Thank God for Google.
To my surprise, a group with impact is unwilling to immediately prostrate themselves for BushCo. In case you haven’t heard, Yahoo and Microsoft recently turned over their records of customer queries on their Internet search engines to the Feds because they asked for them—never mind that the FBI had no legal authority to demand such records. Google is the only Internet search firm to deny their request, citing trade secrets and customer privacy among concerns.
Why is the FBI seeking these records out? Well apparently the “War on Terror”—from what I’ve heard war is a pretty terrible thing, so how can more war mean less terror? Oh, I know! If someone is dead they are no longer terrified.—isn’t so popular these days so they claim this is to fight child pornography. Ah, kiddie porn, who’s going to try to stop Bush from keeping little Timmy safe from the local pederast? Of course, the whole thing is bullshit.
Despite the puerile interest the media has in reporting stories on child molestation, actual crimes against children have decreased significantly over the past 15 years. There are already offender lists available to the public in most states, that allow anyone concerned to know who in their area has been listed as a sex offender. My problem with these lists is a whole other column.
So what does the government want? A list of everyone who visits porn sites that depict acts that qualify as sex crimes? Well OK, I’ll get the ball rolling with myself, Jon Pappas. More than a few times in my search for good meat and potatoes porn, I’ve stumbled on some pretty unpleasant stuff. Not by intention or interest, but most of the free sites have trap links to material that is repugnant to me and illegal in most states. I am sure somewhere my name is next to a list that would make God cut Sodom and Gomorrah some slack.
Of course I don’t think the latest heavy guy tactics from the Feds have anything to do with the innocence of little Sally and Timmy. What other use could Bush have for knowing what everyone searches for on the Internet? Hmm … could it be a way for him to track his political enemies and allies? Imagine how useful it would be just for fundraising purposes to know who goes to godhatesatheists.com or who searches out “kill abortion doctors” at Yahoo. What’s to stop Bush from ordering tax audits against anyone who types “Bush is a moron” into MSN search? Well other than the fact that the IRS doesn’t have the manpower.
Bush has pole-vaulted over the Constitution and the traditions of privacy and rule of law that even Nixon lacked the gall—or plain good ole boy arrogance—to ruin. The fact that the Feds openly admit to spying on telephone calls is another recent slap in the face of democracy. The American people have proven themselves even more gullible than I imagined, so let me try to explain it all to you. Read the next sentence slowly and really try to digest it.
The Bush government is interested only in maintaining power.
That’s it. Everything they do is done to preserve or increase their control over society. Spying on American citizens may be illegal and disgusting, but it gives them information they can use to remove threats and reward sycophants. Cheney is clearly gay, but they will push a constitutional ban on gay marriage because it shores up support with the evangelical groups that dominate the Midwest and South.
