Sunday, April 13, 2003

Debunking TIA. David Weinberger comments on a piece by David Reed which essentially says that all of the writing which trashes the TIA initiative as a threat to civil liberties is giving the initiative more credibility than it deserves.  I sat on a panel that discussed PATRIOT and TIA recently along with a former FBI agent (who was very well-connected) who said, "Don't worry - we don't have the computational power to do what you are worried we could do.  We have a hard enough time focusing on the bad guys." I tend not to disagree with his statement with one exception-- what if that focus shifts?  Even if they "can't" watch all of us, those that fall into that focus will feel the pain. comment [] 10:45:24 AM

"PATRIOT ACT" no protector of Freedom. An editorial in the Macon (Ga) Telegraph, castigates the PATRIOT ACT as a ruse when it somes to protecting our freedoms. The Patriot Act allows law enforcement to install trap and trace devices to phone lines to collect all outgoing and incoming numbers and that type of surveillance also applies to computers and their use on the Internet. They can delve into personal financial records, what citizens buy and where - all without any suspicion of wrongdoing. There is, however, punishment of the bank, Internet access provider or the corner bookstore and library if they refuse to cooperate or alert the person being investigated. And now comes the government again with Patriot Act II that would further erode liberties of Americans. Congress will have more time to study this assault on personal freedoms. The shock of Sept. 11, while still apparent has abated and we can only pray for the day, Dec. 31, 2005, when many of the provisions of the initial Patriot Act expire. Unfortunately, efforts are underway to remove the sunset clause.  If a small, conservative newspaper sees the threat so clearly, are we far from an uprising against this Ashcroft scheme to make us safe from ourselves and subservient to big brother? comment [] 9:21:54 AM