The Gloom & Doom Continues

"Good and Hard"
The end quote in this month’s edition of the International Speculator is from H.L. Mencken, one of my personal favorite writers of all time. It goes like this:
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard."Well, the latest thing our fellow citizens seem to want "good and hard" is perfect security. And to get it, they are willing to be monitored constantly as they go about their daily tasks and travels. I refer to a recent ABC News poll that asked boobus americanus whether they think the government should ramp up the use of security cameras – following Britain’s lead. The question revolved around the pros and cons of allowing further erosions of privacy versus the more effective crime fighting that might result from constant surveillance. In response, the Americans voted overwhelmingly in favor of more cameras – 71% for, with just 25% against.I have an acquaintance who would, no doubt, put himself in the 71%, stating smugly that "Hey, where’s the problem? If you’ve got nothing to hide, who cares?". I suspect that it is that sort of thinking that rises to the top in the brief mental deliberations of the yay-sayers.But if you really accept that trading privacy for security is okay, then the technology exists to get the job done right, and not allow for any possible bad weather or hooded sweat shirts obfuscating the views of the police cameras. For example, just implant an RFID in each and every one of us. That way there’s no guessing involved. Crime at the corner of 5th & Main at 10:00 Monday night. Push a button and there, for all to see, is the list of everyone on the spot, complete with photos, last known address, criminal record, spending habits and whether they like milk with their coffee or drink the stuff black.And give it a bit more thought. Let’s assume today’s government is fair, balanced and benevolent (I know that requires pulling down some mental blinds, but do it anyway)… but what happens if tomorrow’s government takes an even steeper turn for the worse? While none of us like to think it could happen here, given the right circumstances, something approaching a dictatorship could emerge. And that which is not a crime today – say, gathering in protest – could become one tomorrow.(In support of that contention, look no further than the trampling given to the constitution and the Bill of Rights in recent years, starting with the “Patriot Act”, an act that would have had Patrick Henry and John Adams elbowing each other out of the way in a mad scramble for their flintlocks and shot, map of Washington D.C. in hand.) Not sure where this is all headed, but at least we’ll soon have the comfort of knowing that it will be recorded for history in on-demand video.