Comments on: Give up your freedom for a false sense of security http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/ Protect yourself from government gaffes, bureaucratic blunders and incumbent incompetence Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:19:36 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: How to win the war on terror - Homeland Stupidityhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-17401 How to win the war on terror - Homeland Stupidity Mon, 02 Oct 2006 00:24:24 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-17401 [...] They mean us harm, but they’ve been mostly unsuccessful at striking here at home, thanks only in a very small part to those crackdowns on civil rights. Most of the terrorist aspirants who have been caught here in the U.S. have been caught not through secret national security letters and spying on Americans’ telephone calls, but through old-fashioned pre-9/11 style police detective work. Why, then, do we need to turn the Federal Bureau of Investigation into a secret police? Or put another way, it was too much secrecy which caused our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to fail to connect the dots; how is more secrecy and fewer civil rights going to solve the problem? [...] [...] They mean us harm, but they’ve been mostly unsuccessful at striking here at home, thanks only in a very small part to those crackdowns on civil rights. Most of the terrorist aspirants who have been caught here in the U.S. have been caught not through secret national security letters and spying on Americans’ telephone calls, but through old-fashioned pre-9/11 style police detective work. Why, then, do we need to turn the Federal Bureau of Investigation into a secret police? Or put another way, it was too much secrecy which caused our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to fail to connect the dots; how is more secrecy and fewer civil rights going to solve the problem? [...]

]]> By: House votes to extend Patriot Act for one month - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidityhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-5216 House votes to extend Patriot Act for one month - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidity Mon, 02 Jan 2006 13:58:26 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-5216 [...] The reauthorization of the Patriot Act had stalled in the Senate after the bill which came out of conference had been stripped of civil liberties protections added to the Senate version. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said he decided on the six-month extension, although he, too, had repeatedly said he would reject “short-term” extensions such as for three months. [...] [...] The reauthorization of the Patriot Act had stalled in the Senate after the bill which came out of conference had been stripped of civil liberties protections added to the Senate version. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said he decided on the six-month extension, although he, too, had repeatedly said he would reject “short-term” extensions such as for three months. [...]

]]> By: The Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidityhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4822 The Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidity Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:03:42 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4822 [...] The argument goes that because people are committing crimes, that are already illegal, we need more laws to prosecute them with. These laws invariably come ever closer to breaching our civil rights and offering only false hopes in return. [...] [...] The argument goes that because people are committing crimes, that are already illegal, we need more laws to prosecute them with. These laws invariably come ever closer to breaching our civil rights and offering only false hopes in return. [...]

]]> By: Senators, get your cots; we’re having a filibuster! - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidityhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4818 Senators, get your cots; we’re having a filibuster! - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidity Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:03:03 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4818 [...] “I don’t want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care,” said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001. [...] [...] “I don’t want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care,” said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001. [...]

]]> By: Davidhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4779 David Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:09:47 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4779 The most frightening thing about that article is that the author is unaware that his very philosophy is the same as the fundamentalist. Who in our administration decides which liberties are alright to shed in the name of 'protecting me'? Isn't that the real issue? Our government is so concerned about 'protecting' its citizens, that the very liberties on which our country stands for are slowly getting stripped away. The federal and local authorities would be better served by protecting the constitution and ensuring for which it stands - is still serving the people. The most frightening thing about that article is that the author is unaware that his very philosophy is the same as the fundamentalist. Who in our administration decides which liberties are alright to shed in the name of ‘protecting me’? Isn’t that the real issue? Our government is so concerned about ‘protecting’ its citizens, that the very liberties on which our country stands for are slowly getting stripped away. The federal and local authorities would be better served by protecting the constitution and ensuring for which it stands – is still serving the people.

]]> By: Dwighthttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4766 Dwight Thu, 15 Dec 2005 05:35:56 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4766 A founding principle of this country is skepticism for the integrity of government officials, nothing personal.Lormel's statement that legislators are deferring to the desire of terrorists is unwarranted. What is their "parochial agenda"? Civil liberties? Legislators decide the greater good by balancing liberty and security, and one hopes the agencies follow the law.His only argument is that investigations are benefitted or are facilitated by the Patriot Act, not that investigations were unreasonably impeded before the Patriot Act. Since he is an expert he should provide details on how specifically the Patriot Act helps. He should also discuss how judicial oversight benefits investigations by driving good work. It is not true to say that more protections for civil liberties necessarily entail a tradeoff with security.Ultimately, Lormel sounds like a polite Bill O'Reilly -- support the Patriot Act or you support the terrorists. And no, I don't trust the FBI, CIA, etc. on principle, and for the reasons stated above by IO Error. A founding principle of this country is skepticism for the integrity of government officials, nothing personal.

Lormel’s statement that legislators are deferring to the desire of terrorists is unwarranted. What is their “parochial agenda”? Civil liberties? Legislators decide the greater good by balancing liberty and security, and one hopes the agencies follow the law.

His only argument is that investigations are benefitted or are facilitated by the Patriot Act, not that investigations were unreasonably impeded before the Patriot Act. Since he is an expert he should provide details on how specifically the Patriot Act helps. He should also discuss how judicial oversight benefits investigations by driving good work. It is not true to say that more protections for civil liberties necessarily entail a tradeoff with security.

Ultimately, Lormel sounds like a polite Bill O’Reilly — support the Patriot Act or you support the terrorists. And no, I don’t trust the FBI, CIA, etc. on principle, and for the reasons stated above by IO Error.

]]> By: House approves Patriot Act renewal - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidityhttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4765 House approves Patriot Act renewal - Homeland Security or Homeland Stupidity Thu, 15 Dec 2005 02:04:59 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4765 [...] Give up your freedom for a false sense of security [...] [...] Give up your freedom for a false sense of security [...]

]]> By: Erichttp://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4754 Eric Wed, 14 Dec 2005 19:07:52 +0000 http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/14/give-up-your-freedom-for-a-false-sense-of-security/#comment-4754 Word. Which freedoms do the terrrrrrurists hate again? Word. Which freedoms do the terrrrrrurists hate again?

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