If you’re like the ACLU you believe in privacy, the Fourth Amendment and the fact that Congress just did an unforgivable thing to both by passing the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. And, if you are like me and a few others I know, then you spent last week anticipating then reveling in the release of The Dark Knight. If you’re with me on all of those counts, then you probably found a particular scene in the latest Batman to be as timely as I did.
Spoiler alert!
Towards the end of the film, the Caped Crusader asks one of his trusted confidants to conduct broad and invasive surveillance on the citizens of Gotham by essentially turning every cell phone into a microphone to locate a certain and marvelously played villain. That confidant (played by Morgan Freeman who is pretty much amazing in all he is and does) initially has the correct reaction saying, “It’s not my job to spy on 30 million people.” Wow. Imagine if that happened in real life…
Well, unfortunately, like the telecoms before him, Mr. Freeman’s character reluctantly goes along with the plan saying he’ll resign and terminate the program after “this one time.” <Sigh>
At least he didn’t ask for immunity.