Why oh why is the EFF so hell bent on privacy? i mean, really, if the NSA wants to read my emails, then they can, I mean, why would they possibly be interested in a torrent of ebay replys and BBQ preparations? lol If your a terrorist or are planning something unlawful/threatening to national security then you deserve to be caught, after all it's for everyones benefit and safety, I think most people forget this when they winge about their phone calls and their private emails to their friends (who cares?) possibly being snooped upon. I'm sure the people at the top have better things to do than give two shits about the recipe for garlic chicken kievs etc. The government should have every right to control what they want to control, 99% of the time it is for the common good.
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70886-0.html just about sums up my answer to that one, If you want to live in an orwellian dystopia feel free to move to a country where your every move is watched and your every conversation is listened to, before long you'll value the privacy you used to have Not that the uk is much better these days with the joining up of all the CCTV and numberplate recognition cameras the Govt will be able to track a vehicle from one end of the country to the other (worst case scenario)
Oh good, another "If you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about" speech. If we don't know what the government are doing(since it would "threaten" national security to tell us), how do we know 99% of the stuff they're doing is for the common good? In the US case, those b******s certainly aren't alrtruistic. They have their own messed up views of what should be, and they impose them upon the country. Those people should not be given more power, they should be given less. And this BS about security, security is not an issue. Terrorism is not an issue, more people die from car accidents, murders, any other regular crime then terrorism. It's not something we should be losing half our freedoms for. Give the government the powers of tyranny, and tyranny will sooner or later arrive!
I'm certainly glad that you live in a completely different country and won't be running for office here in the U.S. To give up your freedom to fight "terrorism" is just that...giving up your freedom. When the amount of Americans vastly outnumber the amount of "terrorists" out there, why should all of us have to give up our freedoms and privacy? The more they take away from us, the more and more they can label you as a terrorist and throw you in jail for the sheer hell of it. We're moving from a democracy to a communistic nation without with unified pay.
I just want to point to a perfect example of why this does matter: Back in the fall of 2005, with certain elections coming up around the corner and the Republican ticket in jeopardy in many states due to the Iraq war, the FBI was used to inflitrate (in plain-clothes fashion) and wire-tap democratic-voter-leaning and anti-war meetings as well as local ACLU branches, even going so far as to attempt to infiltrate a "Moms of Soldiers Against the Iraqi War" meeting. This was all done without warrants (normally required for such things) or even proper documentation...because it wasn't needed with the new terrorism laws. I cannot for the life of me think of why the ACLU would be considered a terrorist organization...but I have lots of reasons why the republican party might want a few evesdroppers and plants in normally blue-leaning civil groups with an election coming up. The ACLU sued to find out how many groups were surveilled under the Freedom of Information Act, but of course they were sided against due to national security. I'd side more with 99% of the time, the government has its OWN interest at heart, and the benefit of the people is an afterthought that sometimes occurs.
That darn ACLU always protecting my freedoms. Terrorists, every one of them, everyone who challenges the governments stand on anything should be sent right to prision. Having done no research whatsoever into the EFF I think they are terrorists as well. They should be sent to jail along with anyone who opposes the RIAA or MPAA.
I wonder what the third is. (btw: Belgium is a great country,by the time they get the paperwork done, your probably not living in the some house anymore and they have to start over again )
Selective public persecution of minority groups and political opponents. Fourth: refusing to leave the White House when the four years are up; invoking Martial Law.
I know it could be argued that the first of those two things has already happened, but it hasn't really. At least not by Dubya. The only really arguable cases are the florida voting thing back when Dubya didn't win, but that was the republican party trying to make itself win, not George. Many people would say the immigration reform is, but they're wrong. As for "selective public persecution of political opponents" - what's new there? Doesn't that just refer in general to the sort of "politics" that exists in the modern world, where they snipe at each other, and the media singles someone out, ruins their career, then moves on? I very much doubt we'll see bushy boy refuse to leave the whitehouse, or declare martial law countrywide. I don't think any of whats happening to America these days will ever be that obvious. There will be no declaration, breaking point, or big event that reminds us all when America truly went to the dogs. We'll just suddenly think "actually, the US is a police state now". It's far less bad over here in Blighty. The thing about the UK, is in actuality, it is one of the best countries to live in as far as civil liberties, general rights, and politicians not being corrupt. I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best for living in, if you value those sorts of things. What's worrying is that its still pretty bloody bad for all three. My point? The world is utterly ****, just be glad we're in one of the less smelly bits of it.
Sweden is probably the best place to go, they have pirates there! (yarr) If it all goes to hell here though, we can always just get some Guy Fawkes masks and all be terrorists.
Well, yes. We've had McCarty-ism, so nothing new there. I just suspect that we are going to see something similar soon. I tend to agree with you here.
