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View Full Version : Big brother really is watching


Lindsey
September 22nd, 2007, 10:44 PM
Ari Fleischer wasn't kidding that Americans need to "watch what they say, watch what they do":


The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.

The personal travel records are meant to be stored for as long as 15 years, as part of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to assess the security threat posed by all travelers entering the country. Officials say the records, which are analyzed by the department's Automated Targeting System, help border officials distinguish potential terrorists from innocent people entering the country.

[...]

Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, said in an interview that he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, he said, he was questioned by border officials about "politically charged" opinion pieces he had published in his local newspaper. The essays were critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East, he said. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, "they had them printed out on the table in front of me."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102347.html

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
September 23rd, 2007, 04:54 PM
Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, said in an interview that he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, he said, he was questioned by border officials about "politically charged" opinion pieces he had published in his local newspaper. The essays were critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East, he said. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, "they had them printed out on the table in front of me."That's just appalling. Absolutely appalling. We have GOT to get these people out of government.

Lindsey
September 23rd, 2007, 10:40 PM
That's just appalling. Absolutely appalling. We have GOT to get these people out of government.
Bad enough that they were compiling data on flight destinations and hotel reservations on the other end. But to know that they are tracking your reading material, too??? And if you saw the article, they also record what type of bed you ask for in your hotel room.

This is what comes of the claim that there is no Constitutional right to privacy.

And yeah, we can't get this crew out fast enough. But will the new crew really be any better? I'm not entirely sure of that. This kind of thing is going to be extraordinarily hard to roll back.

--Lindsey

fhaber
September 24th, 2007, 08:59 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree

I was so impressed by the "Text of the Decree" section that I printed and posted it on my workshop door. See attached. Yes, it is quarter to twelve, folks.....

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2007, 10:16 AM
Bad enough that they were compiling data on flight destinations and hotel reservations on the other end. But to know that they are tracking your reading material, too??? And if you saw the article, they also record what type of bed you ask for in your hotel room. This is what comes of the claim that there is no Constitutional right to privacy.To quote Benjamin Franklin one more time:

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

And yeah, we can't get this crew out fast enough. But will the new crew really be any better? I'm not entirely sure of that. This kind of thing is going to be extraordinarily hard to roll back.Unfortunately you're right about that. But a President with guts can take us a long way back. If we should be so amazingly lucky as to get one such...

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2007, 10:18 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree

I was so impressed by the "Text of the Decree" section that I printed and posted it on my workshop door.Frighteningly similar, isn't it?

Lindsey
September 24th, 2007, 11:22 PM
I was so impressed by the "Text of the Decree" section that I printed and posted it on my workshop door. See attached. Yes, it is quarter to twelve, folks.....
Damn...

--Lindsey

Lindsey
September 24th, 2007, 11:27 PM
To quote Benjamin Franklin one more time:

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Far be it from me to disagree with Benjamin Franklin!

But a President with guts can take us a long way back.
Uh, and in the current crop of candidates, that would be who, exactly? The only ones with guts and a reverence for civil liberties (Ron Paul, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich) are just a little bit scary...

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2007, 09:13 PM
Uh, and in the current crop of candidates, that would be who, exactly? The only ones with guts and a reverence for civil liberties (Ron Paul, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich) are just a little bit scary...Sigh... I wish you weren't so very right on that...

Lindsey
September 25th, 2007, 09:45 PM
Sigh... I wish you weren't so very right on that...
I wish so, too!!

--Lindsey