Used to be this sort of thing was considered Shredding teh Constitution:
The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual’s Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.
The administration wants to add just four words — “electronic communication transactional records” — to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge’s approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user’s browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the “content” of e-mail or other Internet communication.
Honest Citizens should have Nothing to Hide.
Hope and chains!
“When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” — Thomas Jefferson
Nothing on HuffPo or Kos. Wonder why not?
try here for starters – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/opinion/30fri1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Yeah, but that isn’t the frothing at the mouth rant that NYT used when Pres. Bush wanted to expand warrentless tapping. Kos got something up just about as I started rereading what Lex has, again, a very muted response, not the strident calls for impeachment we grew to know and love betgween Nov. 00 and Jan 09. FluffPo finally got something up today, but no pontification in it, again, in contrast to the faked outrage at everything Pres. Bush did.
It’s only wrong when Republicans do it. Everyone knows that Democrats are far more intelligent when it comes to matters such as these.
/sarcasm
Mr. Hack,
I recall when Republicans did this anyone who dared to question it was called anti-American, un-American, etc, and the same phrase was used – “Honest Citizens should have Nothing to Hide.”.
I don’t recall much protesting or complaining from the Right back then.
Please note, I don’t want either party doing this. I think it’s a bit disengenuous to suddenly see so many people on the Right who are now “concerned” about it. Where was this “concern” before Obambi became president?
Actually, a lot of us DID scream about it. As well as the USA PATRIOT Act.
BUT, the big difference is that the former jr. sen. from IL PROMISED to do away with such things. And PROMISED a completely transparent administration and government. About as transparent as mud.
Some parts of the Patriot Act are problematic, some not. The left, however, didn’t care about such fine points. Bush didn’t have “D” after his name, so it was automatically evil.
The Left is insane, frankly. That’s why they so often welcome a butcher like Mao or Stalin, then complain as they live in fear from a problem they created for themselves and everyone else. Leftists should probably be placed in an asylum at the first sign of the disease so they don’t do any damage to themselves or those around them. At this point most of the country would be taken up with looney bins.
Some parts of the Patriot Act are problematic, some not. The left, however, didn’t care about such fine points. Bush didn’t have “D” after his name, so it was automatically evil.
Yeah, pretty much like anything, some bad, some good. To me the good parts are (supposedly) making it easier for federal intelligence agencies to cooperate and share information. The bad parts are empowering the Feds to more easily circumvent the Constitution. Just about anything that the USA PATRIOT Act gave short cuts for could be done in not much longer through the FISA Court. All nice and legal.
Phalanx: did what, exactly? I don’t recall any similar proposals during the Bush administration, although there was a faux scandal about digging up folks’ library browsing habits, which wasn’t what happened anyway. That one was at the same level of credibility as the Newsweek Koran-flushing story.
I stand with others here who said they had reservations about the PATRIOT act at the time, but the DC drones were stampeded into doing something to protect their phony-baloney jobs. It was an open secret that the act was a huge wish list from various security organizations. It was a damn fool idea.
But don’t mind me, I thought the whole Homeland Security Department thing was a dumb idea as well. TSA is just pathetic.
I still like Pournelle’s idea: require all serving & retired peace officers and combat service men/women to wear their sidearms in flight.
And, yes, Joe is right. Barry campaigned on the promise that he would end all those evil Republican violations of our civil rights. After that he would stop the oceans from rising, end global warming, help the lame to walk, and the blind to see.
Hope & Chains. I like that.
Good bumper sticker material, that!
Aye. That’s a good un…
“Honest Citizens should have Nothing to Hide.”
Including their college transcripts. Medical records. Etc.
Birth Certificate?
LOL ! Awesome – Touche!
Flight to AFGHN was scrubbed today due to weather issues in WASH DC….best thing to come outta that place in a long time….I get 5 extra days at home…not too schabby at all….Scheduled to head back to the ” Dusty Side” of the world on Tuesday….
I guess I need to have a few extra beers while I can…
Normally birtherism drives me up the wall, but in this context yer damn skimpy!
The not so amazing, for those who pay attention, fact is Dems somehow stand in opposition, using arguments like “violating privacy,” “LE has no right to check just because,” etc, etc, etc…then suddenly, when they can, trot out the very same arguments like “if you have nothing to hide…” that they previously objected to.
To go all topical and relevant on the audience: How come it’s not OK to ask about immigration status, you know, just because it’s good for national defense (not to mention the job market)..because…you know…it’s no big deal if you’ve got nothing to hide….
Just sayin’
What am I missing with the “teh” constantly. What’s the joke?
We are tpyoing goodly tdoay.
