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Turkey Arrests Journalists For Using Encryption

An anonymous reader sends news that three employees of Vice News were arrested in Turkey because one of them used an encryption system on his personal computer. That particular type of encryption has been used by the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State, so the men were charged with "engaging in terrorist activity." The head of a local lawyers association said, "I find it ridiculous that they were taken into custody. I don't believe there is any accuracy to what they are charged for. To me, it seems like an attempt by the government to get international journalists away from the area of conflict." The Turkish government denied these claims: "This is an unpleasant incident, but the judiciary is moving forward with the investigation independently and, contrary to claims, the government has no role in the proceedings."

145 comments

  1. No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "...the judiciary is moving forward with the investigation independently and, contrary to claims, the government has no role in the proceedings."

    So their judiciary isn't part of the government? What are they, a private business?

    1. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      A bunch of turkeys.

    2. Re:No government role? by diamondmagic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, generally it's a good thing that we have an independent judiciary. It ensures that they don't get caught up in the mob's favorite punching bag of the moment.

      The problem here is that a judiciary is only supposed to hear cases of controversy: That means there has to be two sides, and the case can't go on if there's no one to prosecute.

      In other words, if what they are saying is true, this means the Turkish courts are effectively judge AND prosecutor.

    3. Re:No government role? by niftymitch · · Score: 1

      I wonder what this transgression really is.
      Is it connecting https to twitter or Gmail?
      Is this cellphone traffic (commonly encrypted today).
      Satellite links...
      Encrypted laptops to protect company data.

      This is worth watching.

      --
      Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain.
    4. Re:No government role? by jonwil · · Score: 1

      My guess is that Turkey has some sort of public prosecutors office that prosecutes criminal cases and it is that office that is the other side of the court case.

      These offices are generally also independent from the government precisely to prevent political interference in the legal system. (at least they are in Australia)

    5. Re:No government role? by fustakrakich · · Score: 0, Troll

      What are they, a private business?

      All of government is a publicly funded private business.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    6. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These offices are generally also independent from the government precisely to prevent political interference in the legal system.

      I think you have a weird definition of government. The judiciary is paid for by taxes and operates with the authority of law. Therefore it is part of the government.

    7. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "independent judiciary"... Independent of all government? By definition the judiciary applies laws of the state. To say it's not part of government makes no sense at all. In fact, the whole term "independent judiciary" is contradictory.

    8. Re:No government role? by rtb61 · · Score: 1, Troll

      The Turkish national, the fixer had the encryption software, the journalists did not. Why were the journalists arrested and charged with terrorism because the US is promoting it by routinely destroying whistle blowers and actively making changes to policy pretend laws to target all journalists in conflict zones. This to give tacit approval to less then democratic states to go after all non-'embedded' (the word is going to take on some new connotations) journalists (corporate and intelligence agency lackeys).

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    9. Re:No government role? by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well, a well run state has separation of the part that makes the laws and the part that executes the laws.

      however, turkey is right now far from being a good state.

      it's entirely possible that it's their common procedure to charge anyone(and anyone who was with) they caught with encryption as a terrorist, it just happens that the reporter is the only one.

      still, in case of Turkey, it's fucking ridiculous to say that the government has no role in bogus charges against people who were reporting about kurds.

      erdogan is a fuckwit and the government has had a role in turkey in prosecuting and interfering with frigging police officers ffs. erdogan doesn't give a fuck about ISIS he is only worried about the kurds.

      case in point first they were saying that they're being prosecuted due to association with pkk and now they've changed it to due to having a computer encrypted with same software as isis has had some computers encrypted with. wanna bet what the SW is? (it's entirely possible it's just bitlocker too, they have a proven track record into being clueless)

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    10. Re:No government role? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So their judiciary isn't part of the government?

      The original statement was in Turkish, not English. So saying "government" rather than "administration" was likely just a bad translation by a journalist.

    11. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 2

      In Western law that's the reason there's a jury - to ensure independence and oversight (theoretically). That is why there is prosecution as a State representative. A judge is meant to be both impartial and, somehow, understanding at the same time - understanding does not mean lenient. It is a separate branch of the government for a reason and one has a right to a trial by their peers for that reason. The term independent judiciary is a bit of a misnomer but calling it a quasi-independent judiciary is a bit wordy.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    12. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 0, Redundant

      I admit that a part of me wants to say, "Well, it's Vice and nothing of value was lost." I almost agree with that. Almost... I just can't bring myself to because of that whole freedom of the press thing which they don't seem to have but I feel should be a freedom for everyone.

      On one hand, it's Vice... They are almost certainly there to stir up trouble or to spin something to manufacture outrage or for ego...

      On the other hand, you know, freedom. I don't really like them (sometimes they're amusing for the wrong reasons) but, yeah, they should have that same freedom too and so should everyone.

      So, I guess, I don't really like Vice much but I do admire their courage. Hopefully this gets better soon - before getting much worse. I really much prefer the freedom of the press more than my dislike for Vice and my dislike for them should have nothing to do with it. I do support the idea behind sovereignty but there really should be some basic freedoms that everyone is entitled to.

      And no, I'm not sure what the solution it is but I'm pretty sure it's not the United States bombing them all the way to Freedom and Harmony. (Both towns in the State of Maine, by the way. Oddly, both have marijuana celebration festivals but that's an aside and yes - I think I've been to way too many of them.)

      Sorry for the inarticulate rant but, well, even Vice deserves freedom. Encryption should be a right and I could easily make a decent argument about it being necessary to ensure the First Amendment - in my country. My country's laws do not, of course, apply to Turkeys. Err... Turkish...

      Wait... They have raw opium in Turkey, right? Hmm... Oh yeah, about that incoherent rant thing... Whilst I did not go to a festival I may have done some celebration of my own.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    13. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Vice produces some of the best actual reporting and investigative journalism going. Anyone that says differently is frankly an idiot.

