With the 12th anniversary of the Patriot Act just days away, a celebrity and whistleblower-filled video castigating mass surveillance has been released. “Stop Watching Us: The Video” highlights the history of government surveillance – in particular, the role of digital technology the internet.
The ultimate message of the video is that online activity, a digital footprint, belongs to the individual. The StopWatching.us coalition, which includes more than 100 civil rights and privacy advocacy organizations, is gearing up for a rally in Washington, D.C., Saturday — the official 12th anniversary of the Patriot Act’s passage.
StopWatching.us wants a full Congressional investigation of these intelligence programs and calls for a reform to federal surveillance law.
From Maggie Gyllenhaal to Oliver Stone, Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) to various whistleblowers, the video is primarily filled with big-government Democrats talking about the evils of big-government surveillance practices. As Glenn explained, this is not a Republican/Democrat issue so much as it a progressive/libertarian debate.
“Really? This is exactly what I exposed when I was at Fox and every progressive voice pilloried me,” Glenn said exasperatedly. “Every single one said I was a conspiracy freak and everything else. And now they come out and they are trying to make this a progressive [cause]?”
The Patriot Act was enacted under Republican President George W. Bush and government surveillance programs expanded throughout his tenure. President Obama, whom many of the people featured in this video campaigned for, did not curtail spying practices – he expanded them.
“Are you really that stupid? And I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the people in Hollywood. Are you really this stupid,” Glenn asked. “What is the progressive movement? Tell me what it is. Tell me what it is. A benevolent dictator? A benevolent government that takes care of every single need? Are you telling me you are this stupid? Show to me where it has ever worked… in the history of mankind. Answer the question and show me how you got there. Show me your work.”