|
|
"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own." No.6; Arrival
I have read in foreign (not in the US) papers and heard from foreigners on the issues of civil rights and privacy. I have come to the conclusion that most people have no idea exactly what privacy is anymore. Many Americans are unaware of their rights and most school children would be hard pressed to tell you about the Constitution. However, they all know that the police have to read you your miranda warning.
Today people have been taught to not question authority. The American radicals of the 60s have pushed their ideals upon the following generations and have demonized the act of rebellion. People are being told to not do this or to not do that and by no means are you to do as I do, just do as I say. Currently there are officials within the American political system that are actively punishing those who dare speak out. The IRS, FBI, ATF and local law enforcement agencies across the US have been caught, but very few people have met with any real punishment for doing so. Most recently the ATF allegedly approached the estranged wife of an author who wrote a fictional book that painted some federal agencies and political figures in a bad light. If you get the chance you should read the book, Unintended Consequences by John Ross. You can click here to read a few quotes on the ATF.
Do not think, even for a moment that your email is safe and sound. That is not the nature of the internet. You must take steps to secure your communications, no matter how trivial they may seem to you. What you may dismiss and consider unimportant can actually tell someone a great deal about yourself. The more that the bad guys know about you, the easier it will be for them to guess a password or maybe even steal your identity. Everyone thinks that it won't happen to them, all the way up to the moment that it happens. Identity theft is on the rise and it can take you years to put everything back in place once you realise what has happened. I have recently started using Hushmail.Com to make sure that I can communicate with my family and friends securely. It's free and easy to sign up, just make sure that you use a really good passphrase and make sure that your friends and family sign up for it as well. The US government is not going to look after your privacy (never mind the Constitution). As a matter of fact, the US wants less web anonymity. You can click here to read an article on Hushmail.
"Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment, and will die here like rotten cabbages." No.6; Free For All
Fortunately, not everyone has so easily been swayed to give up their rights for a chance at some security. Sometimes we band together to help champion our cause of getting the government out of every aspect of our lives. I continually call, email, fax and phone my government representatives. I let them know that I am watching and give them a pat on the back when they deserve it or a harsh earful when they fail to uphold their oath to the Constitution. I also write opinion letters to major newspapers (and some not so major) around the globe in hopes of sparking a synapse and getting people to question the controlling authority. To make it just a little bit more difficult for them to realise their plan of the Village. It is difficult, especially when those who are feeding off the government start to get cranky because they fear losing their almost free ride.
"You still have a choice; you can still salvage your rights, the rights to truth and free thought! Reject this false world of Number Two . . . reject it NOW!!" No.6; A Change of Mind
Every government does have some responsibility for the people. If not then there would be chaos and the government would be short lived. I am not advocating destroying a government at all. There are ways for the government to help those who need to be helped and to punish those criminals who prey upon society without interfering with the lives of the morally responsible citizen. Currently the government has factions within it that wish to control every facet of the lives of the citizens. They want to dictate what we should eat (enforced and re-enforced through taxation), what we should do in our own homes, if we can build or not on our privately held land, how much we should drive (again encouraged by taxation) and how much money we should invest for retirement (which gives them a bundle of money to spend and, if you're lucky, you may even get back one day). The lists goes on and so do the attacks. The FBI wants to be able to search a home without telling the owners, they also want roving wire taps to combat "hackers", the ATF dumps a big part of their workload on local sheriffs and it goes on and on.
"Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself." A sign from the Labour Exchange; Arrival
I will continue to question and I will continue to fight; to hold onto my individuality. I seek to strip no one of their identity nor their right to choose whatever type of peaceable life. All I ask is to be able to do with my life as I please. I have done no wrong and will continue living in the same fashion.
You can start questioning authority by reading this and following the directions on how to obtain what the FBI knows about you. Or you can find another way, it's your choice.
The 2nd Amendment News sent this email that listed ways to attack your foes and weaken them. Remember that the enemy is only as strong as you allow it to be.
I read an interesting article on how we are all being indexed by Web Bugs.
Help maintain your privacy by looking into PGP: Pretty Good Privacy.
The US Senate just released a report on web privacy.
An article on how poor the US does on privacy protections.
ACLU Highlights Massive Government Electronic Surveillance
No.6: "The whole earth as `The Village'?"
No.2: "Yes, that is my hope. What's yours?"
No.6: "I'd like to be the first man on the moon!"
Chimes of Big Ben
The Prisoner: Cult of the Individual
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Opt Out get off junk mail and telemarketing lists
Center for Democracy and Technology
SSH Tech Corner: Cryptographic Algorithms
Concepts of Cyrptography Be sure to check out the Algorithms page.
Handbook of Applied Cryptography by Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott A. Vanstone. Free sample chapters on this site!
Linux PGP search on Freshmeat.net
{Home} {Me} {Ferrets} {Music} {Computers} {Pictures} {Links}
