I was reading the register yesterday about national security letters the FBI has been using in furthering investigations into possible terrorists.
A national security letter allows the FBI to gain info held on computer or paper files without warrant (it does not allow wiretaps) this means anything you do on a computer in your bank etc can be inspected. This is done without your knowledge.
All they do is go to your ISP, bank or even library and they have to give it with no questions asked. The ISP, bank ETC cannot tell you about it and the FBI does not have to explain at all why they want this info. Bush to say the least and his family are not beyond reproach. So are these things really going to be used wisely or are they going to be used with less beneficial motives? It should be said these letters have been around since the 70's at least and no one has complained (as far as I know) until they started sending them out in tens of thousands about 30,000 last year alone.
I got quite angry with this and then remembering my anger management training I calmed down had a good think about it. And then thought to my self, how does this affect me? Answer- it does not. When it comes down to it just will not affect me.
Or how about human rights violations in Russia .Do not like the Putin government- end up in prison or stepped on By OSNAZ.
By all accounts some guy called Stanislav Dmitrievski has been charged with offences that gave voice to Chechen leaders who wanted a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Again I got angry but then enhancing my calm I realised how does this affect me? Answer it does not. I do not know this person and if had not read amnesty international I would be blissful and calm.
Or how about the shake and bake fiasco? Troops used white phosphorus in Iraq to combat insurgents in falluja. Allegedly burning people to death or using the WP as a chemical weapon. I find this quite odd it's ok to shoot, blow up, and napalm somebody but using this WP which was used in the second world war by us with no complaints (unless you were on the other side) as some great sin. Again I got angry and again after thinking about it does this affect me. It does not.
It happens to people far away it does not and will not affect me.
All this news achieves is to get me angry for no real reason. I have no affect on these events, i do not know these people and they happen in places far away I have never heard off. They do not affect my job or my lifestyle in any way. Why do they insist on telling me these things which are of no use to me.
I have decided to read local papers only
2 comments:
But they DO affect you Charlie,they
make you a lesser person,all of us
lessor persons.Remember the old
fable;"They came to take away my
neighbour and I did nothing,etc."
You are of course correct and I continue to read about injustices all over the world. And speak to others about them. these people will not be forgotten by me.
However alot of people do take this attitude.
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