Tim Hawkins - The Government Can Video

Google Sidewiki - Potential for Abuse

Marketers are going to love this! Imagine being able to post information about your product on your competitions's website. I also think this is going to provide people with an ability to propogate disinformation about a product or company and it will show up right next to the victim's website. This could be a great tool as long as there is some control and the owner of a web site has a way to dispute a posting. While these concerns are somewhat addressed in the Content Policy let's hope that Google is able to make people adhere to the policy without becoming cost prohibitive or limiting free speech.

in reference to: Official Google Blog: Help and learn from others as you browse the web: Google Sidewiki (view on Google Sidewiki)

Australian Police Knocking on Doors to Inspect Guns

If you ever want to see where America is heading just look at the rest of the world. I think the U.K. and Australia are very analogous of where the US will be in a few years if we don't protect our constitutional rights while we still have them. Many of the anti gun lobby would love to see legislation that would completely do away with all legal gun ownership, but since an all out assault always fails they have to chip away at your rights by going after the 'evil guns' like so called assault rifles or making it harder and more expensive to purchase ammunition legally like California just did with Assembly Bill 962. Many anti-gunners have voiced support for legislation controlling the storage of firearms. So far such legislation been defeated since this would require inspection of your storage solution in your home which would be a complete violation of the Fourth Amendment. Thank GOD we have a Constitution!

Australia almost completely banned guns insuring that only criminals and the wealthy can own a firearm. Criminals immediately seized the opportunity presented by their newly disarmed victims and violent crime went through the roof, especially in rural areas where the police were too far away to help anyone. Now to add insult to injury Australian police will be conducting searches of the private residences of the few legal gun owners left in their country.

California Assembly Bill 962 Signed Into Law by Governor Schwarzenegger

Grab your ankles Kalifornians! The Governator just put it to all law abiding gun owners and we're not going to get so much as a kiss. California Governor Schwarzenegger just signed Assembly Bill 962 into law, dealing another crippling blow to retailers, sportsmen, and anyone who wishes to legally protect themselves and their families from criminals who could care less if they obtain their ammunition legally. Thanks to Assembly Bill 962 you can now depend on spending quite a bit more for your ammunition. Like it wasn't already hard enough to get ammo, right? Assembly Bill 962 will require, among other things, that anyone selling ammunition take the fingerprints of their customers and keep them on record for the DOJ to review at any time.
As with most stupid gun control laws, this will do little if anything to lessen crime and will in fact deprive many Californians of the ability to protect themselves because they will not be able to afford ammunition as prices skyrocket in an economy where people can barely afford food. These citizens are often times the ones that have the greatest need to protect themselves, many living in high crime neighborhoods.
Here's a little newsflash from the land of unintended consequences: This law could actually lead to more deaths and injuries from accidental shootings/collateral damage as gun owners spend less time on the range familiarizing themselves with their firearm due to the outrageous price of ammunition. Even the best sharpshooter needs to spend time on the range to keep his or her skills honed and insure that their bullets reach only the intended target. Will someone please tell me why our government seems to have lost all common sense! I am beginning to think it is time to take my family and my taxes to a state where our rights matter!
So if you think there was a run on ammo when people started to realize that Obama might become president, get ready for California's ammunition to dry up completely. As Californians attempt to stock up before the law goes into effect the rest of the US can expect to be affected by another ammunition shortage. I guess if the gun control lobby can't make our guns illegal they will make it too expensive to use them. An unloaded gun is a very expensive paperweight.
There are two bright spots. The law does not go into effect until February 2011. There may be a legal grounds to strike down this law thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994, Section §41713. Preemption of authority over prices, routes, and service, which basically prohibits a state from enacting or enforcing a law that could effect prices, routes, and service of Common Carriers.

