I've been in the media for many years now. Most of that time
has been spent on the news side of the business. I've been a reporter, an
anchor, a host and an interviewer. I've been in politics from time to time but got
out of activism a few years ago. Since then, I've avoided making political
comments on Facebook or Twitter and hope this isn't considered a political
statement. It's designed to be something about culture.
In the news business, we often brag about our role that
demands we ask the tough questions of those in charge. There's quite a bit of
self-importance felt in newsrooms, to be honest. That's because we feel we're called
to hold important people accountable for their decisions and we're supposed to
be generally skeptical of things.
So, I want to question some very important people...you. The
American people.
As I type this, the 19-year-old who is suspected of bombing
the Boston Marathon has apparently just been captured. There are cheers out
loud and cheers online over that.
If he did it, then I'm thrilled that he's in police custody.
But, America, I have some questions for you because I've
been watching your decisions that I think deserve skepticism.
Maybe I was one of the few who didn't feel good about
hearing that a "lock down" had been ordered for Boston, one of our
nation's largest cities. Then, that lock down was expanded to surrounding towns.
People were told to stay inside and only open the door for approved, uniformed
government personnel.
Over a million people were ordered to not engage in
commerce, not to earn money to pay their bills and deny their children an
education that day. A few city and state officials (maybe just one or two) made
that decision for them without any objection from what I could see.
That personnel went door to door, demanding unquestioned
access to search homes without a warrant. Those teams exited their military
Humvees equipped with machine guns and body armor, they demanded to be let in
even if the homeowner knew for a fact the teenager they were looking for was
not there.
Image from Yahoo
It was for everyone's own good, though, and access was
granted. Maybe some didn't like it but, hey, all these guys have big guns and
who's going to argue with that?
Yes, I know what the suspect is accused of doing. I am no less angry about it than you are. If the young man who was captured is guilty, then I hope he gets a speedy and fair trial, a just conviction and the harshest penalty possible.
Government even pleaded with media and individuals to not
communicate in certain ways. Your Tweet or Facebook post might tip the suspect
off as to where they are, so stop talking to each other.
You don't want the bad guy to get away, right? Just comply
and give up your rights for a little while, people were told. It's for your
safety.
I guess my surprise is at the fact those demands and those
actions were apparently not at least controversial.
How did we get to a point where thousands of people, without
objection or even question, comply with unilateral orders to not earn a living,
not go to school, not go on vacation, not enjoy that day off and visit the
coffee shop?
Well, America (not just Boston, because I believe the same
response would have happened anywhere in this nation), this has been a long
time coming and you've forgotten how you got us here.
After 9/11, we were told we had to be safer, so the
government put blue shirt nobodies between us and our travel. They ordered us
to stand down as they did things to our bodies that, in any other circumstance,
would be prosecuted as sexual assault.
We complained. We asked "if we give up this portion of
our rights, what's next?" We demanded to be treated like free people and
not criminal suspects. We were told that safety required it. We were told how these
objections were unreasonable. It's not a big deal, after all; it's just a
little inconvenience and it's worth it.
You don't want someone to sneak something dangerous on the
plane, do you? Now get rid of that shampoo.
So, the complaints eventually dissipated and what once made
us angry is now hardly noticed. It's the new normal and we're conditioned to
accept it.
But, it didn't stop there.
Government demanded that we submit our financial information
to them when we open even a basic bank account. God forbid you deposit a large
amount of money in it at once - that has to be reported as well, even when
there's no suspicion of a crime taking place.
We complained. We asked "if we give up this portion of
our rights, what's next?" We demanded to be treated like free people and
not criminal suspects. We were told safety required it. We were told how these
objections were unreasonable. It's not a big deal, after all; it's just a quick
form on the computer. It's just a little inconvenience and it's worth it.
You don't want to allow someone to covertly finance
something dangerous, do you? Now sign here so we can send your information to
Washington's database.
The complaints lasted a short time and what once made us
wary is now just accepted as part of doing business. It's the new normal and
we're conditioned to accept it.
Government then decided it needs access to our personal
communications. Our email, our social media, our movie and book rental history,
even.
We complained. We asked "if we give up this portion of
our rights, what's next?" We demanded to be treated like free people and
not criminal suspects. We were told safety required it. We were told how these
objections were unreasonable. It's not a big deal, after all; you won't even
notice that someone else is looking in or tracking. It's not even an
inconvenience and it's worth it.
You don't want a potential terrorist to be able to coordinate
an attack online, do you? Or to learn at the library or on the web how to harm someone, do you? Now look the other way, snap that picture of your breakfast burrito,
hit "submit" and stop worrying about it.
