Death of YOUR Constitutional Rights

[Dravenhawk]

In order for you to know the scoop the first thing is you need to know your rights. The following are excerpts taken from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia. The first is from the US Constitution and the second is from the Privacy act of 1974


Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent
domain.

No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.


Excerpt from the privacy act of 1974

Access to Records
The Privacy Act also states:

Each agency that maintains a system of rec*ords shall—
upon request by any individual ... permit him ... to review the record and have a copy made of all or any portion thereof in a form comprehensible to him ...
permit the individual to request amendment of a record pertaining to him ...

Issues of Scope
The Privacy Act does apply to the records of every "individual," but the Privacy Act only applies to records held by an "agency"

Therefore the records held by courts, executive components, or non-agency government entities are not subject to the provisions in the Privacy Act. You have no right to these records, or at least no right protected by Congressional statute

Exemptions
Following the controversed Passenger Name Record agreement signed with the European Union (EU) in 2007, the Bush administration gave exemption to the Department of Homeland Security and for the Arrival and Departure System (ADIS) from its Privacy Act. ADIS is intended to authorise people to travel only after PNR and API (Advance Passenger Information) data has been checked and cleared by US agency watchlist. The Automated Targeting System is also to be exempted. The Privacy Act does not protect non-US citizens, which is problematic for exchange of Passenger Name Record information between the US and the European Union.



Although government may be limited somewhat by the Constitution and the Privacy Act of 1974 Private companies are not. The fear spawned by the events of 9/11 saw the shredding of your 4th and 5th Amendment rights. As I write this data is being collected and compiled about me. Such things as how long I have been on this web site tonight, what threads I have read, how long I spent reading them, what I am watching on TV, and my exact location.

It is absolutly incredable just how much data is being compiled about you. Common things one would take for granted ans least suspect are collecting data about you. Things such as your cell phone, car, computer, digital camera, printer, to name a few are collecting and encoding data about you. Your cell phone is constantly transmitting a GPS signal to a data collection site that stores information as to where you have been and who you called. Every test message you have either sent or recieved is being collected and stored.

The news show on CNBC Big Brother, Big Business aired Thursday July 24th illuminated just how far reaching this goes and how out of control this has gotten. Companies such as Axxion, Verification inc, Choice Point and many others have access to your Social Security number, phone number, home and work address, employment history, spending habits, drivers licence number, home address ...etc. These companies collect over 7 BILLION records on Americans and compile highly detailed profiles about you.

Recently Avis Rental Car company installed black boxes in thier cars that track milage and location of the car as well as things like your speed, places you stopped at and for how long. A man who rented a car from Avis ended up getting stiffed for over $1400.00 for driving to vegas. The rental contract did not say he was driving a car that was collecting his every move.

Lawmakers are quietly debating that cars will have black boxes installed in your car that would track your speed and you would automatically get a ticket in the mail without a police officer having to stop you. This spying is sold to us as "safety" such as LoJack. Cars equipped with LoJack are being constantly tracked and that information is being compiled and stored in a file by some data collection agency about you.

The obvious is all the cameras that have been sprouting up like mushrooms all over the place. Since just about everyone has a cell phone and a credit / debit card your every move can be tracked right down to how long you lingered at the ice cream freezer selecting your treat. Everything you buy at the grocery store, how long you spent selecting your items, how much you spent, who you talked to on the phone and exactly what you talked about and for how long is being monitored.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS REALLY SCAREY

You don't know who is collecting your information, how it is being used, or how secure it is, or when your information is going to be used against you. The Department of Homeland Security and many other government spy agencies have access to your information without your permission, warrant, or right to due process in obtaining it.

Recently Drew Griffin a reporter for CNN did an expose' critisizing the TSA in a negitive light. Shortly after releasing the story Drew Griffin's name showed up on the terror hot sheet. This clearly shows that if the government does not approve of what you say they can strong arm you to shut you up.

Remember as you read this Big Brother is watching you.

Dravenhawk

[Dr. Feelgood]

Let him watch: my life is an open book. And it's written in classical Greek.

