You have probably noticed the increasing numbers of surveillance cameras, intrusive full body scanners and tracking devices (such as GPS and RFID). There are a great number of people responding like sheep to this very concerning trend.
You have probably heard someone say something like this:
“If you aren’t doing anything wrong then you have nothing to be worried about. You shouldn’t be concerned with cameras.”
Or you get the really enlightened people who, in response to men against full body scanners at airports, question whether they are just insecure about the size of their penis.
There are even those who laugh at incidents where police are over zealously using tasers on people, which often times result in major injury or death. These are incidents where the police ignore the rights of citizens and use force against them despite there being no real threat against them. In fact, these are demonstrations of police force to make sure people respect their authority.
Here’s the question to those with these attitudes:
Do you remember America?
There is a presumption of innocence in our country. The burden of proof doesn’t fall on citizens going about their daily lives. (Or is that how it works now?)
There are not supposed to be searches without probable cause. So why must every person be searched or scanned?
Things are being turned upside down in America.
How it used to be:
It used to be that people were free to do as they wished for whatever reason (or no reason) so long as it wasn’t explicitly prohibited by the law.
How it is today:
Today in America, it seems nothing is allowed unless it is explicitly permitted. There are a zillion laws and just by pure mathematics it id turning everyday Moms and Grandmas into criminals. And the prevailing attitude is that no mistake will be left unpunished.
Protect and Serve?
People’s attitude toward the police are shifting. Americans are afraid of police. In casual conversations people at parades or ball games, people have told me that they are afraid of police possibly even more than they are afraid of a crime being committed against them.
People in America feel like they are everywhere and all the time seen as suspects by police. They no longer feel reassured when seeing the patrol cars in their towns. They feel nervous. That is a shame. People no longer feel police are around to protect and serve. Law abiding Americans are starting to feel like the targets.
The new society of surveillance cameras, full body scanners and tracking devices has people rightly concerned. The question is this. Are you a sheep or an American?
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