Photo Courtesy of: http://www.justiceforyou.com

According to a report from ‘Fox News Insider’, The Senate has passed a controversial measure which would directly effect every person who purchases a car after 2015. The measure states that any cars which are manufactured past that date would be required to have a black box recorder-similar to the ones in airplanes- installed. These black boxes, which are known as event data recorders, or “EDRs,” would supposedly collect the data which would be related to a car accident. The EDR would give authorities the ability to check the car’s speed, determine whether or not the airbags deployed, and whether or not the driver had pressed the brakes or gas petal within the second before the impact.

Judge Andrew Napolitano shared with ‘Happening Now’ that he felt it was quite interesting that Congress would pass this on, since a few states had already attempted to place GPS devices in automobiles, and it was determined by the Supreme Court that this was not acceptable without a search warrant. ‘Fox News Insider’ quotes Judge Napolitano as saying, “The legislation has not yet been signed by the president and it isn’t even, as you say, in final form yet, but the American public should be aware of what the government is trying to do to our privacy.”

‘Infowars’ reports that Senate Bill 1813 (PDF) is currently waiting to be approved by the US House of Representatives. The measure requiring that these EDRs be placed in all cars by the year 2015 can be found in Section 31406 of the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act” or MAP-21. In the bill it is stated that the Secretary must revise part 563 of the title code 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and add that it is required, “beginning with model year 2015, that new passenger motor vehicles sold in the United States be equipped with an event data recorder that meets the requirements under that part.” Of course, there are supposed limits placed on when the information from the device should be gathered, namely that it is illegal for anyone to obtain that information against the car owner’s will…except, of course, for the government. The courts can determine that it is a medical emergency that the information be released, or that it is relevant in any investigation or inspection by the Secretary of Transportation.

Although ‘Infowars’ pointed out the privacy issues with this type of device, ‘VentureBeat’ shared that EDRS have been placed in cars for many years. Their report, from the National Institute of Highway Safety, shows that at least sixty-four percent of all vehicles which were inspected in 2005 had an EDR, and that includes all of the ones manufactured by General Motors, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Suzuki. That report can be found here. If you still have the owner’s manual to your car, look for a section which shares warnings and information about EDRs. If your car has one, the manufacturer was required to inform you via that book.

The intrusion of the United States government under President Barack Obama has been an issue for several years. From a complete take-over of the internet to monitoring of our emails, texts, and more, our freedom to communicate in private is already under serious threat. As more and more people are out of work and depending on government programs for their food and other needs, the government is able to keep track of every purchase made with EBT cards and such. And the Health Care Bill, or “Affordable Healthcare Act” often called “ObamaCare” intrudes on many decisions which are made at critical times in our lives, when we are sick. President Obama signed an Executive Order on March 16 which gave him control over all livestock, farms, water, food, vehicles, and equipment. Citing political correctness, they seek to control our speech, and in the name of “protecting” us, they want gun control. Although the government is not allowed to make any law regarding the establishment of religion, crosses are taken down, and prayer is often forbidden or frowned upon. Sharing Christianity, or any faith (other than Islam) is still legal…for now, but certainly not encouraged. As can be seen in the “battle” between Michelle Obama and McDonald’s, they even seek to control what we eat, and feed our children.

The control this administration has over America’s citizens and their privacy is astounding, and yet the government asks for more. How did they get this control? Many citizens simply do not believe the news reports, and feel that it is propaganda. Yet the Health Care Bill can be read from the PDF in the link above, and the Executive Order, signed by Obama can also be read, from the government’s own website! Citizens who do believe that the government is taking too much of our freedom may not be aware of what is actually going on. While American is busy watching reality shows, football games, wrestling matches, and court cases, this administration buries further under our skins, taking more of our freedom. Young people are sadly killed in our streets daily, yet the Treyvon Martin/Zimmerman case has been red-flagged, drawing America’s attention away from …what? Facebook, Twitter, Google, and television determines what we learn, what we know, and what we focus on…and the government gains more control of these outlets daily. America sleeps while more and more of our privacy is taken. It is time to wake up.