by A couple of weeks back I posted a column regarding the erosion of individual privacy that is coming as a result of the war on terrorism. Read the L.A. Times take on the subject. I found their editorial to be ho-hum, never-mind-me evaluation of this issue.
The threat to American citizens is real given the lack of control points in the information gathering process. But will this sacrifice of personal privacy make us safer? Yes, it will help protect us from outside threats. But at what cost?
Does the government need to know our grocery buying habits? If I buy a large lot of cold tablets and/or garden fertilizer, will I be flagged for deeper scrutiny by John Poindexter’s cronies? And if I am, will I ever know it? Will the courts uphold civil liberties and the freedom of information act?
Will we really be safer once these programs are in place?