    14. Re:No government role? by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      Reading the article, it sounds like Turkey has something more like an investigating magistrate -- a cross between a prosecutor and judge. This is (or was) common in civil law jurisdictions (eg, France). Scotland has something similar: a Procurator fiscal.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    15. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're a clickbait whorehouse just like Vox, HuffPost, or any other blognews site.

    16. Re:No government role? by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      if your such a fan of freedom and encryption maybe you should encrypt ur ass instead of waving it all around town?

    17. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Maybe I should get my public key tattooed on my ass. I'd have to get it tattooed backwards so that I could read it in a mirror.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    18. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I think they may have more ego than those you mentioned. They do have some good pieces, or did. I am a bit partial to their North Korea series. I'd be interested to see if they're ever allowed to go back.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    19. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was the stupidest post I've ever seen in my life. Do us all a favor, if you are too fucked up to put together a coherent thought, then don't post anything at all.

    20. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a muslim country so things are a little backwards. For instance they have assholes yammering at top volume at 4am every day through fucking MEGAPHONES, from towers designed to canvass the entire surrounding area in obnoxious noises from old men who should know way the fuck better.

      No wonder nobody has a sane thought in Islamic lands. They're all sleep-deprived cranky idiots.

    21. Re:No government role? by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      I think you have a weird definition of government.

      Government can mean many things. Colloquially, it could be all of the state and all civil servants. But in the most restrictive meaning it would just be prime minister, ministers and state secretaries. Many legal texts use the latter, most restrictive meaning.

    22. Re:No government role? by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      "independent judiciary" means that the "three powers" (judiciary, legislative and executive) are independent from each other. Police (part of the executive) cannot just arrest a judge (without the plenary of all judges agreeing to it first). Parliament (legislative) cannot just fire a specific judge. Police cannot arrest members of parliament (without rest of parliament lifting his immunity first). Etc.

    23. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the US grants an official pardon to Snowden, you can tell us all about a free press. Until then, shut your pie hole.

    24. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In a lot of countries, "government" can mean what Americans call "the administration".

    25. Re: No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read karl mays adventure books. They explain how middle east society works. He got bad rap for them for 100 years but he got it right.

    26. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Western law that's the reason there's a jury

      There is no jury in most Western law systems.

    27. Re:No government role? by gtall · · Score: 1

      Bingo, spot on over Erdogan. He's a whore though, not a fw. He'll gladly sell his pop. freedoms to Islam. You are correct that he doesn't much care about ISIS although he thinks it is just potty they are taking on dolt next door.

      The agreement between the U.S. and Turkey to use the bases in Turkey against ISIS is an example of the Obama/Biden foreign policy, lead through weakness and be clueless about non-U.S. agendas. It is beyond stupid for Obama to sell the Kurds out and allow Turkey to screw them over. Erdogan needed a foreign adventure to use in his campaign to be dictator for life after the party including the Kurds prevented him from winning that exalted position in the last election, and gormless Obama walked right into it. The Kurds will notice what the U.S. did to them, just as the Shia in S. Iraq noticed when G.H. Bush and the U.S. sold them out to Saddam, they never trusted the U.S. again, and helped push them into the loving arms of the Iranians who will defend Iran's interest to the last Arab.

    28. Re:No government role? by sociocapitalist · · Score: 1

      Well, generally it's a good thing that we have an independent judiciary. It ensures that they don't get caught up in the mob's favorite punching bag of the moment.

      The problem here is that a judiciary is only supposed to hear cases of controversy: That means there has to be two sides, and the case can't go on if there's no one to prosecute.

      In other words, if what they are saying is true, this means the Turkish courts are effectively judge AND prosecutor.

      Do you mean the independent judiciary whose members are appointed by the politicians it's supposed to be independent from?
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      blindly antisocialist = antisocial
    29. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On the other hand, you know, freedom. I don't really like them (sometimes they're amusing for the wrong reasons) but, yeah, they should have that same freedom too and so should everyone.

      Yes, I do know freedom. But that freedom simply means they are free to publish.. stuff. Not listening to them does not diminish their freedom whatsoever, because you are under no obligation to listen to them if you do not want to. Actively trying to quiet them would diminish their freedom, but that is not what you are doing.

    30. Re:No government role? by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

      And "the administration", in turn, is used as a shorthand to mean "the executive branch", or more precisely "the elected or appointed leadership of the executive branch". When most people say "the administration", they mean the people who have actual power of some kind, which generally doesn't include junior-level park rangers, or even junior-level FBI agents.

    31. Re:No government role? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Police can arrest whoever they want to. What are the judges and parliament going to do about it? The police are the ones who have guns.

    32. Re:No government role? by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      Police can arrest whoever they want to. What are the judges and parliament going to do about it? The police are the ones who have guns.

      Technically, using their guns in such a way (i.e. overstepping their constitutional mandate) would be a coup d'État. And the only thing the judges and parliaments could do in such a case would be to call on the populace to resist. And even that is moot, if the police had the foresight to occupy the media (TV stations, ...) first (which is actually what often happens during a coup d'État). There's still the internet to get the word out, but right now, they're taking "care" of that... Mesh networks? Oops, they're taking care of that one too.

    33. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of government is a publicly funded private business.

      No, governments are supposedly accountable to those who fund them (the taxpayer) and are, therefore, exempt from certain liberties that private businesses enjoy. This is essential as you, nor I, have an option to seek many of the "services" provided by government elsewhere, think military, police, courts etc. As a result of this monopoly status they must be transparent and accountable to those of us who are forced to pay for them.

      A good example of this is the quandary that the Kentucky county Clerk is in right now regarding the marriage equality decision. She has a personal, religious objection to performing her job duties and her only reasonable option is to resign. In a private business you might get some backlash for such actions but it is (or should be) your right to follow your conscience and associate freely. You are subject to market forces though and if your opinions are deemed unsavory you will suffer the financial consequences of boycott and negative publicity.

      If government really were "publicly funded private business" they wouldn't ban, plunder and imprison their competition, they would compete with them but you try starting a fractional reserve or even asset-backed currency and see what happens to you. You try going door to door and telling people you're providing them with security from now on and if you don't pay you'll put them in a cage and see what the "government" does. It is disingenuous and wrong to state that private business with which people voluntarily interact is in any way analogous to the violent monopoly of the state.

