What I find more revealing than the story is the staggering lack
of comments being posted about it here. The freedoms and rights
so hard won by those in the US are it seems all too easily given
away in our modern gadget-infested me-me-me times; instead we
argue over gfx card pricing, or AMD vs. Intel. Funny old world. I
wonder what a surviving Marine from 1945 would make of it all if
he could be brought forward in time to see where it's all ended up.
I suppose it's always this way though. We don't realise how important
these rights are until they're gone. Alas, to 'protect' such freedoms when
they're under attack (whatever that means), they're often the first
things to go in order to give govts the powers they say they need
(careful wording btw, I'm not saying one way or the other about
whether I approve of such measures).
Strange though, the previous programme of this kind was said to
have been unworkable due to the sheer amount of data involved.
Are we to believe that this problem has been solved with PRISM?
If so, that'd be one heck of an algorithmic breakthrough. Kinda scary.
Btw Blessedman, that's only if you're part of a well regulated militia;
are you? If not, then that amendment right doesn't apply and you'll
just be arrested. Cherry-picking the letter of the law won't get you
your rights back, just jail time instead.
And amdreak, perhaps you don't know that Europe has had an
EU-wide police database for a very long time now, with data
sharing between member states. EU citizens have no right to
know what data is held on the system about them, and no right
to have any erroneous data removed.
The big difference between the US and Europe with these issues
is that in the US they're more likely to end up in the public eye.
In Europe it all goes on quietly behind the scenes, rarely openly
discussed in our media. Try Googling the Official Secrets Act,
for example, it's an eye-opener (parts of the act are themselves
secret - how beautifully ironic is that?
), or even better search
for info on the UK's "D-Notice" system.
You have rights, you have a constitution, and the Justices of the
Supreme Court - whatever their supposed biases that the media
may claim they have - tend to be very determined indeed to
uphold the law, interpreting that valuable document & what it
stands for as best they can. I just hope the people make use of
those rights they still have to protect what really matters. I'm too
old and cynical now for the political game, but I admire the youth
who take to the streets, etc. The US has a long tradition of its
people not tolerating governmental b.s. (the civil rights protests
come to mind, 1970 Kent State protests, etc.); long may it continue.
Ian.
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