Barnhard Blog

Keith gives us a nice update how the last year of Bush is going:

1- US Telecoms run a big brother machine on everything, all internet and telecom. (confirmed by the Vice President)
2- Law Attorney General has US Telecom shares.
3- Law Attorney General considers Waterboarding (torture) okay.
4- Bush: Telecoms big brother machine activities should be above the law.

It has all wrong ingredients. [Transcript]

On the other side, if the mentioned idea of policing the whole internet really is an idea of this government, might they wake up some old dogs at the EU and UN ?

In another sidenote, if they already made a complete copy, first thing: Did they saved those 5 million e-mail too?

Update:
Also from a commercial risk side its pretty much unacceptable.

Shortly after Belgium, and around the time that Norwaywent open source mad the Dutch government a resounding statement that it would go Open source too.

It was healthy reponse of policy makers against a government plan to spend 150 million on Microsoft software. Increasing Microsoft dependency, while Open Office was free and especially for access abilty in the future, much better. Open standards would become the default choice unless arguments could be made for another choice. Moreover, all government bodies were at the time required to send in a plan on how to implement it. Things looked bright..
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Ralph Nader talks to Amy Goodman on Democracy Now about Obama and Clinton, and McCain.

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In november 2007 Obama was guest at Google for a small talk and Q&A session. Note that he is very quick and clear about open standards for government, gitmo, torture and fear mongering.

As earlier announced Lessig has set his focus on corruption. While his own political role is more in the spotlight, above is his first set in giving a speech on corruption. Humble, but Lessig seems already pretty good informed. (via brilliant)

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You wouldn’t want a system that gives legal cover for non-transparent activities, especially if they are already known as big brother machines. Both political parties didn’t make a stand for really basic civil rights.

Also clearly Hillary Clinton does not stand for accountability, because she didn’t showed up (even when she was campaigning how “great” she is for democracy and change, a few house blocks away).

Meanwhile prisons that were tortured in gitmo are standing trail for a death penalty. Sure you can make a strong case against them, but why all in gitmo then? Either way.. its little good news.

Update: Probably caused by public outrage, the torture is back in the box again.

More text on Youtube: Honk if you hate Scientology. 3+ Hour Raid
Boiler Room: http://www.partyvan.info/index.php/Pr…
If above link goes down or is vandalized go here: http://www.izan.us/

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Dutch Police was always able to get the fingerprint of suspects if they could make a “reasonable case” of the likelihood that a person is involved. Why then can’t the dutch government suddenly make this “reasonable case” anymore? Are they getting dumber? Or disrespectful regarding citizen rights? This, since now they rather bluntly demand fingerprint data of everyone upfront, and put them in yet another centralized database.

This government proposal has no reason, its wrong.

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This site hosts this video to explain the launch of two exploratory projects — first, a Change Congress movement, and second, my own decision whether to run for Congress in the California 12th.

See also previously.

Update: Lessig reason for voting Obama. He destroys any negative argument about him. Moreover, shows how Hillary is employing “swiftboat” wrong tactics, with true lies in them.

Brussel, 20 febr. Voor mij was het nieuws geen verrassing. Al sinds 1998 worden in Den Haag plannen gemaakt voor het opnemen van biometrische gegevens in paspoorten en identiteitskaarten. Nederland was aanjager van het Europese besluit, in 2004, om zowel een gezichtscan als vingerafdrukken op een chip in het paspoort te zetten…

We moeten niet van Europa biometrische paspoorten.. nederland was aanjager.. Kortom een petitie om de groei aan “informatieverzoekjes” tegen te gaan.

Vrij en anoniem reizen is trouwens ook een grondrecht lijkt mij.

4 min 3 sec.

A film by Adam Curtis which he describes as, “a short, and possibly unfair history of the rise and fall of the television journalist as a hero.

See also: Citizen Journalism