Not really. He's only listening to some of you. And it's to protect you all from the bully across the street who wants to kill you. Confused?
Some people, including Democrats in Congress, are alarmed at the revelation that Bush authorized such things as tapping phone lines. Oh, the horror! The government is intruding on the common man's right to privacy! Oh, the humanity! It's 1984! It's Big Brother!
First of all, the government is not listening to everything you say to your boyfriend or grandma. A few thousand people working for the government simply do not have the capacity to listen to all the signals sent by three hundred million Americans every day. The best they could do was somehow record everything and computer search for phrases like "bomb" and "jihad" and "I hate Americans." In which case they're not listening in on your conversations.
And second of all, even if they are, hey, I'm not surprised. I've read enough thriller novels to freely assume the government does a lot more than we're aware of. But I don't really care. At least right now. I don't care if they intercept my cell phone signal and hear me asking my friend about Finien's or aeropostalegirl's identity if they're also intercepting cell phone signals of Mohammed asking Mohammed about which bridge they're going to blow up tomorrow.
The problem is that while the snooping of a good government is fine, it is not guaranteed that a future government would have the same noble intentions. And if a precedent is in place, then they can stop good guys from trying to stop their evil schemes.
It all comes down to the balance between freedom and security. To have more of one, you have to give up some of the other. It's hard to know where to draw the line.
Edmond the Hun
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4 comments:
Yes, it's hard to know where to draw the line. too bad I don't care! ha! I'm running away to the Alps to become a hermit! well, almost a hermit. I'll have one friend, right Sanguine?
-The Swedish Eskimo
of course you have a fellow hermit (which is of course technically impossible, but you know what i mean)
Edmond, you really should think about planning a hideout. when america is sunk in the next century or so (i'm being vague in case those creepy gov. agents hear me!)^^ you'll want somewhere hospitable and fun to be. :) and with david's (evil) technology you could still post your blog ~ if such things as personal opinions are still allowed that is.
besides, it's always better to face random Yeti invaders in groups. ;D
-Sanguine
haha! Yedi invaders!
About the hideout-that's not such a bad idea!! But anyway, good luck with the Alps, guys!
-aeropostalegirl
so are we now dragging a crowd? I thought the whole idea of escape was to, um, escape. I might need to claim my own mountain before everyone starts flocking over there. Keep in mind that it'll be rough. picture Robinson Crusoe, only not a tropical island. are you good at making fire?
-The Swedish Eskimo
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