Image provided by Todd A. McKinley.
Note from The Tennessee Conservative: Editorial statements in this column are the sole opinion of the author; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of this publication.
Submitted by Todd A. McKinley –
To paraphrase Voltaire, politics has become the art of “deliberately lying.”
The surveillance state has been sold as a tool for justice and safety but only surrenders your freedom (without your consent) expanding government and the power of those who support clamping down on your liberty all in the name of “public safety.” And by the way, we have to pay for the pleasure.
Remember, our God-given inalienable rights, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit Happiness,” spelled out in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, aren’t collective rights, as there’s no such thing. As Calvin Coolidge said, “All liberty is individual liberty,” meaning we can’t allow governments to put Flock cameras (and the like) to a referendum. Those who suggest such a thing aren’t to be trusted. They’re dangerous and should be voted out of office and marginalized in the meantime as they are flagrantly ignoring the Constitution. But this issue is less about Flock cameras specifically and more about the largesse of the technology that we already have and what’s just over the horizon. What will it cost all of us in terms of basic freedoms, all paid for by more taxes/fees and trillions in deficit spending? But, hey, what’s $40+ Trillion in national debt alone, never mind unrealized future debt, as long as we in the here and now are made to feel safe and comfortable?!
Our government(s), especially the federal government, is too big. It’s a suckling pig that’s never satiated. Governments at all levels should fit inside the Constitution and nothing more. Don’t like that answer? Then read Article V of the U.S. Constitution and go about amending that sacred document. Until you do, “jog on.” In other words,…move on and get lost.
Sadly, those of us who truly have and continue to support and defend the Constitution are viewed as “radicals.” I say we’re free human beings minding our own business. Governments and the power hungry should do the same – a hard concept these days, I know.
Calling for a “government funded” safety blanket is like allowing them to build a prison around you and pretending you’re now safe, when in fact, you’re simply a free roaming prisoner. As we hurriedly march toward more automated industrialization run by artificial intelligence (AI) people will out of desperation support (fall for) the lie that is a “universal basic income.” Add to these more electronics on our cars, in our pockets and homes, including fully electric vehicles coupled with a soon to be cashless society, it will be easy to simply geofence us into certain localities, where we’ll only be allowed to purchase approved items, then add to this the idea of a “social credit score,” which is being discussed in many circles, not just by those on the left. We’ll soon reach a point where we’ll long for the old “cancel culture,” as what’s on the horizon is nothing more than a technological free roaming prison.
While technology can make and has made things easier, and AI can help us solve complex problems, one must only look at how the majority uses social media. Speaking of social media, look at how the “news” has become people commenting on other people’s comments or their reaction to an event as if that’s newsworthy, when in fact it’s nothing more than people making a lot of money, telling us when and for how long we should be outraged and who we should be outraged with, which is a proverbial “moving goalpost.”
Remember, all of this is happening in the freest nation in the world. We now have forever wars that will continue as long as it’s profitable for select groups, especially those associated with the “military industrial complex” that President Eisenhower warned us about in his farewell address that we promptly ignored by growing a massive global armaments industry that serves very few positive purposes – unless you include a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the well healed all under the guise of keeping us safe where it’s called “national security.” Realistically, in most cases it’s poor and working-class young men and women being sent to die only to be forgotten at home by most and used as a prop for many politicians who troll for votes every couple of years saying that they “support the troops,” and they “support our veterans,” while they look to cut earned benefits then blame the other political party.
Two recent examples are Vietnam and the 2003 invasion of Iraq (where I served). Mind you, I’m not denigrating anyone’s service, on the contrary, I’m calling out those in Washington during these wars who boldly lied to anyone who would listen, while thousands of Americans were killed and many thousands more were wounded and spat upon after returning home. Need a refresher? Study the Gulf of Tonkin incidents and subsequent resolution and the lie that was “weapons of mass destruction,” before we took our eye off of Afghanistan (where I also served) and invaded Iraq.
Bottom line, we’ve arrived here because of our lust for “bread and circuses,” that the Roman satirist Juvenal spoke of, that and public apathy. We have the power to guide our future in a positive manner, but if we continue to focus our efforts as we have in recent decades then the “free roaming prison” will truly be of our own making. I hope I’m wrong, but all evidence points to some form of dystopian future, a future that we still have the power to avoid.
About the Author: Todd A. McKinley is a retired U.S. Army Paratrooper, Afghanistan and Iraq combat veteran, co-host of the Commonsense Conservatives, veterans advocate, author and local office holder. www.toddmckinley.com
One Response
AMEN!!