The vast majority of my generation was probably too young to remember the Patriot Act even being signed into existence. Hailed as a necessary evil in the so-called “war on terror,” this piece of legislation made sweeping attacks on the privacy of the people it was supposedly meant to protect. Rather than repeal the Orwellian hallmarks of the Bush administration, Obama expanded them.
Every time some new attack on our privacy is proposed, I find myself hoping that this, this, will be the line.
So far I’ve been hoping in vain.
The full-body scanners at airports, the NDAA (allowing indefinite imprisonment of citizens without trial or due process), the drone strikes, the kill-list. And now we’re here again.
Recently, congress passed the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act, or “CISPA.” Again disguised as a bill designed to offer copyright security, this legislation would essentially allow the indiscriminate and unchecked surveillance of more or less all online activity by the federal government (because who needs warrants?).
CISPA will next be introduced and voted on by the senate before being presented to the president. Obama has stated that he will veto the bill, and we all know the president’s stellar track record when it comes to making good on his promises. He said he’d close Guantanamo and-
…oh yeah…
In spite of the overwhelming support by politicians for CISPA, we do still exert some miniscule level of control over them. Not much, but some. And if we all pull together, hopefully it will be enough.
People, let’s get down to business. Call up your representatives and make it clear that this is the line. No more invasion of privacy, no more politicians dancing to the tune of media lobbyists.
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