    34. Re: No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Https, keyboards, screens, hard disks, are all used by terrorists as well... why not just arrest everyone already?

    35. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      True but I feel I would be if I supported Turkey doing this sort of thing to them.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    36. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      No? Heh. I'll take your word for it but I thought the jury trial was optional in most of western Europe, Canada, the US, etc... Then again, now that you mention it, I don't seem to recall ever seeing a jury in, say, the UK - I've done well to avoid courts in the EU-area.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    37. Re:No government role? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      The stupidest? Pfft... You've not read at least half of my posts then. No, no... I type far more stupid things.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    38. Re:No government role? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Troll

      Yeah, I can dig, man. It is pretty heavy for you lightweights.. You are the decline...

    39. Re:No government role? by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      In any parliamentary republic, no matter the language used, "government" refers to the administration, i.e. the executive branch.

  2. having lived in Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Having lived in Turkey in the early 90s, I thought they might be the way forward for Islamic populations with respect to a semi-secular example of government. In reality, their liberal MILITARY (mark that one in your record books, folks) was the crux.. but.. now they're gone.

    I'll leave it to the EU as to whether they're ever admitted, but with respect to NATO, they have no relevance. Eject them from NATO now.

    1. Re:having lived in Turkey by KGIII · · Score: 0

      Wait... Turkey is a member of NATO? I should keep track of these things. Why, oh why, is Turkey a member of NATO? The whole first two letters of that acronym kind of exclude them from the Cool Kids Club. I knew that the EU was considering adding them but I thought that Europe ended at Greece and "that land over there" was where the continent of Asia was considered to begin?

      Maybe I need to go back to school and take more geography classes. I really do suck at it but, well, Turkey really isn't near the North Atlantic - not even close - unless I've completely forgotten how to globe. I am also pretty sure they're not a part of Europe? Perhaps they're like the overweight kid that insists on everyone else being inclusive even though you can't bike up the trail all the way because you have to stop and help Billy get up the hills or wait for him at the top.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:having lived in Turkey by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      The whole first two letters of that acronym kind of exclude them from the Cool Kids Club.

      maybe it's like the no homers club?

    3. Re:having lived in Turkey by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 3, Informative

      Turkey has a member of NATO since 1952. They joined before (West) Germany did.

      Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. It can control entry to the Black Sea (which contains the Crimea).

      NATO called the *North Atlantic* Treaty Organisation because the North Atlantic is what lies between Europe and North America.

      Really, if you did too many 'shrooms at school, you can find out all this stuff now with about 10 minutes on Wikipedia.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    4. Re:having lived in Turkey by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2

      And I'm still waiting on the coffee to brew. I think I'm doing pretty well.

      (And I did my share of psychoactive imagineering back in the day, but it's been at least 20 years since I've messed with anything on that level.)

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    5. Re:having lived in Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's much easier to be honest and type gibberish and this is Slashdot so, no matter how esoteric the subject, someone comes along and corrects me. I even retain a little bit of it while I forget everything on Wikipedia a half hour later. Thanks and enjoy your morning coffee.

      Posting as AC because Slashdot is being silly. It is obviously me. I'm probably the closest thing to a real life Markov chain. I am not sure if anyone could write like me well enough (poorly enough?) to fool anyone for long.

    6. Re:having lived in Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps if you mediated a bit on the raison d'etre of NATO when it was formed (a bloc of resistance to Soviet expansion) it will make more sense to you why Turkey is included.

    7. Re:having lived in Turkey by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      In reality, their liberal MILITARY (mark that one in your record books, folks) was the crux.. but.. now they're gone.

      They weren't unique that way. Egypt had the same thing going on; remember the Muslim Brotherhood won in popular elections after the Arab Spring revolution, and it was their military that had to step in and take over. Pakistan had something similar, years ago, with Musharraf and his military running the country to keep the government from being run by Islamists. Same thing with Iraq, sorta: they had Saddam running the place, with a strong military, and he more-or-less kept the peace between all the warring factions within. Same with Syria under Assad; before civil war, he kept the peace, but now different warring groups of Islamists want to take over or separate. Countries like that can't be run democratically; they need dictators or military cabals, otherwise they start resembling ISIS-land.

    8. Re:having lived in Turkey by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Turkey really isn't near the North Atlantic

      It's a lot closer to the North Atlantic than it is to the South Atlantic (which is the Atlantic Ocean south of the Equator).

    9. Re:having lived in Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      NATO was formed to restrain Soviet/Communist expansion in Europe.

      Turkey is a democratic nation, allied with the US and the rest of the NATO powers. It has a beautiful position on the southern flank of the Soviet Union; it controls access to the Black Sea, meaning that in case of a war they are able to stop the Soviet (now Russian) Black Sea fleet from getting out into the Med and causing trouble (that fleet was based in the Crimea, which you might have heard something about in the news recently). Moreover, Turkey actually had a border with the Soviet Union (now Armenia and Azerbaijan); that area provided useful intel from listening posts, and allowed the forward deployment of nuclear missiles. You might have learned something in history class about how the US freaked out about Soviet missiles being based in Cuba because they were so close to Washington and thus could hit us after a very short flight; missiles in eastern Turkey are about that close to Moscow and thus can hit them after a similarly short flight, and caused a similar amount of stress over there... Additionally, in case of a long war, securing access to middle eastern oil fields would be vital, while cutting off Soviet access to their oilfields in the Caucasus would be similarly vital; Turkey offers forward bases conveniently close to that whole region.

      Given all of that, you're shocked that they're included just because the US and UK chose to name the alliance after their favorite body of water, rather than picking a more inclusive name like "Non-communist Countries of North America and Europe Alliance"?

    10. Re:having lived in Turkey by afeeney · · Score: 2

      Technically, the government is secular (women working in government offices are even forbidden to wear head scarves, for example), but Erdogan has been doing everything possible to uproot that. As in many countries, the cities tend to back full separation of church/temple/mosque and state, while the rural areas tend to want religion integrated into government.

