I smell an Internet Crackdown Coming...

[paparush]

We've got Cheney blathering about how the terrorist are very sophisticated internet users, "they're on there all the time."

We've got Chertoff saying, "We now have a capability of someone to radicalize themselves over the Internet," Chertoff said on the sidelines of a meeting of International Association of the Chiefs of Police. "They can train themselves over the Internet. They never have to necessarily go to the training camp or speak with anybody else and that diffusion of a combination of hatred and technical skills in things like bomb-making is a dangerous combination," Chertoff said. "Those are the kind of terrorists that we may not be able to detect with spies and satellites."
To help gather intelligence on possible home-grown attackers, Chertoff said Homeland Security would deploy 20 field agents this fiscal year into "intelligence fusion centers," where they would work with local police agencies.

By the end of the next fiscal year, he said the department aims to up that to 35 staffers.
</quote>

I bet they are going to keep ratcheting up the rhetoric until some horrendous bill gets introduced to really restrict the internet


As one astute blogger already pointed out, Timothy McVeigh didn't use the internet. The US Army taught him everything he needed to know...

[MiniMandaRuth]

1. Next target....

Fifteen year old myspace users.

COME AND GET ME, CHENEY. I'M NOT AFRAID! :P

[gfnrob]

4. Alleged 15 yos

These "my space" folks could be the enemy as well. Why do you hate America??

[MiniMandaRuth]

7. .....

"ur cr8zy to tink im ur enemi."






(A danger to grammar and spelling, that's all I have to say)

[gfnrob]

9. Spalling

Spelling is not my forte, however sarcasm may be

[MiniMandaRuth]

10. Welcome to DU!

I just say your post count.

A word of advice. If you do ever use sarcasam in GD, use either of these: :eyes: or :sarcasm:

[gfnrob]

11. thanks

Big Dylan fan, I grew up near Hibbing, Knew Robbie Zimmerman

[MiniMandaRuth]

12. Changed my life.

I'm in the age group that frequents rap (13-17) and I usually listen to Dylan on a daily basis. I

[gfnrob]

13. dylan quote

Let's hope this one applies to this election......."why is it that people who've suffered together have tighter connections then those who are most content..."

[gfnrob]

2. why???

Why do you hate America?? They need these tools to keep us safe. If your not a bad guy, then you have nothing to fear. Right? It is obvious that this "constitution" thingy is getting in the way of protecting the good old USA. Maybe it's time to do away with the damned thing. Life would be so much easier.

[WinkyDink]

3. That "astuteness" is assuming that "preventing terrorism" would be

Bushco's motivation.
It would not.
Like everything else unconstitutional, laws restricting Internet usage/information/searches would be about power and controlling the dissemination of information to the public, no more, no less.
It's a natural progression from classifying non-secret documents, particularly Presidential papers.

Remember: THEY hate us for our freedoms.

[gfnrob]

6. How could they hate us?

We have been the shining light of freedom for decades, especially since God asked George to be President.

[gfnrob]

8. right back at you

A wink, I mean!!!

[Ediacara]

5. "capability of someone to radicalize themselves over the Internet"

Like a correspondence school? Gimme a break Skeletor....

[catmandu57]

14. So, they attempt to shut down free discourse

on the internet, well, the internet is only a tool. A very effective tool, but determined people will go deeper underground to dig out the foundation from underneath these snuff queens. They can't shut this movement down now and they know it.

[DaveJ]

15. I doubt we would 'notice' a difference

Whereas they would not shut down commonly known areas like MySpace etc., they may, in the name of limiting harmful info, limit the availability of info in general (like somehow find ways to commercially regulate it). This will be done in the name of making us safer but at the same time line the pockets of some already wealthy people.

[Odin2005]

16. The powers that be are deathly afraid of grassroots activity on the Web.

Hence thier fear of the Internet. The Corporatists maintain thier power by keeping people isolated and therefore unable to organize effective collective action. They feae the internet for the same reason they fear labor unions and large protests.

[Deja Q]

17. Wouldn't the terrorists be more inclined to keep physically fit?

What "good" does vegging in front of a computer screen all day do?! :eyes:

Still, I will concede (though I've never looked nor care to) that it would be seemingly easy to find out how to build bombs and other nasty things by looking up the right web pages. But how far could anyone really get? It's all monitored these days.

[Xenotime]

18. They want to close down your tubes

[porphyrian]

19. Their porn industry contributers won't appreciate that.

Their business relies on keeping client confidence, at least in part.

I don't think that insurgency alarmism is going to go much farther than next Tuesday, but we'll see.