This means that the UK is actually giving the terrorists sensitive information in order to expand their anti-civil liberties campaign.
I don't see why anyone wouldn't believe that the US or the UK would hesitate to initiate false terrorist attacks on their own people.
It's getting uglier and uglier. It seems like somebody's schedule to put in place a total lockdown on liberty once and for all has been stepped up. The US and the UK aren't even trying to cover up what they're doing any more.
And I want a government that doesn't shit on our heads.
The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is only the last in a long line of laws meant to protect corporations at the expense of citizens and consumers. It's meant to help corporations keep their ugly behavior secret and to scare journalists into keeping their mouths shut when those secrets become just to horrible to keep.
The government officials in the UK and US still haven't caught on that the issue of ubiquitous surveillance is going to be the defining issue of this decade. They're fighting a war from the early 2000s and the rest of us have moved on.
It's not showing up in the media or even the polls yet, but there is going to be a massive shift in public perception of government officials who believe it's OK to violate the civil and human rights of individuals in order to feed their security apparatus.
The detention of Mr Miranda had nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with a petulant government's blind rage. They still think that all they have to do is say "terrorism" and everybody will just quiet down. I think more and more people are saying, "We'll take our chances with the terrorists. Just get your goddamn hands off of our human and civil rights".
This Surveillance state is not going to end when the presidency of Barack Obama ends. It's going to be a long battle.
I've got a book called "Subversives" that came out not long ago, about how Ronald Reagan and the FBI collaborated to suppress dissent, not just from liberals, but from conservatives too, using dirty tricks and lawbreaking. It's a chilling reminder that this fight doesn't end. And only part of the solution is political.
But the window to stop ubiquitous surveillance is closing fast. People should expect this to get uglier, because the petulant political and corporate elite who want this stuff believe they are above the law and beyond the reach of the people. We have to prove them wrong.
Try to stand a GI Joe or Barbie doll on two legs. It's almost impossible. Locomotion on two legs requires a crazy amount of data processing. Just now my wife handed me a cup of hot tea. The amount of data she and I had to process to pass the cup without spilling (she had to sense when to release the cup, I had to sense that she was sensing and so on) is so far beyond what machines will be able to do for the foreseeable future.
Maybe after the singularity robots will be able to move like humans. But considering the enormous problems the world is facing with economic disparity, and the political collapse that its causing, I doubt we'll get there in any of our lifetimes.
If we're going to get to a point where robots can move like humans, we're going to first have to fix what we've fucked up regarding humans.
And the fact that some self-described "progressives" are so energetically acquiescing to the surveillance state is even more depressing to me. It's led me to question a lot about the lack of meaning in current partisan politics in the US. I'm getting convinced that the main job of the "Left" and "Right" is to distract us from the really bad things that are happening under our noses.
I know this: the progressives I grew up admiring, like Paul Wellstone, must be banging their heads on their desks up in heaven.
Banks have lobbyists. You do not. That's why "reading the fine print" is a standard you are held to, but oh my, you can't expect the poor bank to do that.
If you want to see the "read the fine print" scam by banks writ large, just read some of the stories at nakedcapitalism.com about the mortgage scandal. Banks paid a billion dollar fine because they had 100X that amount invested in mortgages for which they did not have the paperwork to even establish who owns the property. So, they just typed up whatever they damn well pleased and expected the courts to enforce them. Often, they weren't even the party holding the mortgage, but they still foreclosed. Tens of thousands of times. Part of the fine is that they get to keep it out of the media.
One of the signs of late-stage capitalism is when pricing becomes unmoored from "an agreement between buyer and seller" and no longer has any relationship to supply and demand.
That's where we are now. The single most important thing corporations look for, in any sector, is "pricing power" which means they can fix prices. This replaces the normal relationship between buyer and seller and trivializes their transaction.
I'm not saying he is, but I think the question must be asked.
I'm concerned that Rep Rogers is acting like he has something to hide. Unless he's got some very dark, very young skeletons in his closet, I don't see why he's so worried about what a journalist is writing about him. What could he be hiding?
You would play roulette? You wouldn't even try a game where you could bump up your odds?
I'm not a roulette player, only know the game generally. Is a red/black bet really a 50/50 proposition? Are there any outcomes where neither red nor black win?
Yes, I know Rand Paul is in the senate. My mistake. I momentarily forgot that he moved from the House to the Senate. But he was in the House the first time we learned about the overreach of the NSA and the FISA court, and though he had a lot to say, there was no legislation dealing with it issuing from his office.
But if he really does care about the issue instead of just grifting, he could certainly voice support or sponsor such a bill in the Senate.
