Archive for June, 2008
Want to know where your latest internet browsing history, travel plans and credit history is going? To Europe. Without your knowledge. Why? Because the US is on the brink of signing an “information exchange” agreement with the European Union. The report says “it will be lawful for governments and companies to mutually exchange personal information as part of the global fight against terrorism.”
Some hurdles the US is waiting to jump?
- The EU wants to ensure that its citizens can seek recourse in US courts
- No immunity granted (in relation to) EU citizens regarding telecom companies
Some things the US had not deemed to care about:
- “Safe guards” have not been defined that will protect such information as our sexual history, race or gender
- No worries about our due process in the EU courts. After all–we’ve already been denied them here so we should be used to it.
- And hey-I think I’ll join the EU with those telecom immunity concerns
June 30th, 2008
Way to go FISA flip floppers. You sold our privacy rights for a measly $8,000. You spineless bastards.
To quote Open Secrets:
Last week 94 House Democrats who once opposed providing immunity to the telecom companies for their role in the Bush administration’s controversial warrantless wiretapping program voted in support of the protection. What distinguished the 94 lawmakers who switched their vote from the 116 that remained opposed? Campaign contributions from the companies, according to an analysis by MAPLight.org.
Count it. That’s 94 gutless sheep cowing to an outgoing administration for their own campaign funds.
I hate all of you.
June 27th, 2008
My blogger friend Adam sent me this article by Rolling Stone. In case anyone wondered what a case-study would look like for the National ID and police state v.20 would look like…well China beat us to it.
Some highlights include:
1. Economic suppression by the use of a National ID card
2. Riots by panicked workers
3. Constant surveillance
4. (And lastly my favorite) Uprisings led by bloggers.
June 20th, 2008
Okay maybe I’m being a bit dramatic but I’m very upset with the House over caving on the immunity issue for telecommunications on the FISA bill.
Seriously this is what was granted as “A-OK” by our government. Immunity for AT&T when they aided the government’s secret, five-year warrantless wiretapping program.
Money quote by a guy in the legislature (that I’m not ever a big fan of but agree with on this issue)
“The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation,” said Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act in 2001. “The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President’s illegal program, and which fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home.”
This is a sad, terrible day for privacy rights and Americans. Last time the government spied on law abiding citizens this much they were wearing redcoats.
June 20th, 2008
This past weekend I went to visit a friend in San Diego. It was lovely and still classy. However Shamu and I almost had a brawl outside his pad. The reason? My privacy rights of course.
Apparently, Shamu and his aquatic friends are such divas that not just anyone may enjoy their show. Now it is necessary to give up your fingerprint to the Anheuser-Busch before entering the park. Last I looked police stations were the only people that collected fingerprints and until aquatic shows are a feature of staying in the drunk tank I demand it remain that way!
Sorry Shamu but that’s the last you’ll see of me.
June 17th, 2008
Washington D.C. red light cameras are having a dangerous effect. Allow me first to pull up study from 2005 according to an article in the Washington Post
“…the number of crashes at locations with cameras more than doubled, from 365 collisions in 1998 to 755 last year. Injury and fatal crashes climbed 81 percent, from 144 such wrecks to 262.”
Now we also learn that due process has been taken by “the man.” According to Online Traffic School blog a man who was trapped in an intersection due to traffic is still being forced to “pay up’ because the video damning drivers lasted all of 3 seconds. The video fails to show the entire situation at hand and thus sneaks off with people’s right to due process.
Two good reasons to abolish this type of Nanny State.
June 11th, 2008
The following is from an article on Tech World:
Over the past five years, 43 US states have adopted data breach notification laws, but has all of this legislation actually cut down on identity theft? Not according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who have published a state-by-state analysis of data supplied by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the laws actually reduce identity theft,” said Sasha Romanosky, a Ph.D student at Carnegie Mellon who is one of the paper’s authors.
I can’t say I’m very surprised that the governments inability to pass legislation that would actually protect our privacy rights. After all these are the guys that are proposing REAL ID…
June 9th, 2008
My joy is frothing over the rim of the cup….THE STANLEY CUP! Go Red Wings! I heart you (especially Ozzie)!!!
Hm-maybe if we had a trophy the government would have as many “shut outs” for privacy rights…
(It’s relevant now-happy Nicky Cheese?)
June 5th, 2008
Okay-short break from privacy rights to take a look at this article on Wired:Threat Level:
New Blogging Network Editor Hopes To Transform Social Networking To Social Action
I seriously have to take a step back and go “Holy barracuda Batman!” Change.org has organized 2,000 (!) nonprofits and hired 50 bloggers to get out their message transform it into action.
How has this succeeded when we have not…even with the Ron Paul Revolution standing behind us? Let’s get a thread going to talk about this.
June 3rd, 2008