[Dravenhawk]

Originally Posted by Dr. Feelgood

Let him watch: my life is an open book. And it's written in classical Greek.

One More Thing

How secure is your data and do you know just WHO is in possession of it and what they are compiling about you? Are you aware of how secure your data is and who uses it? Every week a majior breach in the security of millions of peoples personal data occures. Everything from being carelessly tossed into the trash to being jacked by unscrupulious employees to hackers that empty millions of terrabyers of personal data. Is your life an open book to an identy thief selling your SSN to illeagal immigrants or credit card thieves? Are your movements, buying habits, emails, sex life an open book to the FBI, NSA, TSA, HSA, IRS as well as Al Quidia, Hammas, and other terror groups?

I am brought back to an old move that came out about 10 years ago called Enemy of the State. Watch this for educational purposes.

Benjamin Franklin so elequently put it "He who sacrifices his freedom for security deserves neither"

Dravenhawk

[Canonista]

I am a big advocate for first and second amendment rights.

The .gov has been screwing the American people on those two sets or rights alone for longer than anyone here has been alive.

In terms of rights stripped from us we're not too far from being Europeans. *shudder*

[Ulfhedinn]

Thats the way it is today. A man can't take a shit whithout the goverment tracking it. Yes, its wrong. Yes, it pisses many people off. Now, question: What the hell are you going to do about it? Answer: Nothing.

Unless a revolution happens and people really do start giving a shit, and the people that give a shit actually start to act, nothing will be done. Our rights are being stripped away bit by bit, and all everyone does is bitch and moan. Then you have those that claim to be activists and all they do is sign petitions and hold protests. You know what that does? Nothing. Sorry, but all that does absolutely nothing.

If you keep reading the "right to bear arms" part, you will see that it is the right to militia. The founding fathers knew that the government would be corrupt, and added that to give people the right to over throw it.

My fellow americans, unless you get up off your ass and really do something, things will get no better. This country needs a revolution. Many of you are now saying "well what are you doing about it?". I'm stiring the fire thats what. Its takes more than one person to accomplish something like this.

The government wants you to think that not agreeing with them on everything is unpatriotic. Think about this. If that was the case, we'd all still be a big fucking English colony.

Big Brother is watching me? Fuck that. Big Brother can watch all he wants. All the while, Big Brother, I'm watching you.

[CleverBomb]

You have the right to free speech.
As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it.
-The Clash

-Rusty

[queencecilia]

Originally Posted by Ulfhedinn

Unless a revolution happens and people really do start giving a shit, and the people that give a shit actually start to act, nothing will be done. Our rights are being stripped away bit by bit, and all everyone does is bitch and moan. Then you have those that claim to be activists and all they do is sign petitions and hold protests. You know what that does? Nothing. Sorry, but all that does absolutely nothing.

My fellow americans, unless you get up off your ass and really do something, things will get no better. This country needs a revolution. Many of you are now saying "well what are you doing about it?". I'm stiring the fire thats what. Its takes more than one person to accomplish something like this.

I agree with absolutely everything you said, and I'm ready to start a revolution. My only question is, How? I mean, it's easy to say that this country needs a revolution, but people have families, and jobs, and nice normal lives that they lead. Any sort of radical revolution like the one you're proposing would create chaos. Normal people are scared of chaos, and with good reason. If stirring the fire is what you're doing, then you'll have to be at it a long time before anyone pays much attention. People don't want to be inconvenienced with things like chaos and anarchy, so I don't expect a revolution any time soon. Things will just get worse, and worse.

But it's nice to know someone else is paying attention, and outraged just like I am. =P

[Canonista]

Originally Posted by Ulfhedinn

Big Brother is watching me? Fuck that. Big Brother can watch all he wants. All the while, Big Brother, I'm watching you.

Before too long watching them will be considered "terrorist activity".

When they hold all the cards, it's time to take our chances with a new deck.

