RSS 2.0 FeedGiuliani: Privacy? “It Depends”
by Brad WarbianyCommenter uhm pointed out this story:
Executive power hot topic at New Hampshire forums
Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday defended President Bush’s extensive use of national security tools such as the USA Patriot Act as no worse than other countries, but Sen. Barack Obama said he would use executive orders to roll back some of those powers.
“The Patriot Act does give the government more tools, more power, but it’s not vastly out of line with what other governments have, free governments, democratic governments,” Mr. Giuliani told the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce while campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination here in New Hampshire.
“All of this takes a little privacy away from somebody. It depends on who you take it away from, and what is at stake,” he said.
Yes, it certainly does. But as Michael Hampton at Homeland Stupidity points out this morning, discussing the relative ease of which our census bureau gave up information on the whereabouts of Japanese-Americans in 1942, you change who you take that privacy away from in an instant. They had promised that census data was confidential. But when you give up power to government, understand that the power you give up today may end up being used in ways tomorrow that you might not like:
I had several stories ready to go of government agencies losing, misplacing, or intentionally publishing private personal information on ordinary Americans. Forget all that. The danger of government databases being compromised is minor compared to the danger posed by the databases’ very existence. The privacy protections that Michael Chertoff and threats like him promise you today can be gone tomorrow, with an act of Congress, an executive order, or just a new regulation. After all, they’re all just words on goddamned pieces of paper.
I’ve often said that George W. Bush isn’t who I consider the greatest threat to liberty. I honestly believe that he would limit his actions to those people who he suspected to be legitimate terrorists [the fact that I don't trust his judgement, though, is why I'd like to see them get some sort of trial and judicial oversight]. But Bush has opened a door with things like the Patriot Act, the widespread extension of Executive powers, and I wonder if the President coming up next, or perhaps 3 or 4 down the line, will be so restrained.
I want our next President to shut the doors that Bush has opened. I simply don’t see Giuliani doing that.
What is telling from this is the fact that neither Obama or Giuliani mentioned the IRS as a possible source of danger. Whenever I heard about the illegal phone tappings, it always made me wonder how listening to my conversation was so wrong, but making me tell the government about my every little purchase was okay. Until we abolish that beast our privacy will never be assured, no matter what we do with the Patriot Act.
Comment by trumpetbob15 — April 5, 2007 @ 4:35 pmGreat point, Bob…
Comment by Brad Warbiany — April 5, 2007 @ 4:46 pmAh, I see the Giuliani bashers are out again this morning, trying to spin things to make it seem like an Islamo-Fascist like Burack HUSSEIN Obama is actually more liberty-minded than Rudy Giuliani.
Flash: Osama HUSSEIN Obama would sell us out to the Islamo-Fascists faster than you could say “Allah Ahu-Ahkbar.”
If he becomes President you should prepare yourself for your girlfriends being forced to wear black burqas from head to toe, massive censorship of TV, Movies and Music, being thrown in jail for anti-Islamic politically incorrect speech, and mandatory prayer sessions from the Koran in public schools.
Comment by Eric Dondero — April 6, 2007 @ 8:24 amOne wonders why Mataconis and the boys at Liberty Papers are spending so much time savaging Rudy Giuliani?
Burack HUSSEIN Obama has a perfect 100 score from the Marxist ADA. HUSSEIN also has a perfect 100 score from the Federal Government Workers Union and the NEA. In other words he’s a bonafide Communist.
Do you see any mention at that from Liberty Papers? Do you ever see any criticisms of HUSSEIN or Hitlery on Liberty Papers?
No, because Liberty Papers is a Leftwing tool of the Democrat Party.
One wonders if Mataconis and his minions are on the DailyKos payroll, and if Liberty Papers is indeed just a front for Markus Moulitas and the Leftwing Bloggers looking to disconnect libertarians from the Republican Party.
No, strike that. No wondering here. Through the actions of Liberty Papers, is quite clear, it is a tool of the Democrats.
Comment by Eric Dondero — April 6, 2007 @ 8:28 amAh peddling that false story that Obama was a Muslim I see.
Comment by Kevin — April 6, 2007 @ 8:28 amQuick question: have you ever criticized a leftist for comparing Bush to Hitler? If so, stop it since you have no credibility now that you’ve compared Hillary to Hitler.
As for the question, we have criticized both Obama’s and Hillary’s policies and beliefs. I guess we’re harder on Guiliani because he claims to be running on a pro-freedom platform while Obama and Hillary make no such claim.
Yeah Eric, that’s the ticket. We’re all Kossacks in disguise. Although we’ve criticized an alliance between leftists and libertarians as unrealistic at best; we’re all Democrats and leftists. You’ve outed us. We’ll be posting our paychecks from Kos today.
Comment by Kevin — April 6, 2007 @ 8:40 amKevin,
Eric, who claims to be a veteran, has written on this site that that fears Al Queda will attack cities in the southern strip of the U.S. with Scud missiles.
Of course this is logistically absurd – the money required for Al Queda to acquire Scuds (forget manufacturing them in house), transport them to Mexico, and sneak them right up to the border could be better spent causing 1321 9-11’s.
If he believes that claim to be true, he is stupid. If he is smart, then he knows that is a load of shite, making him a liar who is trying to trick people into supporting his master.
Fraud or idiot, he is not worth arguing with.
Comment by tarran — April 6, 2007 @ 8:43 am