Weekly Update

Volume 2 Issue 25

Mar. 14-21, 1996





PRIVACY FOR SAFETY?

   

   Few people would dispute that the United States is among the freest

nations in the world, but that could change overnight if several pilot

projects funded by a federal grant prove to be as effective as some law

enforcement officials expect. 

    Police in Pedwood City, California recently began using sophisticated

hidden listening devices to patrol high-crime areas where gunfire has

become all too common. They're so sensitive that gunfire can be traced to

within 10 yards of its place of origin. In Addition, authorities are

installing cameras capable of monitoring areas as large as 16 city blocks

on a 24-hour-a-day basis high above the streets. 

    Similar setups are being considered in other cities and may soon

appear in the nation's capital -- a notorious center of violence and

illicit drug activity. 

    If the devices enhance police effectiveness, other cities may be

outfitted with similar equipment. Imagine a seeing-eye camera looming

overhead every day on the streets of your town - Through the use of such

audio and video devices. police will be able to compile a round-the-clock

record of nearly every event that transpires on the streets, on the

sidewalks and in the alleys in a wired neighborhood. Some equipment is

capabl e of peeking inside windows and detecting such things as small

marijuana "farms" flourishing under artificial lights. 

   Many citizens believe their lives will be safer as a result of the

surveillance cameras and listening devices. But their use inevitably

raises privacy issues. especially if the authorities probe outside a

public space. Police concede, for example, that they would have the 

capability to listen in on conversations in private homes. 

   Already. the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver has

ventured into the legal quagmire that may result. It ruled that police

can't use an imager to scan homes without first obtaining search warrants

- Other courts, howeve r, have held that using the imagers does not

infringe upon Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and

seizure. 

   Randle Coyne, a professor of law at the university of Oklahoma and a

specialist in privacy issues, told me in an interview that such devices

"in and of themselves constitute an illegal search." 

   Placing cameras and listening devices in high-crime areas "won' t

resolve problems of violence and drugs" he said. "Dealers will simply

scatter to less-crowded areas away from hangouts known to police." 

  An Upper Chichester, PA housewife said she thinks the equipment

represents an invasion of her privacy. "If I lived in a high-crime area, I

think I would look at it differently. I don't think I'd want to be

monitored every time I walked out of my house.  The all-seeing camera

would see me whether I liked it or not . I 'm not sure I could yet used to

that sort of thing." 

   In Camden, NJ, 23-year-old Carlos Rodriguez, who works in a fast-food

restaurant, looked at the surveillance equipment in a different way. I'm

glad to hear about it. It sounds just like what we need in Camden. Guys

are shooting up the place every day.  Drug deals go down day and night.

Nobody's safe here. The police can't solve our problems. So we need

something like cameras on the street . Then the law would see just who's

perpetrating these crimes that leave our people dead. I hope they bring

the equipment to Camden. And I hope they do it soon

    In Redwood City, a commission made up of citizens of the area has been

established to determine whether the surveillance equipment will become

permanent. The betting is that people will feel safer having the police

looking in on them than having crimi nals roaming freely. 



Claude Lewis, Columnist

The News-Sentinel





ESTABLISHMENT VOCABULARY



    It may be helpful in understanding the spectacle of an American

presidential campaign if you remember that Establishment types, both

liberal and Conservative, use a different language than the rest of us do. 



Divisive: disagreeing with the Establishment position on any issue.



Inclusive: agreeing with the Establishment position on any issue.



Racist; disagreeing with such racist programs as affirmative action and

quotas. 



Sexist: disagreeing with any part of the feminist agenda.



Homophobic: disagreeing with any part of the homosexual political agenda.



Xenophobic: believing that the American government has the duty to control

the borders of the United States. 



Extremist: 3 a synonym of divisive disagreeing with the Establishment

position on any issue. 



Protectionist: anyone who thinks the U.S. trade laws should be fair.



Anti-environment: a belief in property rights.



Anti-Semitic: disagreeing with the Israeli lobby, especially on its claim

to the US treasury. 



Multi-culturalism; belief in the absolute superiority of all cultures

except that of the northern Europeans. 



Free speech: any speech directed at agreeing with and supporting an

Establishment position, also covers such actions as lap dancing,

pornography and flag burning. 



Hate speech: any speech disagreeing with an Establishment position; words

employed by extremists (see above definition); also. words spoken in

explanation of Judeo-Christian morality. 



Isolationist: someone who believes American armed forced should defend

America and American interests; also someone who believes the United

States should remain an independent country. 



Tolerance: synonym of inclusive; agreeing with Establishment position on

all issues. 



Intolerance: disagreeing with Establishment positions.



Bigotry; belief in the Judeo-Christian morality.



