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G_Poobah
join:2004-01-17
Schenectady, NY
| CALEA + PATRIOT ACT = TYRANNY
For those who aren't familiar with CALEA, it was forced out to the manufacturers of telecom equipment back in 1990, supposedly to allow the government to 'track organized crime'. Basically it does several things to the equipment, to allow taps, and more importantly, prevent a tap detection from working (i.e. on cell towers, the signal is 'overpowered' so when a tap is placed, normal detection methods (which measure levels) don't detect it. CALEA also requires that equipment can be configured to monitor and record any phone calls made to/from a phone number, etc. Basically, those people listening on phone calls you see in the movies have been completely automated.
This new act is just an expansion, as CALEA did not allow them to tap your cable modem, which was driving them nuts. Of course, 'accommodating' a data connection is a fundamentally different process than accommodating a POTS line tap. The average end user today has the ability to nullify the contents of the conversation (via encryption) right from their desktop. My prediction, terrifying as it is, is that crypto will be outlawed for the home user, in the interest of 'preventing terrorism'.
My question is.. who watches the watchers? Why are we giving up 200+ years of freedom from search and seizure and allowing a police state to form? Why are we giving the government unprecedented powers to monitor us? Are we so terrified of terrorism that we will give up all those things that made this country what it is? If so, the terrorist have already won. We have lost our freedoms, which is what they wanted in the first place.
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Grand Poobah | |
openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
 ·AT&T Southeast
| I would guess that this will be nothing more than a "user-friendly" glorified packet sniffer. I don't see this as a big deal and honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. A court order will still be required. And if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about.
As far as outlawing crypto...I seriously doubt that happens. No more 128 bit encryption for my webpage? Not likely. Not that it really matters anyway. Haven't you heard the that there's no encryption out there that the NSA hasn't already broken? | |
kewlkeed
Grouch
Premium
join:2005-02-05
Knowlton, QC
| reply to G_Poobah
said by G_Poobah  :My question is.. who watches the watchers? Why are we giving up 200+ years of freedom from search and seizure and allowing a police state to form? Why are we giving the government unprecedented powers to monitor us? Are we so terrified of terrorism that we will give up all those things that made this country what it is? If so, the terrorist have already won. We have lost our freedoms, which is what they wanted in the first place. Amen! Couldn't have said it better. | |
pokesph
It Is Almost Fast
Premium
join:2001-06-25
Sacramento, CA
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| reply to G_Poobah
said by G_Poobah :My question is.. who watches the watchers? Why are we giving up 200+ years of freedom from search and seizure and allowing a police state to form? Why are we giving the government unprecedented powers to monitor us? Are we so terrified of terrorism that we will give up all those things that made this country what it is? If so, the terrorist have already won. We have lost our freedoms, which is what they wanted in the first place. AMEN!! I hear ya there, we have (slowly, over many years) given up or have had taken many of our personal rights that this country's forefathers fought and died for. We, as a soceity tend to let the little things go with the excuse of "oh this will help the police do this, or that will allow the gov't to do that' when in fact all it's doing (over time and some master gov't plan) is taking our right to privacy and freedom from unwarranted search and seizure, et al.
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gatzdon
join:2002-10-25
Lake Zurich, IL
| reply to openbox9
said by openbox9 :...if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about.... Maybe you should read the book "The Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling. He made a copy of his book available online at
»www.chriswaltrip.com/sterling/hackcrck.html
This book is a non-fiction book that investigated the collateral damage caused by the hacker crackdown that followed after AT&T had a meltdown of their long-distance network (which turned out to be a bug in their code, not due to hackers). Sure, many of the hackers out there got what they deserved, but in addition, other innocent people's lives were ruined due to the reckless actions of our government. Oddly enough, during all the evidence gathering, no AT&T server was ever seized, yet most of the activity (and records) took place on AT&T servers.