[Mack27]

There's countermeasures for everything. You can say "no" when asked for your phone number in a store after you just payed cash. You can turn your cell phone off, or just stick to prepaid throwaway phones like mobsters do. If there's nothing in the rental agreement about the black box, then there's nothing preventing you from leaving it in the parking lot of the place you rented it from or plugging a gps jammer into the cigarette lighter. If you register your own car as commercial and put all your friends and family as potential drivers automated systems never know who to give the ticket to for speeding. There are overlays for license plates that allow viewing from behind but not at angles, these are perfect for defeating traffic light and toll cameras. There's all sorts of software and proxy-servers and remailers to help keep your computer traffic private too.

[Ho Ho Tai]

Originally Posted by Dravenhawk

In order for you to know the scoop the first thing is you need to know your rights. The following are excerpts taken from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia. The first is from the US Constitution and the second is from the Privacy act of 1974


Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent
domain.

No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

. . . . .

Remember as you read this Big Brother is watching you.

Dravenhawk

Dravenhawk:

I first wrote the piece, below, in May, 2005. It was intended as a letter to the editor of a local paper. It was not published. Subsequently, I e-mailed it to the publisher of a local paper in New Hampshire, whose paper seemed to show an interest in such things. I include a portion of the correspondence which followed.

I sorrow to think that it is more relevant today than when written. I sincerely hope that we will soon see the end of the current administration and all the foulness it stands for.

************************************************** ***
"Aye, tear her tattered ensign down, long has it waved on
high....The harpies of the shore shall pluck the eagle of the sea"
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Old Ironsides, "The Constitution", has meaning in it's symbology
only in as much as it represents the REAL USA, based on the REAL
Constitution - and the checks & balances system of the courts, the
congress, and the presidency.

The efforts and goals of the extreme right / evangelical /
fundamentalists seem to be to turn the courts into a servile rubber
stamp, bearing the image of their fundamentalist fictions. Rather
than letting "Old Ironsides" bear the shame of representing such a
farce, it is better to tow her to sea, open the seacocks, and let
her rot on the bottom - along with the Constitution, the courts,
and the laws of the land.

From New Hampshire:
Thanks for the email. I'm happy to rerun it as a letter in
(our paper). Can't say I agree or disagree since I don't really
understand what is being said here, but I'm happy to post the
message fro me readers if you like let me know. -- JDR

I responded:

JDR:

Thank you for your offer, but, if the meaning of my metaphors is
really that foggy, perhaps it's better not to print it.

This is the message that I was trying to say in a succinct way: I
think that the actions of Frist, DeLay, and the entire panoply of the
right wing, is aimed at garnering the power of all three branches of
the federal government unto themselves, thus destroying the entire
idea of checks and balances and with it, the Constitution, and any
idea of fair, even-handed judicial checks and balances on the runaway
madness of the White House and the congress.

To the extent that The Constitution ("Old Ironsides") is a symbol of
the strength of the nation, under the constitution, bill of rights,
checks and balances system, et c., then, if the ship were a sentient
being, it would be better to let it rest in peace at the bottom of
Boston Harbor, than to bear the shame of representing a nation that
has abandoned its founding principles.

I'm not a professional writer (obviously), nor a politician - just a
retired engineer and concerned voter who is wringing the fingernails
right off my hands over what this nation is becoming. Part of my
career was spent in the Greater Boston area, and I had many
opportunities to view The Constitution. I have re-visited the area
since returning to Minnesota, and probably better do that again soon,
before they open those seacocks.

(Ho Ho Tai)

JDR responded:

Got it. Let's run that instead. Good letter. Now I get it. -- JDR

I responded:


Well, OK (JDR) - if you really want to. I think perhaps that you could
combine them in some fashion, and I would ask that you retain the quote
from Holmes. I don't think it makes much sense without that.

(Ho Ho Tai)

[stan_der_man]

Originally Posted by Canonista

I am a big advocate for first and second amendment rights.

The .gov has been screwing the American people on those two sets or rights alone for longer than anyone here has been alive.