Liberalism; belief in paganism, hedonism, internationalism and socialism.

Synonyms include progressive and Democrat. 



Fascist; anyone disagreeing with socialism.



    As you can see, we may all use the same words, but not all mean the

same things. The Establishment prefers to use words as weapons rather than

as communication tools. 

    Big Brother in George Orwell's novel "1984" explains how it works: 

    "The past is whatever the records and the memories agreed upon - And

since the party is in full control of all records. and in equally full

control of the minds of its members, it follows that the past is whatever

the party chooses to make it. Six mea ns 18, two plus two equal five, war

is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. 



Charlie Reese

Times-Union

March 6, 1996





SEIZURE FEVER



    Mass confiscation has become politically fashionable. Politicians and

the courts have created an overwhelming presumption in favor of the

government's right to seize control over private land, private homes,

boats and cars, even the cash in people's w allets. While the dispute over

property rights is of ten portrayed as merely an economic contest, the

power of government officials to seize private property directly

subjugates citizens to the capricious will of those officials. 

    Police routinely refuse to reveal their source of a rumor about the

forfeiture target; some policemen have likely invented anonymous

informants to give them a pretext to take private property they covet. 

    Although the number of asset forfeiture actions has skyrocketed in

recent years. Justice department officials apparently believe that the

seizure bull market has only just begun. If Congress proposed to forcibly

alter all private deeds and titles in t he United States by adding a

clause stating that the government acquires automatic ownership rights if

any law- enforcement official hears a rumor about a property's possible

illicit use, the public backlash would raze Capitol Hill. But,

increasingly, that is the law of the land. 



James Bovard

The Freeman





FILE THIS



    In 1994, the IRS admitted the number of "non-filers" (folks who don't

file their 1040 income tax returns) is about 10 million. Others believe

the real number of non-filers is probably between 20 and 30 million, but

whatever the number, it is growing a t an average rate of 1.5 million per

year as more Americans simply "just say no" to income tax. 

    The IRS also admits that it files about 3,000 criminal charges per

year nationwide. Therefore, at current criminal prosecution rates, it will

take the IRS about 500 years to prosecute everyone who stopped filing just

last year, and at least 2,000 year s to prosecute the entire backlog of

(at least) 10 million non-filers. 



Ian H. Marcusson

Anti-Shyster





MISSOURI LAW TARGETS MILITIA



    A bill introduced into the Missouri House of Representatives would

require militia groups to register with the state's Department of Public

Safety or else face misdemeanor criminal penalties. 

    "Relating to the registration of certain paramilitary organizations,

with penalty provisions" begins HP 798, introduced by state Pep Pill Cratz

(R - Jefferson City). Gratz claims the new law is needed to "aid law

enforcement in tracking militia groups."

    Gratz said that while the US and Missouri constitution clearly allow

for the formation of citizen militias, these groups -- "if their

intentions are honorable" -- should not mind having to announce themselves

to state authorities. 

    However, various militia leaders around the country sharply disagree

with Gratz's view that the militia should be required to "register" with

any state or federal entity. One leader, who spoke on condition of

anonymity, said the proposal was a blatant "privacy violation." He added 

that registration is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to identify and later

criminalize militia groups.

    Gratz said that registering militias would give law enforcement

"another group of people to look at" if terrorist bombings occur inside

Missouri or elsewhere. 



USA Featured Syndicate





IRANIANS DENY COUNTERFEITING



    The government of Iran is denying allegations that it has nearly

perfected the art of duplicating American hundred-dollar bills, some $10

billion of which may be circulating across the globe. 

    An ABC news investigation quoted U.S. officials as saying the bills

were so good as to pass inspection through detection machines at Federal

Reserve banks. However, because the "0" in "OF" across the top of the bill

is somewhat flattened, the bogus cu rrency has been dubbed the "flat-top

0." The right-hand arm of the "T" in "THE" often is severed as well; newer

versions of the bills have addressed these deficiencies, the report said. 

    One unnamed White House official said the "counterfeiting of U S

currency could be considered an act of war. Iranian officials denied any

involvement in the alleged counterfeiting scheme. 

    Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said the alleged counterfeiting is

unrelated to the recently announced redesign of the $100 bill. Rubin said

there were no plans to recall existing $100 bills. 



Media Bypass



EDITOR NOTE: Wait a minute.. .didn't we read the redesign of the $100 bill

was because of the counterfeiting????? 





CALL THE CAPITOL



    As we enter the most important presidential election in many years.

you must convey your positions to your congressional members. Tell them

you will openly campaign against them if they don' t put America first and

return this country to constitutiona l government - Write them or call

Washington. D.C. and not their local offices. The Capitol Hill switchboard

number is toll free! 



1-800-972-3524

or on your dime

(202) 224-3121