2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #172 “Do We Care about Liberty?”

     According to the Orange County Register, in May of this year the Director of National Intelligence reported publicly that the National Security Agency collected more than 350 million American call records in the year 2017.   That means that our government has collected records of the telephone numbers called and the time of day that phone calls and text messages were made, but not the content.  But  that is three times the number collected just the year before in 2016!    In addition, 129,080 non-Americans were targeted for “warrantless surveillance” under section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Act in 2017, up from 106,469 the year before and from 89,138 in the year 2013.  Of course, no need to worry because the people affected are non-Americans, right?  Well, no.  Actually, many American citizens can and are also caught up in these warrantless activities, in direct violation of our Fourth Amendment rights.

     Recently there was a bi-partisan movement in Congress sponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) better to control these section 702 activities.  But their bill was voted down, with many of our well known California members of Congress voting against the proposed greater protections.  Of course, it’s almost always politically popular for our elected representatives to show they are “keeping us safe.”  But where is the clamor for Liberty?  I am confident that I know what our country’s Founders would say about this situation, but what do you say?  Do you care?  Will you join me in trying to do something to protect our sacred Liberty?

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President,

 along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President 

Quote of the Week: “Cheer up, things could get worse.”  So he cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse. 

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