By Greg Drobny, aka RU Twisted
A friend texted me today, “Tim Cook, a gay, obnoxiously intellectual billionaire, is the most American of Americans in America right now. And I have nowhere to vent about that.”
I have a hard time disagreeing with that, which is why I thought I’d vent for him and offer a few brief thoughts on the FBI/Apple feud. Frankly, the whole thing has me baffled. Not because I don’t understand what’s going on, but because the reactions of people to the story are more than slightly unnerving.
Though this is a blindingly obvious statement to the Unapologetically American faithful, it apparently needs to be repeated—America wasn’t founded on the premise of people coming together to stop terrorists.
It wasn’t started with a bunch of guys who said, “hey, you know what we should do? We should create a giant government apparatus that can intrude into everyone’s lives!” They didn’t shout, “we need safety, not freedom!” Those who think that was the intent should really consult a history book or 50.
But I digress.
By now, nearly everyone knows the basics of the story I’m referring to. The terrorists in San Bernardino who killed 14 people and wounded 22 others had an iPhone. The FBI wants to crack it but can’t. So they did their due diligence as law enforcement officials in recognizing the rights of the pe….
Ahhhhhahaha, just kidding. Instead of recognizing anything remotely related to observance of “limited government,” the FBI (which I’d like to point out here is not exactly discussed in ye ol’ Constitution to begin with) ordered Apple to decrypt the terrorists’ phone. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, stated that it can’t be done without writing software that allows the FBI into everyone’s phones.
So the FBI, in respecting the right of a company to….Oh who are we kidding? The FBI respected nothing and said “do it anyway. That’s an order.” They insist that they totally won’t use the software for bad things, mmmkay? Trust us, we’re the government and we’re here to help.
Tim Cook and Apple are, despite pressure from power-hungry politicians, holding their ground. Enter my befuddlement regarding this whole situation.
How are presidential candidates not laughed out of the race when they state that they would “force” Apple to write the software needed to crack the phone? How is it that the press looks at Tim Cook like a crazy conspiracy theorist when he talks about the importance of “privacy”? How does any of this line up with that little thing we call a “rule of law”?
How is it that Tim Cook is not being hailed as a hero?
Here’s the thing. I get it—a lot of people really, really hate Islamic terrorists. Me too. I think they’re a stain on humanity, just like all terrorists are.
But you know what has even more dire consequences, especially when viewed in historical context? Demonizing an enemy way beyond its actual capability and revoking the freedom of innocent people in the name of keeping them safe from what could potentially happen. Maybe.
Whether you think extreme measures should be taken to stop terrorists or not, stop and consider this: if we look at those who fought for freedom and founded this country and compare them in light of this story, which actors do they more closely resemble—the huge, federal-level police force that is trying to backdoor everyone’s privacy, or the entrepreneurial innovator who has brought useful products into the lives of millions and now puts himself at risk trying to protect them?
Is there a lot more nuance to this case than what I’m presenting? Most assuredly—there always is. I am not enough of an expert in the field of phone/data encryption to speak authoritatively in any way on that matter. 
However, as someone with a fair amount of knowledge regarding political theory and history, I can state confidently that I know which side of this fight I’d rather see prevail, and which one more closely aligns with the ideals outlined in our Bill of Rights. When I study the great atrocities of the past, none of them came about because some big corporation stood up to a government in the name of more freedom.
No, the actions of Tim Cook and Apple should be applauded and those in power who are questioning their “patriotism” should be viewed with great skepticism. That’s a dangerous line of thought.
Even if Siri keeps messing up half the words I say, they earned my business on this move and I hope they stand firm.