What you do not know, will hurt you

Says that in the logo of one of our local papers, and it is true, if 'they' could agree on what is truth. A western thing, seeing reality, not believing in ghost and goblins, searching for answers to unknowns. Sad thing it is true on either side of the argument, but nothing smashes our basic constitutional principals as much as this NSA thing does. McCarthyism, yes another ism, people died because of their 'ideas', people were and are imprisoned for the ideas some find offensive, or disagreeable. Pay attention, this ism is at threat to your very freedom. Your ideas if kept safe in your own little skull are safe from discretion, but ideas voiced or even published on the web together with your purchasing information and phone records, could pretty well sum you up, shake you down to a profile. Wonder what insignificant rant put me on a watch list, a black ball list for as long as the data they have on me including my voice digitized kept in ultra-mega data files that can be picked through to mold what they want of me to be believed to be as me. First links are on the McCarthy days, history tells us how we went wrong, you shouldn't make the same mistake twice if your an intelligent society.

Release of Subcommittee papers (note these links to this information has changed, I can not say the content has changed, after all they tend to revisit history a whole awful lot.)

Progressive.org McCarthy watch

Pentagon's NSA sets sights on social-network websites WorldnetDaily June 10, 2006

find your senator Switchboard at: 202-224-3121

Last but not at all least of all the bait and switch of the Rovian kind, and something for flag day ....

Truthout will issue a statement on the Rove story today at 5 p.m. (Pacific). The post will appear on [their]our blog at: http://forum.truthout.org/blog/

Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights.

a letter from the ACLU (good people, good fight)

Dear Friend,

I write today to urge you to take action on a matter near and dear to my heart -- free speech. The ACLU urgently needs the help of everyone across America who values our Constitution and the fundamental freedoms it protects.

Here is the situation -- the Senate is poised to vote on a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to prohibit desecration of the flag. This amendment would restrict certain freedoms in the Bill of Rights for the first time in our history, setting a dangerous precedent that puts all of our liberties at risk.

With your help, the Senate has blocked the flag amendment in past years. This year, the vote is closer than ever. Election-year political posturing has taken over in the Senate and we are now within just one vote of losing this fight.

It is critical that you take action right now at http://action.aclu.org/flag. Urge your senators to protect free expression and vote "no" on the flag amendment.

Free expression and the right to dissent are core principles that the American flag represents. Our liberties can only remain vibrant and strong when we stand by these principles. If exceptions are made every time someone in power disagrees with a particular act or statement, our liberties will surely be compromised.

From my travels around the country, I know that many military veterans strongly oppose this amendment because they know the cost of freedom and believe that measures like this would unnecessarily restrict the very liberties they fought to defend. They also understand that the flag amendment is a distraction from the real concerns of veterans, like adequate health care and VA funding.

Congress should not be sacrificing our First Amendment freedoms in order to mobilize some politicians’ political base.

I urge you to contact your senators right now and tell them to vote "no" on this proposed amendment. If passed, it would betray the very principles the flag represents.

If you would like to read more before taking action, go here.

Sincerely,

Nadine Strossen
President, ACLU

Wonder remembers the Dan Rather guard papers, and suspects with aid from NSA as a tool 'they' were one step ahead. See post on reporters told to get new cell phones.