Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not after you

In this age of globalization and digital communication, some believe the increasingly lost causes of anonymity and privacy have found their salvation in the internet. This is far from the truth--Big Brother is still watching.

The United States National Security Agengy, part of national intelligence, is involved with project Echelon, an international system of communication between the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The project began in 1971 and has vastly expanded since then. According to some reports, the system daily intercepts 3 billion e-mails, phone calls, satellite transmissions, downloads, and various other types of communication all over the world. They reportedly have the capability to tap into and search most sources of data; however, these reports are difficult to substantiate because the system, at least in the US, is a secret. Although the governments of Australia and New Zealand have admitted to its existence, the US government still denies everything.

The major problem is that this virtual spy system is possibly in violation of international laws and supposedly targets civilians. Dictionary computer technology allows the data collected at listening centers, like the North Pacific center in Yakima, to be searched quickly for key phrases.

Even the US Congress has begun to question Echelon activities. The European Union suggests that information collected by Echelon is used not only for national security, but for industrial espionage--allowing high-ranking government officials to quietly pass vital information to large domestic companies, giving them an edge over foreign companies--and significant invasions of privacy. There is no way to prove any of these claims, nor any way to know specifically what is done with Echelon's data collections.

The American Civil Liberties Union maintains a watchdog website to chronicle any information about Echelon that becomes available at http://www.aclu.org/echelonwatch/.

(from The Olympus)

Evil corporations buy shares of your wallet... and soul?

Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, the Internet, automobiles, television, McCarthyism, Chef Boyardee, Kraft, the Prohibition, the CIA, the FBI, and "The Man," American society has become increasingly mechanized, globalized, corporate, and inherently evil. Behind every commercial encouraging consumers to wear Old Navy clothes or drink Starbucks coffee, some anarchist screeches, "Don't buy Old Navy clothes or drink Starbucks coffee! They yse child labor, cut down the rainforests, and kill whales!"

THese contradicting messages are enough to drive any would-be socially aware consumer out of her gourd. She must constantly ponder, "Am I buying my books from the right independent bookstore? Do my clothes display an evil brand name? By drinking this coffee, am I paying for the destruction of another 5,000 acres of South American rainforest and bringing 10,000 more unidentified plant and animal species closer to their inevitable extinction?"

A less concerned citizen, however, would question the questioning altogether. This is a grievous error. Most reasonable people would tend to agree destroying animals so they can get their caffeine fix and forcing poor children to live with slave-labor conditions so they can purchase and wear and Gap T-shirt (which, incidentally, is like paying to be a walking television commercial) are wrong, so why do they continue to do it?

Part of the reason economics is a requirement for graduation entails an understanding of the concept of "dollar votes." Consumers "vote" for a product by spending money on one over the other, thus giving them the power to tell manufacturers what they should and should not continue to produce. This is also the mechanism behind boycotts--if enough people refuse to "vote" for a product they feel is somehow bad and encourage others to join them, the hope is the manufacturer will cease to produce it, at least in the offending manner. We all have an influence on the whole economy, and decisions we make, whether it is to buy a mocha at Starbucks rather than tea from a local cafe or choose which operating system we use on our computers, tell companies what they have to do to appease customers and make more money.

Of course, knowing all the ramifications of every little decision a consumer makes is nearly impossible. Because we live in a corporate-driven capitalistic society, avoiding corrupt, evil corporate products altogether is at least as difficult, but don't give up. One, it is not required that you care about every issue. Pick your battles. Two, do not feel forced into convenience. Shop, eat, drink, and wear things because you like them, not because they're all you can find at the mall. Three, have opinions and stick to them. This goes for everything in life, but then again, economics are often intrinsic to living. They may have your Visa number, but they do not have to have your mind.

(from The Olympus)