Google something totally innocent, house gets raided by the cops

[electracoyote]

It's a new form of warfare, and frankly, the people trying to fight the bad guys who would take innocent lives are a step behind and over-compensating with some pretty invasive tactics.

There are no quick easy solutions. We have to learn a new form of defense, and war is always an inconvenience.

 

[aborgman]

Yes it did, on both counts. The article, in its current form has been edited multiple times.

The Catalano article (not the journalist articles about the Catalano piece) hasn't been edited (other than note added) and never made the claims you reference.

Other articles ABOUT the piece she wrote, made the types of claims you reference.

 

[aborgman]

There are no quick easy solutions. We have to learn a new form of defense, and war is always an inconvenience.

It isn't a war.

It's just a new, riskier, reality.

We don't have to learn a new defense, and there are quick and easy solutions....

Solution - Learn to accept the small increase in risk entailed and get on with our lives.

 

[JFOC]

"You might just read a CNN piece about how bomb making instructions are readily available on the internet and you will in all probability, if you are that kid, click the link provided."

Or alternatively don't look up how to make bombs.

I'm not sure that qualifies as "totally innocent"

 

[eyeballkid]

It doesn't work that way. Its NEVER worked that way. Freedom of speech doesn't mean that you can make threats unfettered, or that you can madman-like statements without someone checking on you.

its not REMOTELY about being able to "make threats unfettered" or making "madman-like statements", its about having to worry that EVERYTHING you write, say or communicate is being collected, snooped on, aggregated, cross referenced and stored indefinately, and that simple web searches for innocuous items can be paranoia laced reasons for even further encroachments of your privacy and rights!

When i was young I remember asking my grandfather why he joined the army. He said because other places in the world like Russia, and Germany were the kinds of places that tracked its people, listened to their phone calls, and read their mail and everyone was afraid to say the wrong things, and he would die before he let that happen here. Coincidentally, he did die before it happened here.

 

[eyeballkid]

"You might just read a CNN piece about how bomb making instructions are readily available on the internet and you will in all probability, if you are that kid, click the link provided."

Or alternatively don't look up how to make bombs.

I'm not sure that qualifies as "totally innocent"

for petes sake!!!
nevermind freedom of speech, what about freedom of THOUGHT! I have the right as a living being to indulge my curiousity for knowledge on ANYTHING that is known to humans, and then some if I can find it. Id like to know how to make a bomb, although I cant think of why I would ever NEED to. Id also like to know exactly how thoughts and sense of self arise. Id like to know what propels human sexuality in all its weirdness. Id like to understand how a star can burn for billions of years. Id like to know how to grow my own food, and find it in nature. Id like to understand how whales can migrate tens of thousands of miles in a markerless ocean to exactly where they want to be. Id like to understand "radicalism" from their own words, as "understanding" is the only true road forward in any conflict, but I know that by just wanting to listen to what "they" might say I would be suspect. This IS NOT credible intellectually, morally, or humanistically. We are making the desire for knowledge itself criminally suspect!

 

[Ziltoid]

"You might just read a CNN piece about how bomb making instructions are readily available on the internet and you will in all probability, if you are that kid, click the link provided."

Or alternatively don't look up how to make bombs.

I'm not sure that qualifies as "totally innocent"

Curiosity is now a punishable offense? Cool.

The number of bomb recipes and crazy stuff I checked on the web, especially when I was studying chemistry is pretty crazy. Following your logic I must be some kind of terrorist

 

[eyeballkid]

Im curious if Ziltoid really looks like his avatar! I bet he's a jihadi!

 

[Ziltoid]

Im curious if Ziltoid really looks like his avatar! I bet he's a jihadi!

It's my long term goal to look like my avatar.

 

[JFOC]

Curiosity is now a punishable offense? Cool.

How were they punished again? They weren't. They were questioned about suspicious activity.

The number of bomb recipes and crazy stuff I checked on the web, especially when I was studying chemistry is pretty crazy. Following your logic I must be some kind of terrorist

Thats not a logical leap at all. :scowl:
suspicious activity =/ guilt
Don't try and put words in my mouth.

