I am currently supervising a class of graduating seniors in Legal Studies, at the University of California at Santa Cruz. All of the students in the course are writing their Capstone Theses on topics that touch on "Privacy, Technology, and Freedom."
Even more than I might normally do, I have been keeping my eyes open for interesting materials relating to these topics. Click on this link if you'd like to see a video presentation called Six Landscapes: “Look Up” To See The Secret State. This video is a kind of "Valentine" from Trevor Paglen, published online on February 14, 2014. Paglen is an artist who is trying to "see," and make visible, the secret operations of the United States government. There is humor in the video, but it is a serious effort. It is fifty minutes long. You won't be bored.
As for the image above, which accompanies the video on the Facebook page of CognitiveLiberty.net, I take it to symbolize what I think to be a basic truth of a genuine democracy: in a democracy, the people check on the government, not the opposite!
http://cognitiveliberty.net/2014/six-landscapes-look-up-to-see-the-secret-state/
I was bored immediately.
ReplyDeleteTrevor Paglen is a conspiracy nutcase who spends more time making fun of military organization's patches than on any particular thesis.
Gary, you're missing another basic truth of a genuine democracy: in a democracy, the people entrust the government with the responsibility of national defense.
This includes spy satellites.