A Serious Offense to Freedom

Published in Siglo21
(Guatemala) on 3 July 2013
by Alejandro A. Tagliavini (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Claudia V. Tabora. Edited by Keith Armstrong.
"My understanding is that espionage means giving secret or classified information to the enemy. Since Snowden shared information with the American people, his indictment for espionage could reveal (or confirm) that the U.S. Government views you and me as the enemy," stated former U.S. Republican representative and ex-presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Historically, the major "leakers," as Mairangela Paone calls them, have performed a great service by promoting the truth. Daniel Ellsberg, who was responsible for leaking the so-called Pentagon Papers in 1971, helped accelerate the end of the idiotic Vietnam War. Mark Felt, Deep Throat, leaked information regarding Watergate to the Washington Post. Frederic Whitehurst denounced irregularities at the FBI crime laboratory. Bradley Manning, a soldier assigned to Iraq, released State Department classified reports to WikiLeaks.

Now Edward Snowden, a former CIA contractor, leaked information about mass surveillance by the White House. Very popular in Chinese public opinion, his departure from Hong Kong to Moscow prevented a greater exposure of the Chinese authorities. According to a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll, 49 percent of the public thinks that Snowden's revelations served the public interest and 44 percent disagree. At the same time, only 54 percent think that Washington should prosecute the whistle-blower. When it comes to the usefulness of collecting telephone and Internet data in the fight against terrorism, 48 percent approved and 47 percent disapproved.

We want "...the law to be enforced," Obama said referring to Snowden's capture. In addition, according to Steffen W. Schmidt, a professor at Iowa State University, absolute freedom is not possible. We'll see what the U.S. government will do [when] it perceives a serious offense to liberty, and thus morality, life and public safety. Using the excuse that absolute freedom — which really only God has — is not possible, shows bad intentions because even if freedom is not absolute, it doesn't mean that it should be restricted.

If this is the law, then it should be repealed immediately because it violates the natural order, so then "it is more iniquity than law," like Saint Thomas said. The natural order doesn't imply that humans must be absolutely free, but it means that humans should not be coerced (violated), because violence always destroys nature, and diverts its spontaneous natural development, since it represents an extrinsic force.

So, those who say that they will defend freedom violently (with coercion) are its worst enemies. Yes, freedom’s worst enemies, because they use it under false pretense to introduce violence, which will inevitably destroy it.

The only defense that digital freedom needs is to avoid, disregard, ignore and not fear violence, which is its main enemy. For example, World War II not only failed to put an end to tyranny, but also replaced Nazis with the more powerful Stalinists, who erected the Berlin Wall, later torn down, not by nuclear superpowers, but by the actions of moral persons like John Paul II. Without WWII, the world would be a freer and more secure place today.


“En mi opinión, espionaje significa darle información secreta al enemigo… Como Snowden compartió información con (nosotros) el pueblo…, su condena por espionaje podría revelar (o confirmar) que el Gobierno nos ve a ti y a mí como el enemigo”, asegura Ron Paul, representante republicano, y ex precandidato presidencial, del Congreso de EE. UU.

Históricamente, los grandes “filtradores”, como los llama Mairangela Paone, han realizado un gran servicio al promover la verdad. Daniel Ellsberg, autor de la filtración de los llamados Papeles del Pentágono en 1971, ayudó a acelerar el fin de la estúpida guerra de Vietnam. Mark Felt, Garganta Profunda, filtró a The Washington Post la información del caso Watergate. Frederic Whitehurst denunció las prácticas del laboratorio de explosivos del FBI. Bradley Manning, el soldado destinado a Iraq, entregó a WikiLeaks informes reservados del Departamento de Estado.

Ahora, Edward Snowden, excontratista de la CIA, divulgó el monitoreo de comunicaciones de la Casa Blanca. Muy popular en la opinión pública china, su salida de Hong Kong hacia Moscú evitó una mayor exposición de las autoridades chinas. Según el Pew Research Center y USA Today, para el 49% las revelaciones de Snowden sirven al interés público, contra el 44%. Al mismo tiempo, solo el 54% opina que Washington debe perseguir judicialmente al filtrador. Respecto a la utilidad de la recolección de datos de teléfono e Internet, en la “lucha contra el terrorismo”, el 48% los aprueba y el 47% no.

Queremos “… que la ley se cumpla”, aseguró Obama refiriéndose a la captura de Snowden. Además “La libertad absoluta no es posible… ”, según Steffen W. Schmidt, profesor de la Universidad de Iowa. Vamos a ver. Lo que hace el Gobierno de EE. UU. supone una gravísima ofensa a la libertad y, por ende, a la moral, a la vida y a la seguridad de las personas. Excusarse en que no es posible la libertad absoluta —que, efectivamente, solo Dios la tiene— muestra la mala intención porque, el que no sea posible absolutamente, no da derecho a cercenarla.

Si esta es la “ley”, entonces debe ser derogada de inmediato porque viola el orden natural y entonces “es más iniquidad que ley”, ya lo decía Santo Tomás. El orden natural no implica que el hombre sea absolutamente libre, pero sí que nunca jamás debe ser coaccionado (violentado) porque la violencia siempre destruye a la naturaleza, desvía su desarrollo espontáneo, natural, valga la redundancia, por cuanto supone una fuerza extrínseca.

Así, quienes dicen que a la libertad la defenderán violentamente (con coacción), son sus peores enemigos. Sí, sus peores enemigos, porque la usan falsamente para introducir la violencia que, necesariamente, la destruirá.

La única defensa que necesita la libertad Cybernética es precisamente, evitar, desoír, ignorar, no temerle a la violencia, que es su principal enemigo. Por caso, la Segunda Guerra Mundial (SGM) no solo no acabó con la tiranía sino que reemplazó a la nazi por otra más poderosa: el estalinismo, que construyó el muro de Berlín, luego desarmado, no por potencias nucleares, sino por el accionar moral de personas como Juan Pablo II. Sin la SGM, el mundo sería hoy más libre y seguro.
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