Democracy Inaction

With the renewal of the Patriot Act this week, we should've had a public debate on whether the bill goes too far and is something we as a democratic society should accept. Unfortunately, that debate took place behind closed doors in Washington and all but 10 brave members of the Senate decided it wasn't worth worrying about. We must do anything, they decided, in order to protect our... freedoms?

This week did, however, bring two clear examples of how the law (and the general overreaching of the federal government since 9/11) are legitimate concerns and why all self-respecting Americans should be worried.

Story #1- Walter Soehnge and his wife had a large balance on their credit card bill and decided to pay it off in full. This act of fiscal responsibility sent off alarms in Washington DC. After noticing that the payment hadn't been processed, the couple called the credit card company and were told that "the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified." Once the couple was cleared of terrorism concerns, the payment was processed. Needless to say, the experience left the couple a little bit frightened.

Story #2- Laura Berg, a nurse at the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M., wrote a letter from home to her local weekly paper after Hurricane Katrina, criticizing the federal government's response to the tragedy. She stated the government was "playing games" and should be removed as a result of their incompetence. This letter caused the government to investigate Ms. Berg and to late seize and search her computer from work. She was informally accused of sedition by the officials. Ms. Berg was shaken by the experience, but many have rallied to her side. She told her story yesterday on the Democracy Now broadcast.

It's important to keep in mind that these two stories are not isolated incidents; quick Google searches will find numerous examples like these occurring since 9/11 in every corner of the country. These incidents are merely part of a larger picture of life in King George's Orwellian nightmare.