Recently, I developed a sense of paranoia with speaking out against the government, particularly after seeing how negatively they regarded Edward Snowden. So paranoid, in fact, that as a writer for The Daily Cardinal and a campus radio DJ, I spelled my name “Pastaganoli” because my last name naturally sounds like something you’d see featured on the menu at Olive Garden. Forgive me, Pope Frank, for I have sinned!
So yeah, the correct spelling of my last name is actually “Castagnoli.” Tony Castagnoli. Why the slight name change you ask? It was admittedly a way to test the waters and see if I liked my voice over the air and on newspaper. During spring break I had time to reflect on this decision, and I realized that I prefer the original spelling as a social commentator. Hopefully more people I know will provide me feedback this way.
The Internet is such a convenient tool for keeping up to speed and engaging in the lives of family, friends and the people you care most about. Still, the idea that our privacy has been completely disregarded on the Internet is worth spreading, don’t you think?
The government has taken the liberty of engaging in your digital life as well, even if it is against your constitutional right. Did any of you see Edward Snowden in that ridiculous outfit during his TED Talk? Not only that, but he looked like he lost a lot of weight. Probably because he’s between a rock and a hard place in Russia.
We’re all aware of this fact aren’t we? He’s still in the hands of a government that prosecutes journalists, upholds an iron closet to persecute gay and transgender people and uses propaganda to sway the public in Putin’s favor.
It’s like Snowden’s reliving our government during the dark days of Bush, when the 43rd president said he looked in Putin’s eyes and could see his soul. That must have been a very fascinating, very dark and very ugly soul. Of course, if seeing into each other’s souls is a shared trait among oligarchs who invade unarmed nations, then Bush’s ridiculous judgment could hold up (cough, Iraq, cough).
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama speaks diplomatically regarding the actions of Vladimir Putin saying Russia “acted out of weakness” by invading Ukraine. Additionally, Obama has called for sanctions and international cooperation, like the leader of the free world should do.
So whom do you trust here? Neither president? OK, that’s understandable considering the fact that domestic spying continues despite public outrage. However, it’s also understandable that our country hasn’t fully recovered from Bush’s policies mainly because of a highly dysfunctional congress.
If America had fully recovered, Edward Snowden would be back home. Luckily, we have the possibility of bringing him back through our votes. If we ignore him in his time of need, we will have failed. We need to have the conversation over why our privacy matters, starting immediately, so we’ll be ready for the election this fall.
In a country where the “War On Terror” justifies the NSA’s current abuses of our rights on what’s supposed to be a free and open Internet, are we being “patriots” just because we accept Big Brother watching us? Even if you’re not doing anything unconstitutional, the government continues violating our 4th Amendment rights. It’s comparable to Gov. Scott Walker violating the 1st amendment at the Solidarity Sing-Alongs in the Capitol, but with a more personal context. After all, the government has information on what kind of porn you watch. Does that wake you up? But of course, it’s for your own safety because after all: 9/11. See where this paranoia comes from now?
Do you agree with Tony’s opinion on the growing power of the NSA? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
