Civil liberties were hard fought additions to our Constitution thanks to Founding Fathers and Mothers you do not hear much about. George Mason refused to sign the proposed Constitution because of the failure to have a Bill of Rights. Luther Martin fought its passage when their was no Bill of Rights. Mercy Otis Warren wrote pamphlets opposing its ratification without the inclusion of a Bill of Rights. James Otis (brother of Mercy) opposed illegal searches and seizures and bills of attainder by the Crown which were essential to the Fourth Amendment and more at a cost of brain damage when assaulted by the Crown’s hooligans and thugs. James Otis is first credited with “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Notice how the tyranny part is often overlooked.
And there are more stories.
Recent events with megasized and global reaching corporations such as Google and Facebook plus the astronomically wealthy few who control media and private groups are putting all those hard fought liberties at risk and are using their power, and in some cases monopolies, to close them down.
This is where we are going.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Time to recognize that Google has more information, knowledge and details about our lives than even the darkest CIA black site with no rules on accumulation because it is all handed to them on web browsing, clicking, and free itty bitty pieces of the internet highway at a cost to be paid later.
Liberty and freedom are not free.
Facebook and Google are not free either.
I am now finally figuring out the cost of web surfing is more than I could have imagined.
Time to close down Google and Facebook as the feds did in their antitrust actions against Standard Oil and Ma Bell. Not just too big, but they spread their influence like rapacious tentacles throughout all areas of the internet business.
Anyone remember when the FCC limited single ownership of newspapers, television and radio in some media markets? Well, same logic should apply to internet access (fiber), phones (Google), music, video, and more.
Imagine how a Google algorithm could alter all your searches by rendering some sights meaningless and redirecting you to others? And with Chromecast and Youtube taking over the entertainment medium now on its ascendancy, the writing is on the wall. But since it is in programming language, we can’t read it!
LTC West is a retired combat veteran, former Congressman, and straight shooter.
A Good read!