The Decline and Fall of the American Empire

The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
Where are we going, and what are we doing in this handbasket? It sure is getting warm...

Updated: 5/19/03; 1:04:17 AM.

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Sunday, July 28, 2002

Amount of rape in American state and federal prisons 'alarmingly high'. According to this UPI report, experts say that the rate of inmate rape in American prisons is so high as to pose "deadly consequences for the inmate population as well as the public at large." Nevertheless, there are certain biases in all levels of society seemingly against the rehabilitative character of the prison system. They are illuminated well in the report. [kuro5hin.org]
8:40:59 PM

Foundations Are in Place for Martial Law in the US Recent pronouncements from the Bush Administration and national security initiatives put in place in the Reagan era could see internment camps and martial law in the United States.
When president Ronald Reagan was considering invading Nicaragua he issued a series of executive orders that provided the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with broad powers in the event of a "crisis" such as "violent and widespread internal dissent or national opposition against a US military invasion abroad".
From 1982-84 Colonel Oliver North assisted FEMA in drafting its civil defence preparations. Details of these plans emerged during the 1987 Iran-Contra scandal. They included executive orders providing for suspension of the constitution, the imposition of martial law, internment camps, and the turning over of government to the president and FEMA. [Daypop Top 40]
8:37:16 PM

Dan Gillmor: "If you or I asked Congress for permission to legally hack other people's computers, we'd be laughed off Capitol Hill. Then we'd be investigated by the FBI and every other agency concerned with criminal violations of privacy and security." [Scripting News]
8:35:01 PM

I.R.S. Loophole Allows Wealthy to Avoid Taxes "I'm not saying this is the best thing since sliced bread, but it's really good for pushing wealth forward tax free," said Jonathan G. Blattmachr, the New York lawyer who heads the estate tax department at Milbank. [Daypop Top 40]
8:23:38 PM

SJ Mercury: Hacking, hijacking our rights. Dan Gillmor. The goal is to give copyright owners profound control over music, movies and other forms of information. The fact that this control would do enormous damage to your rights, and to the future of innovation in a nation that desperately needs more innovation, is apparently beside the point. [Tomalak's Realm]
8:21:13 PM