Friday, August 29, 2003

Big Brother, seriously

Perfidy Responds

My response to Trish’s fears in my recent big brother post was lighthearted.  But when I think about the real problems of increasing surveillance, out of control federal agencies, the erosion of civil liberties and the prospect of ubiquitous law enforcement I oscilate between long periods of complacency punctuated my moments of extreme paranoia.

On the one hand, the traditions of the republic are still strong, as witnessed by the consensual freak out when poindexter revealed the TIA with its ubercreepy eye-in-the-pyramid logo.  There are well funded organizations that fight the good fight in our stead, like for example the EFF. 

Libertarians and others fear that the erosion of liberty is a ratchett effect, where there is an ever tightening grip of law and regulation and surveillance, and that every liberty lost is nearly impossible to regain.  I have sympathy for this position - for example, the RICO statutes have proved impossible to remove, despite their manifold flaws, and their frequent abuse.


Posted by Buckethead on 08/29/03 at 05:19 PM
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