So, the DEA and other agencies create the incentives for the criminal drug milieu by creating artificial scarcity, i.e. high prices... which in turns leads to more criminal activity and violence and subsequently to more funding for these agencies.
They certainly think so. That leaves out the part where politicians won't shut down those agencies (or parts of agencies) because of the power base they represent.
As Rand observed through Dr. Ferris, "There's no way to rule innocent men... when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them." They can make criminals by passing more laws or by detecting more people breaking already existing laws. Rand was referring only to the first type, and they do have some different effects, but they both serve to increase control.
First the courts allowed searches (except they're called officer safety frisks) based on "reasonable suspicion" (an absurdly low and vague hurdle created by Terry vs Ohio); now intelligence collected by agencies pursuant to foreign intelligence mandates is being used to improve detection and conviction rates for domestic crimes. And there's the beginning of mass surveillance of public spaces: cameras, radios, and modern technology enabling identification and location tracking of individuals, cars, cell phones...
It's an interesting political dynamic when everyone's fearful that they've broken some law and fearful that they've been detected but not yet arrested.
The politicians, most of them, want to rule, not serve. They want to accumulate power for themselves and their friends, at the expense of everyone else who is caught between increasing surveillance, stricter laws, and increased black market related criminal activity.
Obamacare? Really? Why not the War on Christmas, taking away your second amendment rights, protect pedophiles or the secret cause of autism in our children? Don't we have enough real problems without dragging in partisan straw men? Who needs tin foil hats when we have the Tea Party?
The private industry nature of ISPs and Web sites did nothing to protect us. So, yes, I expect our health care data is under surveillance. But we could pay cash, or have single payer, and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference regarding privacy.
I couldn't believe Obama said on his conference that "there have been no reported abuses of the spying in the media", even though the fact that NSA was giving info to DEA, IRA (and probably others) was just in the news 2 days before, and his DoJ even started investigating them.
What's worse is that he actually got away with it, and those "journalist" jokers at the White House that were laughing at his jokes didn't even ask him about it.
[+] [-] linuxhansl|12 years ago|reply
Perfect.
[+] [-] harshreality|12 years ago|reply
They certainly think so. That leaves out the part where politicians won't shut down those agencies (or parts of agencies) because of the power base they represent.
As Rand observed through Dr. Ferris, "There's no way to rule innocent men... when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them." They can make criminals by passing more laws or by detecting more people breaking already existing laws. Rand was referring only to the first type, and they do have some different effects, but they both serve to increase control.
First the courts allowed searches (except they're called officer safety frisks) based on "reasonable suspicion" (an absurdly low and vague hurdle created by Terry vs Ohio); now intelligence collected by agencies pursuant to foreign intelligence mandates is being used to improve detection and conviction rates for domestic crimes. And there's the beginning of mass surveillance of public spaces: cameras, radios, and modern technology enabling identification and location tracking of individuals, cars, cell phones...
It's an interesting political dynamic when everyone's fearful that they've broken some law and fearful that they've been detected but not yet arrested.
The politicians, most of them, want to rule, not serve. They want to accumulate power for themselves and their friends, at the expense of everyone else who is caught between increasing surveillance, stricter laws, and increased black market related criminal activity.
[+] [-] FellowTraveler|12 years ago|reply
Turns out, that's bullshit. It's used by DEA, it's used by IRS -- soon it will be used by Obamacare.
[+] [-] linuxhansl|12 years ago|reply
I agree that once data is available it will be abused. But Obamacare one of the main problem? Dude, take off the tinfoil hat.
[+] [-] deerpig|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Zigurd|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] perlpimp|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mtgx|12 years ago|reply
What's worse is that he actually got away with it, and those "journalist" jokers at the White House that were laughing at his jokes didn't even ask him about it.
[+] [-] fsckin|12 years ago|reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVQnbNspHsk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFLFihL6JNk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnTwn6hwSX8