      As you say, for a long time the military was a strong force for secular liberalism and the standard-bearer for Ataturk's secularist reforms and even led several coups to restore secular and democratic rule. Erdogan, though, made sure early on in his administration to gut their capacity to affect policy, let alone lead a coup.

      I don't think that Turkey's capacity to be a mix of Muslim culture and secular government is entirely gone, but it's certainly diminishing. If it had a stronger and more diverse economy, Tunisia might be in a position to do so, but poverty (which often breeds Islamism, just like it does Christianism) and terrorism have virtually ruled out that possibility.

    11. Re:having lived in Turkey by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      In reality, their liberal MILITARY (mark that one in your record books, folks) was the crux.. but.. now they're gone.

      They weren't unique that way. Egypt had the same thing going on; remember the Muslim Brotherhood won in popular elections after the Arab Spring revolution, and it was their military that had to step in and take over. Pakistan had something similar, years ago, with Musharraf and his military running the country to keep the government from being run by Islamists. Same thing with Iraq, sorta: they had Saddam running the place, with a strong military, and he more-or-less kept the peace between all the warring factions within. Same with Syria under Assad; before civil war, he kept the peace, but now different warring groups of Islamists want to take over or separate. Countries like that can't be run democratically; they need dictators or military cabals, otherwise they start resembling ISIS-land.

      You're missing the point that the Turkish military are (comparatively) liberal, which is not the case with Egypt, Syria or Iraq.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    12. Re:having lived in Turkey by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      You're missing the point that the Turkish military are (comparatively) liberal, which is not the case with Egypt, Syria or Iraq.

      Yes, it is. The Egyptian military is not more conservative than the Muslim Brotherhood; that's why they deposed them. Same with the other places: the autocratic regimes were more liberal (i.e., secular instead of Islamist) than their populations and the groups now vying for power there.

  3. The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... because one of them used an encryption system on his personal computer.

    We all knew this day was coming. The real question: How do 5-eyes countries protect their citizens and still claim encryption==terrorist? This is where human rights advocates need to demand encryption as a part of free speech. Both government and advocates also have 'freedom' of the press issues to resolve. I've written 'freedom' because the press isn't examining the war on terror.

  4. Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not that surprising for anyone that follows Turkish politics. Erdogan isn't as bad as ISIS but he inch-by-inch is taking Turkey down the theocratic road of countries like Afghanistan. He practically had to be coerced into fighting ISIS. Very plausible he would have joined forces with ISIS to fight Kurds if it hadn't been for foreign pressure)

    Most Turks you meet are super nice in person but for some unfathomable reason this crpto-fascist jerk keeps winning elections. If he keeps winning elections, Turkey is going to devolve into a theocracy like most of the rest of the middle east. Secular Atatürk was rational (especially for his era). Erdogan things he's an Ottoman sultan. Populist moron.

    1. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Most Turks you meet are super nice in person but for some unfathomable reason this crpto-fascist jerk keeps winning elections.

      The Turks you have met, and the Turks voting for Erdogan, are likely disjoint sets. You have most likely met people from Istanbul, or the Western Coast. The people voting for Erdogan are mostly from rural Anatolia.

    2. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by KGIII · · Score: 0

      Wasn't it the Turks who did the whole Armenian Genocide thing or am I misremembering? I do not follow Turkish politics, obviously. Yet I don't recall them being significant in any way since the Ottoman empire which even predates me. I seem to recall that WWI finished off the Ottomaninians (I just made that word up and am declaring it official.) I just read above that they were (somehow) a member of NATO and I know they've been attempting to get membership to the EU as of late. I think the Greeks generally hate them.

      I don't follow their politics, at all. What, exactly, has Turkey done right? Why are they not sanctioned all the way to Freedom? I'm pretty sure anytime I see them the news is about them being an oppressive regime. I know that good stuff doesn't make the news but, really, I'm almost 60 and I can't really remember anything positive from them that lasted.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Turkey lies on the (mostly) land route between Europe and the Middle East. (Yes, this is the route the Ottomans followed when they conquered the Balkans.) It lies between the Back Sea (think Russia) and the Med and can easily control sea traffic between the two.

      Turkey's value has nothing to do with its own politics and everything to do with geopolitics.

      Hopefully, they will never gain entry to the EU unless and until they get rid of Erdogan and his Islamofascist rabble-rousers. Like Putin, Erdogan dreams of the lost days of Empire, and that together with the censorship, trampling free speech, and Armenia denial, does not wash at all well with the EU or most of its citizenry.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    4. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair... the Germans killed a lot more people than the Turks and we got over that. One of the lessons of all that killling is don't stereotype people... and that would include Turks and Germans as well.

      That said, Turkey is definitive going backwards under Erdogan. There is a secular element within Turkey that sounds very modern but voting shows there is a silent majority that bizarrely wants to roll back clock to theocratic tyrannical Ottoman empire (which is dangerous because Turkey would bombed like Taliban and ISIS if the government eventually behaved today like it did back then)

    5. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The Turkish version of Americans that vote for Republican politicians that tell them the earth is 6000 years and that they are super special! Or some Israeli's that vote for politicians that tell them some dude Moses talked to a bush and they are the chosen ones! There is something refreshing knowing people can behave like idiots in every nation.

    6. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 0

      Well, it took 3 fucking posts for some jackass to twist it around to America.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    7. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are more than enough unpleasant Turks who brought they primitive ways of living (so called honour killings) to Germany. They are responsible for antisemitism being on the rise. If there is a brawl, if there is an assault, if there is an idiot driving his BMW twice the speed limit, you can say that it was some young Turk and you will probably be right.
      There have been the most unpleasant immigrants for decades and only in the past 5 years things have started to change (meaning that worse people come here now)

    8. Re: Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The EU citizenry counts absolutely nothing. The EU cannot admit Turkey because its culture and ethnicity are too different. Now this wouldn't be a problem, a small enough population can be forcibly integrated within a generation but there are simply too many Turks.

