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Well, we're not Russia

Russia just annouced a plan to use lie detectors as part of the check-in and customs process at airports. Pretty scary.

Wire-tapper to the Stars

The Bush situation is not the only high profile case of wire-tapping gripping the country.  Though nowhere near as draconian, Hollywood, that bastion of liberalism, is mesmerized by a case of its own.

Detective to the stars, Anthony Pellicano stands accused of illegal wire-tapping in the service of celebrity clientele. In a story straight out of old Hollywood, the detective used the information he’d gleaned on the targets to blackmail them. A number of rich and famous have been questioned in the probe including Brad Grey (a mogul at Paramount), Nicole Kidman, Warren Beatty and Michael Ovitz. It seems supposedly lefty tinsel town is not above a little tap and grab at least when it's used to win juicy divorces, get back lost parts or as leverage in contract negotiations.

The trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on April 18 and it’s sure to be a potboiler.

Big Brother Sam in the House

There was a bizarre story out of Pittsburg last week that we wanted to share.

Last week, a High School English teacher named Glenn Harcsar was shopping at his local Sam's Club in Monroeville, PA with his eight-months pregnant wife when he was stopped by Sam’s Club security and told:

“You've been identified by our scanning system. You're not going to be allowed to purchase these items and you must leave and never come back. Otherwise, you will be prosecuted.”

Harcsar says the general manager and security personnel told him they had him on tape, from their surveillance cameras, shopping at a Tarentum store and a Greensburg store and would not explain why he was being asked to leave.

Thus far, Wal-Mart Sam’s Club has refused to explain what happened but they have apologized to Mr. Harcsar. No word on the details of Sam’s Club ‘scanning system.”

U.S. No Longer Leading By Example

One little covered feature of the Bush administration’s secret wire-tapping is how it is being manipulated by totalitarian regimes as they defend their own surveillance programs. The United States, once the greatest advocate for personal freedom, is now the first example sighted by regimes as they seek to validate snooping on their own citizens. 

Don’t believe us? Read this article on Internet surveillance in China quoting a Chinese businessman saying, the following:

"Our software does not restrict Internet freedom," he says. "President Bush used a special law to intercept peoples' e-mails. ... If a country didn't take such measures, there would be hidden dangers and more terrorist attacks."

And, where do you think that will end? Surly, Truman, Kennan, Dulles, Nixon, and Reagan are rolling in their graves that communists are truthfully sighting the U.S. as rationale for their own repressive policies.

ACLU Flash Movie

This little Flash Movie on the ACLU site is Classic. The scary thing is all of this is already possible with exsisting technology. Hello, supplying this wigdet is Larry Ellison's dream.

LBIW's Top 6 All-Time Surveillance Movies

In LBIW's opinion, one reason this secret wire-tapping issue has struck a cord with Americans of every stripe is due to a popular culture that has educated us never to trust those who secretly watch us. In American lore, inevitably the watcher will abuse his or her power.

With that in mind, we give you LBIW's top 6 surveillance movies of all-time.

• The Enemy of State. In an odd coincidence, this Will Smith vehicle actually features brutes from the NSA as the villains.

• Minority Report. Based on the book by sci-fi master Philip K. Dick, Tom Cruise faces off against a younger Colin Ferrell in a future where criminals are arrested before they even commit the crime.

• The Truman Show. Jim Carrey's stars in the title role as a man who without even knowing it, was raised on the set of TV show, 100% under surveillance.

• Brazil. This classic by Terry Gilliam of Monte Python fame stars Robert DeNiro and envisions a bizarre retro-future where a totalitarian government monitors every aspect of it’s citizens lives but nothing else seems to work.

 

• 1984. This is actually the second of 3 versions filmed versions of George Orwell novel. LBIW would pick this one due to a great perforamce from the comly Charlotte Rampling. 

• The Conversation. Starring Gene Hackman and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this movie is that rare example of a surveillance movie where the hero is also the spy. And its the best of the bunch.

Rent them, but be warned, they will make you even more paranoid.

The Case for Surveillance

Below you will find an op-ed piece arguing for the unlimited use of wire-taps by Gordon Bishop, reporting for the The Courier.

Eavesdropping on terrorists saves lives in a global war

Our questions for Mr. Bishop, if we could ask, would be (1) where does it end and (2) who is watching the watchers?  For example, what if, the eves-droppers came across a conversation detailing forthcoming revelations of something incredibly embarrassing to the President or his family? Say, ugly ties to Saudi's with clear ties to terrorists. Not an impossible thought given their long-standing connections to the kingdom. What happens then? Would they pass this tid-bit on to the White House so they could head-off any bad press? The NSA reports to the White House so with this secret set-up we have to assume the answer is yes they would protect their boss.  Also, we still don't know what else they are looking at and it seems Congress doesn't either. Mr. Bishop is happy to push the Constitution but only when it suits his arguement. The President, Mr. Bishop, reports to the Congress.