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$100 placed at 7 percent interest compounded quarterlyfor 200 years will increase to more than $100,000,000 --by which time it will be worth nothing.- Lazarus Long | |
zoom314
Superman
Premium
join:2001-04-30
Yermo, CA
| reply to pokesph
said by pokesph :said by G_Poobah :My question is.. who watches the watchers? Why are we giving up 200+ years of freedom from search and seizure and allowing a police state to form? Why are we giving the government unprecedented powers to monitor us? Are we so terrified of terrorism that we will give up all those things that made this country what it is? If so, the terrorist have already won. We have lost our freedoms, which is what they wanted in the first place. AMEN!! I hear ya there, we have (slowly, over many years) given up or have had taken many of our personal rights that this country's forefathers fought and died for. We, as a society tend to let the little things go with the excuse of "oh this will help the police do this, or that will allow the government to do that' when in fact all it's doing (over time and some master government plan) is taking our right to privacy and freedom from unwarranted search and seizure, Et al. Question is: Have You done anything to warrant being investigated? Or more importantly to be worth someones time? If not I'd carry on with Your life, I do, The Patriot Act exists, Big Deal, It isn't Judge, Jury and Executioner in this country and It will never be (Unless You're Paranoid;)) and for some to call the President and Congress a Tyrant is loopy in the Extreme as both are doing their Constitutional duties, A President signs Bills into Law or can Veto them as the President so wishes. Congress can vote to over ride a Veto with a vote of 66% or better If It wishes or It can do nothing.
A tyrant (from Greek τυραννος tyrannos) is a usurper of rightful power, possessing absolute power and ruling by tyranny.
In the original Greek meaning "tyrant" carried no ethical censure; a tyrant was anyone who overturned the established government of a city-state, usually through the use of popular support, to establish himself as dictator, or the heir of such a person. Cypselus was the first tyrant of Corinth in the 7th century BC, and managed to bequeath his position to his son, Periander. Succession was seldom untroubled among the tyrants. In Athens, the title was first given to Pisistratus of Athens in 560 BC, followed by his sons, and with the subsequent growth of Athenian democracy, the title "Tyrant" took on its familiar censurious connotations. The Thirty Tyrants installed at defeated Athens in 404 BC by the Spartans were not tyrants in the usual sense.
The heyday of the tyrants was the early 6th century BC, when Cleisthenes ruled Sicyon in the Peloponnesus, and Polycrates ruled Samos. During this time, many governments in the Aegean world were overthrown. It was during this time that Persia first made inroads into Greece, as many tyrants sought Persian help against forces seeking to remove them.
Greek tyranny was in the main an outgrowth of the struggle of the popular classes against the aristocracy or priest-kings whose right to rule was sanctioned by archaic traditions and mythology. Tyrants were generally installed by popular coups, and were often popular rulers, at least in the early part of their reigns. For instance, Pisistratus was remembered for an episode (related by Aristotle but possibly fictional) in which he exempted a farmer from taxation because of the particular barrenness of his plot. Pisistratus' sons Hippias and Hipparchus, on the other hand, were overthrown, and Hipparchus was assassinated.
The tyrants of Sicily were the products of similar causes, but tyranny was prolonged by the threat of Carthaginian attack, which facilitated the rise of military leaders with the people united behind them. Such Sicilian tyrants as Gelon, Hiero I, Hiero II, Dionysius the Elder, and Dionysius the Younger maintained lavish courts and were patrons of culture.
Later ancient Greeks, as well as the Roman Republicans, were generally quite wary of anyone seeking to implement a popular coup. The struggle of one such Roman, Marcus Junius Brutus, is portrayed by Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| pure coincidence, but still interesting
said by zoom314 :...a tyrant was anyone who overturned the established government of a city-state, usually through the use of popular support, to establish himself as dictator, or the heir of such a person. Cypselus was the first tyrant of Corinth in the 7th century BC, and managed to bequeath his position to his son, Periander. #41 - George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993
#42 - William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001
#43 - George Walker Bush, 2001-
(Then again, you could say that John and John Q. Adams were tyrants too. Jenna for prez in 2020?  )
Tyrants were generally installed by popular coups, and were often popular rulers, at least in the early part of their reigns.
"A recent Field Poll put Schwarzenegger's job approval rating at a lofty 56 percent, and he took the political magic that got him to Sacramento and put it to use in the referendum campaign."(March 2004)
"Only 34 percent of adult Californians approve of the job Schwarzenegger is doing as governor, compared with 51 percent who disapprove, according to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California."(June 2004)
The tyrants of Sicily were the products of similar causes, but tyranny was prolonged by the threat of Carthaginian attack, which facilitated the rise of military leaders with the people united behind them. "President-elect George W. Bush today named former U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell as the nation's next secretary of state, making Powell the first person to formally accept a Cabinet post in the Bush administration."(Dec. 2000)
Vis-a-vis the War on Terror, of course.
As Arsenio would say..."things that make you go 'hmmmmm.'"
You might want to take a few of these upon reading the above post. 
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Copyright infringement is illegal. Murder is illegal. Therefore, file sharing is murder. | |
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