Before I start giving my thoughts on the news about NSA intercept and storage, my words alone and not those of any agency or department or other pieces on the issue (remember that the word collection has specific meaning--just ask the head of the NSA), I believe that full disclosure is in order. One, I served in the U.S. Air Force, my father served in the U.S. Air Force, and my grandfather served in the U.S. Army Air Force, service and dedication to the freedoms of our people and our country runs deep in my family. Two, I am an unashamed civil libertarian who believes that both Republicans and Democrats have sold this country down the tubes (at an alarmingly rapid rate of increase in the last decade). Three, I consider most of the residents and citizens of the U.S. to be either numb-skulled or so terribly apathetic that they have no clue that the country has been sold down the tubes over the last several decades. Cue the sheepdogs, oh wait, the sheepdogs are now led by the wolves, and the sheep are in real deep trouble.
The known human security denigrating events of the last twenty years (I'll go back that far, earlier is just adding material and wasting space in argument), civil violence, gun violence, terrorism, real wars, fake wars, economic stupidity, economic collapses, drug abuse, drug violence, etc., is staggering in scope. Of course, human development has aided in the staggering amount of knowledge of these events by the generation of rapid, digital based, communication formats. My point being that the knowledge of these events is based on the ability to communicate rapidly, that similar events did occur prior to the advent of rapid, digital media formats, but that without the advent of digital communication the population remained largely unaware of these events. If we do not know about these events are we in any less need of protection and security against the ills of these events? I answer no. We are in need of protection against the ills of these events--thus we have the sheepdogs (police, investigators, government agents of the various alphabet soup collection, militias (at least so goes the militias' own claims), soldiers, sailors, airmen, and even Marines (are you happy McFeaters?)).
But what happens when the wolves get to be in charge of the necessary civilian leadership of the sheepdogs? Now we get leadership that thinks it is a good idea to usurp the freedoms (privacy is a freedom) of the people--who being numb skulls and highly apathetic--have done nothing to get rid of the wolves. Instead, the people have sat back allowed the wolves to run the sheepdogs and now the sheepdogs are infringing on our freedoms in the name of security. Is it a necessary element of security to grossly infringe on the rights of free people, people for whom many others have shed sweat, tears, blood? My head aches, my heart is heavy, good thing I can turn my eyes to the heavens and read Psalms of ascent.
So, anyway, my two cents worth is that "We the people" being mostly sheep are in deep trouble. The wolves are actually running the sheepdogs, and those they would call wolves are still wolves. Does this make any sense, if not, it is because it should not make sense. When did "We the people" quit actually caring and doing our part of the duty to ensure that wolves did not become the leaders of the sheepdogs? No necessary security requirement is fulfilled by the intercept and storage my emails and telephone conversations. No real security against the ills of human security denigrating events has been created by the actions of our government post 9/11--it is all theater and sham. And what have "We the people" done--nothing, we are become sheep.
The known human security denigrating events of the last twenty years (I'll go back that far, earlier is just adding material and wasting space in argument), civil violence, gun violence, terrorism, real wars, fake wars, economic stupidity, economic collapses, drug abuse, drug violence, etc., is staggering in scope. Of course, human development has aided in the staggering amount of knowledge of these events by the generation of rapid, digital based, communication formats. My point being that the knowledge of these events is based on the ability to communicate rapidly, that similar events did occur prior to the advent of rapid, digital media formats, but that without the advent of digital communication the population remained largely unaware of these events. If we do not know about these events are we in any less need of protection and security against the ills of these events? I answer no. We are in need of protection against the ills of these events--thus we have the sheepdogs (police, investigators, government agents of the various alphabet soup collection, militias (at least so goes the militias' own claims), soldiers, sailors, airmen, and even Marines (are you happy McFeaters?)).
But what happens when the wolves get to be in charge of the necessary civilian leadership of the sheepdogs? Now we get leadership that thinks it is a good idea to usurp the freedoms (privacy is a freedom) of the people--who being numb skulls and highly apathetic--have done nothing to get rid of the wolves. Instead, the people have sat back allowed the wolves to run the sheepdogs and now the sheepdogs are infringing on our freedoms in the name of security. Is it a necessary element of security to grossly infringe on the rights of free people, people for whom many others have shed sweat, tears, blood? My head aches, my heart is heavy, good thing I can turn my eyes to the heavens and read Psalms of ascent.
So, anyway, my two cents worth is that "We the people" being mostly sheep are in deep trouble. The wolves are actually running the sheepdogs, and those they would call wolves are still wolves. Does this make any sense, if not, it is because it should not make sense. When did "We the people" quit actually caring and doing our part of the duty to ensure that wolves did not become the leaders of the sheepdogs? No necessary security requirement is fulfilled by the intercept and storage my emails and telephone conversations. No real security against the ills of human security denigrating events has been created by the actions of our government post 9/11--it is all theater and sham. And what have "We the people" done--nothing, we are become sheep.