    9. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a few friends in Turkey. One of them told me a while a go that they are placing bets on when Erdogan will declare himself Sultan. At the time I thought my friend was joking, then I did a Google search on Erdogan and now I have doubts. Have you seen Erdogan's 'presidential palace'?

      http://www.theguardian.com/wor...

      That place makes the White House look like a garden shed and the place where the president of my country lives like a birdhouse.

    10. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by gtall · · Score: 1

      The only reason Turkey is in NATO is because NATO now didn't want them to be part of the Soviet bloc back in the day. They occupy NATO's south eastern flank. They probably are somewhat useful now that Putin is trying to put the Soviet Union back together again. But they are not respected in the Mid-East, which remembers the Ottoman Empire with a certain amount of distaste.

      One thing makes American foreign policy sensible, the fact that Obama is entirely gormless. The man is without any strategic vision, other that One World singing Kum-Bye-Ya, and has no real foreign policy principles. He, and Biden, have sunk to the "blame American first" foreign policy. They believe in a bunny world where the U.N. is not a tool of Russia and China to kneecap the West.

      Best thing the U.S. could do is bung a few smart bombs up Turkey's air force's tushy and tell them to behave, and then get real nasty with Erdogan.

    11. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Hopefully, they will never gain entry to the EU unless and until they get rid of Erdogan and his Islamofascist rabble-rousers.

      Exactly. I mean, when Sean Connery is your voice and people still hate you, you might be doing something wrong.

    12. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 1

      Not that surprising for anyone that follows Turkish politics. Erdogan isn't as bad as ISIS but he inch-by-inch is taking Turkey down the theocratic road of countries like Afghanistan. He practically had to be coerced into fighting ISIS. Very plausible he would have joined forces with ISIS to fight Kurds if it hadn't been for foreign pressure)

      Most Turks you meet are super nice in person but for some unfathomable reason this crpto-fascist jerk keeps winning elections. If he keeps winning elections, Turkey is going to devolve into a theocracy like most of the rest of the middle east. Secular Atatürk was rational (especially for his era). Erdogan things he's an Ottoman sultan. Populist moron.

      Good post. Actually the word I keep hearing is that Turkey isn't fighting ISIS at all but is using it as a pretext to only attack various Kurdish groups they don't like.

      As an American who has traveled quite a bit to Europe and consider myself somewhat pro-Europe, I have given up on Turkey. (Disclaimer - I've never visited Turkey.) If you could talk to me in the late 1990s or very early 2000s, I was all for Turkey joining the EU. I have completely reversed myself and now while I have no say as I'm not an EU citizen, it is my strong belief that Turkey should not ever be allowed to joint the EU. I've learned over the past decade that if given a free choice, Muslims will willingly choose to enslave themselves. This has happened in Turkey and everywhere in the so called Arab Spring except Egypt. It sure got started in Egypt and then most of the people reversed themselves after realizing the full extent of what putting the Muslim Brotherhood in power really meant.

      I blame the situation in Turkey on George W. Bush mostly. Bush started the ball rolling by making sure that the Turkish military understood that they weren't supposed to prevent Erdogan or his party (which was at one time illegal) from taking power. Now enough time has passed that I'm not sure if the Turkish military has any more people in power who might actually be opposed to Erdogan. Since Bush's presidency the US has had an irrational belief that more democracy in countries that have never had it can only lead to favorable outcomes for the USA without realizing that when you let people freely vote, they may just choose to elect someone you don't like. Turkey is a terrible "friend" to the USA and they're not going to provide much useful help against ISIS as long as Erdogan is in charge.

    13. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but the Germans admitted it. The Turks (or at least their government) still tries to pretend it never happened. Look at how they reacted to the Pope's recent comments.

    14. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it took 3 fucking posts for some jackass to twist it around to America.

      It's only natural. We are the center of the universe, after all.

    15. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we get it, he's black.

    16. Re: Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Germans are European Herrenvolk. Turks are untermensch.

    17. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      This is an American site, and most of the users are American. America is also the most powerful country in the world still. It shouldn't be a surprise that someone brings up America as a comparison.

    18. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by afeeney · · Score: 1

      They did commit what they'll reluctantly admit were mass killings of Armenians (what the rest of the world correctly recognizes as genocide) in the aftermath of World War I.

      During the Ottoman era, they did occupy Greece and were, like virtually every occupying force, remarkably brutal. This got a lot of attention in the West because they were oppressing Europeans and Christians (instead of Asians and Muslims).

      But here's a story about them. During the Irish genocide by famine (when a country exports food during a famine and the occupying foreign land owners raise rents during a period of starvation, that's genocide, whether the original cause was natural or not), the then Sultan of Turkey, Abdul Majid Khan, offered to send food and 10,000 pounds sterling. England refused to allow this.

      Why? Why would it refuse the kind of aid that would have saved several thousand lives?

      Queen Victoria gave only two thousand pounds and a gift greater than that would make her look ungenerous.

      The Sultan insisted on giving something and finally they bargained him down to one thousand pounds. He also send three ships worth of food, but kept it quiet.

    19. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Ah yes. We also put missiles there - I'd forgotten that, I was really young but should remember that. Still, it doesn't make sense to have them a member of NATO, given its name, but rather some other group.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    20. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by packrat0x · · Score: 1

      Wasn't it the Turks who did the whole Armenian Genocide thing or am I misremembering?

      Atatürk had most of the genociders killed (because they opposed his rise to power and/or were incredibly incompetent). So it's a bit unfair to criticize Turkey for the acts of a prior regime.

      --
      227-3517
    21. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      ... when it should have taken two or fewer posts.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    22. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      The Turks you have met, and the Turks voting for Erdogan, are likely disjoint sets.

      Very possibly true.

      You have most likely met people from Istanbul, or the Western Coast. The people voting for Erdogan are mostly from rural Anatolia.

      Having spent much of the last 6 months working in Turkey, I've been meeting a fair number of Turks from all over the country. While most of them have, in fact been quite nice and personable people (including the ones who really didn't want to be there), I couldn't draw a geographical line separating different factions. I suspect that it's more of a social class (caste) difference, since most of the Turks I was working with were degree-educated and middle-class (or aspirants).

