So many of the faults which plague systems of governance around the world could be solved if only we had the means to hold those in power accountable for their actions. And there is no better tool to do this than transparency.
Malevolence, corruption, cruelty… this things can only persist in the shadows. Out in the open, under the scrutiny of a watchful global eye, the weight of the world’s people will inevitably stamp out these injustices.
Imagine if cops and soldiers, while they were working, had to wear an always-on camera that streams the video to a publicly controlled database. The feed could be delayed, but will eventually be made – unaltered – to the public.
An ever watching lens could be doubly beneficial to police, helping to hold wrong-doers accountable while weeding weed out abuses of power. The military could also be helped as streaming cameras ought to deter crimes against humanity, capture their acts of bravery, and show the public what the true face of war is.
Or suppose we demanded that governments account for every single dollar taxed and spent. Lay it all out for us online, make it easy to navigate and simple to understand – not because politicians and civil servants want to, but because we demand it. Mismanagement of funds and institutionalized corruption will be excised as it becomes glaringly evident as to who is taking far more than what they’ve earned.
The same goes for the US Healthcare system. Why not completely expose what’s been going on? It would be a great way to fix the problem. Institutionalized corruption. Collusion between health care elite, insurance companies and the government, all maximizing personal profits at the expense of the public.
We have the technological means to make these things happen. The only reason it hasn’t arrived yet is because there isn’t enough will among the people.
Politicians? The Mainstream Media? Few of them are going to spearhead a ‘show everyone in the world what we are doing behind closed doors’ platform, so it’s up to the rest of us.
Spread the word, make our demand for transparency a part of everyday discussion.
Patsy politicians pandering to plutocratic priorities threaten to pilfer our precious privacy. Lousy legislation like ACTA, SOPA and now CISPA have come to the forefront of this fight, and these bills will all be, hopefully, crushed without mercy beneath the feet of millions of vigilant citizens.
Still, as disheartening as it may be to hear, these exercises could ultimately prove pointless because privacy is fast going extinct. (more…)
Hacktivist groups Anonymous and TeaMpOisoN have joined forces in a bid to transfer funds from powerful corporations into the pockets of non-profit institutions. PoisAnon, as the cyber-coalition is now known, has already begun operations with breaches into two American banks.
Sure, PoisAnon might seem like a criminal enterprise, and I suppose it is. But banks and corporations have been stealing from the public for decades with little to no accountability. So it only seems fair that the wealth and power these mega-institutions have amassed gets redistributed amongst the bulk of the people.
Of course, the ultimate goal of Operation Robin Hood should be to legitimize a more egalitarian economic model. Instead of being perpetrated by a rag-tag bunch of cyber-protesters, our governments and elected leaders should be the ones mandating a more just system. And one way to make that happen is with the collective noise made by the shouts of millions of angry citizens.
The astute among you will have noted that this is precisely what the Occupy protests are doing right now. While there are potentially years of work left to do, once the people’s uprising comes to fruition, our world’s economic and political systems will have internalized a healthy respect for the wishes of the general population.
And why not redistribute some of the world’s wealth?
Suppose we were to agree upon an upper limit for profits earned by corporations. So, for example, instead of earning $20 Billion in annual profits, oil giant Shell could only earn up to a maximum of $5 Billion, with the rest being distributed democratically according to the will of the people. (Of course, such a plan would have to be enforced globally so that corporations can’t just weasel their way into another jurisdiction.)
If we managed to do this, do you think the whole company would just up and cease working? Probably not, although with less intense pressure to perform, CEO’s might not resort to such egregious and unethical behavior.
It is great to see some of the world’s brightest and technically proficient minds taking on the role of planetary freedom fighter. Edmond Burke once remarked that ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,’ and as long as we have brave souls willing to stand up for what is right, the world will never succumb to the forces of tyranny.
Hillary Adams explained her reasoning for the release to a local news station, saying ““My father’s harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for 7 years.”
Good for you, Hillary. You’re showing the whole world how to destroy injustice.
The notion that the rich keep getting richer has gained new gravitas, thanks to a recent peer-reviewed publication. The study shows that wealth accumulation, if left unchecked, “can lead to unlimited concentration of wealth, such that the percentage of all wealth owned by a few entrepreneur eventually approaches 100%.”
In the US, the wealthy have been growing wealthier while the rest of the population has not. This trend has been happening for over 40 years, as per this diagram (click for a bigger version):
The wider the income gap grows, the greater the risk of democracy being comprimised. If left unchecked, a handful of people and entities might completely take over as the United States succumbs to tyranny.
But it’s not too late. If middle class Americans rise up soon and reclaim their lost voice, which they seem poised to do, then their economic system will not run away on them.
The clock is ticking, and what comes of it will impact the entire planet. Come on, people of America! Show the world what humans are capable of!
While this speech – delivered in the Tunisian’s native tongue – may placate a few protesters, the bulk of the dissenters are unlikely to be satisfied with mere words. They want justice, and will not rest until their repressive regime gets removed.
The collective voice of regular Tunisian people has been saying “We’ve had enough!” Enough with the corruption in the government and the oppressive oligarchy. No more will Tunisians tolerate the injustice of suffering in poverty while Tunisia’s leaders hoard too much of the pie.
What is happening in Tunisia should serve as a microcosm for our entire world.
The world’s wealthiest humans are content to keep things as they are. It is up to the bulk of humankind – those who’ve been getting a disproportionately small slice – to let their collective voices be heard. Only then will some of the world’s most egregious injustices come to and end.
Fortunately for everyone on earth, this social revolution has been gradually brewing for a very long time. Within the next decade or two, we will come together as a species to fundamentally alter our world’s system and permanently establish a more just global civilization.
Julian Assange – one of the world’s greatest threats to tyranny – spent some time with Sir David Frost of Al Jazeera. If 24 minutes is too long for you, here’s a summary of the best parts:
Courage is contagious. When individuals stand up for what they feel is right, their actions will inspire others to do the same.
allows preventable human suffering to persist.
