more scary stuff

[narf poit chez BOOM]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._investigation

relevant link: http://www.instapundit.com/archives/014021.php

http://bar.baen.com/WB/default.asp?a...d=31441&fid=36

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._investigation

interesting, unrelated thing: http://bar.baen.com/WB/default.asp?a...d=31409&fid=36

[ February 11, 2004, 04:44: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Puke]

meh. its not like they dont have access to all that **** anyway, and its not like they dont use it to profile people. this just means that they can use that information in official court cases.

I have known people that have been denied government contracts because the feds had them flagged as political activists. They were of course NOT any sort of political ANYTHING, and had never been a part of any protest, or even had anything to do with protesters or activism. What they did do was give an interview to cnn about 5 years before, and talk about technology that was being used for political purposes.

if you think you have any privacy, you're just wrong - and you should get over it. Id really like this to be a topic for debate, but its not. its a one sided coin. no privacy. its a myth. you dont have any. sorry. effort will be better spent if you try to make sure that the information is used responsibly, because effort spent to conceal or protect the information is just being wasted.

The other day, i was talking to a researcher in the genetics / biotech industry. her orginization relied heavily on government funding, and involved stem cells. nothing had been published describing their work, so it was all 'officially' in the dark. about thirty minutes (yes, 30 minutes, one half of an hour) after their first paper was published, they received a call withdrawing their government funding.

"sorry, because right wing politics in the US are identified with religious concervitism, it is our duty to cancel all funding for research involving stem cells, evolution, or other scientific progress. try again during another administration."

Its really quite silly. I dont mean to start a debate about absurd partisan politics and the two party system as a sociological institution that we are better off without. the point is, that they got the call in THIRTY MINUTES after a paper was published. Do you have any idea how many HUNDREDS of papers are published EVERY DAY?

Now, you really have two choices here on what to believe, wither or not you agree or disagree with the policy:

First, you can assume that they had been watching the project, and were just waiting for an opportunity to cut the funding. I am told that this is a virtual impossibility, and that the research team would be able to launch babies out of cannons without anyone knowing about it, unless they published a paper. im somewhat skeptical of this, but who knows.

Second, you can assume that no one knew what was going on until the paper was published, and some sort of system, akin to the Echelon System, detected key words or phrases in the paper, and flagged it.

Option one reaffirms your lack of privacy. Option two tells us that vast and unfathomable resources within the NSA are being spent to slow down scientific progress for political gain, instead of for important things like securing US global economic supremacy, committing industrial espionage against other nations, or engaging in inteligence / counter inteligence activities.

Either way, im not too happy with it.

edit: I realize that at the begining of this post, I instruct you not to waste your time griping. Then in the rest of the post, I procede to gripe. Please pay no heede to me, and continue about your regular business.

[ February 11, 2004, 05:02: Message edited by: Puke ]

[Fyron]

edit: I realize that at the begining of this post, I instruct you not to waste your time griping. Then in the rest of the post, I procede to gripe. Please pay no heede to me, and continue about your regular business.

Oops! You forgot the request to be moderated down!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

P, i find you offensive and over-ready to offend.

and i always read your Posts when i'm reading the thread and there almost always worth reading. you've got faults? everybody's got faults. at least you know yours.

[Fyron]

But still oblige his on-going request and rate him a 1!

[Loser]

You think that's scary, check this out.

Fear?
No thanks, I'm trying to cut back.

[ February 11, 2004, 09:57: Message edited by: Loser ]

[rdouglass]

This is somewhat relevant to Loser's post:

http://www.principal.com/marketnews/...imOutput10.xml

Was that article for real? I just finished reading Looser's post and then read my link - seems like there may be some truth to it...

[Atrocities]

"sorry, because right wing politics in the US are identified with religious concervitism, it is our duty to cancel all funding for research involving stem cells, evolution, or other scientific progress. try again during another administration."

Puke I have to dissagree with this statement. I think the real issue is money, nothing more. Look for those who would have profitied most by having this research shut down. I feel that the pharacuitical (sp) companies are to blame not the religious fanatics or the Right wing folks.

Remember the real power in Washington is neither the Rebulicans nor the ultra dark side liberal democrats. It is money plane and simple.

[ February 11, 2004, 16:23: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Atrocities]

I have said this before and I will keep on saying it, freedom is an illusion that rich people can afford to enjoy while poor people foot the bill and bare the burdon.

We have no freedom, and as our population continues to grow, we will enjoy even fewer illusions of freedom as restrictions and taxes continue to mount would our representation in Washington continues to dwindle.

The USA is on the fast track to a toltarian society where people will be afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals. Where no one will question authority or the methods at which those in authority deal with people who question authority.

They will be demonfied in the news, made out to be horrible anti american monsters when in fact they are more american than those who fail to stand up and say "What are you doing?"

First they will take your rights from you, a little bit at a time. While they are doing this they will raise your taxes, keeping more of the money you make for themselves while keeping you down financially. They will feed you a constant line of utter BS through the news media trying to convince you that you need to give away even more of your rights. Right to free speach, right to bare arms, right to privicy, etc.

If you don't believe me just look back over the Last 12 years and you will see the pattern. Started with Clinton and will continue in one form or another until it is accomplished. Clinton raised taxes, dwindeled many of our rights away, and opened the flood gates that swampped out economy. Bush has dwindled away our right to privicy and freedom of movement.

What will the next demi god president do?

[ February 11, 2004, 16:33: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Loser]

Whoa there.

Take a few deep breaths there.

You're starting to sound more than a little paranoid.