Comments on: Congress may make ISPs snoop on you

Proposed law targets bloggers, search engines, and Web sites that might "facilitate" access to unlawful pornography.

[Iohagh]

What would Reagan Do?

Dear friends,

This is a question my fellow Republicans used to ask instead of fear mongering. I too dislike much of the the salacious and offensive material on the WWW however our representational democracy works. It protects ideals and even ideas the majority doesn't like.

The difference between the ancient Greeks and then Romans whose democracies were an oligarchy of just old male head of households and what we have today in America is the USA protected the rights of the little guy against the big guys even if it meant, well, a less perfect society.

President Reagan often spoke on the virtues of this American system saying we were home grown good guys who fought good wars and showed the rest of the world the best of Western Civilization. Hey, I believe that too.

In this time of crisis where basic freedoms are at risk, maybe someone in charge should sit back and say "What would President Reagan do?". He ended the "Cold War" amicably without a shot or a nuclear boom. I cannot help but think have we lost all that.

Anyway, I vote against the Congress requiring ISP act like big brother because, well, it assumes evil and it violates the presumption of innocence. I don't think the present jingoism has anything to do with Reaganomics and Reaganism. Thats what I think.

Janet

[blogtommy]

What's next?

Throwing people in jail for disagreeing with the Moral Majority? Voting wrong? Being a RedSox fan and not a Ranger fan? Are these folks that bored? Do they really have nothing better to do? Amazing!

[cardinalbird2]

Constitutional protections are sacrosanct

The "Republican Party" and the Bush Administration have no compulsion against destroying America as we know it. There are plenty of state and federal laws on the books to address the child pornography/predator issue. The Macomb County (MI) Sheriff's Dept. conducted successful stings years before Dateline began working with Perverted Justice. This is just another excuse to destroy our Constitutionally protected privacy rights. Our Founders refused to pass the Constitution without the Bill of Rights for good reason. It is our responsibility as citizens to defend the Constitution. May I suggest anyone who agrees with the Administration permanently relocate to a country that already has this system in place - China. That way the rest of us can enjoy living in the America we grew up in.

[tubedood]

OMG its right out of Orwells 1984

First He argues its ok to tap our phones.. now They
want to see what you do on the computer.. whats
next????

[amigabill]

RE: OMG its right out of Orwells 1984

I've never actually read Orwell. But seeing where we're going I'm going to order it and read up on how my life will be in another decade or so, be prepared and all that... I did see Farenheight 491 on TV once upon a time, sol I have a little idea of what it'll be like.

I'll have to try and figure out how to look good when I wake up so I don't have my normal bed head and stuff going on when they come to isntall cameras in all rooms of our homes too, as I look pretty bad before my shower and I don't want to scare the spies. Boy, I hope they leave the cameras out of the bathrooms when they install them...

I'm glad I wasn't born in Soviet Russia, but I have a feelign I may grow old in the same thing...

[CancerMan2]

Manufacturing Evidence Is Greater Danger

I think the real danger is not that collected data will be archived, the real danger is that it could be manufactured and then used to frame someone. Read about Operation Northwoods and Operation Mongoose, including Joint Chiefs Of Staff's plans to manufacture evidence to frame Castro. This stuff really does happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwood
"It also includes Operation Dirty Trick, a plot to blame Castro if the 1962 Mercury manned space flight carrying John Glenn crashed, saying "The objective is to provide irrevocable proof that, should the MERCURY manned orbit flight fail, the fault lies with the Communists et al Cuba [sic]." It continues, "This to be accomplished by manufacturing various pieces of evidence which would prove electronic interference on the part of the Cubans.""

[gypsea_jon]

our government

as long as we have a government that does not represent its people, we will get nowhere. ask yourself why would some one spend 20 million $ for a job that pays 90,000 a year? I think I'm smart enough to represent my self, how about you?

[pwoon]

And we're criticizing China?

Enough said

[Jim Hubbard]

People use CASH anonymously---should we outlaw that?

Look, some people will always be bad. You will NEVER change that.

And, I am NOT advocating the breaking of ANY laws (least of all laws that protect our children). IMHO, so awful and scaring is the consequence of thier crimes, we should put child molesters to death.

But, taking away the liberties of the masses to stop the abuse of the tiniest of minorities is not just wrong, it is against the Constitution.

If we allow these Nazi-type actions of the Republicans to go unpunished (i.e. we'd better vote them ALL - YES ALL OF THEM - out of office in the coming elections) we will soon be living in a complete police state.

If this invasion of privacy is OK, why not have everyone file daily travel plans, and carry "papers" that prove who they are, where they are going and why? It sure would make proving where people were (or weren't) at the time a crime took place.

Awww hell, let's just go ahead and get a DNA sample from everyone and keep it on file.

Why not? It would only be used to convict people based on DNA evidence they left behind. Right?

AS the Republicans might say...."You aren't a criminal are you? You aren't thinking of commiting any crimes are you? Then you should have no problem submitting a smaple to keep America safe."

No chance ANY of this data could be mis-used (http://tinyurl.com/k3cgj) is there?

There is a reason that we fight to the death to protect our freedoms.....because they are worth it.

Let's hope it never comes to that. Let's remove ANYBODY that votes to violate the privacy rights of our citizens.

If freedom is important enough to send our brave men and women half a world away to DIE to gain and protect someone else's freedoms, it sure as hell is important enough for us to make sure we don't lose it here.