Thirty-Three States Contributed to the MATRIX 328
lexbaby writes "The Salt Lake Tribune has an article claiming that at least 33 states have released government and commercial records on residents to the controversial MATRIX (Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange) network instead of the originally claimed 13." Don't worry, there's plenty of RAM for all 50 and the territories too.
Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Insightful)
Mouth shut, eyes forward, do what you're told. Don't question authority.
Smile for the cameras. They're everywhere and they're watching you.
Secure all zippers, buttons, tie clips, etc. Wardrobe Malfunction isn't funny anymore, it's subversive.
Turn in your neighbors on the slightest hint they're trouble makers. You won't get a pair a blue jeans, but you help keep your country safe.
Pokemon: Catch 'em all, otherwise you never know where they are or what they are up to.
Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing to avoid Germ Warfare Terrorist label.
Vote for the most patriotic sounding politician, no matter what their platform.
Remember, we're all in this together.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:4, Funny)
Always wear your foil hat underneath a real hat, otherwise they'll know you know.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:3, Insightful)
Always wear your foil hat underneath a real hat, otherwise they'll know you know.
Good point. Thank you very much.
"Good manners aren't just a good idea, they're the law!"
"You're under arrest."
"What for?"
"You didn't thank him."
"Oh, sorry."
"Too late for that, Sir."
"Very well, thank you for arresting me."
"You're welcome."
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh, that and the fact that that they are willing to destroy our rights over the first one, and do little to nothing about the second.
Politicians make me sick.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Interesting)
IIRC, McCarthy's quest began by seeking special treatment by the U.S. Army for Pvt G. David Schine, a former aide to Roy Cohn, friend and ally of McCarthy. McCarthy's list ("I have in my hand a list...") was BS, but once the lying for favoritism got going it was hard to stop and took on a life of it's own, alledging the Army was full of communist sympathisers because they refused special treatment to Schine. Pretty ugly, but today isn't quite that bad, yet.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Insightful)
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Please board the nearest transportation to the Ministry of Love, they are waiting to see you.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:2, Interesting)
"You must not just obey Big Brother, you must love Big Brother"
"We are aiming at destroying the family unit. All love will be directed towards Big Brother"
"Procreation will be nothing more than an annual ritual"
Again, all from 1984
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Insightful)
I can only hope that the upcoming generation has been taught enough independence to value their freedom and fight the authoritarians. The good thing about a democratic society is that the pendulum swings both ways, and given time usually corrects itself. The current voters (baby boomers) didn't deal with as much McCarthyism as their parents and their apathy is going to get us in trouble.
Hopefully it will correct itself as it often has.
Cheers
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Funny)
ONLY ONCE A YEAR????
Come to think of it, it might be an improvement on my current conditions...
Re:There was already a similar software... (Score:3, Interesting)
Avoiding "Troll" in the first place... (Score:5, Funny)
Mouth shut, eyes forward, do what you're told. Don't question the editors.
Smile for the cameras. They're everywhere and they're watching you.
Secure all servers, workstations, toasters, etc. with Linux. Windows isn't funny anymore, it's subversive.
Mod down your fellow posters on the slightest hint they're windows users. You won't get a free subscription, but you help keep Slashdot safe.
Suspicious links: Don't click 'em, otherwise you might know where they go or what horrors they may contain.
Twiddle your thumbs when considering posting evidence that Windows is OK to avoid Astroturfer label.
Vote for the most paranoid, irrational sounding politician, but only if their platform is Open Sourced.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:3, Informative)
Keep a record of everything you do. Every dollar you spend, every phone call you make, and every trip you take. Upon being asked if you are a terrorist, make relevant portions of this record avaliable.
Orwellian society exists due to lies and secrecy. Truth, fact, and honesty are the only proof against it.
