RSS 2.0 FeedJoe Lieberman Is Watching You
by Doug MataconisConnecticut Senator Joe Lieberman apparently thinks it would be a really good idea if the government could watch your every move:
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said Sunday he wants to “more widely†use surveillance cameras across the country.
“The Brits have got something smart going in England, and it was part of why I believe they were able to so quickly apprehend suspects in the terrorist acts over the weekend, and that is they have cameras all over London and other of their major cities,†Lieberman said.
“I think it’s just common sense to do that here much more widely,†he added. “And of course, we can do it without compromising anybody’s real privacy.â€
Lieberman lamented the “petty, partisan fighting†in Congress and called on his colleagues to join together to upgrade the nation’s electronic surveillance capabilities.
“Right now, we’re at a partisan gridlock over the question of whether the American government can listen into conversations or follow e-mail trails of non-American citizen,†he said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. “That’s wrong. We’ve got to solve that problem, pass a law to give the people working for us the ability to protect us.â€
That’s right, we’re from the government and we’re here to “protect” you.
Steve Verdon gets it right when he responds to Senator Lieberman with this Ben Franklin quote:
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.â€
And that, I’m afraid, is exactly what we’d get if we listened to Senator Lieberman
the senator is just a misguided religious fanatic,how he ever got re-elected in his state is a wonder,he supports the war only because it protects his home state of Israel,not Conn.,or USA
Comment by kidfromnyc — July 5, 2007 @ 10:28 amso i do not find this support as anything big
I’m a staunch libertarian, but I’m not philosophically opposed to surveillance cameras.
I have absolutely no faith in our government to use them properly, but if we do ever have a truly limited government, surveillance cameras (with proper protection mechanisms) would go along way to decreasing the cost of and increasing the efficiency of security forces.
Comment by Jeff Molby — July 5, 2007 @ 5:24 pmI have to think this is just a publicity stunt by Lieberman. There is no way he would have missed the outspoken criticism of Google Street View and that was using pictures taken in the past, not live. No way Lieberman can really think this would go over at all in the States.
Comment by trumpetbob15 — July 5, 2007 @ 9:26 pmTrumpetbob,
No, I think this is what Joe actually believes.
I grew up in the NYC Metro area and Connecticut politics actually got a lot coverage in the local New York media.
Lieberman may have been a Democrat politically, but he’s always been far more conservative on foreign policy and security issues than anyone else in that party.
Comment by Doug Mataconis — July 5, 2007 @ 9:35 pm