A New Definition For Privacy

Seems that the Bush Administration wants America to redifine how it thinks of privacy. What they really want is for us to have no privacy at all.

One of the Bush administration's senior intelligence officials said that the American people needed to reassess their understanding of personal privacy. According to the official, privacy can no longer mean anonymity, i.e. having one's personal information remain unknown. "Instead," he said, "it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguard people's private communications and financial information." Umm ... (rubbing eyes with heel of palms in disbelief) ... SAY WHAT?

Donald Kerr, principal deputy director of national intelligence, was the official who suggested that the American people redefine their definition of privacy. Okay, we've thought about what Mister Kerr said and please, with all due respect to both he and the Bush-Cheney ... err ... team, we'd prefer not to redefine our definition of privacy. We would very much prefer that our privacy ... ah ... umm ... remain private.

No offense, but "privacy" doesn't now mean, nor will it ever include an individual citizen, his or her government AND the corporate boardroom. That's not privacy, that's an orgy.

This might be hard for Donald Kerr and Dick Cheney and George Bush to understand, but if Bill O'Reilly wants to call his intern or coworkers on the phone in hopes of doing the "what're you wearing" rub-n-stroke marathon, that's really nobody's business but theirs. And it sure as heck isn't any concern of the government or EXXON Oil. Why exactly does the government need to listen to an absent father's phone call to his daughter on her birthday? Under what possible circumstance is it vital that the CEO of RJ Reynolds be made privy to a mother's email sent to her son away at university? Mister Kerr's concept grows creepier by the moment. His understanding of privacy is really quite perverted.