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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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 Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:18 pm Post subject: Prepaid Cell Phones to be Banned |
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| Bob Barr wrote: |
The latest civil liberties victim of Times Square Brainiac Faisal Shahzad�s feeble attempt at terrorism fame is the pre-paid cell phone. This innocuous device, available now to virtually anyone wishing to buy a cheap cell phone useable for a limited period, represents perhaps the last opportunity for a person to communicate anonymously. Yet, these devices are being targeted for extinction by a pair of United States Senators simply because the failed Times Square bomber used one in his preparatory activities; and law enforcement discovered this not because the purchase of the cell phone was recorded in an accessible database, but because Shahzad made at least one call to a number already on a government list of suspected terrorists.
Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer now has teamed with his Republican colleague from Texas, John Cornyn, and introduced a bill that would employ the heavy hand of federal law to prohibit anonymous cell phones.
Leaving aside the question of where the Congress finds authority in the Constitution to do this, it is certain that many of their colleagues will jump at this latest chance to prove they are as tough on terrorists as the next guy, whatever the cost to the rest of the citizenry. |
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Bob Barr was the Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party in 2008. He is still active in the Libertarian Party |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you? |
By pointing out that the damage we've done to our own economy -- not to mention our freedoms -- in the "war on terror" far exceeds anything terrorism could ever hope to accomplish on its own. If you actually count the number of people living today who have been harmed by actual terrorism, it's an incredibly tiny number. If you count the number of people who have been harmed by our response to terrorism, well, it's pretty much everyone to some degree or another.
Banning pre-paid cell phones isn't going to stop terrorism; it won't even slow it down. All it will do is affect normal Americans who just want to live their lives, complicate our legal system further, and illegalize a product which is in at least some demand.
We need more voices in our political process saying things like this. Repeatedly. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you? |
By pointing out that the damage we've done to our own economy -- not to mention our freedoms -- in the "war on terror" far exceeds anything terrorism could ever hope to accomplish on its own. If you actually count the number of people living today who have been harmed by actual terrorism, it's an incredibly tiny number. If you count the number of people who have been harmed by our response to terrorism, well, it's pretty much everyone to some degree or another.
Banning pre-paid cell phones isn't going to stop terrorism; it won't even slow it down. All it will do is affect normal Americans who just want to live their lives, complicate our legal system further, and illegalize a product which is in at least some demand.
We need more voices in our political process saying things like this. Repeatedly. |
"Candidate Fox supports letting terrorists hide their identities by using prepaid cellphones. I, on the other hand, will support this law to keep you safe. Vote for me."
Last edited by bacasper on Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:53 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you? |
By pointing out that the damage we've done to our own economy -- not to mention our freedoms -- in the "war on terror" far exceeds anything terrorism could ever hope to accomplish on its own. If you actually count the number of people living today who have been harmed by actual terrorism, it's an incredibly tiny number. If you count the number of people who have been harmed by our response to terrorism, well, it's pretty much everyone to some degree or another.
Banning pre-paid cell phones isn't going to stop terrorism; it won't even slow it down. All it will do is affect normal Americans who just want to live their lives, complicate our legal system further, and illegalize a product which is in at least some demand.
We need more voices in our political process saying things like this. Repeatedly. |
"Candidate Fox supports letting terrorists hide their identities by using prepaid cellphones. I, on the other hand, will support this law to keep you safe. Vote for me." |
Yeah, you're right. So what to do? |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| bacasper wrote: |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you?
| Fox wrote: |
By pointing out that the damage we've done to our own economy -- not to mention our freedoms -- in the "war on terror" far exceeds anything terrorism could ever hope to accomplish on its own. If you actually count the number of people living today who have been harmed by actual terrorism, it's an incredibly tiny number. If you count the number of people who have been harmed by our response to terrorism, well, it's pretty much everyone to some degree or another.
Banning pre-paid cell phones isn't going to stop terrorism; it won't even slow it down. All it will do is affect normal Americans who just want to live their lives, complicate our legal system further, and illegalize a product which is in at least some demand.
We need more voices in our political process saying things like this. Repeatedly. |
"Candidate Fox supports letting terrorists hide their identities by using prepaid cellphones. I, on the other hand, will support this law to keep you safe. Vote for me." |
Yeah, you're right. So what to do? |
This is the question. When a majority of the population can be so easily manipulated, can democracy work?
Maybe George Bush was right after all when he said:
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| This would be a lot easier if this was a dictatorship - and I was the dictator. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| bacasper wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Totally unacceptable. It's reached the point where any legislative proposal with the stated intention of countering terrorism needs to just be rejected out of hand. Terrorism simply isn't that big of a deal. |
Candidate Fox, exactly how would you pitch that to constituents you hope will vote for you? |
By pointing out that the damage we've done to our own economy -- not to mention our freedoms -- in the "war on terror" far exceeds anything terrorism could ever hope to accomplish on its own. If you actually count the number of people living today who have been harmed by actual terrorism, it's an incredibly tiny number. If you count the number of people who have been harmed by our response to terrorism, well, it's pretty much everyone to some degree or another.
Banning pre-paid cell phones isn't going to stop terrorism; it won't even slow it down. All it will do is affect normal Americans who just want to live their lives, complicate our legal system further, and illegalize a product which is in at least some demand.
We need more voices in our political process saying things like this. Repeatedly. |
"Candidate Fox supports letting terrorists hide their identities by using prepaid cellphones. I, on the other hand, will support this law to keep you safe. Vote for me." |
Yeah, that would pretty much be the opposition's response, bolstered by a huge wave of support from certain media outlets. Candidate Fox would just have to stay on message and hope his consituents saw it his way. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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| bacasper wrote: |
This is the question. When a majority of the population can be so easily manipulated, can democracy work? |
No, it can't. Isn't that the point of the American constitution? The power of the state is limited. Like I said before, all we need to do is discover a new New World and start over. We'll get it right this time.
In seriousness, I don't know what to think of this. I am always surprised when I meet the suburban soccer moms/dads who are worried that the post office in La Villa Wherever is actually a target. I don't know how to talk to them. No, 24 isn't real. No, you don't have live in fear. The people need to develop a marijuana habit en masse.
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| Yeah, that would pretty much be the opposition's response, bolstered by a huge wave of support from certain media outlets. Candidate Fox would just have to stay on message and hope his consituents saw it his way. |
And not just that. What are your views on abortion? Bye bye 50%. Etc. Lots of issues like that. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:04 am Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
In seriousness, I don't know what to think of this. I am always surprised when I meet the suburban soccer moms/dads who are worried that the post office in La Villa Wherever is actually a target. I don't know how to talk to them. No, 24 isn't real. No, you don't have live in fear. The people need to develop a marijuana habit en masse.
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You really have met people who are worried about a terrorist attack in their area? Weird (them, not you meeting them). Thankfully I haven't met that type of person in quite awhile. |
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