That Tears It
April 4, 2003
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Posted by Aubrey Turner
Now I’m pissed. Check out this article from Wired about the comments of some lawyer from the Manhattan Institute about those of us who oppose government spying on innocent citizens.
If you don’t want the government to do what it must to protect you from terrorists, you should butt out, said Heather MacDonald, a lawyer at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. She made her remarks Wednesday at the 13th annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference.
And, she urged, stop all the panic-stricken screaming, because it’s endangering human lives.
Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups wield technology as a weapon with no worries about privacy rights, MacDonald said. But fear and distrust of anti-terrorism and surveillance technology hampers the U.S. government’s ability to shore up defenses and stop attacks before they happen.
…
McDonald said the “hysterical cries” from those who see dark plots behind every government antiterrorist plan just proves that privacy advocates have a “luddite mentality.”
Luddite?! Anti-technology?! I’ve forgotten more about technology that this constipated harpy will ever know. In fact, it’s because of my occupation that I know just how insidious these kinds of technologies are.
It isn’t hysterical or luddite to demand that the government follow the damn constitution. We have a right to be free from government searches and seizures unless they have a specific and demonstrable reason. What part of that does she not understand?
I will not sit idly by while government hacks and control-freak politicians destroy what little privacy we have left. I will not be bought off by false promises of “safeguards” and outright lies that the information won’t be abused (Quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?). I will continue to stand up and tell them to their faces that they are misguided, wrong, and in danger of destroying our constitution.
Damn wankers.
Categories: Privacy
Damn you people that think you have rights. You just need to sit back and let the government take care of everything. You crazy bloggers get all uppity on us and demand all sorts of crazy things like freedom.
I didn’t know Texans were allowed to use phrases like “damn wanker.” I always knew you people across the river were a little strange.
Yep. I get carried away every now and then, thinking that the constitution means something
.
As for the “wanker” comment, I’m not sure why, but I seem to have acquired a few British mannerisms. I have to be careful to avoid writing ‘color’ as ‘colour’ so my Texan license doesn’t get revoked.
Since when has any government been the friend of the average citizen? Our government is only marginally better than others in its treatment of citizenry. We have property seizures without trial (don’t believe it then try carrying more than $10,000 in cash). We have freedoms daily taken away from us (been to the airport lately?).
Just think what it would be like if a really abusive president (WJC or his hag-beast) got his hands on this technology.
Unfortunately, Heather is right and you’re wrong. Also unfortunate is the fact that the next time some innocent American is mangled by a terrorist, those like you who care more about the appearance of your privacy won’t be near by so the rest of us can rub your faces in the carnage left behind by the terrorist.
Every time one of you privacy wankers honks on about how your rights are going to be slammed by some suggested program, and close analysis of those programs turns out to be a major Fisking of your positions.
Sorry man. I have family out here who very well may be in danger because of our cultural unwillingness to make the small sacrifices necessary to defend ourselves.
You lose. Heather wins.
Wank on.
Paul,
I suggest you take your statist crap to another forum. In any event, you have fallen into the trap of the specious argument that we must all submit quietly to the state in order to be granted protection.
I really do pity someone who lives their lives meekly submitting to government intrusion for the illusion of safety.
The idea that we must sacrifice liberty and privacy for safety is a false one. They are not mutually exclusive.
I sometimes wonder why people put so much trust in the Constitution. It’s been interpreted to death. The only truly reliable defense is a firearm and superior information. This touching faith in some words written two centuries ago that have been held hostage by collectivists for almost a century now is naive in the extreme. The spirit of the American people does not depend on a certain arrangement of words, but a shared vision of equality and freedom. And meat. Live with vegetarians, you risk everything.
Robert,
The constitution is a convenient line in the sand that comes in handy for purposes of illustration. However, you are right that the constitution alone is not sufficient for true freedom.
The founders were concerned during their debates over the bill of rights that people would interpret them as an enumeration of their rights, forgetting that all rights belong to the people. I’m afraid that their concerns are being shown to be true.
I’ve always regarded vegetarians with a bit of suspicion, but I reserve the real gimlet eye for vegans.