Links
California: Governor Takes Action on Two Anti-Gun Bills in Sacramento
California Assembly Bill 962 Hurts Small Businesses and Puts Law-Abiding Citizens at Risk
The Calguns Foundation

Timeless Wisdom & Warnings from the Inventors of America

Timeless Wisdom & Warnings from the Inventors of America

Hanged Census Worker Likely to Be Blamed on Right Wingers

An unfortunate tragedy will likely give Anti Government groups and Right Wing Conservatives a black eye. 51 year old Bill Sparkman, a part time census worker, was found dead, hanging from a tree near a cemetery in rural Kentucky with the word 'fed' scrawled across his chest in some type of felt marker. Sparkman, a Boy Scouts of America Leader and substitute teacher worked as a part time US Census worker just once or twice a month for a little extra income.
Clay county, where the body was found is one of the poorest in the country with high unemployment and a poverty rate several times the national average is rife with methamphetamine labs and marijuana fields and a historical distrust of the government going back to the moonshine days.
While the word 'fed' being scrawled across the man's chest leads definate credence to a notion that there may have been an anti government motive to the slaying it is unfortunate that the original AP news story had to make a point of mentioning that the Oklahoma Bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was in posession of 'literature by ultra-right-wing, anti-government authors". So I guess now this horrible tragedy will likely become another finger to point at the 'angry mobs' that have been showing up for the tea party events and town hall meetings to protest the Health Care Reform Bill.
I don't know why it always has to be conservatives that are called extremists or anti government(more like limited government). What about the left wing extremists who were responsible for a full three fourths of officially designated terrorist attacks against the US government during the 1980s. How about drug dealers protecting their labs and pot fields, you might think they would be a little anti government. Personally I think most reasonable people in this day are a little leary of the government and with good cause. I hope that I am wrong and and this trad=gedy will get the attention it deserves as a murder investigation and not some excuse for a political witch hunt.

Links
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,554760,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,555623,00.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9236/
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/09/census/

Is Facebook Fan Check a Virus

There is currently a scare going around on Facebook and in emails stating that a Facebook application titled "Fan Check" is actually a virus that will activate after 48 hours even if you were tagged in a photo on someone else's profile. While the jury is still out on whether Fan Check is actually malicious, the greater risk comes from doing a search on the phrase '"Facebook Fan Check Virus" as you might be directed to a website containing fake antivirus software that will actually install a real virus or otherwise try to trick you out of your money. For an example of one of these sites watch the video below.



According to an article on Mashable the Fan Check app is most likely just a broken application that wont work because it violates Facebook's policies. Your safest bet is to stay away from Fan Check or any other application that claims that it can tell who's been viewing your profile, and definitely DO NOT search for “Fan Check Facebook virus”. If you are concerned that you have a virus or spyware scan your computer with trusted software. Do not install or scan your computer with any software that you are not familiar with or that you have not checked out thoroughly. Personally I use Spybot S&D, Adaware, and AVG Antivirus.

URGENT! California to Vote on Draconian Gun Law Further Restricting Ammunition

The California State Senate could vote as early as Wednesday 9/9/09 on Assembly Bill 962 that make ammunition even more expensive and harder to find. The bill would require retailers to fingerprint anyone purchasing ammunition, and keep the prints in their records for inspection by the Department of Justice! Not only does this extra record keeping add to the burden already placed on licensed gun dealers it also places your identity in the hands of private individuals or businesses. Assembly Bill 962 would also make mail order of ammunition to residents of California illegal. Time is short, contact your State Senator immediately. We may not get another opportunity to let them know that we oppose further restrictions to our right to bear arms. Click here for contact information of elected officials.

California to Limit Amount of Ammo You Can Privately Transfer

California Assembly Bill 962 will limit the amount of handgun ammunition that can be privately transferred to 50 rounds per month, even between family members. So if you want to give your wife a couple of boxes of ammo to go with her new 9mm your outa luck. The bill would require retailers to fingerprint anyone purchasing ammunition, and keep the prints in their records for inspection by the Department of Justice! Assembly Bill 962 would also make mail order of ammunition to residents of California illegal, so if you live in a small town like me you better gas up the truck and head to the city if your local dealer runs out, which seems to be an all to common occurance these days. Please contact you Assembly Memebr and tell them that you do not support this bill. Check out the NRA website for more.

Use Cash for Clunkers Website and Your Computer Belongs to the Government

The Cash for Clunkers program may seem enticing but as the old saying goes, "here is no free lunch". If you try to log in to the Cash for Clunkers website you have to agree to the privacy policy, which of course no-one ever reads... After agreeing to the privacy policy a warning box pops up telling you that your computer will become property of the government and anything stored on your computer can be retrieved and shared, even with foreign entities.

Check out the video below to see how the government is tricking people into letting them irrevocable access EVERYTHING on their personal computers.

