Gov't Computers Used to Find Info on "Joe the Plumber"

After Joe Wurzelbacher of Ohio gained fame as "Joe the Plumber" in the course of the current presidential campaign, it seems that he's drawn more than idle curiosity from people with access to what should probably be confidential information. An anonymous reader writes with a story from The Columbus Dispatch that "government insiders accessed Joe the Plumber's records soon after the McCain-Obama debate. 'Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate. Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.' Welcome to 1984."

Comments

ThoughtCrime and 1984

[Anonymous Coward]

One would do well to actually read 1984 (as opposed to just scream its title every time the Right does something you don't like).

1984 was an comment by Orwell on the Communists. Orwell, himself a socilaist, learned to hate and fear the Communists after the Spanish Civil War.

Big Brother was an obvious stand-in for "Uncle Joe" Stalin.

In 1984 you will see:
* The Ministry of Truth, the media manipulation of news and history (ala the recent Reugter's Photoshopping of pictures from the Israel/Lebanon war; Dan Rather's falsification of documents)
* NewSpeak, the changing of language to make certain thoughts impossible (ala the politically correct language redefinition we experienced in the 70s/80s e.g. "differently abled" for "handicapped", in Sweden "husmor" replaced by "hemmafru" or their English cognates "housewife" with "stay-at-home-mom")
* DoubleThink, the simultaneous holding of two or more mutually exclusive ideas (e.g. "homosexuality is something you are born with" and "homosexuality is a personal and private decision"; or "racism is always wrong" and "affirmative action is the right thing to do")
* ThoughtCrime, making the mere ability of thinking something a crime. You see this all the time in Hate Crime legislation (what murder wasn't already a crime ... with a life penalty?) and University speech codes (University "Free Speech Zones" are a wonderful example of NewSpeak, DoubleThink, and ThoughtCrime wrapped into one)
* also the breakdown of the family and sexual relationships (which has less obvious parallels but "PolPot & the child turns their parents in" (like Winston's neighbor) would be an example)
* furthermore the mild anti-semitism, the hatred of Goldsteinism, today you see this all the time however this is mostly thinly veiled as an attack on "Zionism"

We really shouldn't be surprised by the EU and The Left's fascination with this kind of behaviour. Orwell saw and predicted it nearly 50 years ago.

Re:ThoughtCrime and 1984

[Xiroth]

Oh, come on. While I agree that this example isn't nearly sufficient to be quoting 1984, the book didn't just apply to leftist governments - it clearly applies to authoritarian governments of any stripe. All of the examples you've cited there have counterparts in rightist authoritarian governments, and because of the nature of the current US administration, those examples are much more common and immediate, so it's really no wonder that people apply the book primarily to rightist actions currently. That it can happen on the left as well in no way means that it can't happen on the right. As they say, when the boot is laid in it's difficult to tell whether it's from the left or right foot.

It's this kind of stupid blindness which sent me to the centre in the first place, while around me people switch from one extreme to another like a fricking metronome. Both sides seem to prefer shutting their eyes and screaming that all the world's problems are the opposition's fault, without daring to question their own policies for fear of being ostracised by their peers. With so much stupid being poured into the discourse from both sides of the aisle, it's no wonder that it's rare to see serious policy making as opposed to idealogical, realism-deficient bullshit.

Re:How do you think it should work then?

[networkconsultant]

We've had public health care for years in Canada, our social security is better and we are a welfare state, you can join the club too it's a lot nicer on the other side; we don't turn the aged away because they cannot afford medical service, we actually have a huge booming retirment industry; oh and did I mention that we keep crazy people off the street by giving them money (and possibly preventing them from harming others)....just a thought. Oh and after these bailouts, our tax bracket will be even lower than yours ;) 99% of your inmates should have had medical attention but now you get to pay for them for the rest of their known lives. ~Bullets and electrictity are far cheaper than re-education. Now remember everyone belongs to everyone else, repetition is key. (Of course if Russia invades we are turning to you to save us :'( )

Re:Open your eyes

[mrmeval]

In Indiana I can go run plates for $5 dollars each in person. For a $50 dollar fee I can run as many as I want for $4 dollars.
In Oregon you can buy a CD with every Oregon driver on it. Someone put it on the internet and there was wailing and gnashing of teeth. The phone company in real time can and does sell off everyone's name, address and phone number.

And on and on....

It may be illegal to use that particular system in Ahia but I'm curious if there is a legal way to do it?