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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.
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.
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?
"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?
-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!