Category Archives: Rights/freedoms

Qwest refused to turn over records!

Posted on May 13, 2006 by | Leave a comment

Hooray for Qwest! When the NSA came knocking, asking for phone records on all of their customers, Qwest was the only major telecom carrier that refused to turn over those records!

Among the big telecommunications companies, only Denver-based Qwest refused to help the National Security Agency, sources tell USA TODAY.According to multiple sources, Qwest declined to participate because it was uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer calling information to the government without warrants.

I cannot understand why more people aren’t up-in-arms over the NSA spying. But I do hope that more people thank Qwest for daring to stand up against this invasion of our civil liberties.

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Posted in Rights/freedoms

Immigration reform: the will of the people

Posted on May 1, 2006 by | Leave a comment

Hmmm… I think this is telling of more than people want to admit:

About 250 opponents of the immigration march, with the group Defend Colorado Now, staged their own protest on the south side of Civic Center Park.

Their protest began as the thousands of other protestors left the area.

So there were 250 people who wanted to oppose immigration reform, while 75,000 gathered in support. Do I really need to say more? No matter what some would like us to believe, public opinion seems to be overwhelmingly in support of immigration reform. Rally’s like today’s rally show that it’s only a matter of time before the will of the people is heard.

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Posted in Local politics, Race, Rights/freedoms

Erosion of Freedoms x 2

Posted on March 29, 2006 by | Leave a comment

There are places where you expect to see people lashing out against the Bush administration’s civil liberties abuses, including DailyKos. And then there are places where you don’t expect it, such as on PC guru John C. Dvorak’s blog, Dvorak Uncensored. Dvorak takes the Bush administration to task in an entry titled “Erosion of Freedoms x 2″:

We old folks used to talk about Nixon and his imperial presidency. He was a lightweight in comparison to what’s going on these days.Erosion #1: DOJ: NSA Could’ve Monitored Lawyers’ Calls

The National Security Agency could have legally monitored ordinarily confidential communications between doctors and patients or attorneys and their clients, the Justice Department said Friday of its controversial warrantless surveillance program.

Responding to questions from Congress, the department also said that it sees no prohibition to using information collected under the NSA’s program in court.

Erosion #2: The Job of the FBI…

On March 14, [Common Cause President Chellie] Pingree participated on a panel on open government sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

A week after the panel, an FBI agent contacted the local League president, Susan Gilbert, to raise questions about Pingree’s published remarks at the panel.

For some reason, Roger Waters “The Tide Is Turning” keeps playing over and over in my head. I don’t know whether that gives me hope or makes me sad, though…

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Posted in President, Rights/freedoms