You Are A Suspect

The New York Times ^ | November 14, 2002 | William Safire

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and e-mail you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book and every event you attend — all these transactions and communications will go into what the Defense Department describes as "a virtual, centralized grand database."

To this computerized dossier on your private life from commercial sources, add every piece of information that government has about you — passport application, driver's license and bridge toll records, judicial and divorce records, complaints from nosy neighbors to the F.B.I., your lifetime paper trail plus the latest hidden camera surveillance — and you have the supersnoop's dream: a "Total Information Awareness" about every U.S. citizen.

This is not some far-out Orwellian scenario. It is what will happen to your personal freedom in the next few weeks if John Poindexter gets the unprecedented power he seeks.

Remember Poindexter? Brilliant man, first in his class at the Naval Academy, later earned a doctorate in physics, rose to national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan. He had this brilliant idea of secretly selling missiles to Iran to pay ransom for hostages, and with the illicit proceeds to illegally support contras in Nicaragua.

A jury convicted Poindexter in 1990 on five felony counts of misleading Congress and making false statements, but an appeals court overturned the verdict because Congress had given him immunity for his testimony. He famously asserted, "The buck stops here," arguing that the White House staff, and not the president, was responsible for fateful decisions that might prove embarrassing.

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

Wasn't sure how much stuff we could post from the NYT, so I only put an excerpt. Didn't find this article posted yet. If it has, please pull this thread.

[TomServo]

Already posted here, here and here.

[Howlin]

Search, man, search!

[Howlin]

*Sigh*

[TomServo]

Yeah....

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Well this one is up on the side board at least.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Prior to this editorial, I hadn't really worried very much about dangers to our privacy rights. However, it is strange, as in Twilight Zone strange, to keep our borders wide open while at the same time keeping a data base on credit card use.

SEAL THE BORDERS FIRST.

CONSIDER INVADING PRIVACY LATER.

CLEARLY OUTLINE A CUT-OFF TRIGGER FOR THIS PRIVACY INVASION, SUCH AS NO MAJOR TERRORIST ACT FOR 2 YEARS, OR SOMETHING TO THAT AFFECT.

[rightwing2]

Prior to this editorial, I hadn't really worried very much about dangers to our privacy rights. However, it is strange, as in Twilight Zone strange, to keep our borders wide open while at the same time keeping a data base on credit card use. SEAL THE BORDERS FIRST. CONSIDER INVADING PRIVACY LATER. CLEARLY OUTLINE A CUT-OFF TRIGGER FOR THIS PRIVACY INVASION, SUCH AS NO MAJOR TERRORIST ACT FOR 2 YEARS, OR SOMETHING TO THAT AFFECT.

I agree. This new Homeland Security Department will do nothing to stop terrorists from invading our country and crossing our borders, but it will give a heck of a lot of power to the Executive Branch to take away all of our privacy rights. I was dismayed when Senator Byrd decided against filabustering it on that very basis. Fortunately, six of the top conservative Republicans in the Senate. Let's see who has the courage of his conservative convictions to do so in the Senate.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

I hadn't seen this article, so thanks for posting it and on the sidebar to boot.

I have to say this though.. anyone who thinks the Government has the time, the manpower or the energy to sit and watch every single citizen who posts online, well to say it nicely, they are naive.

If there are reasons to indicate that a person has connections with our enemies, and is conspiring against our country.. then SPY on them!!!

I've had this arguement a zillion times. We can't tie the hands of our Agents to find our enemies now that we've allowed so many of them entry.

Tin foil hat is on..... (Thats my story/(opinion), and I'm stickin to it)

:o)

Blast away......

[Righty1]

I hate to say it but, I have posted on this site numerous times that given their choice this admin would rather whack U.S. citizens than enforce immigration laws. Thankfully, Hannity and Colmes said that tonight. If enough people say it maybe they will hear?
With respect to Bush's (day of the long knives?) attack on the Christian right I am reminded of the SS Oberst in The Damned (Visconti), "We needed the SA to conquer Germany but, we needed the army to conquer the world". While I don't think that Bush is even remotely like HH I believe that Karl Rove is!!

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

I believe they'll be able to do this because of the recent push for privatizing sectors of the government (including the military) by the Bush Administration. Keeping this inside the government is no longer part of the equation. As for the cost, I'm assuming the government will do what it's always done when there's little or no cash...print more.

It's very telling that part of this bill allows private industries access to this information. How much? Don't know. Haven't had time to read the bill. I want to, especially now that I've read this article, and will in the next day or so.

Glad you were able to read the article and share your thoughts. I enjoy hearing different points of view.

[Democratic_Machiavelli]

I agree. Border security needs to be our top priority at this point. However, that would disrupt our H-1B (read: cheap labor) influx that's fueling the tech industry (as well as other industries) at the moment.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Thank you for posting it. I think it is important to debate these things.

FRegards, Vets