Archive for the ‘ACLU’ tag
The million people list
I always thought that terror organizations are pretty small - few hundred members at most. Even if we will count in obvious guerilla organizations the number would not increase significantly. Therefore I’m somewhat skeptical about the accuracy of the FBI terrorist watch list. If the number stated by the ACLU is correct the list seems to be a little bit to inclusive and not so efficient about who should the FBI really watch. I also wonder about the resources needed to effectively maintain a list of million suspects - including intelligence gathering.
I wonder what were the criteria used to add someone to the list - was it an inelegance report, hard evidence or the fact that someone name is Ahmed or Osama was sufficient…
The nation’s terrorist watch list has hit one million names, according to a tally maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union based upon the government’s own reported numbers for the size of the list.
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“America’s new million record watch list is a perfect symbol for what’s wrong with this administration’s approach to security: it’s unfair, out-of-control, a waste of resources, treats the rights of the innocent as an afterthought, and is a very real impediment in the lives of millions of travelers in this country,” said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program. “It must be fixed without delay.”
The ACLU fight against Civil Liberties
This is another example why I am not, and will not, be a member of the ACLU. Ownership and allowing consumers to decide for themselves, by making purchasing decisions, is one human right the ACLU choose not to protect for political reasons. Inviting the FCC to regulate more than it does already is invitation for more abuses of the Freedom of Speech, but this apparently doesn’t concern the ACLU.
The Freedom of speech and the Freedom of Association are both part of the civil liberties the ACLU was supposed to protect. They are also rights protected by the constitution. But apparently the ACLU has very selective approach to civil liberties protection, and that disqualify its integrity altogether.