It’s a too common typo. I’m finding I consistently type it that way. There are certain letters I have too soft a touch on and skip as a result.
But, then, I’m a Tennessee Tech Grad, and VX is an LSU grad. Those are probably the main problems we suffer from. Fill in the blank on your favorite target.
cinik,
Run it through Google and read the Wikipedia entry. My best guess is that our host uses it, as they say, ironically.
Kind of like your name, perhaps?
Regards,
Mike
cink, It’s part of that Navy baby/babble speak..similar to “Gub-mint”…”Sandy Eggo”… et als…its best to ignore it. Best
Snake Eater is our crazy uncle. We let him out of the attic now and again for the entertainment value that’s in it. It was that Vietnam service that Army gave him that did it to him. There were a good many lesser men that were more severly damaged. That includes that Blumenthal fella in Connecticut. Fake but accurate, and the mental damage was very serious.
It really is sad to contemplate, but Snake really does his best. And he does OK, for an Army type.
QM,
At least Snake didn’t mention the ever-popular Plane Pr0n that the flyboys here-about are so fond of.
I don’t believe that Snake is a grad of the vaunted Naval Academy, and I know I’m not (being a lowly Army OCS type), so we may miss some of that fancy, diverse Navy-speak. In my case, as Snake suggests, I just skip past it and continue on my hapless Army way being just one more crazy uncle and looking for a stray weiner dog to
have fortake to lunch.Have a great day and keep smiling,
Mike
I’m in a rather neat position on this piece of cyber real estate. I served in the Navy out of hi skool. Then went to flight school in the Army (WOFT), from which I was sacked as a result of a ligament problem caused by growing too fast when I was a kid. The to the Army National Guard, after an accident that forced me out of Engineering School, where was a 13E, and ossifer candidate in TMA’s version of OCS, which ended because of the earlier accident’s effects which seriously aggravated the not quite healed (and never to be fully) injuries. And my father retired from the Air Force.
So, you can see I have the position that allows me to pick at just about anybody here, except the Marines, and I have far too much sense to engage in that activity.
Hipocrits, each and every one of them. Unfortunately, half of those who vote for them don’t know the definition of the word and the other half don’t care. What a sorry state of affairs.
WTH is that icon? It looks like two drink umbrellas stuck on Miss Piggy in a ghilly suit.
Zane, that’s a great description but it’s actually a mask worn by an actor in a play I went to in Bali. I guess it’s time to go back to the original xab photo.
We want our old Navy puke back!
You mean this one? It’s the real me.
I changed the Gravatar but the system hasn’t caught up.
Good idea, I just changed mine too.
We Luv ya Boss!
Well, I’m screwed then if they go to browser history trawling. Lessee, Sipsey Street, Vdare, Steve Sailer, this site, Jerry Pournelle, The Donovan, Eric Raymond, ScienceMadness.org (lotsa good old books on nitrate chemistry there), all the autistic sites (obviously must mean I’m mentally defective and need to be tased). And yeah, a Gadsden flag flies at the front porch here at this very moment.
I am not, however, crazy enough to wear a Wookiee suit in this climate.
You will note that I spelled “Wookiee” correctly.
Vdare? You one o’ them white racists I hear about at Tea Parties?
Alas, the geek factor from the wookee snark removed you from Teh List. Star Wars geeks are only a danger to hand lotion dispensers, boxes of Kleenex, and overhead light fixtures.
Oh, and Trekkies. They hate Trekkies.
I HATE Star Wars! I almost got banned from The High Road for making fun of a Star Wars fan. I grew up on Doc Smith’s Original Space Opera! Look here, kid, back in the 50s that was what there was and it’s still the best.
The Wookiee-suit reference is to the guy who showed up at a Tea Party wearing one, and a slung AR-15, and carrying a Gadsden flag. It’s become an internet joke, as in “Yeah I’m a libertarian, but at least I don’t own a Wookiee suit!”
P.s. I hate Trekkies even more than I hate SW fans. Hal Clement is my man.
Wow, re-reading my last one, the aspitude is showing. Yup, I’m gonna get tased. Definitely. Definitely.
I grew up eating the Doc Smith popcorn too…along with Clarke, Heinlein, Assimov, et al. Today I eat Pournelle and John Ringo. I tend to avoid both Trekies and Star Wars fans too.
“Doc” Smith was Da Man. I read the six Lensman books back when I was a wee lad in the sixties. Head stuff. I still have Hal Clement on my shelves, right next to my Anderson, Pournelle, and Niven.
Byron, have to disagree about Asimov. I always saw him as second-level writing, and second-level science, at least in his fiction. Aside from those mentioned above, gotta love Gordy Dickson & Randall Garrett, although Jack Vance will always have a special place in my favorites. I’ll have to check out John Ringo, if you think he rates with Pournelle. Never could stomach David Drake myself.
