It wouldn't be so bad, if it were only Britain; theirs is a socialist country already. Big Brother is installing cameras nearly everywhere, the better to see you with, my dear.
The Brit government claims it's to help solve crime. Yet, according to this story in the London Evening Standard, clear-up rates of criminal acts has not improved at all in areas with large numbers of CCTV surveillance cameras. Additionally, areas with very few cameras seem to have slightly higher clear-up rates.
The rational theory is that the cameras aren't there to enhance law enforcement at all. They're there to keep track of us. Now, as I'm reminded by Aurora at The Midnight Sun, new cars in the US all have GPS , which can (and will) be used to track our movements.
This, coupled with police caging themselves up in patrol cars (instead of walking the beat and actually getting to know their neighborhoods) and garbing themselves up in military-style armor (adding to their separation and alienation from their employers), just about guarantees a separation between the resident/working stiff from the main interface between most of us and government--the police. From that separation arises suspicion and distrust.
To add the worst kind of insult to injury, government is continually pressing toward disarming American society, rendering us more and more dependent 'pon people we trust less and less. According to natural rights all men must have to survive, we must be able to defend ourselves from not only a perilous nature, but from individuals who wish to plunder rather than be productive. For the first time in history, the right to self defense is encoded into law in the form of US Constitution and The Bill of Rights--the Second Amendment, to be exact.
Government places itself in the plunderer class when it attempts to deny man is natural rights. As this trend progresses, there's a gradual but constant decline in the quality of life of all. To return to my original example, Britain, this nation has been in general decline for generations as its government moves away from the degree of capitalism that peaked during the Industrial Revolution.
As the government noose tightens around the necks of Americans, the same decline can be seen here in the increasing numbers of the poor, the increasing numbers of inmates in the nation's prisons and the increasing degree of ambient anger in those of us who remain productive in spite of the current state of the nation.
We have to force government to live within the limits imposed by the Constitution (which every elected and appointed official has sworn to uphold--with fingers crossed, in most cases), and give those who resist a hearty "You're fired!"
And let's destroy those big brother-inspired cameras.
Remember, Vote For No Incumbents!
Warm regards,
Col. Hogan
Stalag California
8 comments:
What's happening in the UK is sad in a way, but what can one do when the people are choosing it to an extent.
They can have all the cameras and all the laws in the world, but in their case even if they catch the criminals, the judiciary will not punish them properly, so the crims carry on in full view of the cameras.
We have a similar type of judiciary down here and we get the same level of contempt from them as in the UK, just there aren't too many of us here and the corresponding number of scumbags.
Col., thanks for the links. I found a site recently. More info on Ron Paul. He's not popular with a lot of Conservatives because he argues against bringing the troops home and he was never pro the war. But Ron Paul has some absolutely brilliant ideas on limited government. Right up your alley! Here's the link:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul-arch.html
I think you might get some nice fodder for posts from your libertarian perspective from there. Actually, I'm admiring him more and more all the time the more I read on him. I loathe over-empowered centralized government and Ron Paul is the most lateral, most original and revolutionary thinker I've read in this area.
P.S. MK, I was shocked and disgusted when I took the M4 the other day. There was a surveillance camera at the top of each pole. I was wondering how much of our tax dollars went to fund that incursion into our liberties. They're smart, these government crooks. They use our own money against us. The Victorian State Government is worse.
A lot of our street and freeway cameras are claimed to be for traffic control, but we know better, don't we?
Aurora, I'm very familiar with LewRockwell.com. I read essays by various authors therein from time to time.
Col., yes we do. I would wager that most of the population don't even give them a second thought except for the annoyance of constantly having to monitor whether you're a few miles/kms over the speed limit or not. The fines in Australia are draconian.
Re: Lew Rockwell, I had never seen it before but stumbled across the Ron Paul stuff. Unfortunately I don't think he's going to get far in the Conservative race, but he's a really interesting thinker.
Trying to be both optimistic and realistic, I don't see Paul getting the nomination, either. Yet, I plan to support him as much as I can.
A strong, if failing, effort will have an effect 'pon the Republican who wins the nomination, and possibly even 'pon the Democrat.
Every time I see a camera I flip it off. Probably doesn't mean anything to those watching but it reduces my stress level. 'Bout a week ago some dude turned around and followed me home and almost red-faced said "how's come you're flippin' me off?" I told him it was the cameras. He laughed and said "what cameras"?. Bringin' me a long ways around to my point. Most people don't even see the cameras!! Hard to believe.....Hard to believe.
When I hear about "face recognition" software and GPS sensors in new cars (a new growth industry: removing the damn things), I remind myself that Mr Orwell just had the timing wrong.
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