In an effort to make the United States more of a dictatorship, the Federal Bureau of Investigations has set aside $1 billion to track you.
CNN reports that the FBI would like to create a massive database that would keep records of palm prints, eye scans and tattoo mapping. Further, they want to know what scars you have, where and how big, just like the stalker that I once had and you may currently be enjoying.
One of the largest civil-rights organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union, is naturally up in arms, and respectably so. They are outraged about this enormous invasion of privacy, citing some unknown, insignificant document called the Constitution of the United States. While collecting information about criminals is perfectly acceptable, as they lose their rights as citizens upon conviction of a felony, this breach in privacy is not limited to those people. Instead, the FBI will be collecting this information about ordinary citizens who apply for jobs that require contact with children, the elderly and so forth. Naturally, low pay, inadequate resources and high demands are not enough abuse to teachers, and clearly they deserve further abuse from our government.
A massive database of this information would be helpful, proponents believe, because it will help cut down on terrorism and make America safer. This is not a bad thing. The real con to this database, besides privacy and constitutional violations, is the fact that this will not make America safer, but rather it will create an even bigger potential terrorist attack: hacking.
Imagine a database that has every single detail about you. Now imagine Al Qaida needing to know who you are and what you do. Suddenly, terrorists need to look no further than the FBI database; all they need is a great hacker. They would magically have all the information ever needed to become you, and if they want to find you, even easier, they know exactly what you look like down to the star-shaped scar on the back of your leg from that time you drunkenly fell off a roof.
If we once feared terrorism, imagine the terrorism that would exist with a database such as this one.
In one of my favorite intellectually stimulating movies, "V for Vendetta," a line is used that I like to quote from time to time: "The people should not fear its government, but the government should fear its people." As we slip further into a war, hoping for change, as the Congress beings to argue over a huge budget that includes an increase in funding for homeland security (which in turn means play money for the little President Bush), we can look forward to being stalked by one organization no one is allowed to know anything about. Perfect.
And $1 billion is a ton of money too. Perhaps if we put an extra billion dollars into education, poorer people wouldn't be inclined to rob with guns, and maybe, just maybe, crime would decrease.
In this moment, we have the chance to demand that the FBI not stalk us. In this moment, we have the chance to demand that the government keep its place and not overstep its boundaries. In this moment, we have the chance to really strike fear in the bullies who are pushing through laws of corruption. In this moment, we have the chance to stand up for true democracy, and protect and further defend the Constitution of the United States of America. In this moment, we have the chance to truly protect ourselves and our values, which first and foremost is of freedom. United we stand, united we succeed and together we can stop this destruction of what was once the greatest country in the world.
But then again, dictatorships do not require thinking on behalf of the citizens, so I'd understand if you wanted to sit this one out.
Ray can run and hide but there's one bit of personal information that he has to give up— his e-mail address. Reach him at raymond.ceo@asu.edu.
