Make It So

When I was young, I was taught, and I took it to heart with a great deal of pride, in knowing that the US led the way, showing the rest of the world that the US always did the right thing, no matter how hard it seemed.

The right thing was the way the US always did things. The US didn't torture, in fact, we went out of our way to prove to the rest of the world that humane treatment of prisoners was central to our beliefs. All I had to do was look at the way we treated German prisoners of war. That was the example that was always shown to me then. The US support for what seemed to be the losing side in international conflicts was because the side we supported was honest, trying to do the right thing. The other side were always the crooks, the bad guys. And it went on and on that way. It was comforting to know, that easy or not, and it was often not, the US always did the right thing.

The past several years, that belief has been not only eroded but outright destroyed. Just off the top of my head, the Japanese American Internment of WWII; the My Lai massacre in Viet Nam; Watergate break-in and coverup; Abu Ghraib, Iraq, torture and abuse; revelations in detail about water-boarding; Guantanamo and indefinite detention; the NSA; etc., etc., has shown me that the good ol' USA has tended and continues to be doing anything but the right thing, and it's been that way for a long, long time.

With the latest revelations over the past few years of the 'terrorism threat' and what's been perpetrated because of that, creation of the huge abomination called the Department of Homeland Security, its Transportation Security Administration, the No-Fly List, and general abuse of the the traveling public as a result, and now the NSA debacle, shows that more and more it seems, our government is working harder and more deviously to erode, do away with, take away, and destroy, not only basic human rights, but is ignoring and in many cases, outright flaunting its total disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law against its own citizens - us.

It's long past time to begin taking back the Constitution and the rule of law. I want a US where we are secure in knowing that our government always, that's ALWAYS, does the right thing no matter what. That we actually DO lead the way in showing the rest of the world how it's done and done right, not in leading the world in the number of people incarcerated, or in nearly constant revelations of how we've actually led the world in doing things the wrong way, and for the wrong reasons.

The solution is simple. It may be hard to do, but it's simple. Just do the right f**king thing! 

Restore the Fourth seems as good a place to start as any other.

http://www.restorethefourth.net/

Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Restore the Fourth aims to ensure that the will of the people is reflected in the government of the United States of America. This movement intends to bring an end to twelve years of Fourth Amendment abuses, and demonstrate the need for a return to the Constitution. All Americans should stand with them in this cause to protect the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.