It seems that more and more, as our "administration" uses secrecy and the phrase "against the national interest" not to tell us what they are doing, our privacy, and constitutional guaruntees are slowly being frittered away.  Of course, we, the taxpayer are paying the bills for our own demise as a free society in the name of fear.  Yet again, 2 disturbing developments have surfaced, and no one is in the streets protesting against it.  In fact, the lack of interest, responce, and the general acceptance is upsetting to me.

First off, there is a new revelation that since soon after the tragedy of Septembre 11, 2001, our government has been keeping records of people who travel in and out of country.  They supposedly compile such information as how you pay for your ticket, whether you buy one way passage, even where you sit on the plane and what you choose to eat.  They sort all of this information, and create what the media calls a "terror score".  They say you can't know the full measure of how this score is computed, You can't know what your "terror score" is, you can't change it, and you can't dispute it.  And, it may stay with you, on your record for 40 years.

The importance of this did not dawn on me until I recieved a letter from an auto insurance company telling me that they "consulted" a company known as an information clearing house to figure the quote that I would pay should I use thier services.  It just seems to me that my driving record would be more important to them than my credit score.  I did not what to choose this company after reciveing this letter, and decided to get another quote.  However, I got another letter from the new insurace company stating that they consulted the same "information clearinghouse".  The bad thing is, in order to drive in Arizona, I have no choice as to have (what I thought was none of thier business) my privacy opened to them.  To me, this is dangerous to a free society to have large companies and the government having ready access to what you belive is privacy without your permission.

The government, of course will say that this information is only used in "certian instances", and will be used to "protect us from terrorists".  But given the record of honesty from the government, can you belive them.  How do we know that my rate quote was not judged in part with my "terror score" (as an example).  Now we know, as a general rule that employers check our private information.  We know that our private information is mined to buy a home or auto.  And now we know that our personal data will be mined when we buy passage on an airplane.  And...What does what you eat on a plane have to do with your "terror score" anyway?  I guess I will be having the pork chops next time I fly. (smile)

Of course, that is not the worst of it.  Sky Harbour (the airport in Phoenix Arizona) is going to get up and running a type of X-ray machine that can see through your clothing as you pass through it.  It will "outline your body image" so that the screener can see if you have something hidden under you clothing.  The image is pretty revealing, showing a regular, average American sized woman passing through this scanner.  When interviewed by the news media about the machine, and shown the sample image of the woman who passed, a woman said that "I guess it is ok as long as it protects us from terrorists" 

Now, supposedly, passing through this imaging machine would be "voluntary".  Supposedly the general "pat down search" will be still available (remember, as a woman, I could ask that a woman frisk me in this type of search).  However, how long will this be voluntary, and what does that mean exactly.  Will it mean that I would be denied passage if I do not "volutarily" subject myself to this machine?  Do we really know how this machine will affect people who have pace makers or other life sustaining mechanical devices implanted in thier bodies?  How about a person who has a colostomy?  Will this person be subject to questioning by an unfamiluar TSA agent?  Who will be screening us? (remember the images is pretty revealing)  Could it be a person thinking perverted ways about the images he sees?  What about a child preditor being on the monitor as your child passes through this thing?  Will they store these images if there is no need to? (even though those who promote the technology say the images will not be kept...again, given the government's need to gather information of us without oversight...how do we know?  And as a personal preferance...I do not want a man looking at my body image because I want to retain my modesty.  Do I get a choice?

I would like to stress again that the terrorists have one intent, and they do not care how they achieve it, or who the agents are that help them.  The intent of a terrorist is change the pattern of living of a population by used of fear and or intimidation.  If we, as a free nation, keep giving away our freedom for the sake of being safe the terrorists win.  It it much easier to wear down the will of a people by use of fear and intimidation from "friendly" voices within, (with thier own agendas in mind) than to make them angry at an enemy that attacks from the outside.  The terrorists simply give us someone. or something to fear, and that fear drives our course.  In other words, due to our fear, lack of interest, or whatever other reason thier might be, when we freely give over our freedoms and privacies to a small group (the savior and his agents), we are complicit in our own demise as the nation the forefathers invisioned.  

The terrorists are not as stupid as those who want to "protect us" claim they are.  And, much more importantly, the terrorists might not be who we think they are.  Let us look frankly at who is really changing our way of life, our expectation of privacy, and our liberties, and act against them...legally and non violently of course.

Peace Be Unto You...all

Zanubiyah