POLITICAL RANT: Mr. President, Can You Hear Me Now?

 

 

 

 

The Government going through our phone records, Dishonesty in government....and Uncle Steve supporting Obama???? All will be explained in this edition of my POLITICAL RANT!

 

Much has been said of late concerning the revelation that since (at least) 2007, the government has been collecting phone records of all wireless customers of the Verizon phone service. Ironically, conservatives who supported the Patriot Act when Congress passed it, and President George W. Bush signed it into law are now condemning the collection. This includes  Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis) who wrote the provision in question, saying this isn't what was intended. And some (though not many) liberals who screeched like banshees when the Patriot Act became law are fine with this collection.

 

I'm not fine with this at all. But I support it.

 

Maybe.

 

Verizon, we're told, routinely disposes of wireless phone records after a certain amount of time has passed. For this reason--we're told--the government wanted to get all the records before they were destroyed, to study it for possible terrorist plans. The administration claims these records have, indeed foiled at least one terrorist plot. We're also told all that is looked at is who talked to whom and for how long. No conversations were eavesdropped on.

 

If the cost of keeping someone from slitting my throat while I'm asleep and while they're shouting "Allah Is Great!" is to allow the government to know who I talk to on my cheapo cell phone (and yes, I do have Verizon), then I'll live with it (no pun intended). I won't like it, I don't like it, but this is the world we live in. Al-Qaeda is real. There are folks who want to kill us. They are making plans. They are willing to die in the attempt. Obviously, I want the government to be able to protect me and the people I love.

 

The "Maybe" above comes in my lack of faith in the word of this Administration.  We've caught the Attorney General, Eric Holder, in falsehoods regarding his testimony in the 'Fast and Furious' gun scandal. We know we were lied to by our Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.  Or (then) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Or President Obama himself. Or one or both of those ladies, as well as President Obama, was lied to by folks whose names are unknown to us.  Or any number of the just mentioned combinations.  And, of course, we've learned the IRS has been targeting conservative organizations applying for tax-exempt status.  Honesty does not seem to count for much in the Obama White House.

 

One of the first lessons I learned as a child was how important honesty is. The reverse--how crippling a reputation of dishonesty is--was part of that lesson.  Even before last November's election, we were given evidence the President and his team weren't always being truthful. Since the election, they seem to almost revel in deceitful tactics.

 

So, yes, I say I reluctantly support the government's looking at phone records in hunting terrorists...maybe. If I could trust President Obama's word, I would support this measure.

 

But I can't trust his word. I can only hope he was, for once, being honest. I do want him to be successful in keeping us safe from terrorists. And to be fair, he has done a better job than I thought he would. I'm grateful for that.

 

For now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume this is just his having our backs, hunting for terrorists...and not Tea Party meetings or events of that nature.

 

Maybe.

 

That's my Political Rant for Friday, June 7, 2013! Agree with it or live in wrongness.

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