By Robert Pembroke
“Restriction-free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.” - William O. Douglas, former associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
I was shocked when I read the cbsnews.com banner headline “Homeland Security to compile database of journalists, media influencers.” The first thing that came to my mind was the book-burning scene in the movie “Fahrenheit 451.”
According to the CBS report, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to monitor up to 290,000 global news sources and track what they are saying in 100 different languages. Apparently, the agency has also decided to build a list of journalists based on their beat — and this is where I come in.
I am a political columnist.
“Bob, that is not right,” said my wife. “Trump is doing the same thing that Hitler did. He’s a dictator.” And she is right. I then emailed a column to a friend who replied, “We live in a dangerous world.” She is also right.
On May 3, UNESCO will once again mark “World Press Freedom Day” that informs the citizens of the world of violations of freedom of the press. Yes, there are “publications that are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered,” said Forbes in a story about the same Department of Homeland Security action.
The watchdog organization Freedom House publishes an annual index of which countries are perceived to be free and which are not. The 2018 report, titled “Democracy In Crisis,” says that currently, 39 percent of the world’s population is free, 24 percent is partly free and 37 percent of the world’s population is not free at all.
What is even more frightening is that the report states, “Over the period since the 12-year global slide began in 2006, 113 countries have seen a net decline and only 62 have experienced a net improvement.” The report also says, “The United States retreated from its traditional role as both the champion and an exemplar of democracy amid an accelerating decline in American political rights and civil liberties.” This is not good at all, folks.
Hungary recently had an election that slides it into authoritarian rule. Turkey elected Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president in 2014. He has shown to be the most authoritarian leader since Kim Jong-un of North Korea and Jinping Xi of China arrived on the scene. And let’s not forget Myanmar that executed a shocking campaign of ethnic cleansing in 2017.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said earlier this month, “I think that this certain situation is so dire and has become so large, that probably some well-crafted regulation is necessary.” Wrong, Mr. Cook! Our great nation does not need more regulations. What our great nation does need is a little common sense and politicians who will do the job that they were elected to do. Their obligation is to their electorate, not the lobbyists who give them a lot of money.
Let us not forget Google and Amazon — who hold as much, if not more, of our personal data than Facebook — when it comes to casting the blame. And let us not forget the consumer-facing apps like Uber and Airbnb. Then there is the voice-activated Alexa, of which we have two in our home. They are constantly collecting personal data about me, my wife and our dog.
You guys are making billions off my personal data and I want my share. In order to put thousands of bucks into my pocket, I am going to have to mount a campaign to get Congress and the president to pass a simple law that says I own my personal data.
Our nation has just finished celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated 50 years ago. Dr. King was the greatest man I ever knew. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” King said.
I am scared.
Robert Pembroke is the former chairman and CEO of Pembroke’s Inc. in Salt Lake City.