same as it ever was.

[scottopic]

Oopsie, we tap into the communications of non-terrorist 'mericans, too! But all that matters is we have been authorized to do anything we want. (thanks forestdweller)

I cannot believe that I've actually heard and read arguments along the lines of "well, if you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about" when it comes to government invasion of privacy.
"The Point" and these people are so far apart, light takes centuries to travel between the two.
This explains much - the information they're processing is circa 1306.

This is not a Lameocrat vs. Repugnican argument. This is an outrage. Oh, the scrollbar is over there -->

---

In other news, I get a weird image every time I read a headline such as:
"UN Staff flees Cartoon Riots"
I keep envisioning Scooby and Daffy throwing rocks through windows, stealing televisions, as Goofy burns this motherfucker down.

---

One of my co-workers wrote a book. It is funny. It was based on the collaborative efforts of a website he runs with thousands of active users — he'd write 4-5 chapters, they'd vote on which one would be published, and after 3 years...a book!
Check out
Mentally Incontinent
It's gross, disturbing, off-color and 90% true.

---

I very rarely do the whole birthday thing in Elljay, since I worry over leaving someone out, but hey -
Andrew the unrepentant - happy birthday, man. We will drink soon, and you will get both your Christmas present and you're 'hey, you were born' present soon, I promise. Have a good one.

Comments

[unrepentant.livejournal.com]

Good deal, man. Best to you n' PhÆ. Pick a day and we'll get this on the schedule soon. I think I NEED my present.

[adrienmundi]

As my radio girlfriend pointed out this morning, Gonzalez says he's telling the truth this time, but won't promise or swear to it (particularly as what he's saying now is at odds with other things he's said when he was compelled to be under oath). What a smug, pompous fuck he is.

[chapel-of-words.livejournal.com]

My beef is not the program itself. I can envision ways the program makes sense and with a few oversight additions (say the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public) it's not a bad program. My biggest thorn of contention is an end run around the limitations on executive power. The President can't, and shouldn't, be able to just "make it up on the fly" with only those on his paystaff required to sign off on it. I was in Disneyworld by the way and you're dead on- Goofy is a mo-fo pyro if there ever was one. I caught him and Donald sniffing glue and lighting M80's behind Cinderalla's Castle. =) Tim C.

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the publicthe other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public the other two branches of government and disclosure to the public <-- bingo.

The ability to use surveillance is key, no doubt. But the guidelines are already laid out. Puncturing the field surrounding our rights for expediency is yet another dreadful move by an increasingly dreadful government.

[chapel-of-words.livejournal.com]

If you're interested (or bored) do research re: Ashcroft on this issue. I've seen a few not very well reported inferences that Ashcroft was approached with this plan (some say while he was sick in a hospital) and turned it down concerned it was not legal. Mewonders if there was some reason in him leaving his position and Gonzales taking it related to this.

Not to be Dan Brown conspiracy or anything but I think Jesus made Bush do it.

Tim C.

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

I could see it either way. I think Ashcroft was deluded. Gonzales seems more of a schemer.

You leave Dan out of this!

All that was old...

[bcarruth.livejournal.com]

Just like He-man and transformers, these fantastic and bizarre entertainments of our childhood keep cropping up in new, repackaged forms.

1994? Echelon? AOL?
Anyone with me, here?

I'm just tickled that it's actually getting PRESS this time. In some ways, there's never been a worse time to go forward with mass surveilance: people are already watching for that "bridge too far". Last time a text parser and parameter search got applied to an e-mail chokepoint, it got a one-paragraph blurb...

...on an Australian news site.

[angry-user.livejournal.com]

I cannot believe that I've actually heard and read arguments along the lines of "well, if you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about" when it comes to government invasion of privacy.

Those people make me want to hit them. Repeatedly. I fear I'm going to snap one day if I don't get away from this "culture" at some point. Something's got to give, regardless.

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

I was quite fond of Greece, but Ibiza sounded intriguing.

[iconnu.livejournal.com]

Paul and I have been eyeing Italy.. you'd be our neighbors. :-p

[theinnocence.livejournal.com]

and you told me the country needs me to stay when i said i was gonna hit a border when bush was elected :p

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

Your country needs you to stay until we decide where we're going, then we're kidnapping you to take you with us.

[theinnocence.livejournal.com]

ahh...
i better get a passport then, no?

[chapel-of-words.livejournal.com]

The best retort is simply to ask "So you're okay with Hillary Clinton exercising this power in 2008?" That will stop them dead in their tracks. Few think of the far reaching power of precedent when they make statements like that.

Tim C.

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

Hahahahaha

[morbid-o.livejournal.com]

the only upside that I've found so far is that today's washington times featured 3 separate politicians making nearly identical hand gestures. I have suspicions that Reagan was cloned multiple times into different bodies.

[sassysmile.livejournal.com]

1. Is your icon Gary Busey?
2. Regarding the content of the post: I don't think I can live in this country anymore. I know there is worse, but wow. How did you come up with so many words? I can't get past the blinding, seething, red-hot rage.

[sassysmile.livejournal.com]

1. checked your icons. Cool :-D