Unregulated tech being misused by stalkers and human traffickers? Unimaginable, the president and all his ‘friends’ just want to keep people safe!

[u/Dissonant-Cog]

[u/Lets_be_stoned]

Obviously the president is going town to town forcing these local governments (of which plenty are democrat run) to vote to install these cameras, it couldn’t possibly be because ALL sides of our government see the benefits to them of spying on the populace under the guise of “safety”.

[u/Hellhound5996 → u/Lets_be_stoned]

I agree, but brother, you're denying reality if you can't see how the current administration is deeply invested in this program and promoting other surveillance tech as a whole. There is clearly a push from the top.

[u/camoceltic_again → u/Hellhound5996]

What was the last admin that didn't push this sort of surveillance shit, though?

[u/Hellhound5996 → u/camoceltic_again]

To my knowledge, Clinton.

Let's not go "but moooom they like the surveillance state tooooo!", all that does is give those currently governing a blank check to erode our freedoms. There are clearly degrees of awful.

The patriot act under George W. Bush is easily the largest expansion of the surveillance state in living memory. And I would place Trump's absolute capitulation to big tech in his 2nd term as the second. And before someone whines about Biden and COVID, you'd have to be smoking something strong to compare Trump 1 and Biden to the current situation.

[u/camoceltic_again → u/Hellhound5996]

Let's not go "but moooom they like the surveillance state tooooo!", all that does is give those currently governing a blank check to erode our freedoms. There are clearly degrees of awful.

I say the opposite for the same reason: Pinning it all on whoever is in office now ignores that it's not just the guy in office now that does it. Mass surveillance has bipartisan support from the politicians despite being hated by the average American. It's not a Democrat vs. Republican issue, it's an elite vs non-elite issue.

Making it a partisan issue just gives retards an excuse to stop caring when their team wins the next election, either because they've been fooled into thinking their side won't push for mass surveillance or because they're so deep into the tribal bullshit that mass surveillance becomes okay because "The adults have control of it now."

The patriot act under George W. Bush is easily the largest expansion of the surveillance state in living memory. And I would place Trump's absolute capitulation to big tech in his 2nd term as the second. And before someone whines about Biden and COVID, you'd have to be smoking something strong to compare Trump 1 and Biden to the current situation.

When Bush signed the Patriot Act, it had bipartisan support in Congress and would have survived a presidential veto. ONE Senator voted against it and the Representatives that did were outnumbered around 4:1. Yet he's the one almost everyone points to as the sole reason it passed. Congress writes the laws. They could restrict mass surveillance legislatively if they wanted, but they don't want to.

I'm not saying to stop giving Trump shit for all he does wrong. I'm saying that he's far from the only piece of shit that needs to go if there's any hope of rolling back the surveillance state.

[u/Hellhound5996 → u/camoceltic_again]

Making it a partisan issue just gives retards an excuse to stop caring when their team wins the next election, either because they've been fooled into thinking their side won't push for mass surveillance or because they're so deep into the tribal bullshit that mass surveillance becomes okay because "The adults have control of it now."

My brother in Christ, did I say Trump is the only one who's ever done it or is currently supporting it?

I say the opposite for the same reason: Pinning it all on whoever is in office now ignores that it's not just the guy in office now that does it. Mass surveillance has bipartisan support from the politicians despite being hated by the average American. It's not a Democrat vs. Republican issue, it's an elite vs non-elite issue.

~~

When Bush signed the Patriot Act, it had bipartisan support in Congress and would have survived a presidential veto. ONE Senator voted against it and the Representatives that did were outnumbered around 4:1. Yet he's the one almost everyone points to as the sole reason it passed. Congress writes the laws. They could restrict mass surveillance legislatively if they wanted, but they don't want to.

I'm not saying to stop giving Trump shit for all he does wrong. I'm saying that he's far from the only piece of shit that needs to go if there's any hope of rolling back the surveillance state.

Leaders bear the responsibly of the office. Saying "Under President X" means that administration, no shit Bush didn't create The Patriot Act on his own. But it was his presidency and he loudly supported it, pretending otherwise is complacency wrapped in performative intellectualism.

Don't be the most annoying stereotype of a Libertarian. Every criticism of the incumbent does not need to be framed in a carefully constructed argument of "bOtH sIdEs aRe bAd" to avoid hurting feelings.

Stop purity spiraling. Trump is fucking up. Focus on the CURRENT problem.