I notice that despite his rhetoric and filibusters and histrionics, there's been a distinct lack of legislation to rein in the surveillance state from Congressman Rand Paul of Kentucky. Despite the fact that his party is in power in the House of Representatives so his bill might actually stand a chance of being called for a vote by Speaker Boehner.
Perhaps the difference between Reps Rush Holt and Rand Paul is that the former actually cares about fixing this issue and the latter is just trying to make hay with the low-information undergrads who comprise his fan club. Because he's nothing but a grifter, like his old man.
Now the most frightening part of the NSA's ubiquitous surveillance regime starts to become clear.
It's not bad enough that the government gets unfettered access to Americans' communications, but now it turns out that corporations have their eyes on it, too.
I don't believe for a second that the NSA program was about "terrorism". It was always about preventing the social unrest that the economic concentration in the hands of a few has made inevitable. And, it was about corporate power, because concentrated wealth and power are good for business (as long as your business is part of the elite).
There really exists a petulant notion among the corporate elite that you really can't be allowed to make your own decisions - about where you work, what you buy, how much your labor is worth and how much the consumer goods are worth. They don't want any communication among consumers. They are afraid that if people talk to one another, bad things can happen unless that conversation is strictly managed. Corporations have seen what happens when consumers start comparing notes about a given company. Remember Farmers' Insurance? The elite dodged a bullet with the Occupy movement. They were able to manage the message, discredit occupy and go on as usual. They were not able to manage the discussion about Monsanto and now that company's name is synonymous with evil.
In end-game capitalism, freedom is bad for business, and the corporate/intelligence apparatus is all about the business.
Stars and Stripes has done a good deal of original reporting, including stories critical of the government and of the military. According to Wikipedia, "Unique among the many military publications, Stars and Stripes operates as a First Amendment newspaper".
So, I guess until the corporate/intelligence apparatus decides that the First Amendment is no longer good for profits, Stars and Stripes gets to operate independently. Since we've already seen a couple of the amendments in the Bill of Rights suspended, that might happen sooner rather than later.
Is Jimmy Carter the last American president who had a working moral compass?
You may not agree with his opinions, but you cannot deny that he is a decent moral man, who is not one to look you in the eye and lie to you the way all his predecessors have.
And I agree with the above commenter, who said it was Carter's honesty and decency that made him a target of the political establishment starting with Satan himself, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: Multi-Tool Time
Re: Re: Ti2 Para-Biner
On the post: Snowden Accuses UK Gov't Of Leaking Documents He Never Leaked To Make Him Look Bad
False Flag Nation
I don't see why anyone wouldn't believe that the US or the UK would hesitate to initiate false terrorist attacks on their own people.
It's getting uglier and uglier. It seems like somebody's schedule to put in place a total lockdown on liberty once and for all has been stepped up. The US and the UK aren't even trying to cover up what they're doing any more.
On the post: DailyDirt: Cool Animal Research
poop bags
And I want a government that doesn't shit on our heads.
The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is only the last in a long line of laws meant to protect corporations at the expense of citizens and consumers. It's meant to help corporations keep their ugly behavior secret and to scare journalists into keeping their mouths shut when those secrets become just to horrible to keep.
On the post: UK Home Office Says Miranda's Detention 'Fully Justified,' Attacks Press And Public For Condoning Snowden's Leaks
Missing the Point
It's not showing up in the media or even the polls yet, but there is going to be a massive shift in public perception of government officials who believe it's OK to violate the civil and human rights of individuals in order to feed their security apparatus.
The detention of Mr Miranda had nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with a petulant government's blind rage. They still think that all they have to do is say "terrorism" and everybody will just quiet down. I think more and more people are saying, "We'll take our chances with the terrorists. Just get your goddamn hands off of our human and civil rights".
On the post: Colbert On NSA Surveillance: Expect The Most Transparent Bulls**t Legally Allowed
The challenge for a generation
I've got a book called "Subversives" that came out not long ago, about how Ronald Reagan and the FBI collaborated to suppress dissent, not just from liberals, but from conservatives too, using dirty tricks and lawbreaking. It's a chilling reminder that this fight doesn't end. And only part of the solution is political.
But the window to stop ubiquitous surveillance is closing fast. People should expect this to get uglier, because the petulant political and corporate elite who want this stuff believe they are above the law and beyond the reach of the people. We have to prove them wrong.
On the post: DailyDirt: Making Artificial People Look Less Creepy...
always creepy and will never move right
Maybe after the singularity robots will be able to move like humans. But considering the enormous problems the world is facing with economic disparity, and the political collapse that its causing, I doubt we'll get there in any of our lifetimes.
If we're going to get to a point where robots can move like humans, we're going to first have to fix what we've fucked up regarding humans.
