you cross whatever line they draw, you become the enemy.  We've seen this happen repeatedly and it's both fascinating and frightening.  But it's also empowering because it makes it so much clearer that all of us who have been standing up to injustice over the years - whether through the courts or in the streets - have been on the right side of history.  We don't even have to agree with each other; it's the act of standing up for your beliefs and fighting back against the wrongs you perceive that qualifies as honorable.  We all need to recognize that.

There are some tough times ahead.  When this issue hits the stands, we will have just come through an election that will push us in one direction or another.  We're either feeling inspired or dejected, or perhaps a combination of each.  What we can't let go of is that feeling of healthy rebellion, constant questioning, and a willingness to take action.  Only the truly desperate feel the need to tear everything down and collect enemies when they don't immediately get what they want.  Their tantrums show their immaturity, along with their lack of belief in democratic systems that often require an abundance of patience and a lot of time.

We have a great deal to fight for and about.  And we're not at all thrilled with how the system is designed and abused by those with power.  But our dissatisfaction doesn't push us into despair.  Instead, it serves as motivation for us to try harder and continue the battle for another day.  It's easy to forget how these challenges are putting us in a better place.  Sometimes it takes the actions of those who are on the wrong side to really make this clear.
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