      If Turkey schisms into a civil war - a low but non-zero possibility - it's not going to be easily solved like regional wars (the Kurdish 3-way mess from 1920, for example), but is going to be a real brother-against-brother job. Very bloody.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    23. Re:Erdogen is an Islamofascist by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Good point though I wasn't really trying to do that - I was merely pointing out what I'd recalled from their history and certainly would absolutely never judge people by their leadership or even their majority. I judge based on what an individual does or says they will do. I, for example, have an outright loathing for my government. It is run by corrupt individuals. My fellow citizens are fat, lazy, and ignorant. I'd hate to be judged based on them though I can understand some categorization. I am, of course, an American - I think most people on this rock we call home are generally in agreement with me in some of those areas.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  5. ...has been used by... by meerling · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wow, so now to get arrested for terrorism, all you have to do is use the same kind of thing that a terrorist has used?
    I sure hope none of them wear Nikes.

    1. Re:...has been used by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's kinda like McCarthyism, but since 911 I like to call it Silversteinyism.

    2. Re:...has been used by... by gl4ss · · Score: 2

      well, you have to wear same kind of nike knockoffs.

      and piss off Erdogan by reporting PKK of consisting of human beings trying to fight ISIS to keep their brethren alive.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:...has been used by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yea it's kinda like all you have to do in the US to get arrested for treason is reveal the way the government is abusing the citizens.

      Get off your high horse. This wouldn't even make the news were it any other OECD country.

    4. Re:...has been used by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I heard terrorists use air for breathing...

    5. Re:...has been used by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Yeah, look at that country over there, they're doing bad stuff too so we should just be ok with it." - Fuckwit

  6. What is it with "terrorism" charges? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did someone put on the stupid hat again? "Terrorist", "Pedophile", "Rape", "Nazi" - these are all highly-charged words that seem to cause us to lose our shit and completely disregard all facts. They're also forbidden words in regular daily discourse. How did we invent words that suspend common-sense and rational thought?

    The Turkish police forces use guns. ISIS uses guns. Are the Turkish police terrorists now? Are they engaging in terrorist activity?

    The Turkish government uses encryption. ISIS uses encryption. Is the Turkish government a terrorist organization now?

    I bet a lot of terrorists use toothpaste as well. Oh fuck, now we're all in trouble. Cancel your dentist appointments right now.

  7. Another technology to be avoided by cartesius · · Score: 5, Informative

    "the Casio F-91W digital watch was declared to be 'the sign of al-Qaeda' and a contributing factor to continued detention of prisoners by the analysts stationed at GuantÃnamo Bay." from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

    1. Re:Another technology to be avoided by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... Casio F-91W digital watch ...

      It is like claiming people with iPhones are terrorists. I had a F-91W watch 20 years ago: Sturdy but not chunky, and a good feature set for the time. It also had a strong plastic band in fashionable black. This is what turned me onto Casio sports-watches when I couldn't get a Taiwanese, heavy brass sports-watch. My current and previous watches were Casio AQF-100 models. I checked Google; it doesn't list terrorism associations for them.

    2. Re:Another technology to be avoided by ganjadude · · Score: 1

      that and there was a nokia phone as well that is 10 years old and selling for 10s of thousands of dollars. I cant seem to find the model right now however

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    3. Re:Another technology to be avoided by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damnit, I'm wearing one of those!* Guess I'll have to leave it at home when I travel from now on.

      *It's a damn good watch too, and has a battery life that would put any "smart" watch to shame.

    4. Re:Another technology to be avoided by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I thought you were bullshitting or a spammer. *sighs* I kind of wish I still thought that but I clicked your link. Maybe we need to lock up anyone that uses Energizer batteries. There is one in the picture... I'm going to want a more compelling reason to believe that a wearer is a terrorist.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re:Another technology to be avoided by Crimey+McBiggles · · Score: 1

      Very interesting, I learned something about a Casio watch I used to own today!

      Anyway back to the article, I think there should be a difference between using a specific encryption scheme (applying math to your data), and purchasing a physical piece of specific technology. But then again, there are import/export laws concerning security so I guess there is some legal precedent, even if it's questionable.

      --
      Crimey
    6. Re:Another technology to be avoided by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I still have a F-91W. Who wears watches, though?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:Another technology to be avoided by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      I still have a F-91W. Who wears watches, though?

      Terrorists, obviously. Please report to the nearest police station, comrade!

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    8. Re:Another technology to be avoided by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      To be fair, outside of Japan, that watch pretty much screams social ineptitude, and terrorists are nothing if not socially inept.

      Come to think of it, that watch might be single-handedly responsible for the decreased birth rate inside Japan. It's like a birth control watch. Well, if it had hands anyway.

    9. Re:Another technology to be avoided by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      certain revisions of the nokia 1100, i have one but not one that is the revision worth a lot of money, mine is just an old phone in a drawer.

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    10. Re:Another technology to be avoided by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I still have a F-91W. Who wears watches, though?

      People who don't want to dig out their phone and press a button to show the home screen every time they want to know the time?

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    11. Re:Another technology to be avoided by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      People who don't want to dig out their phone and press a button to show the home screen every time they want to know the time?

      These days you don't have to press a button... the phone knows you're looking and shows you the clock

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Another technology to be avoided by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I would not trade my Citizen for one. Yay! I am not a terrorist! My mother would be proud.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  8. Why I haven't posted for a while by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I haven't posted for a while, because it takes a while for my old tub to sail from the warm waters of sunny South Carolina, across the Atlantic and Mediterranean. I knew there might be a mission though, and it looks like this is it.

    These guys will be sunk--by a Confederate submarine. BOOM! Glug, glug, glug.

  9. Re:This is the future... by hawkingradiation · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Isn't an encrypted population like an armed population? Computers capable of powerful of enough encryption which once classified as munitions and their export banned. So having encryption is kind of like having the right to defend yourself. Which I do not see as bad, nor should the republicans who believe in the right to bear arms.

