According to an article today from the Associated Press,
I might be a wee tad more sympathetic toward this proposed strategy IF I truly believed the focus would be on shadowy terrorists and mafia-like crime figures. But as the recent stories have hit the news about intense scrutiny of various peace activists planning nothing more than civil disobedience at the Republican National Convention in 2008, my worry is that the government is far more interested in having legals tools to spy on political dissidents, particularly those who are on the left side of the political spectrum.
It's even more worrisome when you take into account that it appears that many FBI agents don't seem to understand "the bureau's policies for conducting surveillance on Americans." As reported by NPR in "Report Finds Significant Exam Cheating By FBI Agents",
So many people were deluded into thinking that our move toward a police state would change direction once the "Man of Hope" became president. It doesn't look as if we've changed course at all.
Be afraid, be very afraid! They may be watching you right now.
Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web sites and BlackBerries, The New York Times reported Monday.It sounds like such a legitimate need, doesn't it? We must work to insure the American people are protected from vile people bent on destroying our way of life. We must give up some of our cherished freedoms for security purposes, lest we provide a mechanism for those individuals who seek to do us in.
The newspaper said the White House plans to submit a bill next year that would require all online services that enable communications to be technically equipped to comply with a wiretap order. That would include providers of encrypted e-mail, such as BlackBerry, networking sites like Facebook and direct communication services like Skype.
Federal law enforcement and national security officials say new the regulations are needed because terrorists and criminals are increasingly giving up their phones to communicate online...
I might be a wee tad more sympathetic toward this proposed strategy IF I truly believed the focus would be on shadowy terrorists and mafia-like crime figures. But as the recent stories have hit the news about intense scrutiny of various peace activists planning nothing more than civil disobedience at the Republican National Convention in 2008, my worry is that the government is far more interested in having legals tools to spy on political dissidents, particularly those who are on the left side of the political spectrum.
It's even more worrisome when you take into account that it appears that many FBI agents don't seem to understand "the bureau's policies for conducting surveillance on Americans." As reported by NPR in "Report Finds Significant Exam Cheating By FBI Agents",
The troubling review of the exam on surveillance rules follows Fine's report last week on the FBI's scrutiny of domestic activist groups. That investigation found that the FBI gave inaccurate information to Congress and the public when it claimed a possible terrorism link to justify monitoring an anti-war rally in Pittsburgh in 2002. That IG report also criticized the factual basis for opening or continuing FBI domestic terrorism investigations of some other nonviolent left-leaning groups.This indicates that many in the FBI don't truly know what's legal and what is not. If an agent is unsure where the line is drawn, you can be confident that most of them will end up crossing it!!
In the inquiry into the exam, the inspector general looked at only at four FBI field offices and found enough troubling information to warrant a comprehensive review by the FBI.
In one FBI field office, four agents exploited a computer software flaw "to reveal the answers to the questions as they were taking the exam," Fine said.
Other test-takers used or circulated materials that essentially provided the test answers, he said.
Fine said that almost all of those who cheated "falsely certified" that they did the work themselves, without the help of others...
So many people were deluded into thinking that our move toward a police state would change direction once the "Man of Hope" became president. It doesn't look as if we've changed course at all.
Be afraid, be very afraid! They may be watching you right now.
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