There is no end to the Surveillance State until we put an end to it.
You and I have fought them tooth and nail since Campaign for Liberty was founded thirteen years ago. Last year, we forced the expiration of some of the worst provisions in the so-called “USA Freedom Act” (formerly known as the “Patriot Act”).
Unfortunately, in the months since that victory, we’ve learned much of the government’s digital spying on Americans like you and me has been moved to the private sector.
And now the media is reporting (and the government isn’t denying it) the U.S. Post Office is participating in domestic online snooping.
What possible justification could there be for the Post Office to spy on Americans’ Internet use?
This is all headed in a very bad direction, Patriot.
It’s like a game of Whack-a-Mole trying to figure out which government agency is spying on Americans at any given time!
To make matters worse, and the statists in D.C. are using the events of January 6th as a way to expand domestic spying in an effort to stop what they call “dangerous extremism.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is pushing for a 9/11-Style Commission to determine what else the government must do to crack down on what they call “violent extremists,” which seems to include anyone who has questions about anything the government says or does.
It’s quite obvious that this is all headed in the direction of the passage of H.R. 350, the “Domestic Enemies” bill.
While the proceedings of the commission will be largely ceremonial, the bad policy of H.R. 350 would turn the Surveillance State completely inward onto average Americans like you and me.
YOU are now the enemy according to them.
If you don’t agree with their collectivist plans for this country, they want you on a proverbial enemies list.
H.R. 350, the “Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA),” was introduced in the House in January and would create a whole new “domestic” wing of the Department of Homeland Security.
We must oppose this horrible bill with everything we’ve got!
Sign the petition to your U.S. Senators and Representative to oppose the so-called “Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act,” which will target innocent Americans!
Then, please consider pitching in $35, $50, or even $150, to give Campaign for Liberty the resources we need to stop this horrible abuse of power!
It’s not just average Americans who are now in the crosshairs -- Big Brother has members of the military in their sights!
A piece published in The Intercept broke the news this week that the Pentagon is about to embark on a radical expansion of monitoring troops and what they’ll be looking for:
The Defense Department hinted at the program in an April 9 press release about its Countering Extremism Working Group, which it says will make
recommendations on “incorporating machine learning and natural language processing into social media screening platforms,” as well as
“ensure training addresses issues raised by commanders and supervisors on ‘gray areas’ such as reading, following, and liking
extremist material and content in social media forums and platforms.”
The pilot program will use keywords to identify potential extremists, though coming up with a list of terms without running afoul of speech protections has proven to be challenging, the senior Pentagon official said. To this end, the military plans to consult with experts from across the political spectrum to help develop the pilot program. As The Intercept previously reported, the military’s Countering Extremism Working Group drafted a list of potential consultants that included anti-Muslim and Christian conservative groups.
The pilot program will use keywords to identify potential extremists, though coming up with a list of terms without running afoul of speech protections has proven to be challenging, the senior Pentagon official said. To this end, the military plans to consult with experts from across the political spectrum to help develop the pilot program. As The Intercept previously reported, the military’s Countering Extremism Working Group drafted a list of potential consultants that included anti-Muslim and Christian conservative groups.
Now they’re planning to target Christians, even down to which “like buttons” someone has clicked on.
This Pentagon official has publicly stated that mainstream views are now considered “extremist” and will be targeted.
This is outrageous!
If it’s not the Post Office or the Pentagon, private companies are still playing a major role in domestic snooping, especially online with companies like Amazon who routinely turn over our data to DHS, including bad reviews of major products.
They’re trying to turn us into a society where you can be targeted by domestic spies just for hurting the feelings of a major corporation online.
Many breathed a sigh of relief when Campaign for Liberty helped force the expiration of Section 215 of the USA Freedom Act last year, which allowed for indiscriminate sweeps of the data of U.S. citizens, but it would be foolish to believe the government stopped this practice.
Reports are they’ve found a way around warrant requirements by PURCHASING the data from other sources. And they’re going to try to use the findings of the January 6th Commission to justify ramming through H.R. 350 with the maximum force they can.
H.R. 350 would be The Patriot Act on steroids, turning us all into not only the subject of surveillance, but now the subject of suspicion, simply for our political opinions or even who we voted for in an election!
This cannot be tolerated in a free society and we must take action NOW to stop it.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride on the way to defeating these totalitarian plans, but we have no choice but to fight it.
Sign the petition!
Then, please consider pitching in $35, $50, or even $150, to give Campaign for Liberty the resources we need to stop this horrible abuse of power!
Patriot, I’m afraid that the fallout from COVID is only going to make things worse.
The tyranny that has been forced on the American public over the past 14 months has woken a lot more people up to the nature of power and the hostility that big government has towards businesses, churches, and average folks, so many more are speaking out.
That has the political class spooked, which means they’ll just try to clamp down harder, no matter how futile it is.
The January 6th Commission and H.R. 350 are the evidence that they won’t back down easily, even though our numbers are growing.
Sign the petition!
In the midst of all the turmoil caused by the events of the last year, it’s now becoming widely known that Big Government Spies use methods like the “Stingray,” also known as a “cell site simulator,” to mimic a cell phone tower and have your device connect to it so that all your personal data can be seen.
And now, even our troops are being targeted.
In a rush to “destroy the enemy” through domestic snooping and persecution of dissident groups, the left will sow the seeds of freedom’s destruction.
Defenders of liberty cannot let this stand.
For Liberty,
Ron Paul, M.D.
Chairman
P.S. Liberty will ultimately prevail, but not without you and me facing some tough battles. Many eyes need to be opened, and Campaign for Liberty is keeping the brushfires of liberty burning. Let’s make 2021 a historic year. Please consider a generous donation now.
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The mission of Campaign for Liberty is to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government,
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