### **Title: Age of Ignorance: How Congress’s Outdated Leadership and Surveillance Powers Are Stifling America’s Future**

Since the Y2K bug era, we've seen a monumental shift in how data is handled, manipulated, and stored. Whether we like to admit it or not, we’ve been tracked for over two decades—everything from our communications to our financial transactions is part of a vast data ecosystem. And now, in 2024, the curtain has been pulled back, revealing the reality that all of our data is vulnerable, accessible, and commodified. The truth is this: **Everyone owns everything.**

This surveillance state is reinforced by **Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act**, a tool originally intended for national security purposes but increasingly controversial as it's applied to American citizens. At its heart, Section 702 allows the government to collect, without a warrant, the communications of foreign nationals outside the U.S. But the reality is that Americans' data is entangled in this process. Emails, texts, and phone calls are swept into this surveillance dragnet—legally or otherwise.

Now, we have to ask ourselves: **Is this really about national security?** Or is it about control? **Is Section 702, and the broader surveillance apparatus, actively suppressing the potential of American citizens?** If my personal experience is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. Over the last 25 years, I've faced suppression at every turn—whether in business or personal life, there have always been blockages, restrictions, and overreach.

This suppression goes beyond government monitoring; it affects the very fabric of our digital lives. The Internet, once seen as the bastion of free expression, has become a playground for selective censorship. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are increasingly bowing to the pressure of government entities, regulating speech in ways that stifle creativity, dissent, and the sharing of diverse ideas. **Entire words are being erased from the digital lexicon, effectively rewriting the Oxford Dictionary to align with the powers that be.**

The issue runs even deeper when we consider the **outdated leadership** in Congress and the judicial system. The average age of lawmakers is higher than it has ever been, and many of those in power cling to ideologies and policies that benefit a long-gone era. This is the era of the "dead people programs"—programs designed to perpetuate policies that do not address the current realities of a digital world. Policies from a bygone era continue to suppress a generation that is ready to innovate, create, and lead.

So, why is this happening?

The older members of Congress are resistant to change because it threatens the very systems that kept them in power. These are the same systems that benefit from surveillance powers like Section 702, as it keeps dissent and disruption at bay. **But it is time for accountability.** It is time for leaders who understand the digital landscape, the importance of privacy, and the necessity of evolving with the times. It's time to stop being governed by policies that cater to the dead.

We need leadership that reflects the realities of today and tomorrow, not yesterday. **Someone like Amy Klobuchar**, who has been vocal about technology and privacy issues, could spearhead efforts to protect American citizens from the overreach of surveillance and ensure that the laws of the land evolve with the times. It’s not just about privacy; it’s about stifling potential. As a society, we are blocked—taxed, tracked, and hindered—while the world is changing rapidly around us.

And now, we find ourselves at war with multiple countries, tangled in conflicts driven by decades-old policies, all while our government blocks the free flow of information that could lead to greater understanding and peace. **Our democracy, which once led the world in promoting freedom, now runs the Internet with a grip so tight that it suffocates innovation and debate.** The fear is that true freedom of speech online would unravel the fragile democracies we've attempted to plant across the globe. But the truth is, suppression at home is not the answer.

It’s time for a reckoning. **We need a new Congress and judiciary that understands the world we live in now—an interconnected world where information cannot and should not be controlled by a few powerful interests.** In the next 24 hours, changes need to happen. If we continue to cling to these outdated systems, we risk losing not only our privacy but also our potential as a nation.

The choice is ours: **Do we allow dead policies to rule the future, or do we demand leadership that empowers the living?**

### **Conclusion:**

The suppression of free speech, innovation, and privacy is a symptom of a much larger problem—a problem that begins with outdated leadership and overreaching surveillance powers. It’s time for a new generation of leaders who understand the digital world and the importance of true freedom. We cannot afford another 25 years of blockages, taxes, and control. The time for change is now.