Obstruction of Justice

ArsTechnica

The above news tells us that our Senate firmly believes that breaking constitutional law is okay, as long as it's helping the federal government "protect our freedoms". The Bush administration claims that warrantless wire tapping is necessary for tracking down known terrorists or foiling potential terroristic attacks. I say thee nay; This administration has unfortunately succeeded in convincing the vast majority of the U.S. citizenry that a "war on terror" is necessary, noble and even winnable. The objective of terrorism is not to kill the enemy, it is to terrorize the enemy, and it should be clear to any skeptic that terror is precisely what has been stirring in the pot ever since the first WTC bombing. We are apparently so afraid that terrorism will strike again that we are willing to sacrifice our freedoms for the sake of "national security", but their work is done, they've completed their objective, yet this administration insists that terrorism is still a threat. Why would the Bush administration want to glorify a "war on terror" and by doing so justify the spending of billions of dollars to wage war and create new useless departments of "Homeland Security" keeping the U.S. on its toes? That's a question for another time, but think about it.

The media (specifically Faux News) also has a lot to do with popularizing the idea that terrorism is something to hate, and that war against it is a "noble" cause. But my point is that this mindset is the reason our Senate voted overwhelmingly for Telecom immunity. Now, it would seem that our own ISP's and phone companies are tools for the federal government's so called "war on terror" that they can use without payment, and without negative political or economical consequences. The Telecom Giants may as well be incorporated into the executive branch of the federal government, and the 4th amendment of the constitution may as well be re-written to look like this:

    "The requirement of the people to be monitored in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, for the purpose of safeguarding the nation against unprovoked terroristic activities or threats. Upon detection of a threat no warrants supported by oath or affirmation, or particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized, are necessary for obtaining proper evidence."

Now, I'm not usually one to look at things in a simple perspective, but this particular issue is is nothing more than that. The Telecom giants that provided the intelligence community with the private information of its customers, without prior consent or regard for the law, should be punished accordingly. They broke the law, and the law, I might add does not leave room for generalities like "Protecting America".

A popular rebuttal to my argument is that if you don't have anything to hide, then why should you care that people are listening? If you haven't done any thing wrong, you've got nothing to worry about, right? Well, if you don't look to the future, then I suppose that opinion is fine, but this issue is about more than just an invasion of privacy. It's about the potential of an overpowered government, and the Patriot Act, the revised version of FISA, and Telecom cooperation and liability protection, are all very big steps toward a government akin to that which we read of in George Orwell's 1984. Many would think that's an overstatement, but keep in mind that the aforementioned policies do, in their very nature limit the basic freedom that is choice. The fact that these telecom conglomerates are rapidly growing larger and more influential doesn't help the situation either. All of the major telecom providers are ready and willing to filter the internet (and Comcast already is), favoring corporate interests over human interests.

All of this is leading to a conglomerated society, where citizens have very limited choice in their modern life. If things keep going the way they are, AT&T will be the only option for internet and phone, Microsoft will be the only option for software, Comcast will be the only option for TV, and so on. If something isn't done, then I'm afraid that it is only a matter of time before the free internet becomes something of the past, and instead we'll pay a lot more money for low-prioritized, slow connections that features limited selection of nothing but marketable web pages where nothing is free (a bit like cable television, hmm). The issue is bigger than illegal wiretapping, the issue is Big Government, and why it's a horrible thing for humanity in general.

I hope you get it