ShelfariA long time ago, I figure at least 5 years ago, one of my best friends Jason presented a question for discussion. He asked if it is possible to increase security without sacrificing our freedoms?
I joined in on the discussion, trying to point out different ways that our security might increase without a loss of our freedom. I do not remember the exact words of the discussion, but I do remember the basic concepts that were brought out. I tried to use differing technologies to show that security could be increased significantly without people noticing. Jason would rightly argue that even if the general populace did not know that it’s freedoms were being eroded, they still were. If they changes that I suggested were put into place people would be tracked, monitored and herded like never before and people would think that they were still free and yet would actually have less freedom then they ever would with currently implemented technology.
One might wonder why I thought of this discussion today?
I was watching the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC, and she was talking about a man in Maine who was shot by his wife because he was physically abusing her. The police went to the crime scene and interviewed neighbors. It turns out that the neighbors had seen her being abused by her husband. They also found out that he was an admirer of Adolf Hitler, collected his memorabilia, wanted to join a local Nazi group and had collected most if not all of the ingredients to a Dirty Bomb. The idea she is espousing is that we might want to consider looking more in our backyard and less in Afghanistan to prevent terrorist attacks. However, I took away a little more.
It hit me that these neighbors had witnessed a man abusing his wife and had done nothing. He wasn’t even reported. It struck me as strange that people would just let this occur without even attempting to do anything about it. This one little part of a much larger show resonated with me and managed to resurrect a memory left almost dead in the past. The memory was brought to the fore cause I was able to see, partly due to this segment, what the answer is.
If you approach the problem with the mindset that only an outside entity, like the government, can act to increase our security then you will always fail to provide a way to increase security without losing freedom. The key is accepting personal responsibility, and to be personally aware. The way to increase your security is to be an active participant in your neighborhood and society. You need to keep alert and in shape. You need to educate yourself so you understand what you perceive. You also need to be willing to act if you see something wrong.
Yes, you need to be willing to act if you see something wrong. That can be a scary thought. After all, what could happen if you act? Is it possible that you might be hurt? Perhaps you would be killed? The police would tell you to call them and don’t act. That is the safe way, and it may also solve the issue. However, it will be at the cost of your freedom.
The usual reason that acting on your own is so dangerous is because you are often alone. I am not calling for any lone vigilante action when I suggest that someone act when they see something wrong. I am instead trying to call everyone in their respective communities to action! When people who live together take care of each other the chances of anyone there being attacked are lowered signifigantly. So if a bunch of people like those who were interviewed above had gotten together and confronted the husband in Maine and reported him and otherwise acted against him, the chances of him being found out as a Nazi and a dirty bomb parts collector and potential maker would have been significantly higher. When all in a neighborhood act as one for the security of all, freedoms are not curtailed. In fact, they are increased! People feel safer in their own homes. Perhaps even the property values would go up, for the financial minded reading this. There is no real downside to being part of an active and cohesive community in terms of security. One just must be careful that the community does not try to control their members, but merely afford protection and guidance.
That was knawing at my brain for quite a while, subconciously at least. Jason is known to remember different discussions that stand incomplete, even if they have been resting for years. I wonder if one day he will bring up this discussion? If so, I have an answer. One that should have been common sense, but has been running counter to the way many modern Americans have been taught in the last decades.
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