Whitehouse Wants You to Report Anyone Who Speaks Out Against Healthcare Reform

It's true. The government is requesting assistance from the public in quashing dissension from those evil right wing extremists (ie, anyone who disagrees)! Seriously. Check out this excerpt from the Whitehouse blog:

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

And just in case public response forces the removal of the statement from the Whitehouse blog here is a screenshot for posterity.

Scary isn't it? Check out this link at RedState regarding the legality of this. White House Actions Might Be Unlawful

hr 2749 Another Bill to Put an End to Backyard and Organic Gardening

Yet another bill, H.R. 2749: Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, has been just passed the house that may unfairly penalize. This bill will grant new powers to the FDA including the warrentless searches! Two other bills, H.R. 875 and S 425 were already introduced in February of 2009 and have been drawing the ire of backyard gardeners, small family farms and bloggers since. Perhaps that explains why someone felt it was necessary to introduce .R. 2749: Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 in June and ram it through the House in July. It is not too late to fight this bill. Contact your senators NOW and demand that they read this bill and protect your rights to grow your own food. This bill as well as the other is supposed to make food safer but instead just adds more beaurocracy and infringes on your rights. Even if you don't grow your own food or visit farmer's markets this bill could have a huge impact on your grocery bill. These bills are poorly worded and ill conceived. Please don't sit by while our government continues to trash our liberties. Stand up and let yourself be heard!

Police Trample First Amendment at Healthcare Reform Rally

I wish I could say I can't believe it, but unfortunately this seems to be the direction our country is heading in. Stacy Nason from Breakdown of America was attending an Acorn rally to oppose the health care reform being railroaded though by the Obama Administration. Acorn (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) supports the legislation and from the video below did not appreciate any opposition, going so far as to compel a police officer to interfere with Ms. Nason's (and others) first amendment rights of free speech and freedom to assemble. I have to say, "WHAT THE HELL!". Since when do the police work for Acorn. One lady not wearing an Acorn t-shirt was told she could not stand amidst the Acorn people. ON A PUBLIC SIDEWALK!!!

Then when Ms. Nason was merely having a peaceful and amiable conversation regarding the proposed reform with one of the supporters the officer, at the behest of individuals wearing Acorn t-shirts, approached the gentleman she was speaking with and told him "we don't want anyone interacting..." when the man politely rebuffed the officer's request he was led away from the group for a private lecture. Ms. Nason received her own lecture from a rent-a-cop. I don't care which side of this topic you support, this kind of interference with our individual constitutional rights is just plain wrong not to mention illegal. Please watch the video below and visit Breakdown of America and show some support for our rights.

Chips Embeded in Official IDs Are a Huge Privacy Risk

For anyone who doesn't know, which is most of us, an RFID Chip is a tiny chip that can be embedded in virtually anything, from products in the grocery store to your bus pass and even people. You've probably seen the credit card commercial with the marathon runner that zips into a convenience store and pays for his purchase by merely holding his credit card close to the machine instead of sliding it through the machine the old fashioned way. Really convenient right? Well it's convenient for identity thieves too.

When this technology first came and out it wasn't wide spread an identity thief needed to get pretty close to the target to scan the chip and retrieve the information on it. This is no longer the case. As the technology has grown more prolific so have the profits in creating the gadgets that scan for it. As an example consider the experiment published in an article on the Fox News Website "Chips in Official IDs Raise Privacy Fears" in which a gentleman named Chris Paget cruised around Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California scanning for the private information held on RFID tags of the crowds using a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader that he bought on eBay for less than $250. In an hour he had 'skimmed' the private data from the new electronic U.S. passport cards of several individuals from as far away as 20 feet. Mr. Paget filmed his experiment and posted it to the Internet.



While the implementation of embedded RFID tags in government documents is not widespread yet there is a push from government officials to see it done quickly. Officials are touting safety and convenience of having you information easily accessible. Either they haven't bothered to think of the consequences or they just don't care because being able to track everything that you do fits there agenda. Thanks to the Real ID Act: h.r.00418 which was passed in 2005 without ANY debate, states must start issuing State IDs with and embedded RFID tag by 2017. The Real ID Act was pushed through by adding an amendment to a completely UNRELATED must pass bill to authorize funds for the Iraq war. This seems to be a common tactic in getting a controversial bill to pass that otherwise would not. In my humble opinion this practice is completely immoral and should be illegal, but I suppose that is the subject of another rant.

