Give Me Liberty

How much does it bother you that some State Department contract employees went snooping through Barack Obama’s passport file (and apparently Hillary Clinton’s and John McCain’s as well)? The news media are making a big deal about the potential for political “dirty tricks”. But it doesn’t seem to bother anybody that the State Department keeps such files on every private citizen with a passport! In the ’60’s, my generation took to the streets to protest FBI files kept on private citizens. Where is that indignation now? Why is Big Brother tracking our every move? Granted, they might need to keep a list of the passports they’ve issued, but every time you cross a border?! All they need is the civilian equivalent of “name, rank and serial number”, not a detailed history of our travels. My own file must be enormous, as I’ve filled over 200 passport pages with business travel. I wouldn’t care if it were published in the New York Times, but that’s not the point. The issue is not why somebody went snooping in Obama’s passport file; it’s why that file contained information making it interesting to do so.

Generally I am encouraged by our younger generation, especially when I see some of them distributing Ron Paul brochures outside Union Station. But when an outrage like the State Department keeping files on private citizens passes without comment, I am most disappointed.