My tin foil hat moment . . .

[flamin lib]

Just sent to my personal email address book . . .

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Little Brother is watching
Interested in who’s been talking to who? For only about $100 you can get a month's worth of cell phone records for anyone. http//www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-privacy05.html Just do a google on “cell phone records for sale”.

Most of us already know that our employers can pretty much do what they want during business hours. If you have any doubt go here http//www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs7-work.htm

Did you know that many rent cars have a black box with GPS to monitor where you went and at what speeds you drove? If you exceed the speed limit your rental insurance may be voided and heaven forbid you take a side trip outside the rental area!

Middle Brother is watching
If you’re in Missouri and talking on the cell phone while driving, you better be driving the speed limit. That state and several others have contracted to have cell phone transmissions monitored by private companies for traffic control. Ostensibly to find slow traffic and track congestion it is only a short step to measure the speed of vehicles and just mail a ticket to the phone owner. Wanna’ really spook ‘em? Hire a helicopter and fly low over a freeway while chatting on your phone. You could probably successfully contest a ticket for 180 mph in a 55 zone if all you own is a Kia . . .
http//www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13314831.htm

Big Brother is watching
The DOJ has just requested data from Google on all searches run in the last few weeks. They are looking for any possible link between porn sites and minors. All records of all searches with all key words. Been on Google lately? What are the chances that they’ll ignore phrases like “impeach Bush”?

By now unless you live in a cave with Osoma’s number 2 version 25.2 you know that the NSA has been collecting phone calls and emails of US citizens contacting people in foreign countries. It is only slowly becoming known how widespread that eavesdropping is.

Guess what? You are probably being monitored with NSA electronic data mining. Here’s my “gift” to you

Mid year 2001 I struck up an electronic conversation with a fellow in Samara, Russia. We discussed mostly sailing and family matters, comparing our lives and societies and exchanging pleasantries. We did, of course, discuss politics and I was no kinder to George Bush there than here. With the events of 9/11 we discussed the terror threat, talking about Al Qeada, Chechnya, possible next targets, the ineptitude of both governments and how easy it is to circumvent security. We discussed chemical and biological tactics. We talked about how to protect ourselves and our families. By the way, I have a CBR (chemical/biological/radiological) rating from my days in the military. All the key words were there. All the background was there. What are the chances that my emails didn't alert the NSA’s search engines looking for “suspicious” words and phrases? By dent of you being on my email list you are also subject to NSA data mining. You’re not being paranoid if they really are out to get you.

Perhaps it is time to propose an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing that a right to privacy exists.

[shoelace414]

1. you mean another amendment?

[flamin lib]

3. Yeah, I know about the 4th, the 9th & 10th but

the people like Bork, Scalia and Alito seem to believe that unless it is specific and explicit it doesn't exist. Plus we're dealing with new technology.

[MindPilot]

2. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

A Right to Privacy amendment is something I've been prattling on about for some time. Thanks for mentioning it.

[arcane1]

4. didn't Wes Clark's phone records get purchased recently?

So many stories lately, I can't keep up!

[Stephanie]

8. yes, I think it was Bradblog or Americablog that purchased them

it's here somewhere - I think if you went through the archives of the homepage it would be there.

[MrModerate]

5. Looked at another way, this is an opportunity for . . .

Der Chimpenfuehrer to stick his chode even further into the crack.

Specifically, if they DO mine for "imp*ach B*sh" or similar excitatory phrases, while under the cover of seeking k*ddie p*rn, the Googles and AOLs of this world can raise all sorts of inconvenient legal questions, as could users of those services. Not to mention that the administration's rapidly evaporating credibility would suffer another blast.

Let's watch this one.

[northzax]

6. some of these are frankly not real concerns for the government to address

tracking boxes in rental cars? you're the one who signed the agreement to drive the speed limit and not leave a limited area, you're getting a expensive piece of equipment for not a lot of money, deal.

Given that even photo tickets apply to the car, not the driver, I don't see a legal case for issuing a ticket based on cell phone tracking, without a human interaction, you can only ticket the vehicle, not the driver.

and your employer? yeah, they have an investment to protect as well. Don't weaken the case against the other forms of surveilance by looping them in with these weaker ones.

[flamin lib]

9. My only point is that so very few people know the extent to which

their private thoughts and speech are monitored and to what use that information may be put. Big Brother really is out there, be it Governmental or Corporate Big Brother.

On the topic of signing a contract with the rental car company, it isn't a contract in good faith if one party keeps secret part of the terms of use.

[northzax]

10. it's not a secret, it's in the contract

the fact that some people don't bother to read the terms of a contract they sign, well, that's honestly their fault. I've rented a car with a box in it, and it was plainly stated, in the contract, that the company may use electronic surveillance to determine the driving patterns of the car and to identify its location, if need be. Plus, every rental car contract I have ever signed limits the geographic area of the rental (usually to the United States, but some places are one or two states, and lists the penalties for violation of that clause. And you always agree to abide by local rules of the road. So I don't have that much sympathy for renters who don't pay attention.

[flamin lib]

12. You rent from different companies than I have. nt

[northzax]

13. so you've seen a contract from a company that does monitoring

and doesn't state it? you've seen one that doesn't require, as part of the terms, that the driver will obey the rules of the road? you've seen one that has a geographic boundary and doesn't state that?

the company can't bill you for something that isn't covered in the contract. If you don't agree to keep the car in California, then they can't fine you for going to Nevada. If you don't agree not to speed, then they can't fine you for speeding (that's the job of the police, not the company in that case) read the standard Hertz contract, it will tell you that you cannot take the vehicle off road, or speed, or take it to Mexico. Why do you think it takes two pages of fine print?

[peacetalksforall]

7. Have you tried to fly since then? n/t

[bush_is_wacko]

11. Any person who has ever been to any kind of rally against the

war or this administration is already on a watch list. I guarantee it. Unfortunately, my kids were brought there as well so they are probably subject to that list for the rest of their lives. My husband became really uncomfortable and asked to leave at the last one because he saw someone taking pictures from a distance. There were police cars surrounding the park we were in. It was all very peaceful and we were a whole lot quieter than the pro-life protesters that were trying to interrupt the whole Iraq war/Bush administration protest but if any one of us had bothered the "peaceful" pro-lifers I KNOW who would have been hauled off to jail. I live in a mostly RED state. Thankfully, the particular area we were in is far more left leaning than right.

I know I am on a watch list. I google/yahoo and use too many of those watch words. I spend too much time here. I just wonder if that actually has translated into wiretapping of my phone. If it has several members of my extended family and friends may have inadvertently said things to me to add their name to the watch list.

I think Freepers don't understand how profound these allegations are. If you say something "suspicious" to someone that has not even committed a crime but has exercised their right to free speech in opposition to this administration they can extend their WARRANTLESS tapping to you as well. I have discussed politics with many Republicans by phone and on the internet. Those people may well have said just the right buzz word to get their records searched! If they don't want their records subject to the same search and tapping and watch lists we are being subjected to they damn well better wake the hell up and defend their constitutional rights as well as the investigation, impeachment, and conviction of anyone that has broken the law...Including the stinkin' prez!