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Bob Barr Weighs In On Trusted Computing Group
bearwayne writes "Former representative Bob Barr (R-GA), a conservative and non-technophile, who has now has teamed up with the ACLU to fight growth of the Federal government's infringements on Civil Liberties ala the Patriot Act, weighs in on the Trusted Computing Group/Alliance in this article at Creative Loafing. Among other things, he expresses concerns about censorship, loss of control over one's PC, and other corporate/government abuses."
These folks make the case far better than I can:
;)
EFF's position paper
The American Library Association
Joe Barr mentioned a couple good points in his article at Creative Loafing.
Here's the DOJ's take. When you read it, ask yourself who defines a terrorist, and would you be willing to believe them?
Finally, the USA PATRIOT Act
(Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Hell, with a cool ass acronym like that for a name, how could you possibly be against it
(read: How could you possibly not be against it. Tortuously clever acronyms are often a sign of bad policy)
(Score: -1, Stupid)
Barr was considered a weirdo becuase he actually believed in things, and wasn't the type to sign on to something just because HP, Sony, Microsoft, Intel and Nokia were willing to pony up. I'm sure he handled some pork and favors over the years, but he's known best for his strong opinions.
It's refreshing to read this, especially in CL. His position on this truly is the the same as conservative and libertarian thinkers, if not Republican policticians. Left and right can agree on a lot of things if you erase the party labels. This issue isn't about left vs. right, it's about insiders vs. outsiders.
Unfortunately, the Repubs who actually stood for something before they got into power now seem all too willing to stick their fingers in the air and follow the winds of public opinion, or if they feel no wind, to take some cash and mumble something about "creating jobs."