Laws and Security
As the holiday season comes to an end, it's tough for me to maintain a festive spirit. The year that's about to end brought a great many things that I didn't think I'd ever see in the United States, and I'm concerned about what the new year may bring. And I thought we had hit bottom when the United States officially became an aggressor nation with promulgation of the Bush Doctrine. But we've gone a long way down from there. Domestic espionage? George II asserts that he need not be constrained by law if, in the judgment that once made him an alcoholic coke head, he believes that national security is at risk. He thinks it's okay to torture, even though most people realize that anyone being tortured will probably be willing to say whatever it takes to stop the torture--unless they hold out until the torture kills them.
We might all do well to reflect on these lines from A Man for All Seasons:
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
And what's worse, George II says that the nation's security concerns outweigh the privacy of the people involved. If that's true, he could have easily convinced a court to give him a court order and spied on Americans legally. And he wants to ferret out whoever leaked the existence of this program to the media. Once again, when caught violating the law, he says he had to do it for national security and says that the person who caught him was wrong.
So I worry about what 2006 will bring.
By the way, I'd like to send my warmest wishes for the holiday season to the people at NSA who participate in violating the privacy of their fellow citizens. I hope that in 2006 you all get your moral compasses back and stand up to your master, George II.
We might all do well to reflect on these lines from A Man for All Seasons:
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
And what's worse, George II says that the nation's security concerns outweigh the privacy of the people involved. If that's true, he could have easily convinced a court to give him a court order and spied on Americans legally. And he wants to ferret out whoever leaked the existence of this program to the media. Once again, when caught violating the law, he says he had to do it for national security and says that the person who caught him was wrong.
So I worry about what 2006 will bring.
By the way, I'd like to send my warmest wishes for the holiday season to the people at NSA who participate in violating the privacy of their fellow citizens. I hope that in 2006 you all get your moral compasses back and stand up to your master, George II.
posted by amsterdr at 12:53 PM
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