Re:Thanks for volunteering (Score:4, Insightful)
I read your post right the first time - you just made up that "legitimate authority" requirement when you saw how flimsy your proposal looks. Who's a "legitimate authority"? That's not for you, a private citizen, to decide. The courts already have lots of ways to extract your life record from you, based on due process. And that "white married christian male" fetish you've got tends to protect Aryan Nation people from scrutiny, too, now doesn't it? I don't know why you've got any complaints at all with the current procedures, given your apparent satisfaction with faith based government.
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:2, Insightful)
You probably meant...
America, love it or destroy it with freedomcrushing practices such as PATRIOT Act, big government, big brother mentality, etc.
Seriously, if you love freedom, you strive to protect it; not from King George, not from Ivan, because you did that already. Don't forget to defend your freedom no matter the threat. If your president and attorney general is the threat, you know what you have to do. You have no excuse.
"We're bastards to govern" (Score:3, Interesting)
I was reading James Mitchner's Iberia up to a couple months ago. It's terribly ironic considering what happened in Spain on the 11th and the political climate in the USA. The book was written, IIRC, in the late 60's and
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:5, Insightful)
"Fuck you."
Nobody is forcing you to stay in America if you don't like it. America, love it or leave it fscker.
You want to pay for my moving expenses? You want to lobby a foreign government on my behalf to grant me a visa to stay in that country?
No? Well OK then, go shut the fuck up.
There's LOTS of people forcing me to stay in America: my creditors, American politicians, foreign politicians, my parents, my wife's family, better-educated-than-American European citizens, poor foreign workers who don't want me to have one of the few jobs in their neck of the world. You Mr Anonymous Coward are a nitwitted dumbass who obviously has had no direct contract with foreign cultures if you think any old middle-class American family with a beef against the government can just pick up and leave. Shit I can't even get into Mexico to work at a sweatshop.
Let me also point out the American idea that we vote for our own government misleaders, hence the government is "by the people, for the people". When you defend a totalitarian government, you point out to the entire world that you don't know shit from squat about the idealistic American Dream, and that it's YOU who don't belong here. If you had given any clue that you knew what the hell you were talking about you might have appeared to be one of the minority of Americans who know the actual brutal history of the country and the struggle of its people to create a real democracy despite the government. But you're obviously not one of those people, so again Fuck You for being a dumbass who believes in the thin blue line and will vote for the creation of a despotism in the land *I* call home.
YOU are the non-American here, and your First Amendment right to ignorant speech ends at my property line in rural Texas. Actually not too far from the place a few ATF agents upholding a corrupt regime got their lives terminated in self-defense by some religious nuts in 1993.
Do you Mr Anonymous Coward want me to leave America? I invite you to try and kick me out. You'll need lots of bullets.
Amen, my fellow TRUE patriot. (Score:3, Interesting)
Please read this: http://holophrastic.com/javascopes/september_02.p
good points (Score:3, Insightful)
For all those people who love to say "if you don't like
Re:Avoiding trouble in the first place... (Score:2)
suprise (Score:2, Funny)
list please! (Score:2, Interesting)
we need a list! if my state was involved I would like to know!
Re:list please! (Score:5, Informative)
CLICKY HERE [matrix-at.org]
http://www.matrix-at.org/states.htm
Here is the Wired article that was posted here a day or two ago, which has more info on which states are involved...
CLICKY HERE [wired.com] http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62564,00. html?tw=wn_tophead_1
Re:list please! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:list please! (Score:2)
Re:list please! (Score:2)
Re:list please! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:list please! (Score:2)
Re:list please! (Score:2, Funny)
It needs to be "Google Bombed" too. We should all start providing links to it with the phrase "The MATRIX has you [matrix-at.org]" everywhere we can.
Yes, I really said this and when the feds come to ask me about it I'll tell th... wait a minute, there's someone at the door.
Re:list please! (Score:2)
Why? Are you a terrorist? It's not like you can do anything about it anyway so just shutup about it and do what you're told.
Wow (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow (Score:5, Funny)
I wonder if those guys model themselves on agent smith -- try to look like him, imitate his mannerisms, setc.
