Secrets are a Symptom of Fear

With all the commentary that is flying around these past few days about the New York Times article revealing the governments operation for monitoring financial records, and before that the NSA program to eavesdrop on individuals via their phone and internet, I feel a basic point has been missed.

Our constitution guarantees freedoms, bending them to the governments will has been a full time pastime for this administration. I find it hypocritical that those who are shouting the loudest about the leak of information are those who have made it possible for there to be information to leak. They remind me of grade school kids found cheating on a test. They make all sorts of excuses to escape blame for something they know is wrong. For them, it's not about the fact that they broke the law and violated the rights of US citizens, it is more about getting the person who had the audacity to catch them doing it.

The New York Times has been singled out for attacks in order to become the administration's media fall guy. And other media are falling all over themselves to toe the line and act like good little boys and girls. But we know from experience that the rebels make history. Look at our founding fathers. Some, including my great great great great grandfather, lost everything for freedom. It is our duty to be vigilant in monitoring our government, we the people, are the only barrier left to this nation becoming a theocracy.

To let the President wield the power that he has goes against what this Democracy was founded on. Our checks and balances still do seem to have some teeth left in them, but Congress may see to their removal. How can our country go so wrong so fast?

Yes, we all want to feel safe in our homes, and yes the world right now is a dangerous place filled with fanatics of all stripes, fighting for their unique interpretation of God and life, but it is certainly not a new situation. What makes it unique is terrors proximity, as the world shrinks as communications and travel become ever more sophisticated. Still, why is it that we as Americans can feel so threatened clear half way around the world from major threats, while people in Europe and the Middle East live with the threat of violence and terrorism daily, minute by minute. We are children, still coddled by our parents. The blatant use of fear by anyone, whether it is the government or a parent to control their child, leads only to a cycle of panic, revenge, retribution and rightiousness that sets people apart rather than bring them together. Secrets are a symptom of the disease of fear. Secrets are the prevue of men so afraid of loosing power and control that they have to set up methods to maintain their superiority. A free press is a threat to all that they hold dear, the ability to hold information that others do not have.