as of just now 1 bloc
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It's cool large websites are ignoring gag requests on government subpoenas. However, we realize they only do so because not appearing to collude with government overreach happens to benefit their marketability (particularly overseas). Furthermore, this doesn't affect the most opaque of government requests: court-ordered FISA requests and executive NSLs. That's why we, private citizens, will continue pressing for Congress to remedy this.
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We believe in the budding and coming revolution of the sharing economy. "This collaborative rather than capitalistic approach is about shared access rather than private ownership...Millions of people are using social media sites, redistribution networks, rentals and cooperatives to share not only cars but also homes, clothes, tools, toys and other items at low or near zero marginal cost."
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We're dismayed by Justin Cater's prosecution. It's another example of disproportionate prosecution of online activity in the tradition of Aaron Schwartz as well as online bullies who face no consequences whatsoever. Sure his remarks were crude when taken out of context, but that's not a requirement of the First Amendment. DA's need to familiarize themselves with digital rights and culture to properly calibrate their charges, or we'll be voting them out of office!
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We wholeheartedly support this day of action against NSA surveillance. https://thedaywe
fightback.org makes it very easy to express your dissatisfaction to your Congressional representatives. Only through the legislature can we rollback the laws that permit these egregious government acts! - ▶In reply to
And those who don't vaccinate are freeloaders! They selfishly benefit from the effort of othe...
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Non-vaccinators should pay an annual penalty. This issue should be treated the same way healthcare coverage is treated. When individuals choose not to buy healthcare coverage, the odds increase that the public will have to pick up the tab for any healthcare costs they incur (e.g. ER visits) which are usually much higher than if they had preventative care. (This accountability principle was upheld by the right-leaning SCOTUS, so let's not devolve this vox into a conversation about Obamacare.) Along those lines, parents who opt-out of child vaccination would be required to pay a hefty annual penalty approximately equal to the healthcare costs they place on the public. It's only fair and responsible.
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Should we believe what the chairman of the House of Intelligence Committee is saying? Did Snowden actually end up in the "loving arms of an FSB agent in Moscow?" I don't think so. I smell diversion.
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We welcome Obama's remarks but more must be done. His speech struck us, mainly throughout the first half, as cluttered with rhetoric, deflection, and rationalization. Eventually, he rattled off a slew of Presidential directives and orders (more internal oversight and restrictions, annual internal reviews to declassify information and address private and foreign interests, and time limits on NSL gag orders and storage of foreign citizen data). We give him some credit for these executive orders, but they're flimsy. They can be rescinded at any time, by Obama or successive Presidents. So we demand Congress resolve this permanently, and affirm a commitment to prevent similar crises in the future. Our trust in government rests largely on our ability to hold Congress accountable, so we take any action that inhibits accountability as a manipulative, abusive affront to democracy. We want oversight, because oversight motivates restraint. And as technology continues to amplify the effects of these transgressions, in questionable cases we prefer our government errs on the side of transparency rather than secrecy, as we accept that a free and open society fundamentally entails risks to our physical safety. So Obama's most important statements were in this very spirit. We look forward to the replacement metadata collection program he intends to take to Congress, and on his call for them to create an independent civilian panel to argue significant cases in FISC. We expect Congress to go further, not only to strengthen oversight and other checks on existing programs, but also to institute a general oversight framework for *any* secret powers granted now or in the future (we cannot know that all such secrecy has already been made public). An American once wisely said, "A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency." Today, five years later, he outlined a few steps his administration is taking to uphold that.
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Clemency for Snowden! He shined necessary light on unconstitutional & antidemocratic government actions in the only meaningful way possible
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Should we be worried about quantum computing technology? Its probably more cost effective for the government to intercept our new technologies before they land in our hands with spy malware than having to dip into its black budget. Oh this make my head spin. http://www.washi
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A great Christmas video from the ACLU. But we prefer the original version of the song, so let's do what we can to bring transparency and democratic controls to the NSA. (See attached link.)
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What a ridiculous waste of tax dollars by the NSA! We can only imagine the pricetag associated with these whimsical hyper-paranoid pursuits. At a time when Americans are in need of job training, when city infrastructure is in disrepair, when the cost of education has skyrocketed, the NSA's conduct is shameful.
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I and other people of color (aka non white identifying) struggle with this daily. There is still a perception of a level of measure being applied to normative culture as it being set by white Americans. Even if hiphop and other powerful native cultures to the Americas like the various Latino cultures are increasingly influential. The images we see, that are advertised or the social norms we adopt are heavily influenced by the anglo-american. This largely has to do with who controls most of the wealth in this country, but also there is a psychology of all american people to normalize to this level of whiteness in order to avoid persecution or oppression by being outside of the larger society because of political, sexual, religious or vocational choices. "White America is desperately searching for its soul because it has for so long benefited from a belief that it is apart from the rest of us, blank of experience..."
