Bill ShueyIt would be unfair to blame Obama for every jot and tittle of government that is jumping off the track. But it is fair to suggest that he has only encouraged the erosion of liberty and intrusiveness of government during his tenure in office. The last few months have brought illumination to several government intrusions into the lives of ordinary Americans. The folks who were targeted by the Internal Revenue Service were not subversive organizations that wanted to harm our nation, rather they were ordinary people who were and are concerned about the growth and overreach of our government. I can think of nothing as intimidating as a letter or phone call from the Internal Revenue Service. The dread is only rational because the IRS has unlimited power, and all the burden of proof falls directly on the individual should the IRS find some type of fault, justified or not. Should one acquire the wrath of the IRS, that individual’s financial life is often ruined. Just the legal costs of defending oneself can be devastating. Unchecked, which it obviously is, it is more tyrannical than Hitler’s thugs. Our Justice Department, that arm of government which is charged with protecting our rights and privileges as citizens, has abused their power. They have selectively enforced federal laws and have highhandedly, if not illegally, targets individuals for wiretaps and surveillance. Then to put a final touch on their arrogance, the Attorney General goes before Congress and if not outright lies, dances around the truth. Now the National Security Administration has seized millions of cell phone and internet records of ordinary citizens. No doubt they are looking for terrorist communication activity, but what assurance do we have that the information obtained in this witch-hunt won’t be used against us in some form. American citizens no longer have the guarantee of privacy, and our 1st Amendment rights are now merely theoretical. We are rapidly moving toward George Orwell’s America, and it seems that there is absolutely no way to counteract the federal government’s power or overreach into our private lives. Our government uses Drone aircraft and millions of cameras to spy on its citizens. Citizens are encouraged to use their cell phone cameras to video anything they think suspicious; no one is safe from intrusion into their space or privacy. The America that we knew just 20 short years ago no longer exists. All this invasion of our lives is claimed to be for our own good – to protect us from the savages within society. But what then when our government becomes the savage that we cannot control? Do people who merely wish a smaller and accountable federal government represent a threat to our nation? Do they deserve to have their personal information shared between federal agencies and to be subjected to harassment and intimidation? What the hell has happened to our country! The current crop of titular leaders is not overwhelmed by preoccupation with insuring our individual rights and liberties. They believe that government is the source of everything that is righteous and desirable – a canopy that protects us all. But the IRS, Justice Department, NSA, et al can no longer be trusted to police itself, and the man presumably steering the ship of state cannot even find the rudder! So what now protects us from our own government? Any representative form of government must be undergirded by trust. Once that trust is lost, anarchy is inevitable. The trust in the current administration is eroding daily; there are just too many scandals and far too few logical explanations. Obama may well survive; the greater question is will America as we know it survive? The only promise that Mr. Obama has made that can be conclusively verified is that he would “fundamentally transform America.” He inherited problems and has managed, or mismanaged, them into colossal blunders, lies, and utilizes prevarications in an attempt to avoid responsibility. America remains the greatest nation in the world in which to live, but on the other hand, President Obama has about two and one-half years left to do his handiwork and complete his promise. Have a good week. facebook/groups/106723526142438/ dir.groups.yahoo/group/ObverseView/
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:44:44 +0000
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