America is a free country. It ranks among the top free countries in the world in the Freedom Index. However, when you look at some of the events in recent years, America has lost a lot of its freedom. A lot of that loss of freedom comes in the form of government surveillance.
After the January 6th riot in Washington in 2021, credit card companies and banks were asked by the government for a list of customers who had charged anything or spent money in the Washington, D.C. area during that weekend. Unfortunately, the companies complied. I personally know someone who went to hear President Trump speak and then went back to her hotel. She was nowhere near the Capitol at any time. She charged a cheeseburger on her debit card. As a result of her being in Washington that weekend, her business’ PayPal account was canceled. License-plate readers along many highways tell authorities where we are. New cars are going to have kill switches on them that will prevent you from starting the car if the car feels that you are not capable of driving at that moment. If you are in a city and chased by thugs, you might be able to get to your can and get into it, but if the car senses that you are agitated, it might not let you start the car and drive away. There is Geo-tracking built into our cell phones and in many cars. In the past, cell phone companies have shared records without requiring a warrant. Have you ever had Alexa join into your conversation without being asked? Under the Biden administration, people who attended school board meetings or protested at abortion clinics were subjected to government surveillance. In one particular case, an abortion protester was arrested by a SWAT Team in his home with his wife and children present. One of the requirements of a successful republic is honest news reporting. The mainstream media coordinates its news reports and does not report the news accurately. That is where we are!
There were also the violations of American’s civil rights during the Covid epidemic. Americans were denied their First Amendment right to attend church (but it was for our own good), yet they were allowed to go to the local Walmart or Lowe’s. Family members were denied the right to be with their dying loved ones. Pastors, Priests, and Rabbis were denied the right to see their congregation members who were dying in hospitals. In North Carolina, Representative Keith Kidwell fought (and won) to give Pastors and Priests the right to visit hospital patients. In some states, vaccination certificates were needed to access restaurants and other public places. The people who wanted us to have vaccination certificates were some of the same people who are fighting voter identification requirements!
As the federal and state governments expand, the rights of Americans decrease.
President Trump has pushed back on the weaponization of the law and has restored some of Americans’ freedom. We need to be very careful in the mid-term elections that we don’t elect people who will take more of our freedom away.