The Pass ID Act: S.1261 has recently been introduced before lawmakers which supposedly would repeal part of the Real ID Act as well as amend title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. However this bill does not protect citizens from identity theft or government abuses, in fact it may be a sneak attack to reinforce the Real ID Act. The Real ID Act needs to be repealed completely or by 2017 we will all be walking around with a tracking beacon in our pockets broadcasting our entire lives to anyone with the inclination to snoop, which includes alot of people and organizations. Just think of how much of your online activity is tracked by the government, retail websites, search engines, and marketing firms. Imagine how valuable a record of your real world travels, purchases, interests, and even health problems would be. To top off all this paranoia, it appears that two of the major backers of The Pass ID Act and previously the Real ID Act, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the International Civil Aviation Organization, are INTERNATIONAL as in not USA organizations!

...and now for another paranoia inducing video

There may be other 'related' videos in the player above that may seem extremely paranoid. These videos are included by YouTube and do not necessarily reflect the views of this writer.

Eventually we will have one card (or pendant, wristband, or implant) that will contain all of our information and may even be used as currency. There are already pilot programs that allow users of already existing Real ID Cards to use them in lieu of their credit card. Now at the risk of sounding like a paranoid, end of the world, religious nut...

• Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
• Revelation 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

We all need to act RIGHT NOW to repeal the Real ID Act and put the brakes on The Pass Act before it is too late. Contact the Committee on Homeland Security members and tell them respectfully how you feel about your rights being crushed. Warn your friends and family about the risks to their freedom. Share this blog and others on this topic on the all the social networking and bookmarking sites. We must get the word out or everyone will just go happily about their day never knowing what they are lost while they were watching Lost or Dancing With the Stars. There will be a time when it is too late to turn back.

Aside from the above legislation we will never be completely free of RFID tags. RFID tags have many legitimate uses from inventory control to identifying lost pets. As mentioned above 'smart' passports and Real IDs are already in use. You will still need to take action to protect yourself from the common thief regardless of how you feel about the Real ID Act. There are several relatively inexpensive products on the market now that will shield your card/passport from being scanned such as the RFID Blocking Leather Passport Case and the Travelon RFID Blocking Billfold. Shoplifters have been blocking RFID for some time by using shopping bags lined with aluminum foil (don't get any ideas!). Here is an interesting artilcle on How to kill your RFID chip, of course when it comes to your passport you may not want to permanently destroy the chip rendering your passport void. Remember; tampering with a US passport is a federal offense. Of course any of the tags you find in items that you purchase are yours to do with as you wish.

For a partial list of companies that place RFID tags in their products check out Liz Michaels' website.

Group Banned From Oldest 4th of July Parade for Distributing the Constitution of the United States

It is a sad sign of the times when you can be discriminated against for being a patriot. Apparently the Bristol Parade Committee decided that they needed to permanently ban the Rhode Island Tea Party from the USA's oldest 4th of July parade in Bristol R.I. for distributing pocket sized copies of the United States Constitution. This dispute the fact that many of the other floats were allowed to distribute fliers to the crowd. The Bristol Parade Committee states that distributing of any materials is against the parade rules for safety reasons. Yet this flies in the face of reason since the rules were not applied to anyone but the Rhode Island Tea Party. To top it off the Pocket Constitutions were being handed out by Tea Party sympathizers not by the group that was part of the parade.



Update! The chairman of the Bristol Parade Committee, David Burns, has issued a formal apology to the Rhode Island Tea Party stating that the committee “would like to clear up any misunderstanding" and that "they are not banned from future parades.” Hooray!

Government Puts and End to Backyard and Organic Gardening

There is a disturbing new bill before the House and the Senate in Washington D.C. that could put an end to small farms and even backyard gardening, even if you're the only one that eats the food produced. Before you decide that this bill doesn't affect you and choose not to act, please read further. One important thing to remember: Even though there has been a lot of emphasis on farming, all food production could be affected by this bill if it becomes law. No more bake sales, homemade jerky, processing wild game, and many more aspects of everyday food production that I can't seem to think of. I guess one good thing might come of it. It might make giving homemade fruit cakes for Christmas illegal.

While the bill does not specifically name backyard gardening as prohibited, the bill itself is so vague and overreaching that any food production operation that doesn't meet it's unattainable standards will be considered in violation. This bill would introduce very strict and costly regulations that small producers will never be able to comply with. A huge farm company like Monsanto (also a pesticide company) will have no problem complying with a $200,000.00 addition to there production facility, while a small family farm would be forced to stop production. would you be willing to pony up big bucks to keep that tomato plant on your front porch? This could well happen. There are NO provisions in this bill to exempt or protect the small farmer.

