Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal - July 4, 2004

July 4, 2004 --

On Independence Day, 2004, how fares American liberty?

Brilliantly, if you compare the United States with the tyrannies that still control the lives of countless people.

Not badly, if liberty means the right to seek economic gain in a capitalist system -- especially if you're starting with the right connections and a privileged background.

Not as well, when you look at growing pressures on longstanding freedoms. Governments have exploited fears of terrorism to curb many precious liberties, and technology has continued to help snoops of all kinds invade our privacy...

...continued, by Dan Gillmor.