By Alex Marthews
Part of the vision of the Founders was a republic so peaceful and so brimming with liberty that, in the words of the prophet Micah, “Every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.”
What we want as a movement is not simply an end to mass surveillance, but the revival of the ability to live free, creative, loving and flourishing lives. The best way to crush creativity and destroy happiness at work is to track every worker’s every activity, every moment of every day. A nation is no different. We all need space; we need free air to breathe; we need the knowledge that our government knows its bounds, and will not trespass into our lives without reason.
Instead, under President Obama, we see peaceful water protectors shot with rubber bullets and water cannons; protesters against police abuse spied on using stingrays and spy planes; and all of our communications sucked into the NSA’s rapacious maw. Under President Trump, we can expect more of the same.
At this point, everyone should realize that there’s a process at work here that the President doesn’t really control — a corrupt, out-of-control DC-based deep state that has no problem sacrificing your privacy and mine in the name of counter-terrorism, efficiency, and profits, while committing crimes of their own without comeback or consequences.
But it’s also important to realize that in our towns, cities, counties and states, we can meaningfully rally back against what they’re trying to do. Across America, we’re organizing to pass surveillance oversight ordinances that can protect your town from surveillance technologies being deployed without your knowledge or consent. We’re using the courts to argue for restoring the Fourth Amendment. Our growing network of chapters is helping Americans everywhere use tools like Tor, Signal and Protonmail to protect themselves better.
You can help us today, by getting involved or by donating now to support our work.
One day, as Micah says, there shall be none that shall make us afraid. But there’s a little work to be done before we get there. Join us, and help Restore The Fourth.