Paranoia the Big Lie and the Surveillance State

A very important dialogue is now about to take place not only in this country, but globally, involving all levels of government, private industry, attorneys and judges--and hopefully, the public. The central issue is how to balance the exploitation of security technology with the privacy rights of the individual. Many issues are unresolved, as we will see. This impetus to dialogue has suddenly developed because of the recent Edward Snowden NSA disclosures exploding in the media throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2013. The public has to make known to their elected representatives how much they are willing to have their traditional freedoms limited by governmental, and I should add, by corporate economic surveillance. The focal context needs to be whether the public is ready to engage in this dialogue from an informed perspective or simply acquiesce with a mindless consumer mindset. We will look at technology from red-light cameras, to cell phone monitoring, to GPS tracking, drone surveillance, and whether the law is up to the task of balancing our rights with the needs of state security. Are you ready to engage in the dialogue and debate?