A Fine Example

In the years since 9/11, a war has been raging in this country. Not against terrorism, or drugs, or... Iraq. Those things have been happening, but the war I'm referring to is the ongoing war the Bush administration is waging against my rights to privacy and other civil liberties. This slow and inexorable assault has included warrantless wiretaps, the Patriot Act and the Bank Privacy Act.

Cloaked in the guise of 'national security', a Rhode Island man had $6,522 that he sent to a credit card company held up because the payment was out of the ordinary. This action was taken by the credit card company under the provisions of the Bank Privacy Act, and occurred simply because the payment was much higher than the amount the man normally paid on his account. I can only assume that the action was taken because the transaction looked like money laundering.

I understand that money laundering is a crime, and that it could be used to support terrorism. Fine. Got it. However, the fact that banks and credit card companies are acting as surveillance proxies for the U.S. Government bothers me.

Is the illusion of increased national security worth the price we pay in privacy and freedom? I think not, but I'm not in charge. I guess all I can do is vote.