You'd think they'd call it something like "children's protection and technological development project" instead.
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Genealogical data too? (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if/how that would help the MATRIX project. Hmm.
Re:Genealogical data too? (Score:3, Interesting)
Fear Sells. (Score:4, Insightful)
Once this MATRIX is proven to be useless, either by failing to catch terrorists or not predicting the next attack, will the government kill the program? Of course not.
Fear has always been a great method to let government erode privacy and rights.
This rock keeps tigers away (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:5, Insightful)
9/11
Before that?
Anyone?
1993?
I am NOT arguing with you, "see, we're safe" works for enough folks to keep the population apathetic. It IS creepy, though, when you think about it:
How easy would it be to walk across the Canadian border, walk into a border-town theatre, and blow yourself up?
It seems like this crap happens on a daily basis in the Middle East, but we never see this stuff.
Either they aren't out to get us as much as we think or the government has already been doing a good job.
Believe me, I understand the rammifications of a WMD attack -- looking at what certain chemicals and bioagents can do is very sobering. However I don't think the risk is high enough that the government now has a right to actively suspect (monitor) all citizens without cause.
There is a difference between monitoring a suspect and monitoring everyone. When the government is looking over everyone's shoulders, day and night, you no longer have what I would call a 'free society.'
Cheers
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:5, Funny)
I suspect it's the universal healthcare, and very tasty bread.
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:2)
Before that?
Anyone?
19 April 1995 [pbs.org].
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:5, Insightful)
"Oklahoma city in 1995."
Oklahoma city was not caused by foreign terrorists -- that was a local nutcase. Refer to my post, I specifically said 'foreign'. Swing and a miss.
---
"But that wasn't the last terrorist attack on this country before 9/11. Our African embassies were attacked, US troop barracks in Saudi Arabia were attacked, the USS Cole was attacked"
These are attacks off of American soil. What good is a database on American citizens going to do in helping to stop these attacks? Strike 2.
---
"and there was an attack that was stopped on New Years Eve 2000. This is not a problem that we can just ignore."
Now you're bringing up unsuccessful attacks. My whole point is that either they're not trying hard enough, or we're catching them -- which seems to be the case here.
The whole problem is that this doesn't happen nearly enough to warrant panic. We've had two local attacks in the last decade. Considering how easy the typical middle eastern attack (suicide bomber) could be carried out here, and the fact that we're not seeing any, should mean something to you. It is said (non-stop) that we're hated and threatened every day, but even the almost-unstoppable attacks aren't happening.
Strike three. Back to the bench.
In the end, the problem goes even further in that a database like this is monitoring American citizens who live here. It seems reasonable that potential terrorists can come here with all the training and money they need, spend a couple nights in a hotel, and blow themselves straight to hell. The effects of monitoring an entire population can be shrugged off by terrorists, but not those that live here.
The negatives in this case absolutely blow away the positives.
Cheers
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:2)
Re:This rock keeps tigers away (Score:2)
Asuuming you're a taxpaying American consumer, you already have.
As for mine, I'm suggled safely between it and a hard place.
Re:Fear Sells. (Score:5, Funny)
People hate terrorists. Let's make a list.
People hate child molestors. Let's make a list.
People hate corrupt politicians. Shhhhhh.
Altered Star Wars quote ... (Score:3, Interesting)
The regional governors now have direct control over territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this MATRIX.
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Fear Sells. (Score:2, Insightful)
i sure wouldnt... the nazis were perfectly safe against attack until they started making attacks themselves.
i would much rather see the US made a safer place via sensical foriegn policy than through draconian laws and cloak & dagger espionage.
all these "security" measures are doing is simply allowing the US citizens to pay the price for our leaderships short-sightedness while allowing it to continue.
Re:Fear Sells. (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't believe we should surrender our civil liberties just because there are people out there willing to kill us. There have ALWAYS been people out there willing to kill us.
