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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Democrats and GOP join to create a Police State



“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping
on a human face—for ever.” 
George Orwell, 1984


1984 Police State - Democrats and Republicans united
  • Both the Democrat Senate and GOP House are united in eagerly creating, funding and protecting an unconstitutional Big Brother Police State.
  • The Constitution and Bill of Rights has no meaning to the politicians.


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has customized its Predator drones, originally built for overseas military operations, to carry out at-home surveillance tasks that have civil libertarians worried: identifying civilians carrying guns and tracking their cell phones, government documents show.

The documents provide more details about the surveillance capabilities of the department's unmanned Predator B drones, which are primarily used to patrol the United States' northern and southern borders but have been pressed into service on behalf of a growing number of law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Texas Rangers, and local police.


Homeland Security's specifications for its drones, built by San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, say they "shall be capable of identifying a standing human being at night as likely armed or not," meaning carrying a shotgun or rifle.

They also specify "signals interception" technology that can capture communications in the frequency ranges used by mobile phones, and "direction finding" technology that can identify the locations of mobile devices or two-way radios.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center obtained a partially redacted copy of Homeland Security's requirements for its drone fleet through the Freedom of Information Act and published it this week. CNET unearthed an unredacted copy of the requirements that provides additional information about the aircraft's surveillance capabilities.

(news.cnet.com)



Federally Funded Big Brother street lamps that record your conversations




California  -  Libertarian and Tea Party activists oppose California public surveillance cameras
  • Democrats and Republicans in Congress are funding 1984 spy systems all over the nation that send the information they collect to Washington. 

Members of Libertarian and Tea Party Groups in the region are protesting against city police plans to install public surveillance cameras in Southern California.

The plan by the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department is an effort to help deter crime and to focus law enforcement eyes on areas where criminal behavior may be occurring after a 911 call is made.

The cameras are expected to be installed sometime within the year, said Rancho Cucamonga Police Chief Mike Newcombe. "It's 'big brother' and the fact that they're taking federal grant money when our federal government is broke, and we're contributing to the problem by taking federal funds to implement this camera program," said Jeane Ensley, an organizer for the Inland Valley Patriots, a local chapter of the tea party. "Our federal government is broke and we're contributing to the problem by taking fed funds to implement this camera program. It's an invasion of privacy," reports the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Rancho Cucamonga resident, and past city council candidate Anthony rice, is also among those opposed to public surveillance cameras. "My main concern is the trampling of our constitutional fourth amendment right to be secure in our person and our property," he said. "I'm against any type of government surveillance."

Rice, and others who spoke out against the public cameras voiced concern over federal government control over local government issues, with "strings attached" to federal funds used for such programs. "If you're being watched all the time, that's not being secure in our person," Rice said. "As a libertarian, I like my right to privacy and the right to privacy is one of the basic founding principles of this country."

Jillian Ensley, a Rancho Cucamonga resident, and vice chair of the San Bernardino County Libertarians, also took issue with the use of federal funds for the cameras. "Anytime a public agency is taking a federal grant, there are strings attached," Ensley said. "There is an expectation that we need to do something for the federal government and the federal government has no business in our lives."

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which serves Rancho Cucamonga as its police service, will install about 20 cameras for the first phase. Plans are to expand the number to other areas as funds become available. The cameras will be placed in public areas near intersections around the major shopping center.

A federal grant will be covering the first phase of the project, Newcombe said. The surveillance camera company Leverage, which has a regional office in Ontario, is the vendor for the project.

Leverage has contracts with the cities of Santa Monica, South Gate, Gardena, Compton, and Redlands.



George Orwell - A Final Warning




Washington State  -  The Feds are pushing hard to get unconstitutional surveillance cameras installed all over the state


The City of Woodinville is considering using a federal grant to install an unknown number of surveillance cameras in the city's parks and on its streets to help investigate crimes despite public outcry over a similar plan in Seattle.
Alexandra Sheeks, assistant to the city manager, said there have been a number of crimes committed in Woodinville over the past year where the cameras would have been helpful, such as by capturing images of bank robbers or license plate numbers.

But, surveillance cameras in public places tend to raise privacy concerns from the public.

Earlier this month, the Seattle Police Department faced a backlash from residents and the Seattle City Council after it used federal grants to install cameras along the city's waterways and purchase two camera-mounted drones.

Seattle residents and councilmembers voiced concerns about the potential for the cameras and drones to spy on civilians and argued they should have been better informed before the money was spent and the cameras were installed.

In the wake of the outcry, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn grounded the drone program and instructed the Police Department to return its two drones to the manufacturers.

Sheeks said the city has been paying attention to what happened in Seattle and has launched a public survey before purchasing surveillance cameras with its Department of Justice grant.

(KOMO News)


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