Every century has something that makes it unique. The 19th century marked the beginning of our modern life. There were modern armies, cars came onto the scene and the U.S. was feeling it's oats. The 20th century was the computer age. Computers came onto the scene during the second world war and were breaking codes. Later they were integrated into medical devices for the benefit of mankind. Now we are in the 21 st century. What is going to make this century famous is sensors and the loss of privacy.

The dictionary defines sensor as any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner. You are probably thinking, what the heck is he talking about? It is really simple, this will be the century where everything and everyone is watched. From this point on, no one will experience privacy the way it used to be. Privacy used to mean that you could be in your home and what you said and did was between you and who ever was there. Our friend the computer has made this a thing of the past. Many of our European friends are experiencing the loss of privacy every time they go into the street. There are more cameras in Europe on the streets than anywhere else, but the U.S. is catching up. What is a camera, really? It is a sensor. It detects you as you move about anywhere in it's range as long as you are in front of it. Many will argue that you shouldn't be afraid to have you photo taken and the camera is only there for your protection and it's purpose is to detect crimes or suspects in crimes. Others don't feel this way, they feel that it is a chip off the old privacy block and if you get enough chips the block is gone.

In the U.S. there is a debate going on over listening in on people's phone calls. The president stated that everything he authorized was legal and he had to do it to prevent terrorist acts in this country. This is a tough call, but I think if this is true than you would have to listen in to all phone calls not just a few. It would have to be EVERYONE's phone calls. Sensors would have to look for certain key words and alert the FBI when they heard them and let them know who said them. But wait, we already have these computers or sensors, because that is what they are, in place and are using them. We are able to monitor millions of phone calls from all around the world. Isn't it really all phone calls that are being monitored? Is this another chip off the privacy block?

What are people to do if they are told by the president that there can be no privacy because we must turn on all our sensors and monitor everyone to make sure that we can catch terrorists. Have we destroyed the very country that we are trying to protect? Many times legislatures keep enacting laws "to protect us" when the laws we already have are sufficient but are not being enforced. A good example of this are the immigration laws. If politicians are so worried about protecting us, why aren't they enforcing the laws against illegals? How many millions of illegal immigrants, that we have no knowledge about, are prowling this country and doing what ever they want with no controls on them what so ever? Even when they are picked up, many of them are just let go. It is a public disgrace of immense magnitude and an even greater security risk to this country. Why is it that the government seems more interested in watching and listening to conversations of it's citizens than really enforcing protective policies? If the government was really trying to protect us than why aren't they doing something about all the cargo containers that come into this country. Sure about 5% get examined, but what about the other 95%? Not only could dirty bombs be inside them but even people could be smuggled in. This is only a couple of examples of how vulnerable we are but yet we have the capacity and are probably monitoring all phone calls in this country. Is this the right thing to do? I don't think so.

Teddy Roosevelt said "The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
(Reported in the Kansas City Star, May 17, 1918)

Even without government intervention we are losing much of our privacy. Everyone seems to be using our Social Security number for everything now days. Call on your electric bill and you are just as likely to be asked the last four numbers of your Social Security number as anything else for identification, of course this means that the electric company has your Social Security number on file as does the bank, the gas company and who knows who else. Our Social Security number has become our ID number. This is not good for us because if anyone gets it, they can use it for things like identity theft.

Private companies are now selling all our information. They gather it, bundle it, and make a profit on it. They all claim that they check who they are selling it to, but what is to stop terrorists from buying our info and becoming us? I don't actually mean that we will be killed and terrorists would move in and take our place, although I guess this could happen in certain circumstances, but I am suggesting that we could be replaced electronically. Someone using all our info could get online and drain our bank accounts and use the money to fund terrorist acts. They might be able to conduct certain financial transactions if the person who's identity they were using had substantial assets. Who knows what they might be able to do with the credentials of people that work in vulnerable areas such as nuclear energy?

I guess what I am saying boils down to this, let's plug all the holes in our security before we even start to think about taking liberties away from our citizens. Officials seem way to anxious, to suit me, to take away our privacy. It is almost as if they couldn't wait to do it. We certainly don't want to become a police state. There are enough things that we need to do to make this country safer that would keep everyone busy for many years to come without destroying the things that made this country great. We don't need sensors keeping track of our every move or conversation.