French (French & Indian War)
English (American Revolution, War of 1812)
Ourselves (U.S. Civil War)
Japanese (World War II)
Why, now, is it okay to abuse our civil liberties?
Re:Fear Sells. (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm more concerned about the infrequent inspections of cargo ships or what about our current foriegn policies that seem to have created this whole threat of terrorism in the first place.
Which states? (Score:2)
Re:Which states? (Score:2)
Re:Which states? (Score:2)
I'd bet that there are merely 33 *known* states.
The Federales have probably told All Fifty that they better play ball on this one... or else they are Not PATRIOTs.
Re:Which states? (Score:2)
Re:Which states? (Score:2)
Not all states have limits of 55, and at least until recently, LA had a drinking age under 21. So it isn't "forced," although it is underhanded.
Proof? (Score:3, Insightful)
Do you actually have some good, solid evidence that the ram is being used for this? Aside from an article at Techworld that thinks it might be. At least try to show a tiny little bit of responsibility in the statements that you make.
Re:Proof? (Score:4, Insightful)
I actually run one website (Score:5, Interesting)
You think thats bad... (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.brbpub.com/pubrecsites.asp [brbpub.com]
Free public records for all states and nationwide databases.
I know for sure that Colorado and Wisconsin have criminal court proceedings online, effectivly putting your police record out there for anyone who knows your name or even parts of your name.
It did come in handy for me lately, as I found out someone gave my name when they were arrested. Had this resource not be available, I may have never known. Now I have to get it off, and they don't make it easy.
-ft
Re:You think thats bad... (Score:4, Interesting)
First the tinfoilers and whiners were bitching about crazy government secrets. We want access to all the information the government has!!!!! So they pass the Freedom of Information Act. Now everyone has access to all the information the government has. Now the cry is "We want privacy!!".
Meh, who gives a fuck.. All these idiots and their nazi germany references obviously have never read a history book, or hell, even seen any good WWII movies.
The government has ALWAYS had my address, phone and social security number (i mean for fuckes sakes, they issue that)
Cops have always had access to my arrest record via NIBRS, UCR.. Vehicle data through VINES, MILES, and other networks. So now they need "one resource to bind them all". One network to crash and become unusable, and believe me, the others I mentioned go up and down ALL the time.
The only thing that bothers me about this is they payed all that cash for a redundant system that no doubt wont work all that well.
The criminal data, for instance, where does it come from? From the court system, or perhaps from NIBRS, and even then only after the agencies send in their monthly submissions. It wont be updated on-the-fly. How do I know this? Because I would have had to write an interface to the system by now if it was any difference.
Anyhow, who cares, more paranoia and handwaving from michael.
They're not messing around (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, what was spooky about it is they were able to immediately look up my record--I got busted smoking pot at a concert about 10 years ago in NJ--literally a thousand miles away. Even though this was expunged from my record nearly ten years ago, they found out about it from their cars, without me every mentioning that I ever lived anywhere other than FL. That sucks.
Re:They're not messing around (Score:5, Informative)
A few years ago when renewing my drivers license in Nebraska I was told that I had a suspended license in the state of Florida. Hmmm I haven't been in Florida since Carter was President. I tried to fight the suspension but being a poor person (one that couldn't afford the $500 lawyer fee that was quoted) I initially threatened to turn myself in to the local authorities stating I had a warrant in the state of FL and at least get a "FREE" trip to Florida, I finally paid what was owed on the ticket and the extortion money^H^H^H^H^H reinstatement fee for the ticket only to find out that that particular person that had the outstanding warrant his physical description was no where near mine.... about 6 inches taller and he was a different color, along with having the DL number blacked out
and I ended up paying over $200 just to get a stupid license renewal here in Nebraska.
Makes you wonder if the tin-hat crowd is not on to something.
Re:They're not messing around (Score:4, Insightful)
Catch-22! (Score:5, Informative)
If you can't access the data, how can you find the source!?
