Category: News

US admits it used napalm bombs in Iraq American pilots dropped the controversial incendiary agent napalm on Iraqi troops during the advance on Baghdad. The attacks caused massive fireballs that obliterated several Iraqi positions. The Pentagon denied using napalm at the time, but Marine pilots and their commanders have confirmed that they used an upgraded… Continue reading US admits it used napalm bombs in Iraq

2004 Election Issues (Public Debt). As of August 2, 2003 at 03:57:28 AM GMT, every man, woman and child in America owes the U.S. government (on average) $23,158.33 in taxes. The total amount of this public debt, as of the time quoted above, is estimated , is estimated at $6 trillion, 738 billion, 941 million, 60… Continue reading 2004 Election Issues (Public Debt)

Stealing the Internet. The crackdown by the music industry on illegal downloading tells just part of the story. Even with the dot-com bust, the digital boom is here, as high-speed connections, faster processors and new wireless devices increasingly become part of life. But the thousands of lawsuits are not just about ensuring record companies and… Continue reading Stealing the Internet

Santa Cruz Sentinel – Brookdale woman fights USPS over privacy. Mary Champlin has had the same post office box for 19 years, but now the U.S. Postal Service is threatening to lock the box unless she fills out a new form that she believes is an invasion of privacy. PS Form 1093, which is dated… Continue reading Brookdale woman fights USPS over privacy

BizReport, Denmark – Study: Privacy Laws Unevenly Enforced. The government's enforcement of privacy laws is uneven at best, with federal agencies lacking any way to detect unauthorized reading, altering or disclosing of personal information from about one-fifth of agency files, congressional investigators said Wednesday. The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, concluded that enforcement is so… Continue reading Study: Privacy Laws Unevenly Enforced

CATO Institute, DC –Protecting Privacy in the Database Nation. The convergence of privacy-invading technologies and Washington's appetite for surveillance have put civil liberties on the run. This is especially true in the war against terrorism. Controversial initiatives have included biometric face cameras, wiretap enhancements, invasive computer-assisted airline passenger screening, escalated e-mail monitoring fostered by the USA Patriot… Continue reading Protecting Privacy in the Database Nation

Airports to Give Gadgets the Eye. The U.S. government warns that al-Qaida terrorists might alter cameras or other gizmos for use as weapons, or use common electronic devices to conceal bombs. Travelers can expect increased scrutiny — and longer waits — at security checkpoints. [Wired News]

Question for the next year.  Paul Krugman in the New York Times: “how can Congress or the public make informed votes if both are fed distorted information?” He’s writing about the trend of government agencies under this administration, in this instance the Treasury Department, to release incomplete information in a way that suppresses information that… Continue reading Question for the next year

Washington Post – free registration required U.S. Backs Florida's New Counterterrorism Database. 'Matrix' Offers Law Agencies Faster Access to Americans' Personal Records Police in Florida are creating a counterterrorism database designed to give law enforcement agencies around the country a powerful new tool to analyze billions of records about both criminals and ordinary Americans. Organizers… Continue reading Washington Post

CounterPunch Privacy Villain of the Week – James Plummer: Tracking You Through the Mail. President's Commission on the US Postal Service Next week, a special commission created by President Bush will present him with a final report on “articulating a proposed vision for the future of the United States Postal Service.” That vision includes the… Continue reading James Plummer: Tracking You Through the Mail