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EFF Asks How Big Brother Is Watching The Internet
MacDork writes "The EFF filed a FOIA request yesterday with the FBI and other offices of the US DOJ regarding expanded powers granted by the USA PATRIOT Act. The EFF is making the request in an attempt to find out whether or not Section 216 is being used to monitor web browsing without a warrant. The DOJ has already stated they can collect email and IP addresses, but has not been forthcoming on the subject of URL addresses. It seems the EFF is seeking any documentation to confirm such activity is taking place. One can only hope the automated FOIA search doesn't produce any false negatives or cost the EFF $372,999."
That didn't seem to apply to Lon Horiuchi after shooting and killing Vicki Weaver during the Ruby Ridge incident. The federal government basically told the state of Idaho to kiss off when they attempted to bring Horiuchi up on state manslaughter charges. The federal government's reasoning was that federal employees are not personally responsible when their actions are performed in the course of their employment, and also that federal employees are bound only by federal law and consequently immune from state law. Horiuchi is also effectively immune from civil actions by virtue of a "discretionary function exemption", which more or less says that we have to accept that the government employee was using their best judgement, which absolves them from liability even in the case of a total fuck-up like Horiuchi's.
I find it interesting that "He/I was just following orders" wasn't a valid legal defense for the Nazis, but apparently is for the professional murderers in the employ of the U.S. government.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
OR, you can stop with the fucking idiotic statements like that.
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Monitoring my web browsing WILL IN NO WAY PREVENT ANY TERRORIST ATTACK, EVER.
<FUCKING SCREAMING!>E.V.E.R.</FUCKING SCREAMING!>
I wish there was a way to emphasize just how loudly I want that said so that you understand. Millions of people will not die in a terrorist attack, you fucking fearmonger. There is simply no way for that to happen in the real world. Saying "thousands" is even disingenuous, as that will probably not happen any time in the near future either.
A hundred here, a hundred there, that's how terrorists work. 9/11 was either a freak occurrence or aided by the US government.