Salvador Dali and My Patriotic Heart
I recently read about a gentleman who sent a four-sentence email to the Department of Homeland Security’s lead prosecutor in a case aiming to deport an Afghan man seeking asylum in the US. The gentleman felt compelled to write because, if deported, the asylum seeker would likely be put to death by the Taliban. The message was a polite request to “…Apply principles of common sense and decency.”
Five hours after pressing the “send” key, the gentleman received an email message proclaiming “Google has received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information related to your Google Account.” A few weeks later, federal agents came to the gentleman’s home, asking questions about the email he sent.
I’ve been known to write my senators and representatives. I usually send snail mail—presumably because that’s the way I’ve historically done it. Perhaps there was more rhyme to my reason than I thought. Let them subpoena my legal pad and ball point pen.
It’s a sad day, indeed, when we must fear retaliation for politely contacting officials in our, theoretically democratic government—which is meant to honor citizen participation.
I remember the Viet Nam conflict. I saw it on television. Napalmed babies. Skeletons frozen in the act of screaming. The brutalities of battle brought to our nation’s living rooms. And the consequent protests by millions of Americans.
Then there was the Gulf War. We saw nothing. Visuals on the news were like footage of primitive video games. Boom! Strike! 500 points! From the vantage point of our TVs, it was a clean war.
Now, thanks to the proliferation of smart phone cameras, we are back to seeing some semblance of the truth. We see masked men wreaking havoc among people exercising their constitutional right to protest government actions. Even the slo-mo step-by-step killing of two American citizens. A reminder that not only can you get subpoenaed for communicating with public officers via email, you can also get shot—maybe to death—for being in their sights on the streets.
It’s important not to shy away from this reminder. Even if it comes to you via YouTube, sponsored by ads for miracle wrinkle cream or tasty Super Bowl snacks.
Admittedly, watching real-life killings bracketed by blurbs for big business feels surreal—like a Salvador Dali movie. But know this: I don’t recall any of the commercials that aired during the Vietnam conflict, but I still remember images from the killing fields overseas. The trick is to keep the horror images coming—as news broadcasts did back then. Don’t let government intervention soften the blows. If there must be make-up ads to keep the news alive, by god maybe I need to go buy some make-up! I hate the ads (and don’t use make-up). But I don’t want an authoritarian government picking which pertinent facts to make public. And which to whitewash.
Also problematic: Video clips can be invented. Or aired without context. We need to be vigilant about the validity of each piece of “news” we witness. But we do need news. Real news. Not the cleansed scenario provided by folks who want to steer our thoughts. And our votes.
It grieves me tremendously that people who question or document government actions run the risk of suffering a subpoena, incarceration, an assault, or even slaughter. But I thank the brave individuals who take these risks—from the bottom of my patriotic heart. Without them, we might find ourselves in the dark.
Support public radio, public television, indie newspapers, and independent investigative journalists. As well as the ordinary people who contribute to their efforts. Our future depends on it.