Definition of patriot: “a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.” ~The Oxford English Dictionary
Do patriots defend and support agencies of their government who are knowingly lying to the citizenry or do they expose the lies and the agencies that are untruthful? Are government agencies that are lying to the citizens, an enemy of the people?
The revelations of Edward Snowden expose the lie which is being touted by certain members of Congress and government that the American people have both privacy and security. Probably most individuals are willing to give up some privacy for added security but Snowden has shown that the government expects you to surrender all privacy in your online world only they will not tell you that.
We are currently engaged in a silent civil war where sections of government are removing hard fought liberties from its constituency. Speaking during another Civil War, President Lincoln mentioned “a new nation, conceived in Liberty” and “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” But a government “of the people” and “by the people” is very much in danger of perishing as well as the freedom of those people.
Edward Snowden has reminded “the people” that their government is meant to be of, by and for them. There was a time when “the people” decided what they wanted and they authorized representatives in Congress and other branches of government to put those desires into action. Today, those representatives of “the people” appear to have forgotten that they are only authorized to represent “the people.” Instead, those representatives are acting as if they have the power that only “the people” have in a government that is truly “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Much ink will be spilled and many words uttered over the next few days regarding the secrets released by Edward Snowden. By making confidential documents public, Snowden has used his power to not made us less secure but has to give “the people” a limited security clearance to see information that was hidden from them and which can now aide them in the security/privacy discussion. A famous terrorist is said to have exclaimed “Give me liberty, or give me death!” in a speech to the Virginia Convention at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia (perhaps security was not an issue in his day). “The people” now have an opportunity to reassess how much liberty they want to give up. They can decide and let their representatives know their determination. “The people” can decide. A recent president declared that he was the decider. Snowden has reminded us that it is we who are the deciders. ~Ed Long
