"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
~ The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights (emphasis added by me)
It may not be like this everywhere, but from where I'm standing, there has been a lot of talk going around about where we as a country are headed. Two bills are in the process of being passed that allow the government to censor the internet. They don't say that, but that's what it means. According to Wikipedia, the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) Bill allows the "barring of search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access from such sites". These sites, of course, would be ones that make online piracy possible, but that's all kind of subjective, isn't it? Youtube is an obvious one. But if you thought about it the right way, Facebook and things like Photobucket could be convenient sites for stealing pictures and videos.
And censorship isn't the only worry. Though no bills have been proposed about this yet, there is talk of the government considering any act of protest a form terrorism. Do you remember the last part of the First Amendment up there? "the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Sounds like the Constitution allows protest to me. But none of our government officials care about the Constitution anymore. It is our responsibility as citizens of the United States of America, to protect the Constitution. I know that sounds... I don't even know the word for it. It sounds extreme, it sounds talk-show-host-y, but it is true.
And you know, I really hate to be cynical. I don't like getting all worked up about conspiracies about the government and such. But this is something that needs to be acknowledged. It is very dangerous if we the people are apathetic, ignorant, indifferent to what is happening. We need to realize the immediacy of the change that is to come. But do not be afraid. No, no America was not built upon people who were afraid.
And honestly... I am not sure of what is to come. I don't know what will happen. Maybe something beautiful will come out of all this. Maybe a revolution. But above all else, don't let these things disturb you, any of it.
"You will hear of wars, and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." Matthew 24:6
For some reason that verse comforts me so much. Such things must happen... but the end is still to come. I know that sounds like it should scare you, but it comforts me.
Oh well this was much longer than intended. If you made it this far, congratulations. Tell me your thoughts. :)
With love and peace,
Sarah
You're not being cynical...I think you're being realistic. It's good to wonder about these things.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the government is being just STUPID about the censorship thing. I cannot think of a reason why any American would want that, and we ARE a democratic republic, so our opinions should be represented as they are. I think the government would be making a real deathly move if they pulled that one. The protesting that would come from that...I can't even imagine. And it's just ridiculous that they would even consider breaking the First Amendment. The stupidity of the whole thing just blows my mind.
America is special because unlike so many other countries we have a lot of individual freedoms. Censorship would be the beginning of the end for America.
Sorry for the long comment, haha. ;) Topics like these I can really rant about. Hope all is well with you, my dear!
No, don't apologize, I want to know your thoughts. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the government would be really stupid to pass something like this, but they most likely are. It wouldn't be the first time they broke the Constitution.
And yes, it seems there would be protests about this SOPA thing but I'm really afraid that... there won't be. I'm afraid people will either A. be too scared to, or B. they won't care.
It certainly does seem like it would be the end of America, and perhaps it is. But for some reason I'm not intimidated by it. It's not like we haven't gone downhill before. The Depression? The Civil War? Every nation has its ups and downs.