A Bit on Freedom

We’re all like the frog put in a pot of cold water that’s slowly brought to a boil. And we’re all going to be frog soup before we even realize it.

(originally published as a Facebook Note on September 12, 2016)

We’re a country founded on the beliefs of freedom, right? Amendments to the U.S. Constitution give us freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble, the right to keep and bear arms, and the right to vote (among many others).

Let’s go back 15 years, when foreign nationals conducted a widely successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Does anyone remember how much of a hit our ‘freedom’ took in the days, weeks, and months after that day?

Before I get into it, I want you to picture a small stream, quietly bubbling through a forest. Every spring, runoff swells the stream into a louder, angrier version of itself. And sometimes, in late summer, heavy rains cause it to flood. During the normal course of time, there’s minimal erosion of the soil around that stream. The banks are protected by trees and grasses. Even during the spring runoff or occasional summer flood, the ground holds.

Remember that – the ground holds.

Now, let’s get back to our freedoms. Remember the Patriot Act? It was signed into law less than two months after 9/11. Do you know what the Patriot Act allows?

It authorized ‘sneak and peak’ search warrants. Meaning the government could search your home or business without telling you about it until months later.

You know what else the Patriot Act did? It expanded the authority of the effa bee eye (that’s FBI to the uninitiated) to issue something called National Security Letters requesting information from and about Americans. National Security Letters can compel just about everyone (your bank, your internet service provider, etc.) to secretly reveal your personal information. They don’t need any kind of judicial approval. All the FBI needs is to certify that the requested information is ‘relevant’ to a terrorism investigation.

Big deal, you say? It’s all in the name of security, right? We’re fighting terrorism here, man! Right?

Wrong.

Amendment IV of the U.S. Constitution (you know, part of the first 10 Amendments commonly called ‘The Bill of Rights’) guarantees:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probably cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Argue all you want about patriotism and safety and security. But an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified way back in 1791, makes the Patriot Act illegal.

The Patriot Act was the equivalent of a forest fire burning through a section of our forest along the banks of our quiet stream. While most of the stream’s banks are still intact, there’s now a chunk burned black. The grasses are gone. The trees are gone. And when the next spring runoff happens, that burned out section takes a hit. The swollen stream is able to grab onto the ground and pull it into the water. The power of the stream that spring is enough to drastically alter the landscape of the forest around it. It eats away at the banks and weakens the area. But not a whole lot. After all, it’s just one small part of the forest.

How many other freedoms have we sacrificed in the name of safety and security?

Here’s a few…

In 2008, Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That lovely beast lets the U.S. government intercept your international communications. Without a warrant. As long as one party in the communication is ‘reasonably believed’ to be outside the U.S.

Big deal, right? We’re catching terrorists, right?

Another fire in the forest. Another section of the stream altered. Now, instead of a small stream, we have a stream that flows into what is now a swampy area. There’s still water coming out the other side of that swamp though, so it’s OK, right?

In 2010, the Patriot Act was expanded even more (because unlawful search and seizure wasn’t enough of a personal violation). This expanded version of the Patriot Act goes after the 1st Amendment (that one that gives you freedom of speech) by criminalizing speech if it is giving ‘material support’ to terrorists.

Big deal, right? We’re catching terrorists, right?

We now have more than one swamp along our stream. Our stream is a trickle of water in. It’s choked by dead trees and heavy weeds.

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 authorized the TSA to deploy equipment that detects weapons and other objects in airports. Fast forward to 2010 – we now have full body scanners at airport security. And yet we STILL have to take off our damned shoes.

Big deal, right?

Our forest, no longer fed by the stream, is being altered. The trees in the swampy area are dead – they weren’t meant to be underwater. The other trees are also dying – they aren’t getting enough water. The swamp has turned into a cesspool.

We’re fooling ourselves into thinking that all those laws, acts, and new government agencies (Department of Homeland Security!) are being put in place to protect us.

We’re fighting terrorism, man! ‘Merica!!!

Wake up, people. Before it’s too damned late. We’re well on our way to living in that swamp – let’s not wait until it turns entirely into a cesspool before we do something.

TL/DR – We’re all like the frog put in a pot of cold water that’s slowly brought to a boil. And we’re all going to be frog soup before we even realize it.