Visitors to China take censorship and other abridgments of
freedom for granted. Many websites are
blocked, including maps, Facebook, blogs, foreign news sites, and many scholarly
resources. Gangs may be cozy with local government, and can thwart the rule of
law, as my friend Carl discovered. In China, “information control” is an
industry, and email routinely monitored in the name of national security.
To what extent is the US becoming like China? The email
surveillance initiated here out of a putative need for homeland security, runs
counter to constitutionally protected privacy rights. While we do not torture prisoners within our
borders we practice “extreme rendition” and detain prisoners without trial at
Guantanamo.
I actually think the Obama administration acts as it does out
of concern for public protection. Much
of the surveillance here occurs in response to what countries such as China are
doing, but I know it is difficult not to react in this way. Ours is a global society,
and we must take account of the dangers posed by our rivals and enemies.
But copying the practices of totalitarian nations is extremely
dangerous. The American Constitution and
our Bill of Rights must be respected. Electorates make bad choices when they
are fearful, and governments go bad when they have too much power.
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