On the post: Thomas Friedman Believes Snowden Should Get A 'Second Chance,' By Which He Means 'Come Back To The US And Stand Trial'
Re:
I know this: the progressives I grew up admiring, like Paul Wellstone, must be banging their heads on their desks up in heaven.
On the post: DailyDirt: Scams To Get Rich Quick
Re:
This is what happens when you let people who are too old to remember what they had for breakfast vote.
On the post: DailyDirt: Scams To Get Rich Quick
Re: Man alters credit card contract
If you want to see the "read the fine print" scam by banks writ large, just read some of the stories at nakedcapitalism.com about the mortgage scandal. Banks paid a billion dollar fine because they had 100X that amount invested in mortgages for which they did not have the paperwork to even establish who owns the property. So, they just typed up whatever they damn well pleased and expected the courts to enforce them. Often, they weren't even the party holding the mortgage, but they still foreclosed. Tens of thousands of times. Part of the fine is that they get to keep it out of the media.
On the post: There Is No 'True' Price For Anything
Pricing Power
That's where we are now. The single most important thing corporations look for, in any sector, is "pricing power" which means they can fix prices. This replaces the normal relationship between buyer and seller and trivializes their transaction.
On the post: Zynga Thinks You Might Confuse Having Casual Sex With Playing A Scrabble Knockoff, Because It's 'With Friends'
Re:
On the post: Staffers For Rep. Mike Rogers Apparently Claim They Could Sue Me For Defamation
Is Mike Rogers a pedophile?
I'm concerned that Rep Rogers is acting like he has something to hide. Unless he's got some very dark, very young skeletons in his closet, I don't see why he's so worried about what a journalist is writing about him. What could he be hiding?
On the post: DailyDirt: Bank Error In Your Favor....
Re: Re: I'd bet it all on red or black..
I'm not a roulette player, only know the game generally. Is a red/black bet really a 50/50 proposition? Are there any outcomes where neither red nor black win?
On the post: Rep. Rush Holt Bill To Repeal PATRIOT And FISA Amendments Acts Now Live, Ambitious
Re: Rand Paul suspiciously silent
But if he really does care about the issue instead of just grifting, he could certainly voice support or sponsor such a bill in the Senate.
On the post: Rep. Rush Holt Bill To Repeal PATRIOT And FISA Amendments Acts Now Live, Ambitious
Rand Paul suspiciously silent
Perhaps the difference between Reps Rush Holt and Rand Paul is that the former actually cares about fixing this issue and the latter is just trying to make hay with the low-information undergrads who comprise his fan club. Because he's nothing but a grifter, like his old man.
On the post: Court Gives Chevron Access To Nine Years Of Americans' Email Metadata
The real bad thing
It's not bad enough that the government gets unfettered access to Americans' communications, but now it turns out that corporations have their eyes on it, too.
I don't believe for a second that the NSA program was about "terrorism". It was always about preventing the social unrest that the economic concentration in the hands of a few has made inevitable. And, it was about corporate power, because concentrated wealth and power are good for business (as long as your business is part of the elite).
There really exists a petulant notion among the corporate elite that you really can't be allowed to make your own decisions - about where you work, what you buy, how much your labor is worth and how much the consumer goods are worth. They don't want any communication among consumers. They are afraid that if people talk to one another, bad things can happen unless that conversation is strictly managed. Corporations have seen what happens when consumers start comparing notes about a given company. Remember Farmers' Insurance? The elite dodged a bullet with the Occupy movement. They were able to manage the message, discredit occupy and go on as usual. They were not able to manage the discussion about Monsanto and now that company's name is synonymous with evil.
In end-game capitalism, freedom is bad for business, and the corporate/intelligence apparatus is all about the business.
On the post: German Minister Calls Security A 'Super Fundamental Right' That Outranks Privacy; German Press Call Him 'Idiot In Charge'
Re:
So, I guess until the corporate/intelligence apparatus decides that the First Amendment is no longer good for profits, Stars and Stripes gets to operate independently. Since we've already seen a couple of the amendments in the Bill of Rights suspended, that might happen sooner rather than later.
On the post: Faulkner Estate Can't Sue Sony Because Owen Wilson Misquotes Nine Word Faulkner Quote In Movie
Good for the goose
On the post: Jimmy Carter Says NSA Scandal Shows America Has No Functioning Democracy
moral story
You may not agree with his opinions, but you cannot deny that he is a decent moral man, who is not one to look you in the eye and lie to you the way all his predecessors have.
And I agree with the above commenter, who said it was Carter's honesty and decency that made him a target of the political establishment starting with Satan himself, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
On the post: 'Secret' DHS Twitter Account Isn't Following Anyone Interesting, So Why Is It Secret?
me too!
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