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I think it may be time to surf the internet in privacy mode. "Today, an FBI agent can open an intrusive investigation with no reason to suspect criminal activity, and any resulting information can be kept for 20-30 years, even if it has no relationship to the investigation. Similarly, the FBI keeps so-called "suspicious activity reports" that are determined to have no relevance to terrorism – but may reflect Americans' constitutionally protected speech or other activities – for 30 years in a widely-accessible database."
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Rationally it doesn't make sense to do something like this. I'm wondering what the reasoning was. Are these recent cases all going to be explained away by psychosis or someone being chemically unstable ? When it happens in other countries it's considered revolutionary...or self-sacrafice to explain the human struggle.
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Codenamed Marina. A year's worth of metadata is collected from internet users whether or not they are of interest to the NSA. Think that metadata is harmless information? Think again.
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Three cheers for New Jersey!!!
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The War on Terror encompasses a war of attrition on civil liberty. Two recent TSA stories show this. In the first, a person is held for 6+ hours by the TSA, guilty of having bed-bug spray on him, practicing an unfamiliar religion (Hindu) and being of color. <http://orenhazi.
com/defeated.html> In the second, an individual legally opt-out of the (arguably invasive) submillimeter body scan, only to stand waiting for a pat-down indefinitely. After 30 minutes, America one; the man subjected to submillimeter scan. <http://orenhazi. com/defeated.html> These stories should never have occurred, but they're mundane enough for us to simply accept them, maybe as necessary evils. To do so is to be desensitized to an inversion of power wherein the government does not serve its people, but the people serve their government. It's up to every individual to hold steadfast to a vision of a better possible world, despite the plethora of pernicious actions and policies encouraging us to let go. -
The British government (aka the US’s very own Mini-Me) has taken to intimidating the *friends and family* of disruptive journalists! This appalling, abusive violation of free speech resembles the very worst from repressive democracies like Russia! So, when's our first gulag opening?
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True, NYC hasn't been this safe in decades. But it's worth nothing if everyday privacy and dignity are the cost.
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Apparently local law enforcement agencies use privileged data to trigger investigations. They then conspire to cover this up by fabricating a fake basis for the investigation. It's frustrating to think that the people that actually carry out these procedures daily believe they are doing it for the greater good. Their conception of liberty is so misguided and far from historical perspective, they don't realize they're destroying exactly what makes this country great. But capitalism has made convenience the dominant pillar of our culture. Corporations take care of our dreams, religions take care of our fears, and politicians take care of the dissent.
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So the NSA has all this surveillance data of American citizens and other law enforcement agencies want to get their hands on it. We're not willing to applaud the NSA just yet for (allegedly) withholding that data. And we can't help but wonder how long it will be before all this infighting leads those other agencies muscle their way into telecom and ISP equipment to get their own piece of the action. We must continue to apply political pressure to end the madness. Those legislators that want to gut the NSA deserve our support!
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Why wouldn't one comment on something that is open to the public for review? I'm not surprised that this codes implementation has happened, it's just the lack of transparency bothers me. 'Vines wouldn’t say whether the agency’s work on Android and other software is part of or helps with Prism. “The source code is publicly available for anyone to use, and that includes the ability to review the code line by line,” she said in her statement. '
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If we are >americans-for-liberty do we trust companies that we send a lot of personal and real time information to - through paid or free services through contract - or is it because the government is storing this information in secret that our reaction is so averse? Has our relationships with private interest and government interest completely changed ? Which gives us more liberty ? https://medium.c
om/surveillance-state/a3f8a9988... "The state uses ever more advanced surveillance technology to watch us, and our own ever-greater use of personal technology makes it possible. On the other hand, technology has fundamentally destroyed the state’s ability to control our access to information, and exposed its bureaucracy to unprecedented scrutiny. This may be the death of privacy, but perhaps it’s also the death of secrecy and impunity. In that respect, fortunately, Orwell was wrong. Thanks to technology, Big Brother may be watching us, but we’re watching him too." Reference -
We the >americans-for-liberty believe that the NSA wiretapping program should be much more limited in scope, and that Snowden should not be prosecuted. http://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=U fUi5C7WdrA Reference -
GOP delegate voting chairman in Missouri (a Santorum supporter) admits that he broke the rules at the delegate convention on purpose to squelch the votes of delegates supporting other candidates. He says he believe it was the right thing to do because the other candidates didn't get as much of the popular vote, so he didn't think the other candidate's delegates should have much of a voice for fear that they may get many delegates onto the state convention (which they are allowed to per GOP rules). Video on youtube captures his blatant disregard of the delegate's opposition (which he, as chairman, is suppose to respect), and instead adjourn the meeting. This is not right!
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American free speech is being threatened by the president and congress, again. New law passed that makes it a felony to protest in the general vicinity of anyone protected by the secret service. The secret service now have, at their discretion, the ability to arrest anyone who protests near government officials while under secret service protection. This is a felony charge with a 1 year prison sentence. The president is always under secret service protection. So protesting the president while he is around can mean a prison sentence.