The complaints died down and what once gave us flashbacks to
an Orwell novel is now just accepted as part of life. It's the new normal and
we're conditioned to accept it.
But, America, since we demand safety, government wants to do
more than just protect us from terrorists.
All over the nation, your purchase of a perfectly legal item
must now be government approved and tracked.
Government in most states demanded that we turn over our
identification to a complete stranger at a private business when we need medicine
for our cold or allergies. That product is approved for sale on the shelves,
but your purchase of it goes into a database even when there's no hint you have
any part in a crime.
We complained. We asked "if we give up this portion of
our rights, what's next?" We demanded to be treated like free people and
not criminal suspects. We were told safety required it. We were told how these
objections were unreasonable. It's not a big deal, after all; it only takes a second.
It's only a small inconvenience and it's worth it.
You don't want a drug dealer to get another child hooked on
meth, do you? Now let me see your I.D. for the tracking software.
The complaints washed away and what once insulted our very
being isn't even noticed. It's the new normal and we're conditioned to accept
it.
Oh, America, I could go on and on with example after
example.
The pattern is generally the same. Something bad happens and
We the People, along with a generally unthinking media, demand that government
do something about it.
So, they do.
They respond with new rules, new demands for access to
something about our personal lives and new requirements for government
permission to do perfectly legal personal, financial, medical and even social
things.
We complain. Maybe we toss in a quote or two from a
"Founding Father", cite the Bill of Rights and demand our rights for
a little while. Those who complain long enough are generally marginalized and
eventually laughed at as "extremists" or as someone who is out of
touch and on the "wrong side of history."
We're shown polling data that proves our demand for personal
freedom and privacy isn't popular. It's really just a "common sense
reform" to "close a loophole" so don't make a big deal out of
it. Everyone else wants it after watching the cable news, so government is just
responding to the will of the people. We live in a democracy, right? So just
accept it because the majority wins (we actually don't live in a democracy- we
live in a constitutional republic and there is a difference).
Still complaining? Then you must be alright with children
being killed by bad guys. Those personal freedoms are out of date, anyway. Just
give up a little and you'll get safety. Doesn't that make you feel better?
Oh sure, we trust you but you can't trust the guy next door
and the rules have to be the same for everyone so, be a good citizen and hand
over your bank account information, register your personal belongings and don't
worry about what someone taps into and reads. It's just to make sure you're not
dangerous and, well, you don't have anything to hide so don't worry about it.
In fact, don't even think about it.
These things happen during the tenures of both Republican
and Democratic Presidents and at times when each party controls each chamber of
Congress at some point. It's not about politics. I don't care if you are a
conservative or a liberal or hold some other leaning.
This is about our culture. This is a mindset. This is about us as individuals
within that culture.
So, America, here we are in 2013.
We've given up just a little bit of freedom over here for
safety. We've given up just a little bit of privacy over there for security.
We've given up a little more somewhere else because times have changed and
that's just how things are in this age of terrorism, extremism, uncontrolled
religion which could be dangerous and violent crime.
I ask you, America, where your decisions have led us. You
can blame the politicians we elect, of course. I certainly do but we elect
them. Ultimately, we are to blame if we have a government, once famously
believed to be "...of the People, by the People, for the People...",
that is no longer the servant but the unrestrained master.
Where has that led us? Well, from where I sit, it's led us
to Boston in 2013. Ironically, the city that was the cradle of American freedom
in the 1700's.
One or two government officials unilaterally ordered a
"lock down" and hundreds - maybe thousands - of armed government
personnel demanded complete access to homes, businesses and anything else
someone had.
Image from the Huffington Post
What can reasonably be called at least a form of martial law
was apparently not even controversial. Unquestioned compliance was demanded and
given. It was maybe unsettling to some but it was accepted as just what had to
be done. Everyone wanted to get the alleged bad guy.
No one seems to be complaining. But I'll ask: "If we
give up this portion of our rights, what's next?"
I'm not directing this question to America's governments.
That is not what the nation is. I'm asking for an answer from some important people.
The people who are supposed to be in charge: you.
Are we conditioned to accept whatever we are told to do by
someone in a uniform or with a political title? Have we accepted that trade of
personal liberty for the promise of safety and security?
If so, the other end of the bargain was not delivered at the
marathon several days ago. Is the answer to trade just a little more?
Or are we now at a point to question the direction we've
gone thus far?
Remember, America, if you want to reclaim freedom and privacy,
there is a risk. The world is a dangerous place. Bad people will still do bad
things. With freedom comes responsibility and accountability for us all.
Do you want that or do you just not think about it and wait
for orders?
I await your answer.
