Idaho Mountain Express: Is right to privacy just a nostalgic American memory?

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Is right to privacy just a nostalgic American memory?

If doubts still exist that government hasn't become an overbearing Buttinski, consider the law enacted by Oklahoma state legislators requiring abortion physicians to complete a 10-page questionnaire explaining why their patients want an abortion and the patient's relationship with the father, among other matters.

The law's principal purpose, obviously, is to bludgeon physicians and their patients into canceling abortions rather than submit to government nosiness.

But this Oklahoma law makes a larger statement. Legislators presume the right to ignore patient and physician privacy as a means to an end. For now, a judge has blocked enforcement of the law.

Wherever one turns, personal privacy is vanishing faster than courts can act, and often they are unwilling to act when government claims the dubious right to ignore privacy because of "national security," whatever that means.

Unless Americans want to awaken some day and find themselves held in the grip of a Big Brother society in which every facet of their personal lives is on a database, they must demand government launch an attack on invasions of privacy.

This will require the best minds in ethics, eavesdropping technology, criminal and civil law, philosophy and social science—not to mention thoughtful members of Congress who can rise above the temptation for meaningless TV sound bites and deal with an increasingly menacing trend.

The threat to privacy is overwhelming. Commercial "spy shops" are brimming with inexpensive devices for bugging telephones and homes, night-vision gadgets for spying on people in the dark. Hackers have an array of ways of lifting content from computers, even simply by driving by a home with an electronic sweeper.

Commercial firms routinely sell data about customers to marketing firms. Online computer "cookies" retain information distributed to who knows where.

Private investigators and criminals alike can obtain Social Security numbers, income, medical records, credit card data--all presumably made available by willing sources indifferent to privacy rights.

Americans cannot avoid sharing private information. Banks, credit card companies, hospitals and employers require it. However, users of social networking who carelessly write about their personal habits, activities and relationships may unwittingly share some personal data.

Add to this mix government's exotic intrusiveness—satellite sifting systems that screen millions of voice and text messages; quiet drones that can peek on whole neighborhoods; urban TV cameras that track movements of people in crime-prevention programs.

Who should have access to this personal information and why they should have it are questions that require urgent attention.

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The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

Jay Miller

11/01/09 - 19:30

very funny stuff...a halloween distraction...

www.youtube.com

11/01/09 - 16:10

Laws are here to protect life liberty and property, Abortion should be illegal in the first place as it is murdering a defenselss person. Why do we have laws on shoplifting and what we spray our yard with. Do what we can to make the evil practice of abortion illegal. Since the unfortunate supreme court descision of roe v wad I think 45 million people have been aborted. A large chunk of people that could make the world a better place.

Reply to t

11/01/09 - 19:48

So, if your "white" 13 year old daughter is raped by a "negro" she can raise the resultant offspring just fine and not think of the event that caused it to come into being every time she looks at it. I know, just pray to the right "god" and everything will be OK. Yeah, sure, a lot of unwanted humans will make the world a better place. Oh, I forgot, women are the "property" of men who have the "liberty" to use them however they want.

Reply to t

mpc

11/02/09 - 07:41

Dear X:
In reply to your reply. Women are chattle in several societies. The Europeans are supporting those groups through mass immigration. I am speaking of Muslims. The muslims are the fastest growing population on earth. In Ireland, the only country in the world where abortion is illegal, there is no need to import crazy people to do the work. They have there own babies, and therefore their own work force. Also one of the best economies in the world.
Are we responsible for the sins of the father? My view on abortion, if anyone is interested, I think it should be a legislative rather than a judicial decision.

11/01/09 - 16:10

11/01/09 - 16:09

Reply to t

K-Town

11/02/09 - 15:51

REPLY TO X
As a mother and a women, I am appalled and insulted by your comment. you shouldn't have brought race into this blog.. RAPE IS RAPE no matter what color the rapist is!
On the other hand ....Abortion, I believe, should be up to each individual, because there may be some extreme circumstances regarding the pregnancy... example..last year (in beautiful WRV) a sister and brother had sex and she got pregnant...the nurse who attended to her was against abortion and explained that murdering a child shouldn't be an option. She didn't have an abortion (due to the influence of the nurse) and gave birth to a very sick baby who has had numerous surgeries that have cost the tax payers almost 125,000 dollars and is still very ill. This disgusting situation should be an example of why each individual should have that right. - Taking into consideration the length of the pregnancy, I do no think abortion should be an option when you are further than 20 weeks.

mpc

10/30/09 - 22:30

Has anyone alive, considered going back to the constitutional limits of government? It is not that hard. If elected, the right people could transform this country into a vibrant, free republic again. Let us all get together and elect them, if we can find them.

Joke of the day: Cash for clunkers got a lot of Obama stickers off the road.

Reply to mpc

London

10/31/09 - 08:38

Sure, several people have recommended this idea for over 100 years, only to be called constitutionalists, nut cases, tin foil hat freaks, on and on.. You have them in this valley, one is very outspoken, funny, your shadow has never been cast on my porch..

Reply to mpc

mpc

11/02/09 - 21:31

Hopefully I may cast that shadow, someday. You may call me a constitutionalist any time you please. I will always answer to the call.

hahaha

10/30/09 - 08:18

When this nation economically grinds to a halt, and the deficit is 65 trillion, and a lot of folks are in the street hungry, and a loaf of bread costs $1200.00, people ain't gonna be pissed at republicans no more.. not to mention complete currency failure, I think at that point both parties are considered losers..

Reply to hahaha

mpc

10/30/09 - 23:02

Obama on the campaing trail, was asked what denomination of bill he would have his likeness on. He joked that one must die before getting that honour. But may I suggest, the million dollar bill, that way I could see his exalted visage, every time I buy a loaf of bread.

trailrunnr – Ketchum, ID

10/30/09 - 07:19

This is a big problem for republicans right now. Rove sold the party to the christian right-wing, and those fanatics are pro-big-government when it comes to their personal religious agenda. so the party is split between small-govt conservatives and big-government, snooping in your bedroom types. Things will get worse for republicans before they get better.

Reply to trailrunnr

10/30/09 - 08:30

Citizens have a right to lobby and campaign for the things in which they believe based on their religion or other beliefs. There is a big difference between this and such things as forcing upon the population a government run health care system, bailing out of dying companies and promoting global warming legislation based on faulty science . These are Democrat Party supported policies. How about a tax system that coerces people to do their "good works" through taxation and not through their free will of charitable giving? Do you think that these measures allow people to live their lives as they please in freedom and free of government intrusion?

Reply to trailrunnr

k.b.

10/30/09 - 08:30

Dude,lay off the pipe.

Reply to trailrunnr

mpc

10/30/09 - 22:14

Trailrunner:
I have to say, I am so pissed off at stupid people that will believe any lie they are told. Why don't you take a little time and find out the truth for yourself.