Fighting the Spy State

Two weeks ago Anthony Silva, the mayor of Stockton, California was forced to turn over all of his electronics and their associated passwords when re-entering the country from an official visit to China. The Department of Homeland Security agents were unable to produce a warrant or any other court documents to justify their seizure, yet they prohibited him from entering the country and being on his way until he complied with their demands. After giving in to the authorities Mr. Silva had the following to say, “I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy. As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.”

It is amazing that the mayor of a good-sized American city still thinks this is “the land of the free”. The fact that it isn’t should not be a revelation to anyone. What should be discussed in relation to this incident is the fact that if the authorities want to access our information they can, whether we like it or not. This information that they have access to is quite comprehensive. Many of us might say something via a text message, an email or a private message that we would not post openly on Facebook. Yet, it is clear that those private messages are just as vulnerable if the authorities decide they want see them. It should be clear to all of us that our “persons, houses, papers, and effects” are no longer safe from “unreasonable searches and seizures”. Those days are long gone, sadly.

We must then face the fact that we are under constant surveillance and the only thing saving us from having our most private, intimate moments disclosed is their lack of interest in us. We are safe because we are insignificant. Those deemed a threat have faced prosecution and have had their lives completely upended. Our insignificance gives us momentary respite, but we need to be aware that we have already lost the battle. They have all the files and all the data they need to put anyone of us in compromising situations and if they don’t, they’ll make it up.

So we know they watch us at all times and that we have zero privacy, but a lack of privacy is just the beginning of the problem. The natural reaction to this constant surveillance is self censorship and caution when speaking our minds. Many of us hesitate before posting something on Facebook or Twitter and many read posts and think to themselves, “Wow, that guy just got added to a list somewhere.” This chilling effect on the freedom of speech is the sad legacy of 9/11 and legislation that was enacted as a result of it. What we need to realize is that this self censorship is futile. They are monitoring and storing everything and can pull files at will. We are without a doubt living in a virtual panopticon. A world where every action can be seen but where it is never certain if anyone is really looking. It matters not whether anyone is looking if we regulate ourselves to the point where cell bars are no longer necessary. Everyone conforms in order to get along and those that monitor us win because they have elicited the conformist behavior they wanted.

Fortunately, the decision of what to say and when is an individual choice. We do not need a mass movement or a revolution in order to be able to speak our minds, at least not yet. We can still say what we will and it is the individual responsibility of those that care about our world to set aside the fear of surveillance in order to engage with one another in frank and open discussions. We must have conversations that highlight the evil deeds of those that dictate America’s domestic and foreign policies. Conversations that break down the narrative being told by those that surveil us. Conversations that make us free simply for having the courage to have them. Robert Heinlein, one of the world’s most celebrated science fiction authors said it best when he said, “I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” In this day and age we don’t have to act to be free, just speaking out is an act of courage. We must discuss the world around us in an honest, heartfelt way; otherwise we are succumbing to fear and are already living in a totalitarian society.

The importance of speaking frankly and openly goes beyond individual freedom, it shapes the world around us. Educating one another about the evils of government is the most feasible solution to our problems. Ron Paul, the gentleman that woke me up goes as far as saying that, “Ideas are very important to the shaping of society. In fact, they are more powerful than bombings or armies or guns. And this is because ideas are capable of spreading without limit. They are behind all the choices we make. They can transform the world in a way that governments and armies cannot. Fighting for liberty with ideas makes more sense to me than fighting with guns or politics or political power. With ideas, we can make real change that lasts.” Our revolution is not based on bloodshed but on discourse, understanding and education.

What do we have to lose by being transparent and honest? They can access everything, so what else are we afraid of? Scott McNealy the founder and former CEO of Sun Microsystems, whose servers much of the internet runs on, got into a lot of trouble back in 1999 when he said, “You already have zero privacy. Get over it.” At that time, this concept was a tough pill to swallow. When we read this today, though it is clear that he was right. There is no privacy from the government and it is the government from which we have the most to fear. So, let’s get over it. Let’s be fully transparent with one another. Let’s break taboos and allow ourselves to be judged by those still under the influence of conditioning. Let’s share our thoughts, form bonds with like-minded individuals and challenge those that appear to be asleep. When we do so we are truly free and we become active contributors to the cause of Liberty.