The Bill will create a panel of 'experts' from the major factory farm corporations (like Monsanto, Tyson, and Sodexo) and allow them to decide what restrictions to impose. By the way Monsanto is one of the main backers of this bill, I wonder why... Sounds like a good opportunity for the big guys to price the 'little guys' right out of business. Can you imagine if they put Walmart in charge of making laws for retail establishments? How long would it would take before every 'Mom and Pop' store gets shut out because they can no longer afford to do business? Still the worst is that the vagueness of the bills could make personal food production a crime subjecting private citizens to fines and seizure of property. For further reading see Campaign for Liberty and Educate Yourself. Or if you don't feel like reading watch this video.




Of course I don't expect you to take my word for it. You can take a look at the bills yourself and decide. If the links below stop working you can go to the Thomas section of Library of Congress and search using the bill names.
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)H.R.875.IH
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (Senate Version) S 425

You can track the progress of the bill below,
Track H.R. 875
Track S 425

So what can YOU do?
There are several Online Petitions that you can 'sign' though I don't know if they are viewed as legitimate by the politicians. Still couldn' t hurt.
Contact your representatives and politely remind them that they work for the PEOPLE. Ask them to READ the bills before voting (most never read the bills they just go by what they hear so here's you chance to be heard) and encourage them to vote NO on a vaguely written law that will seriously inhibit the freedoms of theire constituants. Click this link for Complete Contact Information for US Congress and Governors.

What Rights Have Americans Already Lost?

Every time the government passes a new law to 'protect the public' we lose more rights. Have you ever wondered what we have already lost? While the video below is by no means exhaustive it is interesting. Go ahead and take a few minutes to watch. And you don't have to be a right wing conspiracy nut to know that our freedom is at risk.

Welcome to the Freedom At Risk Blog

I started this blog because of all the disturbing laws and policies I have been seeing coming down the line recently, which in turn has caused many of my posts in my other blog, Privacy Tips, to veer far off topic. This is my effort to correct that problem and provide me with a venue in which to address the concerns I have over something I am VERY passionate about. I hope that this may become a place of intelligent conversation between people of all political parties, race, religion or differing viewpoints. Please feel free to comment on any post, you will not be blocked or censored for simply disagreeing with me, freedom of speech is obviously very dear to me. However I do reserve the right to block or edit any comments that are strictly abusive with no bearing or value to the discussion, but only after very careful consideration.

Take an active roll in protecting your God given rights as they were laid out in the Constitution of The United States of America by our founding fathers. Don't let well meaning but misguided and politicians and judges erode the foundation of liberty and freedom that is OUR Constitution! Remember, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Stay up to date on current news and events that will effect your freedoms today and those of your children and grandchildren. Take action when you see your rights in danger, contact those who have been elected and remind them that they work for YOU. We can take back our country peacefully but it will be a long hard fight, you must be willing to stand up for what you believe. Shout your demands from the mountain tops and don't stop shouting until the aristocrats who have entrenched themselves in our nation's capitol hear you. Then after they hear you KEEP SHOUTING until they remember that the government is in place to serve the PEOPLE, not the other way around.

For some time our liberties have been slowly stripped from us in the name of protecting us from some foreign boogie man or from ourselves. Unfortunately in the last decade the government has stepped up it's efforts to 'protect the people' resulting in even greater loss of liberty. I feel that we are at a point where we must ACT NOW or there will be no turning back. We must take back our country now while we are still allowed to make a peaceful stand, while we can still say anything we want to about our government and our politicians. If we continue down the road we are on, free speech WILL be gone, for our own good of course. The government wouldn't want anyone stirring up the populace, someone might get hurt. If you want to see what the USA could look like in the future just take a look at Great Britain, they have already lost so many freedoms, and I can see us traveling the same treacherous road. If you want to see where we finally end up just take a look at China or the former Soviet Union. How would you like to see tanks called in to crush your peaceful protest. It has been twenty years since the Tiananmen Square protest and the Chinese population is still not allowed to talk about it or read about it, even on the Internet.

If you don't think this could happen in the good ol' USA feel free to go stand in line, get your loaf of bread, and report back to the factory/field/coal mine in the morning. And remember, for your safety, Big Brother is watching.