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ACLU Campaign Challenges Patriot Act
Nept sent in a pointer to this story about the ACLU starting a media campaign challenging the PATRIOT Act. Good to hear.
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They're getting on my last nerve. So the government wants to packet sniff. Big deal! The authorities just want to do legally what others can do illegally.
What expectation of privacy is there when one hits "send" and sends a bunch of data...where? Who knows, as long as it gets there. That's how the Internet was built. If bad guys want privacy then there are plenty of free tools they can use. And if you're not doing anything bad, what the hell do you care if your packets are intercepted? Afraid the FBI is going to tell your wife you're looking at chickswithdicks.com late at night?
I'm as much for freedom as the next guy...I spent 10+ years in the Air Force and I'm now in the AF Reserves. Why? Cool blue polyester? A couple hundred days in Saudi Arabia wearing the same tan shit day in and day out? No, to support and defend the Constitution, etc etc. So if the government needs a little more power to keep tabs on the bad guys, that's fine by me. In case you haven't noticed, ALCU, there's some wicked stuff going on right in your backyard!
And please, spare me the "this chain of bondage was forged link by link, and you didn't care as each link was slowly added...until it was too late!" I think Mr. Sniper (who's running around the area where I work) has taken away far more freedoms than the government has or will. Kids not playing outside? People ducking while they pump gas and running into stores, zig zagging? But yes, let's oppose efforts to catch the perp.
So, ALCU, to sum up, take your $3.5 million and buy some school breakfasts or lunches for hungry kids, build some shelters for battered women. That would do more for civil liberties than your defending the freedoms of bad guys at the expense of my safety!
Wow, that really went in a different direction than I intended. Well, back to work. Go on, nothing to see here. I'm done now.
He should have known better than to travel through the US then. He's lucky he didn't travel through my back yard, as I would have shot the fucker.
You guys are making a mountain out of a mole hill. Have any of you actually read the key aspects of the patriot act? You think roaming wire taps versus fixed taps is going to change your personal freedoms at all? I suppose if you are a criminal it might make life a bit more difficult for you.
I'm not one to say that if you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to these things, but you have to be a little bit pragmatic. The Patriot Act is narrowly enough focussed that it should be of little concern to law abiding citizens.
The slippery slope argument has screwed this country up on everything from reasonable gun controls to giving law enforcement a fighting chance against criminals.
There certainly needs to be a voice of opposition such that things balance out to right medium, but don't fool yourself, the ACLU clearly represents views that are too far to the left for what is good for the country. It should be called the american criminal liberties union -- call a spade a spade.