Whoops, almost forgot Keith Laumer & H. Beam Piper. Classics, both.
…This may may be heresy here, but there is at least one Star Trek writer who has done some good work. Diane Duane. I can’t recommend her first book (Wounded Sky), as it’s very fanboy-ish. She did do some excellent work after that developing her Romulan/Vulcan trilogy. My Enemy, My Ally, The Romulan Way, and Spock’s World are both an introduction and a history of the evolution of both Romulus and Vulcan. Believe it or not, these books work as genuine science fiction. Alas, the timeline developed was pretty much ignored by the various TV series, especially Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
There is also -believe it or not- a fan-based back-history of the development of Starfleet by Masao Okazaki called The Starfleet Museum. Again, we have a well-developed back story much superior to the “canon” of the series. What I really like is that Okazaki starts out with fusion-powered ships such as the Bison class (c. 2145) capable of Warp 2.2, and the Pioneer class based on the Bison, but with missiles and pulse lasers.
Another clever device mirrors US code names for Soviet aircraft wherein all Romulan ships have code names starting with “C;” Cabbage, Chowder, Clavicle, Cataract, Capsize, and Cricket (the Romulan Warbird).
The site presents -to me- a fascinating alternative history which provides a fairly detailed history of Star Trek ship development in a realistic manner, from helium-fueled fusion-powered ships to matter/antimatter-fueled warp-powered ships.
It’s pretty sad when the fans write better stories than most of the hired series scripters.
Much of the Star Trek literature world, written mostly by Fans, is better than the pro stuff. They keep up better with the Lit and do a better job of keeping things consistent. The Pros seem to think they can’t be bothered. Or don’t need to be.
The best of the movies, IMO, was the Wrath of Kahn, done by people that were familiar with the original series, and using the same primary actors. The chemistry was very good, and Montalban a very, very good villain. A superb actor, with very good writing. The rest were only so-so at best.
I agree with you, Casey, about Asimov. He was a Chemist that didn’t seem to do much Chemistry, and he wore his atheism on his sleeve. Those two things led to his being a lesser light in SF than people like Pournelle and Heinlein (also an atheist, iirc, but you had to dig a bit to find that out). I started reading the Foundation Series, but got bored with it pretty quickly. he sold well, so I guess he had something of a fan base. It just didn’t include me. I wasn’t impressed with his writing on science either. It’s been better than 30 years since I’ve read any of his stuff, so I can’t really go into the details of my dislike for the man’s work.
Q-master, this is why my two favorite Asimov stories were the chemical one, about thiotimoline and the goose which laid the golden eggs. The chemistry in both was rigorous, except for the little jokers in the deck.
As to Piper, I read Little Fuzzy when a kid and it’s still in my head. I have been known to address John Donovan as “Pappy Jack”. I’ve had a crush on Rylla for years…
The irony of this ‘warrantless search’ under the Patriot Act is the Federal Government’s objection to SB1070 in Arizona, which they complain is ‘warrantless search’ in violation of a person rights. If I write ‘Kill Barry’ in an e-mail, the alphabet agencies can poke and prod my electronics for more ‘conspiratorial data’. Any illegal driving with a fake license and no insurance, however, is a poor victim of discriminatory practices to confirm identification. Got it.
Maybe I should hire a dialog coach, get fake ID, and become an ‘illegal’ Norwegian alien resident. Then the benefits would roll in, and I’d be a happy man. Right?
Just be sure that you take an Hispanic sounding name, and acquire a Latino accent before you become an illegal Norwegian. THAN the benefits will flow. I’d say be a black, Hispanic named, Latino accented Norwegian illegal, but you are melaninally challenged. It might work, on the one drop theory, but it would probably be considered over reach.
Just be sure to get that Matricula Consular to add to the Norwegian passport.
Hey Barry! Just in case you’re reading this…I flew an Arizona flag and a Gadsden flag in front of SFC D’s Cantina today, in support of SB 1070! What are you go gonna do about it?
This is the computer version of a “pen register” wiretap…where investigators can see who is calling whom but not hear the content. It is easier under Title 3 to obtain than a full blown wire, but still requires a judge’s signature. I would think that this would have the same p.c. requirements, but hey…I’m no lawyer (thanks God)
xformed … You mention the Dems using arguments like “violating privacy” when they don’t like something. Have you heard that the latest thing our utilities are doing is installing [willy-nilly, whether you want one or not] so-called “smart meters” which monitor your electrical usage all day every day. This brings to mind George Orwell, and ‘Big Brother is watching you.’ Remember, if they monitor your usage, they can, if they want, ration your usage, without a city-wide brown-out. As a small government, privacy-loving person, I don’t want some stranger down at the power company deciding, “hey, we need more power in the east side of the city, so I’ll brown-out twenty or so homes in Marianne’s neighborhood.”