What would have happened if they were interested in harming people but the goverment hadn't questioned them? People would be up in arms about them receiving a tip & doing nothing...

And for the record 10 years after the Patriot act I find it hilarious that people are surprised by this...

 

[burk48237]

Any reputable news agencies carrying this story?

A better question is are there any reputable news agencies left?

 

[Ziltoid]

How were they punished again? They weren't. They were questioned about suspicious activity.



Thats not a logical leap at all. :scowl:
suspicious activity =/ guilt
Don't try and put words in my mouth.

What would have happened if they were interested in harming people but the goverment hadn't questioned them? People would be up in arms about them doing nothing...

And for the record 10 years after the Patriot act I find it hilarious that people are surprised by this...

You comment insinuated there was some guilt to be attached to looking up stuff online (you said they were not "totally innocent" = they're partially guilty of [...]). Last time I checked if you're guilty you get punished (at least in theory), not much of a leap there.

Two SUV full of inspectors of some sort come into your home, look around and interrogate you.

Sure sounds like presumption of innocence to me.

 

[electracoyote]

Solution - Learn to accept the small increase in risk entailed and get on with our lives.

"Do nothing." It's one philosophy.

I don't think it works so well for the families of those killed by religious/political terrorism.

In fact, I don't think "do nothing/accept it" works for too many people at all.

 

[MatticusMania]

Yeah. No known drummers in my entire neighborhood. Unless one is shacking up with his new girlfriend somewhere.

Along with the one that lives in my house, I believe we have one next door, and also possibly a few houses down the alley.

I just googles The Anarchist Cookbook, for the lulz.

Ive been googling stuff like that for ages. However, the dotgov leaves me alone because they know Im so easily distracted by pornography and drugs/booze that Im not a threat.

 

[David Jayne]

So what's clear is that a former employer saw his search history(pressure cooker) on a company computer, got suspicious for some reason or was just overzealous and called 'somebody.'
'Somebody' then showed up at the dudes house (but no agency will admit to it), they looked around a little, asked a few questions and that was that.

 

[boynamedsuse]

Yeah. No known drummers in my entire neighborhood. Unless one is shacking up with his new girlfriend somewhere.

Along with the one that lives in my house, I believe we have one next door, and also possibly a few houses down the alley.
. . . .

Rough neighborhood.

 

[Balog]

"Do nothing." It's one philosophy.

I don't think it works so well for the families of those killed by religious/political terrorism.

In fact, I don't think "do nothing/accept it" works for too many people at all.

Orders of magnitude more people are killed by traffic accidents/being overweight/getting cancer from smoking etc etc every year than by terrorism. It is a miniscule risk, that cannot be totally eliminated. So yeah, accepting that bad things happen and not destroying the freedoms this country was based on in a pointless attempt to eliminate a tiny risk is a good course of action.

 

[Phil Smith]

Of course it does. It changes the story from the federal govt checking someone's google searches, then showing up in force when they see something they don't like, to local cops paying a visit to ask a few questions based on a tip from a former employer.

As was mentioned you're making up stuff to try to prove your point. It's not the federal government, but we do know thanks to Edward Snowden that the "government" and private security contractors are capable of doing such a thing. These folks were lucky that they were "white", had them been a person of "color", you may be reading about an entirely different thing altogether.

 

[Phil Smith]

you need to go sit in the corner with a dunce cap.

I think one of the rules of this forum is to respect other members, did you read that rule?

 

[electracoyote]

Orders of magnitude more people are killed by traffic accidents/being overweight/getting cancer from smoking etc etc every year than by terrorism. It is a miniscule risk, that cannot be totally eliminated. So yeah, accepting that bad things happen and not destroying the freedoms this country was based on in a pointless attempt to eliminate a tiny risk is a good course of action.

I never said it could be totally eliminated. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be combated.

And we routinely regulate and impose restrictions on traffic, calories, and smoking. Indeed, every time you turn around there's a new law.

Protecting ourselves is part of the deal, no matter what the threat.