    --
    Society use your Sciences
  10. https? by countach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What encryption system I wonder. Isn't https an encryption system that is used by Islamic State?

    1. Re:https? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's also used by default on the SoylentNews website. Those people actually maintain Slashcode now.

    2. Re:https? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's also used by default on the SoylentNews website.

      Does that mean there is an option to turn it off? In case, I ever have to visit turkey, of course.

    3. Re:https? by StikyPad · · Score: 2

      Probably TrueCrypt, given that's what Snowden told Glenn Greenwald to use, and Greenwald is probably pretty close to the Vice news guys. Also, anyone wanting to protect their data from government surveillance would have been looking at the Snowden story very closely, so it's at least plausible, but very likely IMO, that ISIS uses TrueCrypt as well.

  11. Well, well, VICE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not so fun when your staffers are falsely accused of being terrorists in an area where the real world consequences could mean prison, or even death. Maybe your staffers over here in the US will learn not be so quick to flippantly and falsely label others as "terrorists" just because it gets you clicks and promulgates a feminist agenda.

    1. Re:Well, well, VICE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The government does that, not the media. The media often gladly goes along with whatever the government tells them, but they tend not to have their own opinion on anything important.

  12. Re:This is the future... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sorry, the democrats disarmed everyone

  13. Re:This haiku is not encrypted by KGIII · · Score: 1

    Not encrypted? pfft...

    http://pastebin.com/qjhSHxn8

    It is now.

    http://textmechanic.com/Encryp...
    Password: ?KCO3&pS12=zNH4X

    Yes, that took too much effort. Slashdot did not approve of the message. "Filter error: That's an awful long string of letters there."

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  14. Re:This is the future... by KGIII · · Score: 1

    >implying that Republicans are going to know technology or use critical thinking skills

    >implying that Democrats are likely to do so (my own text) instead of the Republicans

    Maybe we need to start a public campaign to explain what the importance of this is. I don't think it is a party issue. My Republican and my Democrat associates all seem inclined to believe in the need to have the freedom to encrypt our documents. I don't tend to hang around with extremists and idiots so your mileage may vary. I think most of them, with a few notable exceptions that I will not get into here, are all pretty reasonable (speaking about my associates only) and would be more accurately described as centrists who may actually vote across party lines as needed but I've never asked them how they voted unless they've volunteered the information due to a conversation we were having.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  15. That's British English, not US. Parliamentary syst by raymorris · · Score: 3, Informative

    That's the British sense of the word "government", not the US sense of the word. Turkey, like many nations, has a parliamentary system.

    It goes something like this. The people elect parliament, who make laws much like the US Congress. The parliament then elects or nominates two heads. One handles foreign affairs. That's the head of state. In the US, the president is head of state. The other top person forms "a government" which handles internal affairs. The US is weird in that then president is both head of state and head of government. In parliamentary systems like Turkey and the UK, they are two seperate positions. (Though sometimes the head of state now has only nominal power, if the head of government and the parliament have slowly taken more and more power).

    Seperate from "the government" and parliament is the judiciary. The head of government can't fire judges.

    In this type of system, as in the early US system, the head of government doesn't have nearly as much power as the US president does. Other branches can and do act independently.

  16. Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Turkey is a really funny place

    Turkey is a nation which actively sponsoring terrorism - especially those from the Islamic State, and in the meantime they do everything they can to harm those who dare to fight for truth

    The journalist in question was arrested not because of his use of encryption - that's only an excuse - rather, the journalist was arrested because Turkey is afraid of journalists who dare to expose the heinous atrocities committed by the Turkish government

    1. Re:Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      [Citation Needed]

      Given that Turkey takes in more refugees than all of Europe combined, has deployed significant military forces in conjunction with US forces against ISIS, and has arrested a pile of would-be fighters passing through its territory destined to fight for either side, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're full of shit.

    2. Re:Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Given that Turkey would have a hard timer refusing silly numbers of refugees given its geography, that the majority of US deployments to the Middle East over the last forty years have promoted Islamic extremist groups, and stopping individual fighters identified by its allies is hardly mutually exclusive with sponsoring ISIS, I'm going to go out on a limb and say your black-and-white thinking is more suited in the compsci classroom than in international affairs.

      A more nuanced analysis would identify very few countries whose governments have not benefitted from ISIS as a bogeyman for fear at home and military spending abroad. The respective government response is then to either actively sponsor ISIS (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc.) or to merely take action which reinforces violent Islamic extremism, whether by destabilising containing governments or eschewing either diplomatic approaches or final military strategies in favour of endless skirmishes.

    3. Re:Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You must be new to the world of politics. Just because a government does something opposite of what it's being accused of doing, doesn't mean it's not doing what it's being accused of doing.

      You know, the US has gone after governments all over the world, often mentioning torture being one of the reasons they're doing whatever they're doing. But whoops, it just so happens to be that the US is also actively torturing captives. With innocent people proven to have died of it. Oh my.

    4. Re: Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slashdot puts "citation needed" for saying that Turkey takes in more refugees than all Europe combined (which can be verified with a quick search) plus it is working with the US in the fight against ISIS (can also be verified with a quick search). However, slashdot does not put a "citation needed" flag for the root entry, which claims that Turkey is a nation which actively sponsoring terrorism plus some other rather strong claims. It is interesting to notice this.

    5. Re:Funny Turkey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But whoops, it just so happens to be that the US is also actively torturing captives. With innocent people proven to have died of it. Oh my.

      Citation there on the "innocents" that have died from US torture, Mr. George Takai? What were the exact circumstances?

  17. Re:This is the future... by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

    why do you assume the RNC is the problem?

  18. Re:This is the future... by Noah+Haders · · Score: 2

    My Republican and my Democrat associates all seem inclined to believe in the need to have the freedom to encrypt our documents.

    I don't tend to hang around with extremists and idiots

    danger! danger! contradiction alert!

  19. What, this is about encryption? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would think the bigger story is that a turkey is going around arresting people!

