Ok, I admit to stealing the title from this Craig Cheslog post which discusses the burden we are placing on our children and likely their children by allowing unnecessary deficits and spending large sums on misplaced policy agendas.
I wonder too about taxing our children today. You all know the principle of no taxation without representation. Why then do we allow federal, state and local governments to tax people who have not yet reached voting age?
This has the potential to put to make Hoover’s files and the FBI’s ’60s files look like childs play.
(12) The TTIC identities database, and the FBI’s database containing Purely Domestic Terrorism Information, will incorporate, to the extent permitted by law, available biometric dta, including data on persons who even if otherwise unidentified are known or appropriately suspected to be or have been involved in activities constituting, inpreparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism.
It was just a week ago that we were talking about rummie describing the opposition as “encouraging Washington’s enemies.” That certainly reads similar to ‘in aid of’ in the above paragraph.
The administration seems intent on getting its database on everyone up and running no matter the oppostion. And if you think it will not impact you because you haven’t done anything wrong, well, you are wrong.
1) To help them identify potential bad people they need an inclusive database. They need to have your data before you turn bad if they are going to quickly spot you before you do a bad thing.
2) Using the rummie rule I’m probably a candidate on the basis of this post alone let alone others. Think about how you fit into the bushies scheme of things.
Wake up and just say no! Now!
Via Talkleft.
I don’t usually borrow whole posts but this from Doug Allen at Catallarchy aptly describes one aspect of the bizarre and misguided priorities that citizens of the US have built up around themselves over the last 200+ years:
Somewhere, violent criminals are still at large. Somewhere, a shady character is plotting terrorist activities. Somewhere, a drunken teen is getting behind the wheel of a car. Somewhere, a man is beating his wife.
But law enforcement resources are being used to charge Tommy Chong, fine him, and send him to a prison filled with dangerous whackos for nine months for selling bongs over the Internet.
When people exchange goods on mutually agreeable terms leave them alone.
Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU’s Program on Technology and Liberty, summed up CAPPs II thusly:
CAPPS II would for the first time put the government in the business of conducting regular background checks on everyday citizens. Not only would the government conduct searches and evaluations of individuals’ past history and records, but it would generate a “risk score” for each person. The social and political consequences of this new role for government are far-reaching and truly frightening.
Read the transcript of the Washington Post online forum he participated in here.
Via beSpacific.
Whatever it is going to be called bush is stumping for it. At Quanitco today, he made a pitch for increased use of administrative supoenas, elimination of bail for terrorist suspects and additional death penalty provisions. Part of his rationale being something like if we can have these things for certain other crimes why not terrorism. For instance, with regard to administrative supoenas:
They’re used in a wide range of criminal and civil matters, including health care fraud and child abuse cases.
Perhaps they shouldn’t be used in any situation. It strikes me that probably cause approved by a judge ought to be the minimum standard.
I don’t think anyone outside bush’s cabal has seen what they plan to send to congress. Expect things to go less well for whatever it is then the roll over and play dead act that congress did for Patriot Act 1.
Talkleft (and I’m sure others) has been working this heavily. See here (the most recent as of this writing) and previous posts.