It’s interesting that on the eve of a holiday centered on freedom our very government is working towards infringing on the privacy rights of its citizens with every passing day.

If the FISA bill weren’t enough, two articles I read this morning heighten my already growing weariness that in terms of individual rights, this country is moving in a direction completely antithetical to the notion of liberty in which it was founded (although that’s kind of always been a long standing joke with people of color, no?).

The BBC (of course) reported that a U.S. court has ordered Google to reveal the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched a video on YouTube. Ever. That means, you, me, and everyone you know. The ruling comes as part of Google's long-standing legal battle with Viacom over allegations of copyright infringement.

Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the ruling a "set-back to privacy rights.” You don’t say.

Not to be outdone, the Justice Department publicly acknowledges that they are considering allowing the FBI to use racial profiling in their investigations. Without any sign of wrongdoing, the FBI may have free reign to single out Arabs, Muslims, or any racial or ethnic group they want. In essence: Everyone is guilty until proven innocent. Arguably for certain groups that’s nothing new either, but they’ve never been so forthright about it.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey on the move: "It's necessary to put in place regulations that will allow the FBI to transform itself ... into an intelligence gathering organization in addition to just a crime solving organization.”

Am I the only feeling uncomfortable about that?

The reasoning behind this decision is to root out terrorists before they strike.

Without going into any lengthy diatribe, I’ll just leave you with a quote I saw a user post on the Huffington Post where I found the article.

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of
fighting a foreign enemy." - James Madison

Think about it. And after you think about it, make sure one of you keeps tabs on me. I’m pretty sure you can’t blog at Guantanamo.