Cave Cuniculum...

Latin. Means "beware the rabbit."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Wiretap Law - UPDATE

In my last post, I related how there's a new wiretapping law in the books now thanks to Dubya & Co. Not only does this new bill allow for warrant less wiretapping but it also removes the threat of legal repercussions from the phone companies who allow the taps.

Thankfully, the ACLU and the EFF have stepped up and are suing to stop the law from taking effect until its constitutionality can be determined.
Linky: Bush Signs Spy Bill, ACLU Sues from Wired

Here's hoping they can at least get an injunction. This law is one step away from Big Brother, and while I really can appreciate the need for security there has to be better ways of going about it.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

What was that noise?

I feel a bit more paranoid than usual. Perhaps it has something to do with this.

Our senate - by a 68-29 margin - has approved a bill to broaden wiretapping powers, thereby giving MORE power to the Bush administration. This bill not only gives more freedom for wiretapping; it also gives legal immunity to the phone companies. Here's the kicker: remember those lawsuits against AT&T and Verizon, who disclosed customer's information and allowed wiretaps without court approval? Those lawsuits, per this new bill, are now null and void. In essence, they won't be charged with any wrongdoing. Basically the senate just gave Verizon and AT&T's customers a giant kick in the ham 'n' eggs.

Yes, I understand the need for national security, but don't we have something called "due process" in America? Or has that been locked down in Guantanamo; another victim of the "war on terror"? Fine, you want to check on someone and wiretap their phone? Have a valid damned reason first and be able to convince a federal judge that there's a valid reason. No need to broadcast it to the public; you can keep your precious secret - but make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. I'm a bit leery of someone being able to secretly record my phone conversations. Not because I have anything to hide, but because I'm worried about being a victim of the "we can, so we will" mentality. Supposedly there are checks in place to make sure that things are "on the level", including inspector reviews - but we've all seen how well these actually work. Methinks we wouldn't have had quite as bad a kerfuffle in Guantanamo, Oliver Reed, etc. if the checks put in place would've actually worked. I guess we'll see how well this works as it'll be a law shortly - Shrubby has already vowed to sign it into law as soon as he can scrawl his name. If he's really happy, he may even use the red crayon.

I'm not sure if this is the kicker or not, but it's something to think about in the upcoming election: Obama voted for the bill. McCain didn't vote (he was campaigning in Ohio), but he's been a long-time supporter. Hillary - although she's not on the ticket - voted against the bill.

Keep those phone calls short and sweet, folks. You never know who's listening.