CAN THE PUBLIC REVIEW THE MATRIX PILOT PROJECT DATA CONCERNING THEMSELVES?
No. Members of the public cannot access individually identifiable information on themselves or others. Persons wishing to access data pertaining to themselves should communicate directly with the agency or entity that is the source of the data in question. For example, each participating state must provide a means for an individual to review and challenge the accuracy and completeness of his or her criminal history record, as authorized and required by 28 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 20.21(g).
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Adding injury to insult... (Score:5, Insightful)
I am guessing Mr. Ashcroft pay this out of his own pcoket. So this tax payer's money.
Is this going to make you any safer? Doubtful.
Is this going to make you poorer? Yes, Indirectly.
Is this going to make Seisinit richer? Sure.
Is this going to violate your privacy? Most Definitely.
So you are basically paying Seisinit to take away your privacy. This is a bit like this story here. [mithuro.com] But that one is a bit more believable.
Notable quote (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Notable quote (Score:2)
That's supposed to make us feel better?
No, but it should compel you to find out just how much of your "private information" is, in fact, on the open market. I suspect there's not much that isn't, especially nowadays.
What's the problem? (Score:2, Insightful)
Leavitt teamed up with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- President Bush's brother -- to pitch MATRIX to other states. The two briefed other governors on the project during a conference call referred to in Feb. 6, 2003, MATRIX board minutes.
A member of the Bush family involved in something deceptive that will further erode our constitutional rights? NEVER, I say, NEVER!
Re:What's the problem? (Score:2)
Thanks for the laugh!
Paranoia day (Score:4, Insightful)
The MATRIX (Score:5, Insightful)
Enough with the MATRIX puns, look at the issue seriously. I live in France and had never heard of this project before, but it sure looks scary, or at least, the government not saying everything about it is.
Can be read in the article: "We don't want our information floating out there when we don't know what's on the database or who has access to it," said Sen. Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park. It seems the people actually involved in this do not know very much what information will be withheld, let alone the people whose information is withheld. I mean, how can you be sure what you're being told is the truth when you see that the people involved with the project do not know that much about it themselves?
The representatives say that the MATRIX is just a way of accessing individuals' information faster, but I don't really see how this could help them to predict where and when the next terrorist attack will be -- it will only really help them once the acts are actually done, I should think.
I'm not stating that the government are surely up to something dodgy here, and after all, perhaps they might not be lying when they say that this will allow them to get hold of currently available information faster. But I just cannot read this without an ounce of doubt that a few privacy breaches might help them to fulfill their task.
Good thing Leavitt is gone (Score:5, Informative)
When he left for EPA his Lt. Gov, Walker took over and found out about this MATRIX stuff and told the public. I hope Walker or Matheson gets elected next time around.
A warm fuzzy one (Score:2, Insightful)
this will be used for political purposes (Score:2, Interesting)
I liike this part: (Score:2)
So are they saying they'll use it to only monitor guilty citizens? Guilty of what? Isn't everybody innocent until proven guilty? If they were already proven guilty, why monitor them?
Some Restraint Made (Score:3, Interesting)
On one hand, this scares me a bit, because I know her work, and she's good -- which means that this system probably functions as intended.
On the other hand, I have the assurances that a) she's a decent person, who generally supports civil liberties and frowns on abuse of government powers; and b) she's explicitly said that there were several requests that the government made during the initial design phase that she explicitly ruled out -- she told the government they were going too far, and that she wouldn't be a part of what they wanted. They actually backed off, too from what I've been told.
Of course, I realize that I have very little credibility here as just another Slashdot poster...but for anyone inclined to believe, the good news is that *some* restraint was made in designing the MATRIX system.