Of course, dear Lex, I could be paranoid. But what if I’m not?
Marianne
MArianne;
I’m thinking the utility watching will quickly transmogrify into “energy justice.” If you use too much (unless you’re Al Gore and need it to be up late nights getting massages), you’ll be…in the best of cases taxed heavily, and in the worst of cases, shit off until someone else uses as much as you to allow for “justice.” I can see the day when the GPS function in your cars, connected to the diagnostic function of the internal computer system is routinely reporting on your speed (can you say auto-ticketing to raise revenue?), distance traveled and you’re whereabouts….all compilied into a huge govt database, most likely with no legislation as to the proper use of the info therein contained.
And, to continue on a technical (done plenty of large database work) and cynical vein: When the Govt single payer is your insurance company, think about who holds the rest of the info on your life…
And we all know the voter registration records are already in the “system.”
For those who served in the heyday of OTH-T, the word “fusion” comes to mind, and it’s also about defeating your enemies.
Funny…”u” and “i” are way too close on a standard keyboard….
Marianne, do you live in California? From what I’ve head, that’s the only place exploring those “smart” readers right now, and even then I haven’t heard much specific commitment on implementing them.
Casey,
I believe that Ms. Marianne lives in the great state of Texas. Lucky lady.
However, I was in the Bay Area recently, and the complaints are flying fast and furious where the smart meters are already installed. Watched a few local news stories about people’s bills skyrocketing. Technology may not have caught up with what the control freaks want.
I talked with our PG&E meter reader a few weeks ago, and she told me that the meters are headed for my part of Coastal California within the next year or so.
Regards,
Mike
In many places the smart meters also means the service you use is charged at different rates throughout the day. Run the air conditioning during the heat of the day it cost several times more than after midnight.
As for Enegy justice in many locations you now get the chart showing your usage v. your neighbors on each bill. Ostensibly to “help” you change your usage habits. I can easily see this turning into a club to force you to use less. Fun part is in my neighborhood the houses range from small 1000 sq-ft to several times that, so the comparisons have little meaning.
Um, HELLO, isn’t the heat of the day when you really want the a/c!? Isn’t that the whole point of a/c? What’s next, taxing water & Gatorade at double rates when you’re really thirsty?
Marianne, if your power is cut just let us know and we will start a campaign to send you as many batteries (eco-friendly, LEED Certified ones of course) as you need.
Being paranoid doesn’t mean that you are wrong!
“Brown outs” are voltage reductions. The Soviets tried to save power back in the 50s or 60s by reducing generated voltage on the power grid in the Donets basin, and burned up a goodly percentage of the industrial motors in the area.
Tyranny? Yup. We are there now.
Jerry Pournelle calls it Anarcho-Tyranny. That is, if no government person is mad at you, you can do what you like. If a government person takes a dislike to you, everything you do is illegal.
So can we quit hollering from the back seat “ARE WE THERE YET????!?!?!?!?!”
Marianne, xformed, Casey, Uncle Mike, et al/
To see where all this is headed with the “smart meter”/”smart-grid” thing in terms of govt control and personal enrichment (crony capitalism) of the Al Gores of this world PLEASE go to American Thinker and read the 29 Jul article by Brian Sussman titled: “Carbon Cronyism: Why Cap-and-Trade Is Not Dead Yet.” An EYE-OPENER, all-in-one-place summation.
@
http://ww.americanthinker.com/2010/07/carbon_cronyism_why_cap_andtrad.html
Sorry, bad link–just go American Thinker and drop down to “Previous Articles” section at lower left.
VX,
I think this link will work:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/carbon_cronyism_why_capandtrad.html
That is about as depressing as anything I’ve read recently. As a side note, the author either watches Glenn Beck, or Glenn Beck reads Brian Sussman.
Thanks for the lead.
Regards,
Mike
[...] Neptunus Lex remembers when warrantless searches were an assault on the Constitution. [...]
I believe the response they expect is something like “Zum befel, herr Sturmbannfuhrer!”
But they ain’t gonna get it.
Oooo….nasty, nasty. You are SO up for sever re-education for a statement like that.
Off to the camps for you buddy!
About those “Smart Meters” We have them here in Western Kentucky. They can be read from afar.So far, three-four months, we have not seen an outrageous reading but this month might be the one. We are locked into a heat wave. Have been since the middle of June. As the saying goes,”time will tell”.