The most obvious solution to the problem of the government's attempts at
censorship in the guise of national security is to write your member of
congress and senator(s):
http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/
Join a political party and donate money. Volunteer. Join the ACLU.
As far as I'm concerned, every little bit helps. And citizens should stay
informed about all this. Go to www.truthout.com, check the ACLU's page.
Also, whenever I get news items like this one, which I can confirm to be
true, I send them on! I send them to as many people as possible and urge
them to circulate them too. The news media may not cover all the
government's excesses (not newsworthy enough, I suppose), but the internet
is still unfettered, thank God. Our civil rights cannot be gradually eroded
away if an informed citizenry steps in to prevent it.
These days I think a lot about the quote from Pastor Martin Niemoller:
"In Germany they first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I
wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a
Protestant.
Then they came for me - and by that time no one was left to speak up."
-Pastor Martin Niemoller, German Protestant minister, Leader of the
church's opposition to Hitler, Nazi concentration camp intern, 1937-45.
Elisabeth M. McKechnie
Associate Librarian
UC Davis Law Library
(916) 752-3327
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 14 2007 - 20:44:47 PST