Re:Some Restraint Made (Score:2)
John Kerry (Score:2, Informative)
Remember the Florida election of 2000 ? (Score:5, Informative)
When is Joe Six pack going to wake up to the fact that in secret the government has conspired to create a dossier on every citzen in this country and this is who they hired to do it:
Hank Asher then creates the MATRIX as a state level network version of the TIA office. Essentially continuing the TIA office, but freeing it from congressional oversight and federal whistleblower protections. He admits smuggling millions of dollars worth of cocaine in 1981 and 1982. Coincidentally at the time when the Iran-Contra dealings were in full swing.
But this is only speculation. Could there be more of a link between illegal dealings between Hank Asher and the republican party? OF COURSE THERE IS!
In 1992, Asher founded Database Technologies, which later merged with ChoicePoint. In 1999, he founded Seisint Inc. by merging two companies. He is still on Seisint's board of directors, and continues to play an active role in the company.During the 2000 presidential election ChoicePoint, gave Florida officials a list with the names of 8,000 ex-felons to "scrub" from their list of voters. But it turns out none on the list were guilty of felonies, only misdemeanors.
So there we have it. We went from having a domestic spying agency run by a five time felon to having the same domestic spying program sans congressional oversight and whistle blower protections run by a convicted drug smuggler who has proven that he'll break the law to further the republican agenda.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/oh_republican
A Florida law enforcement data-sharing network is about to go national. In the name of counterterrorism, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are pouring millions of dollars into the system to expand it to local law enforcement agencies across the nation. It's called Matrix, which stands for Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange. According to the Washington Post, the computer network accesses information that has always been available to investigators but brings it together and enables police to access it with extraordinary speed. Civil liberties and privacy groups say the Matrix system dramatically increases the ability of local police to snoop on individuals.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/0
The Florida company that built the database was founded by the man behind ChoicePoint and Database Technologies. The companies administered the contract that stripped thousands of African Americans from the Florida voter roles before the 2000 election.
Although narrower in scope than John Poindexter's controversial Terrorist Global Information Awareness program, Matrix may serve a similar purpose because it provides unprecedented access to US residents regardless of their criminal background. And states are eager to participate in the new program. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to launch a pilot program in state law enforcement data-sharing among Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Who came up with the name? (Score:2, Insightful)
some MATRIX related docs (Score:2)
And remember, we are stll the people. It is not late to stop these things.
Umm... what? (Score:2, Informative)
Article Text here [officer.com]
New York and Wisconsin Opt Out of Anti-Crime Database
............
MARK JOHNSON
Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York and Wisconsin have joined the list of states that have pulled out of an anti-crime database program that civil libertarians say endangers citizens' privacy rights.
Just five states now remain involved in Matrix out of more than a dozen that had signed up to share criminal, pr
Wow (Score:2, Insightful)
The concern of potential abuse of MATRIX (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The concern of potential abuse of MATRIX (Score:3, Insightful)
Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. It's fine that you are against this, as I am too (and I am in one of the few states still thinking it's a good idea), but you CAN make corrections. There is a process called "review and challenge," which while you cannot look at the direct results from this system, you can get the list of info it gives (that doesn't make much sense, but it is the case). If any of it is wr
Re:The concern of potential abuse of MATRIX (Score:3, Informative)
I had to go through a review & challenge when being hired to my current job (there was an item on my criminal record that was supposed to have been expunged). I had to send in a form (easily obtainable) and sign it, with my fingerprints on it (I wasn't happy about that, but realize it's a necessity). Two weeks later, I got a reply and sent in some papers, all was take
This conversation actually took place (Score:3, Funny)
Illuminatus Rex: Hm.. Mu.. Ant.. Te... Matie? MATIE? Didn't we decide to keep the Aussie division out this time?
Freemason Grand Master: No, no, they are not in. Purely a coincidence.
Paul W.: Well, it sounds a bit... dull.
Illuminatus Rex: I agree. MATIE just will not work. Think of USA PATRIOT - Uniting and Strengthening - now that is a classic. Even TIA is better, even thought it is just a TLA. How are we going to keep people on their toes with MATIE? People should think of strength and cunning, not Foster's and dingos. We are not playing shadow government here!
