ACLU Joins Fight Against Internet Surveillance

aychamo writes "The American Civil Liberties Union today joined an expanding group of organizations filing lawsuits against a new rule that increases the FBI's power to conduct surveillance on the Internet. The rule being challenged is one the Federal Communications Commission adopted in September, granting an FBI request to expand wiretapping authority to online communications.he ACLU charged in a petition to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the ruling goes beyond the authority of CALEA, which specifically exempted information services. "The ACLU seeks review of the CALEA order on the grounds that it exceeds the FCC's statutory authority and is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, unsupported by substantial evidence, or otherwise contrary to law," the organization charged in its petition."

Comments

Re:Huh?

[the arbiter]

Glad you asked, actually. I'll take your questions in order. Bear in mind that I'm a firearms owner and pretty into it...but I guarantee my answers will surprise you. "Liberal" gun owners aren't common.

1. I'd like to see the ACLU get involved in these cases, as we (as a nation) need some clarity on just how laws regulating firearms actually apply in the real world, not just as abstract legislation. The Second Amendment and whether it applies to individual or militia ownership has never been clarified. It needs to be.

2. I don't know if regulation of firearms is "constitutional" or not, not being a lawyer, but it's a damn good idea.

3 & 4. Here's what I'd like to see (well-regulated and status quo changes): This is what I call the "automotive" model of firearms ownership. Libertarians will probably have a stroke and if you're one you shouldn't read this :)

What society gets: Licensing (passing a course equivalent to the "Gunsite" series of classes, not cheap or easy) and registration...mandatory. Insurance...mandatory. Draconian penalties for possession of stolen, unlicensed or unregistered firearms. I think a mandatory 10-year sentence for a first offense is not out of line.

What gun owners get: An end to idiotic laws that ban posession of certain firearms based, fundamentally, on what they look like. A Winchester 1897 repeating rifle has MORE capacity that most modern "assault" weapons and is just as accurate and deadly, and yet can be bought in all fifty states. Let's end the bullshit and let those who can pay the insurance for destructive weaponry own them. If you can't pay for your acts or mistakes then you don't get to play.

Obviously, although I'm a lifelong shooter and gun owner, I am not an NRA member. They're the worst thing to ever happen to gun owners and a political and PR liability for us.