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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Privacy and the Right to Ask a Question

There are any number of liberal groups screaming for a protection of privacy, that the US Constitution guarantees it. Lawsuit upon lawsuit has been filed over federal policies - particularly concerning the Patriot Act - that individual privacies have been unlawfully invaded. Here in MD, a left-wing anti-war group assailed the Maryland State Police because the police kept an eye on them during their demonstrations.

If liberals are so concerned with personal privacy - and in the case of the anti-war group, even political privacy - then why is it OK for the media and the Obama campaign to peek into the personal records of Joe Wurzelbacher (aka "Joe the Plumber"), and broadcast them worldwide?

The first issue is that even though public records were accessed, it seems a violation of privacy to broadcast these things so far and wide. It's a question of degree; Joe's not running for office, so why was he so heavily "vetted," as the media likes to say, just because he asked a good question? Doesn't that have a chilling effect on other citizens' right to question authority?

Second issue: what's the point? A basic premise in the art of argument is to not go "ad hominem," or say something "against the man;" rather, address the argument, not the source. The source doesn't matter; his point does.

Third, and most important, is Obama's response. "Share the wealth" is what he said.

Obama regularly complains that things said against him are "distractions." Well, isn't he creating a distraction away from his arguably socialist answer to Joe's question by bringing up Joe's personal info?

It seems that plumbing the depths of personal information for political ammunition is the hallmark of democrats; this is a classic Clintonesque tactic.

One can only begin to imagine what havoc an Obama Administration can wreak on an individual when they have access to the glut of personal documents compiled by the same federal government so often sued by the left. Identity theft pales in comparison.

With Joe as a prime example, expect an exponential growth of this personal privacy invasion in an Obama presidency.

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