Alan G.: What if we change a few letters... uhm.. MATRIX?
Illuminatus Rex: Eeexcellent.
HUGE target for hacking? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Excellent (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't know if it's on the web, but there was a wonderful series of Pogo (by Walt Kelly) strips from the early 70's where Spiro Agnew (then Vice President) was portrayed (appropriately) as a hyena in military uniform. For the good of the country all suspect people were rounded up and jailed. The end result was everyone in jail except him, including his cronies and assistants.
Sounds like history repeating itself.
Spiro Agnew [wikipedia.org] later resigned due to mounting pressure over scandal for tax evasion and bribe taking.
Re:Excellent (Score:5, Insightful)
This is true because, as Authority Figures, our exalted leaders and police officials can be trusted completely to act diligently and with only the public interest in mind. Abuses of power for political or personal reasons are quite impossible, now and evermore. Liberals foolishly fail to understand this simple fact that every Good Dog knows.
The really cool thing about this is that they'll always be able to round up a good number of plausible suspects for anything that might happen, without all the hassle and expense of identifying the actual perpetrator or - what's worse - having to actually prove guilt. That way Ashcroft et.al. get to look like heroes whether any real justice is done or not. We the People insist on no more than that somebody be apprehended. I'd like to have a job like that. I could say, "Lookee here, Mr. Boss-Man, sir. I wrote you a hunnert lines o' code," and Mr. Boss-Man wouldn't even care if it compiled, much less did anything useful.
I dunno about you, but I didn't enjoy the Spain incident.
You're taking a big leap of faith here if you're suggesting that the liberty/safety trade-off is real. Under Hitler, Stalin and Mao, nobody was safe. Don't expect any better here if we hand absolute power to Bush and his minions (or anyone else, for that matter).
Re:Excellent (Score:5, Insightful)
In other words, "Live free or die". For those that may want to reconstruct this sentiment to form something like "you will die OR live free", remember what that quote means. It means, "I would rather die than to NOT live free". And I would agree. You see, I am an American, and I understand what freedom means, and therefore when I see it being eroded for unseemly ends I must, in a working democracy that is, rise up and fight. It is my duty as an American, and as a patriot.
Vote these bastards out of office... our freedom depends on it...
Re:Obligatory comment (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory comment (Score:2, Funny)
Wouldn't that be MATIE?
No, because then they would be confused with the pirate non dairy creamer COFFEE MATIE.
Re:ONE fucking event and we lose everything!!!!!! (Score:2)
Re:The United States Empire (Score:2)
Sorry, but what you were used to in the past is LONG gone thanks to 9/11. America will never be the same. With our open border policy, it was only a matter of time before something like that happened. And it will happen again.
Political parties aside, I really doubt if Kerry gets into office, we'll see much if any change.
Re:Wrong blame (Score:3, Insightful)
You say that as though Republicans are any different from Democrats. At this point, pubbies are pretty much liberal-lite. The few real conservatives left with any say get shouted down by the liberals and neo-con morons of the supposedly right-leaning party.
Why are we spending more than ever? Why are we looking at a $500+ Billion deficeit? Why are we pumping $530 Billion into a socialist medical plan? Why are we sapping the life out of Socia
Re:Wrong blame (Score:4, Insightful)
What's even funnier is that Oliver Stone, probably one of the most hated (by right-wingers) directors in Hollywood once made a film about how aweful and terrible the media is. It was called, "Natural Born Killers".
The media doesn't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. The media doesn't care what your position is. The media doesn't care if you're alive, dead, growing mushrooms out of your eyelids, or bleeding to death in the back of a city cab. What they do care about are the ratings you and your story may bring to them. What the media does care about is reporting the things that will keep them employed and successful.
There's a concept that's lost on most people these days, and it's something that would solve probably 80% of the problems plaguing us at this point: personal responsibility.