  20. Burn the Witch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Burn him....

  21. SSL by drolli · · Score: 1

    So if i browsw Websites using SSL (something which the ISIS probably also does), i am also a terrorrist?

    I guess i wont tranfer in Istanbul Airport the next time i travel.

  22. Revenge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >Turkey Arrests Journalists For Using Encryption

    That's what you get for treating them that way on thanksgiving.

  23. Only idiots outlaw encryption ... by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

    ... what's next; banning Mathematics?? Because that's exactly what encryption is.

    Instead of banning the tool (which never works) how about going after the _behaviors_.

    Gee, if only we had some evidence about the power of peer pressure (7. The Harvard Man)

  24. Here you go, UK Government by simplypeachy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You wanted functional encryption to be made illegal. Turkey has just taken a bold step towards this brave stance. How does it taste to you? I bet the EU spokeswoman's comments made the pill even more delicious, since she mentioned human rights, which is something the UK government also wants to shred.

  25. The Right Bills by IHTFISP · · Score: 1

    Encryption is an inherently criminal activity: the only people who would ever think to engage in it are obviously nefarious cretins w/ something to hide.

    Therefore, anyone who refuses to immediately give up their password/passphrase to Deputy Fife or Mall Cop Paul should automatically be sentenced to 20 years minimal time at hard labor.

    Note that these evil terrorists also assert the following additional abominable outrages:
    1. Right to exercise free religion, free speech, free press, free open assembly, and protests against government
    2. Right to keep and bear arms and form militias
    3. Right to reject occupying forces
    ...among maybe a few others.

    It's high time we pass a bill to outlaw all these assaults on theology and geometry!

    ----
    Right is right and left is wrong.

    Ignatius J. Reilly

    --
    Error: NSE - No Signature Error
  26. Funny ya'll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On this article. there is no name nor location no specific individuals but bunch of idiots make comment as if this holds any legitimacy. Internet shows its funny face again

  27. Top penalty for Vice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the crime of spreading feminist propaganda

  28. Re:This is the future... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why do you assume the RNC is the problem?

    Start with the RNC but if the DNC does not change to represent the will of the People they too should face the consequences. Revolution is a necessary tool to be used against government which seeks to restrict freedoms.

  29. Re:This is the future... by jd2112 · · Score: 1

    My Republican and my Democrat associates all seem inclined to believe in the need to have the freedom to encrypt our documents.

    I don't tend to hang around with extremists and idiots

    danger! danger! contradiction alert!

    Most Republicans and Democrats are not extremists or idiots.
    It does however appear to be a requirement for those running for higher offices.

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  30. Re:That's British English, not US. Parliamentary s by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So if "government" just means the executive, is there no all-inclusive term? Do you just say "the state"?

  31. What do you expect from a country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that committed genocide against the Armenians and against the Kurds? Germany pained for its atrocities in WW2, but Turkey got away without a scratch. Now they seem to overlook pro ISIS activities and funding.
    Why is anyone surprised?

  32. And they were applauded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    by the American government.

  33. BREAKING NEWS! by wardrich86 · · Score: 1

    Turkey shuts down water plants and bans oxygen and nitrogen. Turkish government notes that terrorists are using these substances to survive.

    More at 11.

  34. EU by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

    and yet the EU is still entertaining the idea of admitting these clowns as full members.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  35. Re:Another technology to be avoided - Casio F-91W by Insightfill · · Score: 2

    Funny enough, I bought an F-91W because of this press. I was starting to realize that most of the time I was taking my phone out of my pocket, it was to check the time. Every time I did that, I was taking myself away from what I was doing for way too long, and it was one more chance to drop an expensive phone.

    So: I went looking for a cheap watch. I first hunted down the F-91W because of the terrorist association press, and the Amazon reviews are awesome. It's also a common watch sold at US military PXs, so I'm surprised that it would also be a watch that could get you picked up in Afghanistan. While looking at that one, I noticed that Casio actually makes a bunch of fairly decent looking analog watches for under $15 (MQ24-1E and MQ-24-1BLK are nice). They last about two years before the battery goes out, at which point you can replace the battery or the watch, and I had bought one of each over the past several years, before settling with the F-91W.

    It's a tank. I wear it during martial arts, swimming, showering... nothing seems to phase it.

  36. Re:This is the future... by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

    Most Republicans and Democrats are not extremists or idiots.

    Spending a little time around either one will cure you of that thought. And yes, that means that the majority of the American population is either an extremist or an idiot, or both. There's been plenty of studies about how ridiculously polarized Americans are these days; this isn't an unfounded claim.

  37. Re:This is the future... by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

    I'm not trying to impugn most democrats or republicans, I'm just suggesting you may be overestimating your friends.

  38. well it depends, in Saudi Arabia church vs state by raymorris · · Score: 1

    I suppose "governmental entities " is somewhat all-inclusive. It's kind of hard to know what to include in all-inclusive since different nations and other political divisions are so different. Does the (all-inclusive) government of Germany include EU entities?

    Saudi Arabia has two completely separate entities. You may have noticed many hospitals in the US are run by religious organizations, and often have Saint in their name. Similarly with many schools. In Saudi Arabia, the religious groups run most hospitals, schools, and other domestic services. Does that make them a government? It's not entirely clear. The house of Saud basically handles foreign affairs, so they are clearly governmental. (The house of Saud has a friendly view of the US. The religious groups in the area often do not.)

  39. NYC Tombs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many people got a glimpse at Turkey in the movie Midnight Express. But if you want to experience the filthy dungeons and cruel treatment behind bars then visit the old NY City jail located directly underneath the City Courthouse at 100 Centere St. In Manhattan. This place is not to be confused with the infamous Tombs located next door. This disgraceful mess run by the City of New York and the NYPD is no better than what uou see in Turkey or any filthy third world jail. This mess should be shutdown and the Mayor of New York should apologize to anyone who has ever been held there!

  40. Turkey Paving the Way to the Future! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Turkey, implementing the policy that Western Three Letter Agencies can only dream of!! Turkey leads the way to enlightenment! Turkey, beating those dirty hippie journalists, just like J. Edgar used to!!