Friday, June 11, 2010

Prepaid Dictatorship

Alarmed by the use of hard-to-track prepaid cell phones by terror suspects, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Texas Sen. John Cornyn have introduced legislation requiring consumers to produce identification before buying such phones.-Prepaid Cell Phone Ban? Terrorism Cited By Senate Lawmakers


It's always some bogeyman that makes more laws necessary. The current favorite of statist politicians (is there any other kind? I can think of one, Ron Paul, but he's about it) is "terrorism", though past favorites include communism, crime, drugs, "protecting the children", and yes, even those dangerous anarchists (dangerous to the state, that is).

The bill has been praised by law enforcement and has bipartisan support

What a surprise! "Law" enforcement wouldn't be able to milk the taxpayers dry without more and more "laws" to enforce, and more legislation increasing their power to enforce those "laws". The "bipartisan" support isn't unexpected either, as there is really no "bi" there. There is one party, the Government Party, which is why playing the state's phony election game every two years is a waste of valuable time that could better be spent pursuing other liberty-promoting activities.

since the phones can be purchased anonymously and are thrown away after use, they've long been a favored tool of drug dealers, gang members and even white-collar criminals looking to cover their tracks.

Horrors! Of course we could eliminate the "crime" of drug dealing overnight by abolishing the drug laws, but that would drastically reduce the need for "law" enforcement, wouldn't it?

In an interview, Schumer said the Shahzad case, combined with the growing use of prepaid cell phones in criminal cases, had persuaded him that federal regulation was needed.

Has it ever been very hard to persuade Schumer that federal regulation of just about anything is "needed".

"If law enforcement has a legitimate need to surveil, let them surveil," Schumer told The Associated Press...

This is a "liberal" Democrat speaking folks! When are you liberals ever going to learn that Democrats care nothing for civil liberties?

And naturally the state-capitalist corporations who (they are "persons" remember) wouldn't exist without the state, are lining up behind the proposed "law":

So far, no major phone company has objected to the legislation and some say they fully embrace it.

"We are living in a time when unfortunately our public safety rquires small gives by everyone," Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said.

Yes, you can always count on big business to come down on the side of freedom.

The bottom line is, this is just one more brick in the wall of fascism being constructed by both major parties over the last decade. No stone must be left unturned where some freedom from government scrutiny and surveillance might still be lurking.

You are guilty until YOU prove yourself innocent of some "crime". That is the clear message of all such "laws". The people can't be trusted to run their own lives, and they can't be allowed to buy and sell and live without Big Brother knowing every detail.

Today it's your right to buy a cell phone without showing identification, tomorrow it's your very right to exist as a free individual.

4 comments:

  1. Sheesh!!!!!!!

    I love your title.

    And your thinking.

    We knew this was coming since Cheney/Bush's first measures after 9/11.

    Which had nothing to do with the 9/11 event.

    WAKE UP, PEOPLE!

    And thanks, again and again!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my god! They'll know who I am! The horror!

    You guys will bitch about giving your name to the government, but you'll tell banks, credit card companies, and all manner of private institutions any piece of personal information they ask. The double standard is amusing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ginx, I wish I knew what point you're trying to make. As usual, it isn't very clear.

    When you buy a prepaid cell phone, you're not buying it from the government, so what are you talking about? When I buy a camera I don't have to show ID (though I could imagine a law where that is required) and the same is true of most products.

    Oh my god! They'll know who I am! The horror!

    This is typical "liberal" mockery, making fun of people who are concerned about the state gathering information on everything. Real liberals used to be against such things, but today you can't tell them apart from your everyday right-wing fascist.

    As to banks, etc., much of the info you are forced to give when, say, opening a checking account, is required by federal law, and I'm as against that as I am every federal regulation.

    So what "double standard" are you referring to? You voluntarily give information to a private institution (and in a free market there would be lots of choice unhindered by the state) whereas the law in question would interfere with the transaction between two private parties. And private institutions don't have the police powers and monopoly of force that the government has, which makes the comparison apples and oranges.

    And since it is now apparent where you really stand, I guess you have no problem with the PATRIOT act or Bush's wiretapping of phone calls (hey, Ginx, if you've got nothing to hide...) either.

    ReplyDelete

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