U.S. constitution is a unique document in the sense that it does not only specify what a government can do, but, it also specifies, in clear terms, what a government cannot and must not do. As a matter of fact, the ten very comprehensive amendments embedded in “Bill of Rights” of our constitution, are detailed listings of what our government is strictly prohibited from doing, by the supreme law of this land, The Constitution of United States of America. Among these serious restrictions on government powers, is fourth amendment. It clearly stops government from unjust and unauthorized searches. A judicial warrant is made the absolute requirement for any searches performed by government.
There are strong reasons why the framers placed these restrictions on government power. Throughout the course of human history, in every part of the world, there are countless examples of governments abusing their powers, all the time. In addition to this, the founders just came out of a very bloody revolutionary war against a very oppressive regime led by British king. Obviously, their intent was to save this newly found land of free and brave, from the excesses of such regimes. Inherited in fourth amendment is the acceptation that government has no authority on personal property and information. Added to this context is the fact that personal information is treated as personal property, as well.
Governments have always used real or fabricated catastrophic events to extend their powers and to infringe on personal liberties. Every single war, and every single financial and economic crisis in our own country, explicitly provides examples and proofs on this mischief. Income tax, Federal Reserve, Social Security tax, drafts, mass imprisonment of a group of population, paper money, and soaring debts and deficits are all implemented in the name of security and tackling the crisis. Under the fear and uncertainty it is much easier to convince people to give up rights and civil liberties.
The biggest problem with this pretext is that the extreme measure taken during crisis are never withdrawn after the crisis is over. Those get stick to us, forever and government continues to enjoy more powers and bigger size. You often hear in corporate media the need for more government to solve a new problem, but, it is extremely rare to hear that certain programs or departments or agencies may need a roll back. So, we may get rid of those or at least cut the size of those. Even if you rarely hear something like this, it is almost non-existent that this kind of thing is practically done.
9/11 was a catastrophic event. It was a sad disaster in many aspects. The loss of life and property, the damage it caused to economy and finances of our people and our country and newer threats it uncovered. The worst part of it was that as a nation we went bananas. We started destroying our country far more than terrorists might have ever imagined. The wars and explosive increase in the size and expenditure of our security apparatus has made everything out of control. Few mullahs with box cutters have made us spend far beyond our means.
Their real success was not hitting the precious physical targets in our country. Their real success was to make us spend at near bankruptcy levels and let us tear down the very fabric of our way of life which makes us different from them and which is the only thing worth fighting for. They got us into a war which has no foreseeable end thus its financial and social cost. There has never been a period in known period of human history when what is now called terrorism was non-existent neither there is a possibility of it ever happening.
So, war against something which has never been rooted out, completely, in human history and which probably will never be, obviously has not end. It is amazing, how Socialist and liberal governments find causes for wars which rationally speaking are impossible to achieve. So, the cause lives forever, hence, the war against it. Same is true about war on drugs and war on crimes. There has never been a period in human history when in any part of it, the crimes and drug use did not exist and it is very likely that crimes and drug use will continue to exist, at least at some level, forever. So, will be the wars on drugs and crime.
Most leading civilizations in human history vanished under unending wars and the resulting corruption in government and elite. If we are in wars which logically speaking have no foreseeable end than what should be the logical expectation? Is it the end of us as a civilization? As a country? As a nation? As the leading economy in world? The real question is, how long do you think we can afford this?
Not just in terms of money. But, also, in terms of human, social and strategic cost? There is a real cost of wars, and we all know, it is not small. Together on these wars we are spending trillions of tax payers’ dollars. Debts are piling up. Deficits are growing. Constitution is being shredded. Civil liberties are vanishing. Size and power of government is growing. People all over the world, now, consider us as war mongers. This is a long way from the status of being flag bearer of Democracy and individual rights in world. We, now, have highest incarceration rates in the world.
Are we really as criminal as to deserve the highest incarceration rates in world? When are we going to get a wake-up call? When this craziness of giving up and endangering everything we have, for little security is going to end? Does a little group of foreigner terrorists and prohibition worth this much? How long will we continue to hand out our hard earned tax dollars to ever growing government and military industrial complex? Under the current circumstances, do you see any end? I don’t. As long as we have the dominance of two political parties on our political system and of corporate media on information, there is not going to be an end to this huge mess.
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