Feingold: 'Perverse' secrecy in unchecked laptop searches

[MiaCulpa]

Source: Raw Story

If you enter or leave the United States carrying a laptop, flash drive or cell phone, the government can collect and store a massive amount of personal information without first obtaining a warrant, having probable cause or even suspecting you of anything.

During a subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) said the government needs to institute safeguards to protect Americans’ privacy rights, and he accused the Department of Homeland Security of ducking from scrutiny of its overreach in searching electronics. DHS refused to send a representative to the hearing and secretary Michael Chertoff did not answer written questions from Feingold.

“Once again, this administration has demonstrated its perverse belief that it is entitled to keep anything and everything secret from the public it serves and their elected representatives, while Americans are not allowed to keep any secrets from their government,” he said. “That’s exactly backwards.”

Witnesses before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the Constitution represented privacy advocates and lawyers defending the searches along with civil rights activists alleging that customs agents discriminated against Muslim Americans.

Full article by Raw's Nick Juliano available at the link:




Read more: http://rawstory.com/news08/2008/06/25/feingold-bush-admin-secrecy-cant-outweigh-travelers-privacy/

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Can anyone tell me, why didn't Feingold run for office? President, that is.

-Diane
[e-mail]

[MikeNearMcChord]

1. RUSS FEINGOLD IS HERO AND A PATRIOT!!! NUFF CED!!!

I want him VP!:patriot: :dem: :kick:

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Why didn't Feingold run?

The top 3 reasons

3) Too many divorces
2) A small-state maverick who won't "go along to get along"
1) He had no desire to run himself through the meat grinder of national politics.

[MiaCulpa]

4. Divorces?

I'm surprised I wasn't aware of this. Usually if there's any pol gone through divorce there's just gossip everywhere. This is the first I've heard mention. He does save his big speeches for things of great import, fisa, border searches...forces attention to the actual issues. *Sigh* Perhaps the senate is the best place for him.

[ms liberty]

3. K&R. And the beat goes on. n/t

[pansypoo53219]

5. instead of making more haystacks

WHY AREN'T THEY LOOKING FOR NEEDLES???

[Wizard777]

6. So because of this below the Republican are going after Americans Instead of Al Qaida.

The committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) defended the administration’s random, suspicionless searches of laptop computers. It took him just over a minute during his opening remarks to play the 9/11 card, observing that plotter Zacarias Moussaoui used the same kind of computer favored by scores of business travelers, students and other law-abiding Americans.


We The people must be the enemy. Because they are going after us instead of Al Qaida. WHO'S SIDE ARE THEY ON? 9/11 is now the day Al Qaida turned the American Government against We The People. It's now We The Enemy.......until proven otherwise.

[Kool Kitty]

7. So in Sam Brownback's mind, anyone

that uses a laptop computer is a terrorist? Everything scares these idiots. I often wonder how they work up the courage to leave the house in the morning. Does he use a laptop, or is another non-computer repig, like McCain?

[comtec]

8. fucking great!

I'm flying in through Houston to Alaska this year from Holland.
anyone know the ACLU's number for the Houston area?
Many thanks!

[Mnemosyne]

9. Site:

http://www.aclutx.org/

And good luck to you, comtec. It sucks here so much; a little here, a little there. It adds up. :(