We're missing the most important fact. WHOSE passwords are they asking for? Joe the barber who happened to have made the mistake of calling a Obama a hack, or Ted, who's been in contact with Hezbollah, has a swastika tattooed on his face and runs a website full of bomb making tutorials?
We can't just apply what the govt does to some and think it's going to happen to all of us. The police shoot someone in the country probably every week, but I'm not going to lose any sleep thinking that's going to happen to me.
If they are asking for passwords of people who aren't heavily suspected of any crimes, then it's a serious invasion of privacy that we all should be concerned about. If they're looking for a facebook password to find out what young female a serial killer has been stalking online, then by all means, give up the passwords.
I do believe there's a saying that originated with the constitutions stand on this type of privacy intrusion and doesn't it say something like ummmmm ("He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither" Ben Franklin)
Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates. "On Freedom of Speech and the Press", Pennsylvania Gazette, 17 November 1737.
(Ben Franklin).
Concerning those pesky super secret "gag orders" issued by those super secret courts and those super secret judges.
YES...let's keep on giving up our freedoms in the name of safety...PEOPLE...listen up...other nations do not and have not openly attacked the United States of America because they all FEAR our retribution.
We can NOT choose safety over something that...could happen or may happen...We must rely on our constitution and respond to any open direct threat with whatever force is required but to deny our citizens the basic rights...rights, and freedoms afforded us by our constitution and the blood of our youth and military is a direct path to destruction and the complete failure of Democracy means we no longer deserver our form of government.
Look at history, pick up a book and learn where all this ends up at...there's plenty of examples throughout history to describe this journey we are now all on thanks to those in government that run the U.S. If you do not think tyranny exists start looking at Africa, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Greece, Egypt and the United Emirates...tyranny ensures that the people do not have any rights...look at the fool that won't leave after being isolated and his reign being dismantled that is insisting he doesn't have to leave so he uses his military to destroy the public as in...Mubarak...and what about it being ILLEGAL to talk bad about a president... as in France?
This IS where we are headed if we keep going down this path the government has us all on...if you don't think so then take a look at who and in what amounts special interest groups can now donate to a campaign!!!!! We are headed to a bad place and right quick we will arrive if we keep allowing our government to pick and choose what's "Right" for each and every one of us! History shows us exactly where this all ends up at..so keep going along...just keep it going on...keep burying your heads, keep ignoring our past history...keep throwing out the "Bill of Rights" for perceived safety...the truth is that there is NO SAFETY guaranteed NONE...
I'm not a war monger or anything like it and I AM a Veteran who when I could fight... swore an oath to keep our constitution and it's people safe with my life if necessary...but we better stand up and say ENOUGH, STOP or we will forever lose the right to do just that.
This is my opinion as illustrated in the annals of history....just read it for yourselves...go ahead...I dare you...read up and see where this goes.
Respectfully,