EDITOR:
The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was 39 and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift-shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption read” – from the First Page of George Orwell’s book ‘1984’ published in 1949.
I hear some Americans say “If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear” as an argument in support of additional government snooping aka increasing the surveillance state.
Similar newspeak language was used about 85 years ago; “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear” – Joseph Goebbels, Nazi German Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.
English author Sir Terry Pratchett; Commander Vimes didn’t like the phrase ‘The innocent have nothing to fear’, believing the innocent had everything to fear, mostly from the guilty but in the longer term even more from those who say things like ‘The innocent have nothing to fear’.
Edward Snowden put it this way: “Arguing that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech, because you have nothing to say.”
Privacy is one of the most basic tenants of Liberty. The surveillance state is growing exponentially. You see privacy was protected by the constitution while providing that those who do harm to others or steal don’t go free. The constitution says if you are accused or suspected of breaking a law, then a Search Warrant must be obtained from a judge in order to invade your privacy. Seems fair and reasonable. But today the NSA, TSA, CIA, FBI, IRS in conjunction with Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook META, Snapchat and X are harvesting bulk information to look for patterns that might indicate wrongdoing. Thousands of innocent Americans are wrongfully arrested or have their assets seized because government agents are no longer following the will of our founders when they bypass due process.
The surveillance state will continue to grow until we the people stop it. It is up to you and me to speak up and say no. Please talk to your city council members, county commissioners, state representatives and state senators. We need them to say no to the feds. You see, the expansion of federal government programs is largely achieved by bribing state and local governments with money with strings attached.
Our grandchildren’s America will look like that scene from 1984 if we do not speak up today.
--Paul Hamby
Maysville
