Posted on 02/19/2015 5:28:49 PM PST by upchuck
Unfortunately, privacy as we once knew it is dead.
“You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.”—George Orwell, 1984
None of us are perfect. All of us bend the rules occasionally. Even before the age of overcriminalization, when the most upstanding citizen could be counted on to break at least three laws a day without knowing it, most of us have knowingly flouted the law from time to time.
Indeed, there was a time when most Americans thought nothing of driving a few miles over the speed limit, pausing (rather than coming to a full stop) at a red light when making a right-hand turn if no one was around, jaywalking across the street, and letting their kid play hookie from school once in a while. Of course, that was before the era of speed cameras that ticket you for going even a mile over the posted limit, red light cameras that fine you for making safe “rolling stop” right-hand turns on red, surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition software mounted on street corners, and school truancy laws that fine parents for “unexcused” absences.
My, how times have changed.
Today, there’s little room for indiscretions, imperfections, or acts of independence—especially not when the government can listen in on your phone calls, monitor your driving habits, track your movements, scrutinize your purchases and peer through the walls of your home. That’s because technology—specifically the technology employed by the government against the American citizenry—has upped the stakes dramatically so that there’s little we do that is not known by the government.
In such an environment, you’re either a paragon of virtue, or you’re a criminal.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re all criminals. This is the creepy, calculating yet diabolical genius of the American police state: the very technology we hailed as revolutionary and liberating has become our prison, jailer, probation officer, Big Brother, and Father Knows Best all rolled into one.
Consider that on any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on, and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears. A byproduct of this new age in which we live, whether you’re walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior.
Read the rest of the article at Western Journalism
Yep! And it's getting worse.
Related: Smart TVs that share what you say with others.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3255476/posts
It’s become so bad. Even my son who is only 27 said recently that he didn’t remember being in fear of the government before. And he’s been politically aware since he was 9 or 10. But he’s afraid now. I know this isn’t what is explicitly talked about in the article but isn’t this fear thing si closely associated with the surveillance state?
It’s called the Panopticon, and is the basis for the “Prisoner” franchise.
With 0bama, I’m more concerned with his Muslim State 24/7.
He just overwhelms us from every direction. There’s so much to be concerned about here. I’m sure many of us are becoming physically ill from worry.
If Big Brother is watching me he is getting more gospel than he can tolerate, probably
That’s the beauty of being a FReeper.
You have nothing to protect, because you know you’ve been at the top of the list.
I actually find it quite liberating.
For over a decade I’ve toyed with creating two or three bogus email addresses and all three of them will plot an event at a certain place at a certain time, but always use “dumb” code. Then it would be fun to see if anything happened that day at the location in question.
Or something like that...
From the book
Three Felonies A Day
At the federal prosecutor’s office in the Southern District of New York, the staff, over beer and pretzels, used to play a darkly humorous game. Junior and senior prosecutors would sit around, and someone would name a random celebrity—say, Mother Theresa or John Lennon. It would then be up to the junior prosecutors to figure out a plausible crime for which to indict him or her. The crimes were not usually rape, murder, or other crimes you’d see on Law & Order but rather the incredibly broad yet obscure crimes that populate the U.S. Code like a kind of jurisprudential minefield: Crimes like “false statements” (a felony, up to five years), “obstructing the mails” (five years), or “false pretenses on the high seas” (also five years). The trick and the skill lay in finding the more obscure offenses that fit the character of the celebrity and carried the toughest sentences. The result, however, was inevitable: “prison time,” as one former prosecutor told me.
Reminds me of a classic episode of “Twilight Zone”, which airs tonight at 8:30 P.M. Central on ME-TV.
TO SERVE MAN.
Unintended Consequences?
Lol :-)
I’m sure that’s true....you seem to be a devout engineer.
At first glance at the title I thought this article would be about Biden.
Something like 67% of Americans are now fearful of the US govt. With good reason. We are living in a virtual police state.
Good luck waiting for the GOP to restore the constitutional Republic. We just got back from our US Rep’s townhall meeting. He had what appeared to be 2 Secret Service agents and 2 private security guys with him tonight. Never before has he ever had any security. The meeting is in the auditorium of the County Courthouse for God’s sake. You have to through a metal detector to get in.
Bear in mind the 7th Dist is the most conservative dist in the State of GA and our guy is afraid. He basically had no message to give us as to any possible game plan the GOP has to move forward. My assessment is because there is no plan. They are in total disarray. They have managed to acquire power but have no clue how to wield power. At some point I realized that Mr. GG2 and I were more conversant on every topic than our rep. The mood of the crowd was repressed anger/frustration.
Folks we are on our own.
> Something like 67% of Americans are now fearful of the US govt. With good reason. We are living in a virtual police state.
Does that mean 33 % are just too stupid to understand why need to be?
Eventually fear turns to anger then rage and then all hell breaks loose. Maybe thats why they’re trying so hard to disarm us.
“If Big Brother is watching me he is getting more gospel than he can tolerate, probably”
Yes, but that very religiosity is suspect too, don’t you know, especially with this secular administration. So don’t think you’re off the hook here. You’re not, lol. You’ll have to cut down on that nasty religious stuff to please the Uber State under Obama.
“You have nothing to protect, because you know you’ve been at the top of the list. I actually find it quite liberating.”
How true! ;-) From the very first post!
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