Spooks and the Spooked: Snowden and the Fear of Big Brother

Let’s try and run away from the news of the last few weeks if we can. The matter of fact is that we can’t escape it. Espionage is the story du jour. So much has been told lately about Snowden and the secrets he spilled. Some people view him as a hero and others view him as a traitor. It all depends on the angle you’re playing. Snowden to me, is a glory hound. We can all discuss whether it is okay for the government to collect our phone records, but the truth of the matter is that the general public does not need to know everything, unless it is something that is risking their lives. The collection of phone numbers, is not exactly illegal.

First off, the people who are getting so upset about the news that Verizon is giving up their phone records need to sit down and shut up for a second. When the Patriot Act was passed, very few people raised their voices against it. People sat by as congress gave the government the power to pretty much do anything and everything it wants to do in the name of catching terrorists. And now that the government is actually making use of the power it was given everyone wants to cry about it? Let’s be grown ups about it. Whether we like it or not, we gave these people the power to tap our phones and do everything they can to catch those who would harm us. If the American people were so against this sort of practice, they should have fought a little harder to stop things like the Patriot Act.

Second, if you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t really need to be too worried about the government collecting phone numbers, or reading e-mails. The innocent don’t need to bark at the top of their lungs, because they know they’re protected by the law. Those who are doing evil deeds are always and will always be looking over their shoulders wondering what is going to happen next. If the government was not using every tool at its disposal and something catastrophic happened, the people will rise, asking why more wasn’t done to get ahead of the terrorists, or why links weren’t drawn to stop further damage. So how can we complain when the government is doing what we gave it the power to do?

Third, the reality we face now days is that we have no idea where the next terrorist is coming from. If you look at the events in London recently, we can conclude that Africans are increasingly becoming radicalized. Your next door neighbor who appears to be as American as they come, just might be the next guy who wants to blow up an American landmark. We have to be able to fight against invisible forces. Unlike in the past, now days the terrorists do not need to announce themselves. They can operate in sleeper cells and attack when they find the right opportunity. How do you fight against an enemy you cannot see? You have to go through extremes to make sure you get all the information available out there and get the enemy before they have the chance to act upon their plans.

As much as I love being able to claim freedom, the fact is that 9/11 has scarred the United States. Those in power have a responsibility to their constituents to make sure that people who want to harm Americans are stopped and brought to justice. This is one of the reason why Mr. Snowden should have thought carefully about what he did.

Because of Mr. Snowden, more and more terrorists will pay attention to what they do on the phone. They will now be forced to devise new ways to operate completely in the dark. Plus Mr. Snowden’s actions jeopardize the U.S. in terms of its relation to its allies. Now France, Germany, and the United Kingdom will be forced to tone down their cooperation with the U.S. in terms of intelligence information. Mr. Snowden is a glory hound and nothing more. If his aim was simply to provide the information out there, he could have done it and remained silent. Instead he has sought to become the next Julian Assange, by making himself the news story, rather than the information he shared with the world. He could have quietly gone about his life and let the media blitz over the issue of NSA spying work itself out. Instead, more and more people have come out to defend the government and denounce him.

Big Brother is nothing to fear. At the end of the day people still have the power to vote for their officials. And if the American people were so set on denying the government the power to spy on them, they can petition the Supreme Court or sue to have the Patriot Act overturned. Until people are willing to go the distance, they have absolutely no reason to complain.

What Would The World Be Like Without Religion?

What would life be like without religion?  That is a very important question.  It is a question that more and more people should endeavor to ask themselves.  It is a question which may have the answer to many of what troubles this world of ours.  For many people religion is an essential part of their existence.  Some people cannot go one meal without praying, thankful for the food that they have.  Some people cannot go the entire day without praying at least once.  On the surface, such a pious existence is commendable.  We should all strive to have the type of discipline necessary to live such a blessed life.  But there is another part of religion which I find troubling, and which has reared its head every few centuries.

Religion has been used as a guide and to a greater extent, a reason for committing all types of atrocities around the world.  From the crusades to modern day terrorism, religion has been the rock which has given people the confidence and the justification for their atrocities.  And while we can condemn the perpetrators of these evil acts, we must be careful not to use religion as the scape goat, the same way the perpetrators use religion as reason.  The very fact that people throughout human existence have used religion as a base for violence, is a betrayal of their religious belief itself.  No religion asks that its followers go out and commit mass murder.  No religion gives any man or woman the tool to go out and take from another, the precious life they have been given.  Yet, every few decades, some people around the world, be they Christian, Muslim or otherwise, have taken up arms in the name of defending a religious belief which does not need to be defended.

In light of the events in London recently, it will not take long before Islam is back in the news, being portrayed by the likes of O'Reilly and the Faux News crew as a religion of murder and terrorism.  It will not take long before innocent Muslims walking down the street of any western country will begin to feel the threat of danger, the otherworldly feeling of being tagged "other", the absence of warmth and the unbearable feeling of displacement.  All this is going to happen, but it shouldn't.  People who claim Islam while committing their crime are betraying their religion, but beyond that, they're betraying their fellow Muslims.  So it is important to pose that question, what would the world be like without religion?