Open Thread

4 Comments

1. 

   forus50 on January 16, 2011 at 1:52 pm

   Words matter.  Trying to stop murder by guns and calling it “gun control” will get us nowhere. The right to bear arms is DIRECTLY at odds with the term “gun control”.  Instead, crafting a bill and addressing this problem as being caused by “Weapons of mass destruction” would be a start.  Words matter.

2. 

   dada on January 16, 2011 at 3:57 pm

   in light of the recent wikileaks melodrama, l get a not so pleasant sense that we’re going further down the rabbit hole of national security, especially when l read things like this: second thoughts about the wisdom of the cloud:

   It used to be that if the US government wanted access to documents or letters in my possession they’d have to subpoena me directly. As a foreign citizen there are all sorts of ways I could fight the request – and it was at  least my choice whether to do so. As someone living in the US I also had the whole weight of the 4th Amendment on my side. Now, with everything in the cloud, the decision whether to hand over my personal information is almost entirely out of my hands. And unless, as happened with Twitter, the company storing my data decides to fight for openness on my behalf, there’s every possibility that I won’t even hear about the request until it’s too late. That’s just not how things should work in a free society.

   and this; Obama administration moves forward with unique internet ID for Americans, Commerce Department to head system up

   President Obama has signaled that he will give the United States Commerce Department the authority over a proposed national cybersecurity measure that would involve giving each American a unique online identity….So anyway, what about this unique ID we’ll all be getting? Well, though details are still pretty scant, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke… stressed that the new system would not be akin to a national ID card, or a government controlled system, but that it would enhance security and reduce the need for people to memorize dozens of passwords online. Sorry, Locke, sounds like a national ID system to us……

   Update: For clarity’s sake, we should note that the proposed unique ID system will be opt in only, not a mandatory program for all citizens.

   voluntary, eh…yeah, sure, just like the tsa screenings and all those pesky wire taps, etc.

   orwell’s laughing his as off.

3. 

   utried on January 16, 2011 at 4:11 pm

   It’s harder to live in the US that it used to be.
   The SS# for babies, the cost of food, housing and gas.
   There is so much complication in everyday life now.

4. 

   swardo on January 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm

   This video made my day.