second and third that.

[kaigou]

I seriously heart the Rude Pundit. Today he's writing about the random searches in NYC [read more about what to do if you walk into one], and observes:

This is the warped logic of our discussions of civil liberties: if you are a good, lawful person, then you shouldn't mind having yourself probed, spied on, and frisked. Principles like the Fourth Amendment are merely covers for the guilty.

Read the whole thing.

And this, I want stapled on the forehead of every politico on the hill, right where they can see it and can't frickin' miss it, no matter what:

In an ideal America, government should be open to the sunshine and air, and citizens' lives should be private. But the Bush administration has reversed this foundational principle.

Which in a nutshell sums up the majority of what has me so uncertain about the state of our nation, these days.

Comments

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Word. And the word is: "bleah."

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

Let's not pretend the present situation came about solely as a result of 9/11. As stmartin418 said, a lot of what's in Patriot I was already there (can you say "RICO?"), it's just been strengthened and centralized. CIA and FBI ability to spy on US citizens was strengthened under Clintoon, remember. So while it's true the village idiot mastermind and his handlers have made things a lot worse, so did his predecessors. This slope has been going downhill for some time, it's just that the cliff seems to be looming nearer now.

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

True, but the connection here is the contrast between teh WH's secrecy and their insistence that we submit to invasion of our privacy. Clinton may have been part of a line of presidents chipping at our privacy, but outside his private life (assuming, for a moment, that a President has such a thing), he was still as open as his predecessors when it came to the administration's take on things.

Boy, never thought I'd say this, but I almost miss Bush Sr. He was certainly a far cry better of a president than his son.

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

Ironic, neh?

Sure wish Barbara had run instead.

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

http://prodtn.cafepress.com/2/26738622_F_tn.jpg

[achiasa.livejournal.com]

It really does seem like more and more these days, if you want to get anything done or go anywhere you have to leave your rights and privacy at the door. My reaction tends to be wait, what? So if I get randomly stopped and body-cavity-searched at an airport I should feel happy to have helped prevent terrorism? As opposed to, say, humiliated and violated? I should see having uniformed men pawing through my underwear and sanitary products as the lesser of two evils? I should be glad that the US has my fingerprints on file, and happy when gorillas in suits interrogate me about my mental health issues because they've found my prescription medication? Someone please remind the berks in power that they work for us, as opposed to owning us.

Politicians the world over are idiots. These days it's all about power; at least in years gone by they pretended to have principles. Gah.

Please gods they won't be searching on the Tube when I'm in London next week. Must remember to wear close-fitting clothing and keep cd player wires inside backpack at all times, not that that apparently makes much difference.

[sevun.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to flexyourrights.org, the recent searches have really made me angry. I live in Brooklyn, which is about an hour (by train) from my work and school, and I would rather walk home than be subject to that kind of invasive crap. It's surreal to see the cops all over the place, almost every station and major intersection. Hard to believe that just a few weeks ago it wasn't this bad. Not sure what else our dear wonderful government will implement.