Today we bring you an open letter from the chair of the Pirate Party Ohio to the people of the USA on the occasion International day for Privacy 23 February 2013. Around the world Pirates and allied organisations marked the day in various ways.

The Letter

My fellow countrymen, today the peoples of the world mobilize in the defense of Privacy. Yet, I expect little outcry from my homeland. My homeland: Ravished and tarnished by the claws of tyranny, and yet the little boy who is suppose to cry wolf remains silent – too busy with the puppet show. And when the day comes when drone squadrons fly overhead, and there’s a CCTV camera on every street corner, the little boy who will cry wolf will be taken in the night.

In the wake of the September eleventh attacks, our government stepped out of the realm of the Constitution by enacting the USA PATRIOT Act. The PATRIOT Act was signed into law by (former) President George W. Bush and was extended by (current) President Barack Obama. The USA Patriot Act amends the Foreign Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The amendment allows the government, in particular, the National Security Agency (NSA), to conduct warrantless wiretaps and collect information on Americans via warrantless surveillance. To this day, the Justice Department acknowledges that the NSA “over collects” information on Americans.

Also created in the wake of the September eleventh attacks was the Transport Security Administration (TSA). They are stationed in every airport across America, and they are moving. They are moving into subway stations and tollbooths. And they are trying to move overseas, so we can bring our ills to our foreign brethren. Disregarding the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, the TSA will search you and seize any blacklisted item without a warrant; and their justified cause is that you, an American citizen, might be a terrorist. How insulting.

In addition, by the year 2017, our Government expects 10,000 ‘mini-drones’ to fly across the blackened sky’s of America. These drones will record your day-to-lives, and take pictures of you and your family. And heaven forbid you want to go inside for some Privacy. These drones have thermal imaging technology. This means that they’ll see your mass of body heat shuffling about in your own home. And I was worried that our dystopian future would never come.

Furthermore, these encroachments on our privacy are unconstitutional. Aside from the blatant disregard for the 4th Amendment, the US Supreme Court has found in several cases that the Right to Privacy does exist, even though it is not defined in the Constitution. The 9th Amendment states: ”The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” – in layman’s terms: Just because a Right isn’t defined in the Constitution, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

In conclusion, in an effort to fight against terrorism, our government has coerced it’s citizens by treading on their Constitutional Rights. The blind will rally around the cries that “we won’t let the terrorists” win – and yet, they have. No armies march on American soil. No city lays in rubble after a terrorist attack; rather, tyranny has come under the guise of a foreign enemy via a war with an intangible enemy that, therefore, we will never defeat.

Dale Craft

Ohio Pirate Party Chairman

The Ohio Pirate Party is one of the newest in a growing number of US states that have formed their own Pirate Parties. The Ohio Pirate Pirate is an unofficial affiliate of the United States Pirate Party. It was officially created on the 3  February 2013 by Dale Craft, and 5  friends. They are  rapidly growing and approaching the appropriate time when they can apply to become apart of the Pirate National Committing (PNC).

Ways to contact the Ohio Pirate Party

Web: http://www.ohpp.us/
Email: OhioPirateParty{at}gmail{dot}com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OHPirateParty
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OHPirateParty
IRC:
Server: http://irc.pirateirc.net:6667/
Room: #OHPP

Featured image: Howard TJ and PPOH CC-BY-SA

This is a guest article and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Pirate Times or Pirate Parties International.

About Andrew Reitemeyer

I joined the Pirate Party of Lower Saxony in Germany in April 2012, once I found out that non citizens were welcome to join and become active members of the Party.
I joined the Pirate Times soon after it was started as a proof reader and am now an editor and author. Since then I have returned to my native New Zealand and joined the Pirate Party of New Zealand.
Politically I come from the libertarian left and have, up to now, not regarded any political party as having a solution for the democratic deficit that envelops the world. With the advent of the Pirate Party, which truly embraces grass roots democracy, I have found a political home. The Pirate Times is a way I can contribute to furthering the Pirate Movement around the world.
Skype: frithogar

 

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Today we bring you an open letter from the chair of the Pirate Party Ohio to the people of the USA on the occasion International day for Privacy 23 February 2013….