Politicians – Best Watch Out for the NSA and GCHQ
I know it’s been 2 months since my last post, but there’s been a lot going on, mainly to do with the European elections (more on that later this week, with live-blog coverage of it). There is one topic though that came up that just goes beyond the pale, and has sparked such outrage, that I had to respond. Read more…
Cory Doctorow in Atlanta (full!)
Last week, blogger, activist, author and all-around nice guy stopped by in Atlanta on his tour to promote Homeland, his new book. I dragged my wife and eldest over to the talk, held at the surprisingly nice auditorium at the Decatur public library. Even arriving 15 minutes early, seats were hard to find, and so I was near the back. Read more…
How the Police (and Politicians) Can Regain the Public Trust.
A few months ago, I asked what we should do about law enforcement officials that broke the law in a piece called “Is it time to police the police?”. It’s taken me some time, but now I’ve compiled the responses and got some suggestions to float to the global hive-mind that peruses FoI (and my own site)
First, let’s be clear. Not all cops are ‘dirty’, but at the same time, not all citizens are criminals. Yet since it’s considered acceptable that in many western countries, you have to prove you’ve done no wrong to a police officer, rather than they have to prove a criminal act has been committed, it’s only fair to consider them the same way. Read more…
Is it Time to Police the Police?
Every week, somewhere in the US, there’s a story of some kind of police activity that leads people scratching their head, or saying ‘That isn’t right’. It’s an issue that’s been around as long as police officers have and has become a cliche, accepted without question. The problem is that it’s a problem that’s only getting worse, not better, and it’s a problem that’s not being addressed. Read more…
Megaupload Phones Were Tapped by the Echelon Spies
A new twist on the MegaUpload case came today, amid revelations that intelligence services were in on the act. The New Zealand arm of the CIA’s Echelon program is reputed to have been invovled in the Dotcom case. The raid and it’s aftermaths, already looking like a Hollywood flm, has now turned into a blockbuster, with the New Zealand Prime Minister ordering an investigation into the use of the spy agency.
No, Comcast is NOT Monitoring Your Connection
Despite the proposed ‘six strikes’ measure being delayed, it’s still coming, as Verizon confirmed recently. Many who read TorrentFreak know exactly what it means and how it works, but many don’t, and there are forums of countless sites that are full of people claiming that their ISP has sent them an email because they’ve monitored a torrent in use. Read more…
Your Email Privacy Is Under Increasing Threat
Over the last few days, two stories about emails have hit the headlines, and it leads to questions over the future security of email as a communications medium. What has been considered a fairly private method of communication is now under increasing threat from both government and corporate scrutiny.
Our email accounts carry more than just messages, they are the primary way we sign up for accounts, and verify our identity online. With our email accounts being made insecure, our whole online identity becomes compromised. Everything we do online, comes down to our email addresses. It could be said that they are our online identities. That’s why the threat to the privacy of them is one that should not be taken lightly. Read more…
The Constitution is Just a Piece of Paper
The US as an ‘idea’ is dying. The country that used to pride itself on free speech, democracy, and being ‘the last remaining superpower’, is now apparently drunk on its own power. With unchecked powers expanding at every turn, and terror laden missives booming out from government departments, the country seems to be taking a counterbalancing position from those who embraced freedom in the Arab Spring of last year, and is actively cracking down on freedoms previously embraced as a national advert.
The US likes to be known as the land of freedom and integrity; indeed the first verse of the US National Anthem – the Star Spangled Banner – ends:
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Over the last ten years, the answer has turned into a resounding NO!
CC-BY-NC-ND by katerkate |
In fact, the US has dropped a significant number of places down the current Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, from 20th to 47th, because of this. NYPD’s Deputy Inspector Bologna, and UC Davis Police’s Lt. John Pike are now symbols on the net of excessive violence. And their punishment? Bologna has been reassigned to Staten Island, and Pike has been on ‘Administrative leave’ (with pay, which was $110,000/year in 2010).
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
In undertaking his actions on February 1st, Rep. Harris violated his oath of office, by actively acting against the First Amendment. So what’s the consequence of that? The same consequences as when Joe Arparo violated the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th amendments, as when Pike and Bologna attacked protesters, using chemical weapons on people exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Nothing.
The serious issue is, there’s no accountability – no respect for the law – by those whose job is to write the law or enforce it. This goes for former members of Congress who have turned into lobbyists as well, demonstrated by Chris Dodd’s blatant admission of bribery when SOPA lost its support.
18 USC § 241
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or…… They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both
18 USC § 242
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both;
The New Terrorism, Part 2 – Countering
In the first part, we identified that terrorism is widespread, but in the guise of ‘anti-terrorism’. In this part, it’s time to discuss how to deal with things. Read more…
The New Terrorism, Part 1 – Identification
Across the western world, a new form of terrorism is breeding. It strikes fear into citizens, it attempts to change civilization as we know it, and it attacks and assaults people on a daily basis. It’s name? “Anti-terrorism.” Read more…