Thursday, February 13, 2014

Little Sister

OK, this is something I have been thinking about a lot recently due to the crazy amount of government abuse our freedoms have taken. We all know - if you don't please leave now, thank you very much - about George Orwell's 1984. We're all pretty aware that a good many of the elements from that story actually exist now in our modern life. Big Brother really is watching you, or at least your cell phone, email, You Tube, Facebook, and other electronic communications.

The classic question is "Who watches the watchmen?"

The answer should be a very simple "We do."

We pay - and I mean PAY - for ALL of these government programs that infringe upon our freedoms. The police officers that raid the wrong house, shoot your dog, and frighten your family half to death in the middle of the night? You paid for that. The state trooper that drive 110 miles per hour down the highway and then tickets you 15 minutes later for doing 75 in a 65? You paid for that. The DHS guy harassing you at a roadblock two hours from the border? You paid for that.

I'm not saying that there aren't law enforcement officials out there doing a good job, but I am saying the potential for abuse is so high that it is more common for law enforcement to abuse their position than it is for them not to abuse it. Think I am wrong? Visit any LEO forum on the internet and see what their definition is. How many officers think speeding is a perk and not abuse? How many states have laws that allow LEOs to do one thing while forbidding citizens from that same thing? Governor Cuomo in New York recently stated that because he gave verbal permission for DHS brass to carry pistols in violation of NYS law, that it was OK.

What is the solution? I think that we should turn the tables. We need to find local, state, and federal politicians willing to sponsor legislation requiring ANY law enforcement officer to wear a head-mounted camera when on duty. That camera should stream live video to a public website that allows the public to monitor the actions of law enforcement. The video footage should be archived just like the NSA archives all of our data.

Big Brother may be watching, but Little Sister should be watching right back, preventing Big Brother from abusing the citizens of our country.

Yes, I am aware of the "issues" law enforcement thinks this may cause. They're not really issue, because anything you think you shouldn't be doing on camera is something that you shouldn't be doing, period.

Yes, this means an end to the "No knock" warrants and middle of the night raids. Those should end anyway, considering they endanger people on both ends of the raid. 
Yes, this means your war on non-violent drug offenders will be effectively over. We cannot afford your war anyway.
Yes, the treatment of law enforcement as a better class of citizen will end. There is only one class of citizen, and there never should have been special treatment to begin with.

Share the word, bother your local, state, and national representatives. Make law enforcement accountable!

Little Sister is watching!