The Surveillance State: Big Brother Writ Large in America
By Stephen Lendman
Global Research
June 20, 2013
Spying on its citizenry reflects one of the most defining police state characteristics. Post-9/11, America crossed the line.
Unconstitutional mass surveillance became official US policy. Bush began it. Obama accelerated it. He did so straightaway as president.
He promised otherwise. He pledged transparency and openness. He promised no more Bush/Cheney lawlessness. He lied. He exceeded the worst of his predecessors.
Free societies don’t tolerate these practices. Obama authorized them secretly. He subverted constitutional law. He violated the public trust. He broke a key campaign pledge.
He declared war on freedom. It’s more illusion than reality. It’s fast disappearing. It may entirely vanish on Obama’s watch. Big Brother is real. It’s no longer fiction. Privacy no longer exists.
Web site visits are tracked. Cell phones log our movements. Emails and social network communications are monitored and stored. Sweeping warrantless spying is policy.
Government is shrouded in secrecy. Constitutional protections don’t matter. Police states operate this way. America’s by far the worst. Everyone’s suspect unless proved otherwise. Guilt by accusation is policy.
Snowden provided a vital service. He did so at great risk. Lots of what he revealed was previously known. Too few people knew it. Many more now do. How they react matters most.
The Rest…HERE
