I hope this is wrong:
In further evidence of our rapidly eroding civil liberties, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed today that US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have the right to confiscate and search a traveler's laptop or other electronic device without any suspicion of wrongdoing. The rules -- which we reported on in February -- allow for searches of hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, and video or audio tapes, and specify that the agencies can "detain" belongings for a "reasonable period of time," (i.e., as long as they please).
Additionally, the DHS can share the data found with other government agencies or private entities for translation, decryption, or (astoundingly vague) "other reasons." The DHS says the policies apply to anyone entering the country -- including US citizens -- and claim the measures are necessary to prevent terrorism. In other news, Big Brother issued a statement today guaranteeing a bonus for turning over family members suspected of crimethink to the Thought Police.
[Via Switched]
3 comments:
The reality is that the Republican party is no longer conservative at all; 8 years of Bush has given us a massive expansion of both deficits and govt power.
McCain seeks to continue that, and given his paranoia with regards to war and terrorism, may actually push the envelope further.
Unfortunately, the Republican party that I have supported has taken the spectre of 9-11 and used it to justify just about everything, including invading a country that had nothing to do with 9-11.
We do have a choice in this years election to try to restore some balance, and isn't it nice that one of the candidates, Obama, has actually been a professor of Constitutional law?
a while ago, i saw tyler cowen perhaps jokingly comment that harold and kumar escape guantanamo was the best libertarian movie, or some such.
Having seen it last night, I'm afraid that I have to agree with the criticism of government psychotic behavior (not actually psychotic, because it gets them elected by people who say "well, it's only the criminals who have to be afraid of something like this," so in that case, it's rational behavior).
Though certainly crass a vast majority of the time, they rightly criticize and satirize an overly aggressive government.
The pendulum needs to turn back...the Republicans have been in charge for way too long and have been corrupted by the power.
It's funny but now more and more people see that the complaints of those often ridiculed "liberals" like Russ Feingold aren't so ridiculous any longer.
We need a balance in this country, but the side of "do anything in the name of fighting terrorists" needs to be checked in this election. Indeed, the only real way the terrorists can win is if, out of fear, we abandon our principles. That's why they are called "terrorists"...because their only weapon is fear.
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