NSA Data-Mining & Why My Black Ass Ain’t Afraid

Pissed off that the government is spying on your ass? Welcome to being Back in America. My man, Dr. Cornel West called it the “Niggerization of America.” And it’s been happening since 9/11, but we Black folks know better!! To that point, watching privileged folk lose their freedom-loving minds has been nothing but pure fuckin comedy for me.

Oh, and when I say “privileged folk,” I’m not talking about “certain people” who identify as Republicans or Conservatives, no; those folks are annoying as hell to me. Instead, my source of humor has been the silly ass cries of disgust aimed at the White House in light of the news that the National Security Agency’s data-mining program is in the interest of national security. What is NSA data mining, why is the government doing it, and why are some of my friends upset? Surely it’s a cause for concern if you’re interested in the U.S. Constitution, and luxuries like freedom and justice, yea?

Senate Majority Leader, ol Harry Reid, in response to the bullshit had this to say, “Everyone should just calm down and understand this isn’t anything that is brand new.” Sen. Reid is totally correct; yea, this NSA program ain’t nothin new. At least from where I sit as a Black man, the NSA program damn sure ain’t nothin new. This is why I find the reactions of some of my friends to be fuckin hilarious.

 People of color – us Black folks in particular – have always been suspicious of “the man” spying on our asses. Shit, we’ve seen what COINTELPRO did to the Black Panther Party and other organizations associated with the Black Power Movement. Aside from more than a few Black folks sitting in prison for allegedly buying dime bags of weed on the phone, we have plenty of political prisoners in Cuba right now to serve as evidence of these practices by the government. Truth be told, the U.S. government has been tapping the phones and checking the emails of Black folks since slavery. Hum??

So yeah, welcome to being Black in America, my white liberal friends. And yes, you have the NSA to thank for this. But don’t worry motherfuckers; you still have some of your privilege left? Yep, you don’t have to worry about random unreasonable searches by police officers; or the occasional interrogation room anal probe without an attorney present. Nope, no stop-and-frisk for you either. And yes, you’re still less likely than a Black person to be arrested for marijuana possession. See? Not all is lost. Just calm down and understand that calling your cocaine connect in Columbia (or, maybe the owner of a poppy field in Afghanistan) might not be a good idea right now. Instead, have one of your Black friends to do your not-so-illegal dirt, like always. Besides, if the government says it’s perfectly legal to kill you without due process, why then is the NSA data-mining program unreasonable?