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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
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Doug Thompson is an enemy of the state. Am I? Are you? Who knows? Do we really want to live in a country where the Federal Government can declare us its enemies?
Although the file
finds no criminal activity by me or members of my immediate family, it
remains open because I am a “person of interest” who has “written and
promoted opinions that are contrary to the government of the United
States of America.”
And it will remain active because the government of the United
States, under the far-reaching provisions of the USA Patriot Act, can
compile and retain such information on any American citizen. That act
gives the FBI the authority to collect intimate details about anyone,
even those not suspected of any wrongdoing. At least Thompson got to see his file. What are the chances you'll ever see yours? Who's spying on you? And does it matter if your file contains false information? If it does, you'll never know, and the file will never go away.
In the past, when
information collected on an American citizen failed to turn up any
criminal activity, FBI policy called for such information to be
destroyed.
But President George W. Bush in 2003 reversed that long-standing
policy and ordered the bureau and other federal agencies to not only
keep that information but place it in government databases that can be
accessed by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
In October, Bush also signed Executive Order 13388 which expands
access to those databases to “appropriate private sector entities”
although the order does not explain what those entities might be. In
addition, the Bush Administration has successfully blocked legislation
and legal actions that have tried to stop the expansion of spying and
gathering of information on Americans. Be afraid.
4:55:05 PM 
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Abebooks.com has acquired BookFinder.com - the leading price comparison shopping service dedicated to books.
The acquisition unites two pioneering independent forces in Internet
bookselling. Both companies are privately owned and profitable. Both
companies were initially developed in 1996, support independent
booksellers and share the same mission of making online book buying
easy.
It's worth noting that unlike some other used book services, which shall remain nameless, both Abebooks and Bookfinder are profitable.
4:07:42 PM
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The French Lieutenant's Woman author John Fowles has died aged 79.
Fowles died at his home in Lyme Regis, Dorset on Saturday after battling a long illness, his publisher said.
Haven't read Fowles in years, but as they did with many a teenager, The Collector, The Magus, and The French Lieutenant's Woman affected me deeply.
8:46:58 AM
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Jesus is Magic is comedian Sarah Silverman's chance to shine. After a middling career in movies that didn't know what to do with her, Silverman took it upon herself to write a one-woman show to best exploit her distinctive perspective on life. Cutting between stand-up material and various musical numbers, 'Magic" is an uproarious, profoundly obscene, inventively twisted performance film that, in a just world, should make a star out of this ferociously talented comic.
(Via .)
8:37:31 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Steve Michel.
Last update: 12/2/2005; 7:08:32 PM.
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