Pennsylvania lawmakers are at it again. Today, we have HB 2400, introduced by Rep. Marsico and unfortunately supported by both sides of the aisle:
MARSICO – R, CALTAGIRONE – D, STEPHENS – R, TURZAI -R, AUMENT -R, BAKER – R, BARBIN – D, BARRAR – R, BOBACK -R, BOYD -R, CLYMER – R, D. COSTA -D, DELOZIER – R, ELLIS – R, EVERETT – R, GEIST – R, GILLESPIE -R, GINGRICH – R, GRELL – R, GROVE – R, HACKETT – R, HARPER – R, HARRIS – R, HELM – R, HENNESSEY – R, HICKERNELL – R, KAUFFMAN – R, M. K. KELLER – R, KILLION – R, KNOWLES – R, KOTIK – D, MAJOR – R, MILLARD – R, MILLER – R, MILNE – R, MOUL – R, O’NEILL – R, PAYNE – R, PETRI – R, PICKETT – R, PYLE – R, QUINN – R, ROCK – R, SAYLOR – R, SCAVELLO – R, TAYLOR – R, TOBASH – R, TOOHIL – R,VEREB – R, VULAKOVICH – R, WATSON – R.
Considering how much Republicans insist that government is simply too big and too intrusive, one wonders why a majority of those who have signed onto this bill are Republicans (48 out of 51). It’s seems as long as goverment can be used to force their will on people, Republicans are all for it being as invasive as possible. Seems like fascism is just want they want.
This bill wants the government to have even more ability to spy on the residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to have even less oversight in doing so. Warrantless wiretapping is just fine with the representatives above as long as someone might think a crime “might” be committed. It’s okay with them if citizens spy on each other as long as someone has a delusion that something could occur or that they might not like the opinions of their neighbor and thus “suspect” something. The fig leaf trying to cover this law is that an employer, the gov’t or a school just has to post a warning that they may be recorded somewhere. Shades of Arthur’s problem with the bypass plans in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:
“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur. “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck ina disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.'”
Now this is pathetic hypocrisy, but entirely expected from politicians. They wish to tell us that they are for a free and democratic Pennsylvania and United States, but then they try to create and pass bills like this, and tell us its for our own good, that only the “guilty” are those who have reason to fear. Unfortunately, they are the ones defining “guilty” and with their support of things like indefinite detention, torture, extraordinary rendition, and declaring that simply being part of labor unions, political parties, civil disobedience, etc makes one a “terrorist” at worst or “un-American” at best, we all have reason to be afraid of bills like this.
Let your representative know that you’re watching their hypocrisy and will hold them accountable by finding their contact information here.
Club Schadenfreude 