If anyone every tell you that if you don't remember your past you will repeat it,
 

50 years ago people were interrogated in secret,asked if they were a member of the Communist Party or a communist sympathizer. those who crumbled,or took the fifth were branded as such and some lost everything.
Well McCarthy strikes again,same game, same questions, difference question someone else asking them now it's John Ashcroft the (AG) of the Bush Administration, this time we are having our e-mail read,computers and telephones bugged,attorney-client conversations monitored, credit card transactions monitored,medical and travel histories examined.All without a warrant or even much of a good excuse-- whe asked about it the only anwser that comes back is Homeland Security. This is BullS--t!
If we continue to strip away at our civil liberties we as a nations are the losers and all the dead will will be for nothing and every country that HATES us will be the winners. then the war on torror in the Middle East is a waste of bullets and bombs.

razz
PS>
before anyone startes running me down I've payed my dues with my blood 2 Purple Hearts so have at it.
:d:

razz
 

First of all, kindly set aside your paranoia. If somebody disagrees with you, they are not running you down. And like you, I have a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, but that doesn't make me infallible, omniscient, bullet-proof or real handsome, although I claim all these qualities on frequent occasion.

Under what authority, law, circumstance or moon sign are all these dastardly things occurring, as you claim? How do you know that your e-mails are being scrutinized by some governmental agency? Can you offer any proof of your wild allegations, or is this just some wild-eyed rant of your hatred of the Bush administration and all that he stands for? You have made some gross charges, copied I suspect, from some other source.

just because I can't prove I'm being followed dosen't mean I'm not lol. and my (gross charges) as you call them comes from a local rag that has a right wing editorial that makes Dlay look like a leberal not sure how this got in to it.
razz

And I thought!
 

I have always thought that it was liberal democrats who claimed a "right wing conspiracy", proposing more government controls on our everyday life through, Political Correctness, Gun Control, and through Social Programs invade more and more into our private lives. I fear the "McCarthyism of left than the right. I have always believed and recent history proves it, our dangers in the loss of civil liberties will come from the left of the political spectrum rather than this administration, I don't believe Ashcroft is much of a threat.

The technology is out there to monitor us. But, the government just doesn't have the personell or time or the court orders to do such. I don't worry about that but I would if I were a criminal.

They broke up a pedophile ring by monitering their e-mails and tapping their telephones. However, they had to get a federal judge to agree with them. And, since I don't usually break the law (occassional speeding, jay-walking, etc) I don't worry.


Keith :D

All of you gents, in my opinion, are to be complimented. No one can ever take away what you have done!

I do, however, have to take exception to Super Scout on his claim of good looks! "We ugly folks are far more numerous!!"

As for any perceived paranoia, I would like to know what in the hell you meant by that!

LOL-TWICE

VERITAS

HARDCORE...
 

Not safe and secure as 50 years ago, since having experienced the mass-murdering of defenseless men, women and children (about 3000) on American Soil by foreign powers aside,...where do you get-off saying: "We ugly folks..."? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?

Neil :D

P.S. "Civil Rights" don't mean diddly-squat to DEAD MEN (dead women and children also). Besides, I personally prefer The Goverment's way of providing safety and security, over The ACLU's, pure-dumb-luck and/or The Father Flannagan's (re. "There is no such thing as a bad boy") variations of safety and security,...ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. You just can't depend on luck against a quite vicious and deadly enemy. Bill of Rights HELL. Our enemies don't even believe we should have A Bible after slaughtering us.

HARDCORE
 

OK, OK, so I ain't as cute as I once were! What I was referring to in the paranoia comment was when razz originally posted, saying that if somebody disagreed with him, he was being run down; not the case, just a simple matter of a disagreement. And I for one do ot see a g-man behind every tree, sneaking into my computer, and peaking into my checking account. I do agree with Andy though, that people currently breaking the law need to look over their shoulder constantly!

well... I DO REMEMBER THE PAST>>>THANK YOU VERY MUCH
 

I can point to Waco, Ruby Ridge and the Elian Gonzalez fiasco as bona-fide government encroachment on rights of its citizens. These were all backed by that champion of human and civil rights, Janet Reno. Can you point to specific instances to support what you posted ?

Larry

GENTS - I can't remember if I ever was good looking, just old!!

ss didn't mean to sound like that,hell I've been married 39 years I'm use to being disagreed with what worrys me is when people start agreeing with me then I start looking over my shoulder.ugly who's ugly, just been rode hard and out up wet.
razz

blues clues,

With all due respect, your paranoia is both misplaced and rather late in coming.

E-mail/Internet activity---Monitored ANYWAY. You are mistaken if you believe that there is much privacy there in the first place; I could find out your real name and (depending on where you've been) SS number in a few minutes or so. Nor do you even need to be an experienced hacker---fussing with security is common practice among over half of the people out there online. Any privacy you can attain on the Internet is infinitesimal---you're somewhat late in mourning the loss of that.

Credit card transactions---again, monitored by corporations (legally or no, I don't no details) anyway. It's done to gain a sense of what stores you frequent and what types of sales pitches would be best aimed at you through junk mail and spam.

Attorney-client conversations---This scares me, but I highly doubt that it really happens except with cases that make the top 10 in national security concerns.

As for bugging telephones, this can be done anyway without obtaining a warrant. Law enforcement officers only need to ask permission from a judge--which is almost always very freely given--and they have license to do so. You are told about the tap afterwards.

Let's say that communism is what's being ferreted out rather than ties to terrorists. Under today's laws, you cannot be prosecuted for merely frequenting a pro-Communism website. You will, however, attract the attention of the government---again, you may not even be prosecuted, only watched for a while until they determine whether you are a threat or not---if you're making daily visits to a website that champions violent, riotous overthrow of the current government.

The amount of things that escape attention are frightening as well. Someone could plot the assassination of President Bush through e-mail----on some giant network like Hotmail, for example----and probably not be detected. This is because of the sheer lack of ability to scan through every message sent.

Paranoia is good to have, in small doses. It keeps you alert and cautious---but the scale and reach of the Internet is such that it cannot be watched over in every aspect at every minute of the day.

~Lady Creffield

Lady
 

I couldn't, and obviously didn't say it any better than you just explained it! Thanks for your logical, eloquent, and timely comments. I might add that any cellular phone conversation is also subject to being monitored, taped and tapped very easily; this was one of the ways we were able to track down some of the terrorists in Afghanistan.

That dear Lady is very true. Thanks for your very eloquent examples. :ae: