The part of the PATRIOT Act that has been used to legitimate the mass collection of all of our phone call information, and much else besides, is a wicked awful provision known as "Section 215." Section 215 allows the FBI - and, it appears, … [Read more...]
Free Cameron D’Ambrosio, Methuen teenager accused of terrorist threats for posting on Facebook
What the hell is going on in Massachusetts? Nobody needs to be reminded about the Boston Marathon tragedy, and many of you heard about Cameron D'Ambrosio from Methuen, MA, who was taken into police custody in response to a Facebook post … [Read more...]
23 Million Years of Data Per Year: Why The Surveillance State Cannot Meaningfully Assess Terrorism Risks
[Cross-posted at Digital Fourth] The NSA has just vigorously denied that their new Utah Data Center, intended for storing and processing intelligence data, will be used to spy on US citizens. The center will have a capacity of at … [Read more...]
Reflecting on Aaron Swartz’s Death
Aaron's death teaches us an important lesson about how the law operates here in 21st-century America. He was not the only local activist to be unnecessarily persecuted by government agencies. Laws relating to our Internet activities have … [Read more...]
Why An Attack on Iran is Not Necessarily Good for Massachusetts (or America)
SUMMARY - Concerning Iran's nuclear program, nothing short of a third war in the Middle East is at stake and complications to a fragile US economic recovery are on the line. This will hurt the people of Massachusetts and America. There are … [Read more...]
On Homeland Security, Or, We Visit A Terrorist Gathering Place
I can't give away too many details, for security reasons, but I can tell you that this particular distribution center is located about three miles from the Boeing Company's Renton, Washington, manufacturing site. (The assembly lines for the … [Read more...]
Scott Brown’s manly pose on prosecution and torture
This is the latest edition of Scott WRONG Brown.Brown, 1/11/10“To think we’d give people who want to kill us constitutional rights and lawyer them up at our expense, instead of treating them as enemy combatants to get as much … [Read more...]
Jan 31, 2007: Never Forget
Today was the 3rd Anniversary of the largest terrorist attack in recent Boston history. Okay, the terrorists were cartoon characters, and the attack was a fantastical illusion in the minds of authority, but it shut down buildings and … [Read more...]
Free speech for a terrorist? Or, why the governor hates me
Scheduled, then canceled The talk was originally scheduled by the special collections of the university library, as a 20-year retrospective on "The Great Sedition Trial" - the longest running, most expensive trial ever held in this part of … [Read more...]
What was that all about?
I've been thinking a bit about the recent terror raid in New York City. Obviously it's difficult to form a good opinion or talk too much about this episode because of the limited information we have, but I thought I'd try to post on it … [Read more...]