In terms of rights stripped from us we're not too far from being Europeans. *shudder*

Ditto on being an advocate on our constitutional rights, the first, second, forth, fith and others. As Americans we actually have less rights than many people believe or the ones we have are limited in ways that many people don't understand until they witness it first hand. Our country doesn't even follow many international treaties which we expect other countries to honor. The irony of all this is that if our personal rights are going to be systematically stripped away the way they are being done now, we will actually end up with less rights than many countries in Europe have. We won't even have a right to housing or any of the social benifits that many of the European countries have.

[thatgirl08]

I'm extremely sick of everyone bitching about our rights being taken away. It's true that our rights are sometimes unfairly taken away but do you realize that we have FAR more rights than many other countries? I'm sick of everyone complaining about America. Do you realize how much worse it could be? I'm just fucking grateful to be able to live in a country like this. I really am. What bothers me the most about this, is that no one actually tries to make a difference. Do you think sitting on the computer and bitching about it on a forum is going to make a difference? IT'S NOT. If you think it's so horrible, go out and try to do something about it. And if you're not going to, then shut the fuck up already.

[Ulfhedinn]

Originally Posted by thatgirl08

I'm extremely sick of everyone bitching about our rights being taken away. It's true that our rights are sometimes unfairly taken away but do you realize that we have FAR more rights than many other countries? I'm sick of everyone complaining about America. Do you realize how much worse it could be? I'm just fucking grateful to be able to live in a country like this. I really am. What bothers me the most about this, is that no one actually tries to make a difference. Do you think sitting on the computer and bitching about it on a forum is going to make a difference? IT'S NOT. If you think it's so horrible, go out and try to do something about it. And if you're not going to, then shut the fuck up already.

We have far more rights because the people of other countries missed their chance to save themselves. We will be those other countries soon enough. Its only a matter of time. Don't you see that?

And thats what we are trying to do. But it is idiocy for a small number to take on a government. In order to do something, we must have the numbers. A lone wolf may have its bite, but against a heard of cattle it couldn't stand. A pack of wolves on the other hand send the cattle running in fear.....do you see my point? The people who actually want to truly do something must be brought together, and shown that there are others who feel as they do, and the numbers must grow before we stand a chance of changing anything.

[Canonista]

Originally Posted by thatgirl08

I'm extremely sick of everyone bitching about our rights being taken away. It's true that our rights are sometimes unfairly taken away but do you realize that we have FAR more rights than many other countries? I'm sick of everyone complaining about America. Do you realize how much worse it could be? I'm just fucking grateful to be able to live in a country like this. I really am. What bothers me the most about this, is that no one actually tries to make a difference. Do you think sitting on the computer and bitching about it on a forum is going to make a difference? IT'S NOT. If you think it's so horrible, go out and try to do something about it. And if you're not going to, then shut the fuck up already.

The standard by which the quality and quantity our rights are judged is not measured by the quality and quantity of the rights of Free People in other countries.

It is measured by the words and actions of our Founding Fathers in their letters to each other, the Federalist Papers, and the United States Constitution. When these documents are taken as a whole, they land far more on the side of freedoms for the individual than the socialist nanny state we find ourselves in today.

[thatgirl08]

I'm not saying that we aren't flawed. I'm just saying it's not THAT bad. I'm saying I'm sick of bitching. There is a difference between discussion and a bitching session. There is an awful lot of bitching, and very rarely any discussion. All I ever hear from threads like these is that everyone thinks we're doomed. Sure, things are flawed...NOW WHAT? What do you propose? I want to hear some brilliant ideas out of you kids.

And who says I can't judge my rights versus the rights of others in other countries?

[Dravenhawk]

What needs to be done here is to pressure our legislators and lawmakers that our right to privacy does matter and demand that no private entity had the permission nor the right to collect and store personal data for more than 7 days. AND the government does not have reason to access a persons personal data unless a warant is signed by a judge.

Friends the Bush administration has pushed human rights just way Way WAY WAY too far. Your NEXT phone conversation may very well be listened in upon without your permission. This is search and siezure of your person and effects without probable cause and no warrent. As the above poster mentioned a pack of wolves is by far more imposing than a lone wolf. In this political year of change demand your rights by writing to your local represenitives and lawmakers and tell them what is important your rights !! backed up by your vote.

Dravenhawk