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Cops Have Got Your Number
explosionhead writes "Salon has a nice article about the FBI's stretching their powers for phone taps under the 'Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act' and how this could apply to digital communication. The FCC tried to apply this 3 years ago, and it was fought off, but the article also comments that many of the Telcos were hesitant to argue this time around for fear of bad post Sept-11 publicity." We covered this when it happened, with a lot of good information if I do say so myself. Salon is now noting that no one is willing to challenge the revised FCC rules, running scared in the (dare I say it?) post-September 11 world.
everyone has my phone number. Or those with a phonebook at least.
WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
As I have heard, read, and understood, the FBI has devices they can just SET near the wire/line and it picks it up via electrical waves outputted by the wire/line. So, in reality, it isnt really a 'wiretap'. I could see this as being a way to get around the law, or atleast cause a pain in the butt in courts. Of coarse Im no lawyer and Im most likely wrong. Anyone else ever hear about or see one of these devices?
In college, really poor, need a flatscreen.
I remember a time, from ancient history, when there was a Democrat in the Whitehouse... much less "trust them, they are the government" rhetoric was heard at that time!
Did it occur to you these laws will be in place the next time a Democrat is elected?
-pyrrho
And if it's not liberal propaganda, it's right-wing rhetoric about how nice and friendly the government is. With all the lucidity of a member of a retarded herd of cattle.
There are no black and white issues. Repeat that a few times. For some reason, you can't stop ranting about your 'one right way'. How you're "god-damned sick" of things. Of people. Of the "bad guys". Of "them". In addition to everything else you think you know, you seem to know exactly what "they" deserve.
News flash. People have free will, and are generally a disparate, unorganized, and completely fucked-up bunch. There is no "they", and there is no "us". There's just a lot of morons like you trying to force your pathetic little world-view on others. The world doesn't need fewer commie-pinkos, the world doesn't need fewer bible-beaters - the world needs fewer people who think like you.
You could probably earn some respect by discussing your views objectively. Maybe by not being an alarmist and a whiner. By laying out a logical argument and leaving your emotions out of it. Maybe then you'd have something to show for all those letters up there.
Maybe you'll listen. But then again, maybe not. Go ahead - go home tonight, turn on your television, watch your prepackaged party-line news. Or maybe reply to me. Use 'fuck' a lot. That'll teach me.
Like most people, you like to belong to something. Too bad you couldn't go narrower than 40% of the country.
That's not exactly true. The world changes and we change with it. The test is can we cling to our ideals, and still extole the virtues we cherish when faced with such uglyness.
Make no mistake, we're not really a benevolent, peace-loving people who know only sweetness and light.
At some point it may just be too expensive to keep the ethnic groups the terrorists hide in alive. We all know what was done to the Native Americans just because our forefathers liked the idea of a country that spread from sea to shining sea. Our national anthem is about how we got our asses kicked by the british and told them to fuck-off. Even in World War II people were jailed even though they were thought to provide a nearly non-existant threat. Our ideals, are just that ideals. We frequently fail to meet them, but we never give them up, we even occasionally succeed, and exceed them. That is our might. That is the truth behind the myth we love.
Would it be right if we used our resources to annihilate whole populations to exact a small measure of justice from a much greater injustice? No. Would I loose sleep over it? Not likely. I care for them ever bit as much as they care for me. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you is fine for Buddists and 50's TV, but I find doing unto others as they would do unto you is much more pragmatic.
--Jimmy has fancy plans; and pants to match.
I think you give them more credit in their goals than they deserve. They want us dead. Plain and simple, very last one of us. If we cower in fear at their mighty God in the mean time, I'm sure that'll tickle them pink.
But when you get right down to it they want us dead.
Think outside the... Hey, where'd the friggin' box go?
Actually our system doesn't have the same rules for everybody. For one if you have been convicted of a felony in the past, then you give up some of your rights. This is in the constitution. Also the constitution grantees no specific rights to non-citizens of the United States.
I am by no means a fan of the ACLU (I think they're rotton to the core), however, the system is the way it is to prevent inocent people from being convicted of crimes. This does, however let guilty people free. One man (a judge I think, but I can't remember) said that it is better to let 10 guilty men go free than one innocent man be convicted. If an innocent man is convicted then there are two wrongs done: the innocent man is punished for a crime he committed, and a guilty man goes free.
Now of course the system isn't perfect; innocent men are convicted sometimes. But, is it really good to keep track of everything so that if someone says the wrong word (just think of how many uses b**b has that don't refer to any kind of terrorist activities) they are investigated and harrased by the FBI/CIA?.
...interesting if true.
"Yes, you can say "post-Semtember 11 world"
Well at least people stopped calling it 9/11 and confusing all of us, what the hell is important about the 9th of november.
Onto (slightly) serious matters then: When your pres says "if we have to change our lifestyles then the terrorists have won", and now the US' view of everything changes, you rip up the constitution in favour of a police state, and turn on anyone who criticizes government as a traitor...
so the terrorists won then? Was it really that easy?
(-5: Unamerican troll)
A helluva lot of people died for freedom in the 1700's. They believed in something... evidently very few modern "Americans" do. Increasing security is a beautiful idea but it SHOULD NOT cross the lines of the freedoms that our country fought so hard for in its early days. I believe in keeping my communications private; don't you? Security by paranoia doesn't uphold the principle of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
And yes, if I was held at gunpoint, knowing that I would die if I said I believed in freedom, I would still say it.
Live free or die...
--TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
Why do you hate America so much?
I have to post as an AC because I work in Law Enforcement, but please hear me out.
We all know the problems that American intelligence agencies had before 9-11. They had information pointing towards the attacks, but compartmentalization meant the pieces were never put together.
As strange as it may sound, wouldn't an Open Source approach to intelligence have worked better? Think of we had used the peer review method on the intelligence reports? Millions of eyes looking at the data would have certainly connected the dots.
We don't need a secret "proprietary" approach to National Security, we need to Open Source what we know and let the tried and true methods of the Open Source community do its work.
-plain and simple. 99% of all actions done by the government and people of the US since 911 have been based on a reflex due to fear.
It has been many generations that the US has fought a war on its mainland. The idea that anyone could hurt the nation so much was horrific - that's why the media keep saying that "We'll never be the same."
While the fear has a basis, the trick is to balance the reactions to the fear so that the cure is not worse than the malady. We also have to be watchful that not every single pork barrel projects or favorite political initiatives get shoved through on the tide of such fears.
Fortunately, there are still some principled and rational journalists and organizations who are brave enough to speak out for such balances. So BE SURE TO SUPPORT THEM. Send in that donation to ACLU and others fighting for your rights!