I am a huge fan of Julian Sanchez.
Recent Comments
RSS feed
Randy Barnett: Secret NSA Snooping is “a Fundamental Challenge” to Democracy
August 21, 2013 — xanthippa
Overcriminilization
July 18, 2013 — xanthippaThink about it – there are now so many laws and regulations which carry a criminal penalty (in the US, as per the video below, but elsewhere, too) that the federal government bureaucrats say they don’t have enough manpower to list them all in a central database where citizens could easily access them. The obvious implication of this is that most citizens are not aware of what the laws they live under and thus may infringe them many times a day without being aware of it. (This is the topic of the video below.)
But, take it a step further: consider the widespread supervision of the government of each and every citizen….now, it is clear that it is not a tinfoil-hat-conspiracy-talk, but reality we are living every day.
Then, remember how top bureaucrats are implicated in directing other bureaucrats to target the Obama regime’s political opponents. So far, only the IRS department is implicated, but it would be highly naive to think this form of corruption is limited to only one department.
So, if you want to target a person disliked by the Obama regime, you just have to pull up all the records of their activities, compare them to obscure criminal regulations and voila, your political opponent gets sent to jail for a criminal misconduct….no need for ‘political prisoners’.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the game is played!
The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America
July 4, 2013 — xanthippaAmendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
EFF Sues NSA, DOJ Over Secret Surveillance Program
June 24, 2013 — xanthippa
While on the topic, the Western Center for Journalism asks if, perhaps, some of this NSA-collected material might have been used to influence Chief Justice Roberts to change his vote at the last minute on Obamacare.
And if you still cling to the foolish and long debunked ‘I have nothing to hide, so I have nothing to worry about’ fallacy, please, consider the following book: Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent by Harvey Silverglate. Here is an excerpt from a review of the book:
‘The average professional in this country wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes home, eats dinner, and then goes to sleep, unaware that he or she has likely committed several federal crimes that day. Why? The answer lies in the very nature of modern federal criminal laws, which have exploded in number but also become impossibly broad and vague. In Three Felonies a Day, Harvey A. Silverglate reveals how federal criminal laws have become dangerously disconnected from the English common law tradition and how prosecutors can pin arguable federal crimes on any one of us, for even the most seemingly innocuous behavior.’
After all, Kiera Wilmot, a 16-year-old student, faced 2 felony charges of bomb-making and was to be tried as an adult for a school science-experiment that produced a ‘pop’, in which nobody was hurt and no damage happened – only popular outcry forced the authorities to eventually drop the charges.
And, of course, who can forget why ‘the authorities’ kept such a concise log on citizens’ activities in Fahrenheit 451! If they could not catch the real culprit, an early-morning dog-walker would be a suitable substitute… (Yes, it is since having read this book in English that I cannot bring myself to use the word ‘fireman’ and instead use ‘fire-fighter’.)
And, if you think that ‘just’ collecting metadata does not tell ‘the regime’ a lot about you, please, consider this interesting, humorously written article which graphically demonstrates how the analysis of metadata would have helped identify and ‘neutralize’ Paul Revere.
P.S. In the above video, they say that when the EFF asked the US government to clarify how they were interpreting the laws, they were told the answer was ‘classified’. Consider the implications of that! How can you possibly follow the laws if you are not permitted to know how the government will enforce them? Do you still think you have ‘nothing to hide’?!?!?
Big Brother is listening – on the bus
December 18, 2012 — xanthippaTelecom giants and repressive regimes are teaming up to use a little-known UN agency to make the Internet more expensive, surveilled, and censored.
November 14, 2012 — xanthippaFrom OpenMedia:
Wow. Telecom giants and repressive regimes are teaming up to use a little-known UN agency to make the Internet more expensive,1 surveilled,2 and censored.3
We need you to take a stand as part of a global community right now.
Internet freedom means connection with loved ones, open innovation, and free expression without interference by Big Telecom or repressive governments. All this is under threat right now, but you can make a difference in just a few seconds.
You are part of what’s shaping up to be the largest movement in history, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
We’re already working together globally to stop new Internet restrictions from being imposed through trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),4 and we’ve taken massive strides in Canada to push back against Big Telecom’s price-gouging activities.5 This kind of success is unique and inspiring, and it’s something you should be proud of.
Please don’t let them take it away from you – raise your voice now.
Thank you so much for being a part of this,
Steve, on behalf of your OpenMedia Team
P.S. Whether it’s stopping Big Telecom price-gouging and online surveillance in Canada, or opening the secret negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to citizen comments, we’re bringing the pro-Internet community together to amplify your voice. Our community can only continue to be successful with stable support; you can help by becoming an Ally.
Footnotes
[1] See our blog, ITU proposals threaten Internet freedom and access, or the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Two Page Memo on Telecom Operators Proposal for New Internet Charging Scheme [PDF]
[2] See our blog, UN proposals threaten the Internet as we know it, or the Wired magazine article, The Kremlin’s New Internet Surveillance Plan Goes Live Today
[3] See GigaOM: Is the UN the next big threat to Internet freedom?
[4] See the successes with the StopTheTrap.net campaign so far listed in this recent letter to supporters: It’s time to amplify our voice against the TPP’s Internet trap
[5] See our infographic about the famous StopTheMeter.ca campaign here, or learn more about how we recently pushed for (and won) transparency around Big Telecom’s costs here.
| Support OpenMedia.ca |
| OpenMedia.ca is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from people like you to operate. Our small but dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way to make your voice heard. Please donate today. |
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 