How can individuals and societies protect themselves against the encroachment and abuse of government power in the modern age?
By AIS
Anyone not blindly influenced by his own prejudices can't help but perceive that there is a close and inseparable relationship between the moral condition and climate of an individual and a nation and the agreeableness to liberty of a government. History is full of examples of a people being oppressed by government when the virtue of the people declines and tends toward corruption. Loss of liberty and freedom always follow the rejection of vicissitudes by a people or nation. Truth, honesty, goodness, kindness, peace and mercy are the sure and eternal supports of a free people and that a deviation from those points invariably lead to a slow and then rapid decline in the freedom of people. Conversely; lying, theft, malice, greed and killing are inimical to freedom and liberty.
Presently, one shouldn't be surprised to see the condition of the US resembling more of a police state with many of the elements of a totalitarian government in contrast to a country which was founded by a people wanting freedom. Freedom is not the right to do whatever you please but only to do that which is good and right. Good and right can only be determined from outside of ourselves. That is; we weren't born knowing exact truths- they were given to us by God who has made it very clear what right and wrong are. To be plain- no people or nation of people can ever expect to live in peace while they do those things that are contrary to revealed principles of right and wrong. As it has been said many times over, in different ways, throughout the centuries when a calamity occurs or something bad happens to a nation people have said, “all of this has come upon us because we have forgotten God and have not done that which is good”. So, in essence when a people do that which is wrong the government will be used to punish those people. It can be argued that a government isn't reflective of the people and what they are like but that the government may consist of ambitious and corrupt men and women. That is true and a very real situation in many cases. Yet, the government still reflects a fair amount of the nature of its people.
Technology can't provide much more than a way to communicate and spread thoughts and ideas. The old and ridiculous notion that “technology will save us” simply isn't, nor can it ever be, true and human nature has to be considered which isn't mechanical or automatic. The “dual use” of technology has insured our slavery to the lack of privacy and the loss of freedom to every manner to surveillance.
Therefore the most direct and successful way to secure freedom and to prevent governmental abuse is to be virtuous, vigilant and to not tolerate or rest from objection to government when it is contrary to the truths mentioned previously. Have nothing to do with the unfruitul deeds of darkness, rather expose them.
The price we pay will always be high. We have no other way but up.