Australia outlaws warrant canaries • Hacker News Board

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#111

Post by CamperBob2 » Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 4:15 AM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #105

CamperBob2 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would really drive the point home that this is a truly dangerous amount of power? If the abuses of Hoover's FBI weren't enough to make the American people (and especially their Congressional representatives) say "Never again," nothing will. I'm sure Australians can point to similar abuses of government power that are not considered a problem going forward, because, hey, we're all progressives here, right? People…

If the abuses of Hoover's FBI weren't enough to make the American people (and especially their Congressional representatives) say "Never again," nothing will. Oh come on - how many people did Hoover kill? There isn't even a number. Not because he was a great guy, but because the abuses of government power that have taken place in the US are quite mild in historical terms, when compared to the excesses of colonialism…

The question is, how many careers did Hoover kill?

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#112

Post by NeutronBoy » Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 4:37 AM UTC

VonGuard wrote: post #43

Australia is officially the only place in the world where the laws and technological restrictions make me never want to go there. Bandwidth is capped, porn is filtered, videogames cost a ridiculous amount. I know the country was founded by criminals, but I didn't realize they still ran the place.

> videogames cost a ridiculous amount

Yes, but it's a lot of currency/cost of living differences as well.

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#113

Post by Veedrac » Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 12:23 PM UTC

lowbloodsugar wrote: post #104

I have not been served with a warrant. In so saying, I have just committed a crime? WTF

This should be meme-ified: #IHaveNotBeenServedWithAWarrant.

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#114

Post by toyg » Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 6:38 PM UTC

wildmusings wrote: post #86

toyg wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This technique was first theorized and practiced by CIA in Europe (and likely KGB elsewhere) during the Cold War. In Italy they called it "Tension Strategy", as in "keeping people tense" with fear of attacks and bombs so they will allow the government to get and maintain illiberal powers or even allow a Chilean-style coup d'état. During the Troubles, the UK had its fair share of "freaking out", banning public bins (o…

The "Tension Strategy" was an allegation made by Italian Communist Party, which was unhappy with the influence of American political ideas in Italy post-WWII. Trying to pass it off as accepted historical fact, as you have done, is dishonest.

I'll just point you in the direction of Wikipedia, where you can do your research. Hint: the term comes from a column in The Observer, quoting British and Greek documents. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategia_della_tensione_in_Ita...

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#115

Post by toyg » Sat, Mar 28, 2015, 6:47 PM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #102

mhurron wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We've had bombs in London Did they react this way during the Troubles? I don't think they did. I was in London in '92 and there was a bomb threat called in at the tube station one stop over. It delayed the train for a bit, but that was it and everyone continued on like normal. This time the US freaks out because the world came to their doorstep and they flip out because they have no idea how to handle it. The leade…

Well, it's a bit more complex than that. I lived int he UK from 1988-95 and a few years after, and I'm Irish. There wasn't a collective freakout, but there was institutionalized discrimination; for example you could be held for longer than the usual statutory period, without communication and without access to a lawyer, based on suspicion of terrorism. There were quite a few Irish people falsely imprisoned because th…

> virtually all attacks on the mainland were carried out in London

Well, except for the one that devastated central Manchester (which was called in, and backfired spectacularly, but was still extremely significant).

Re: Australia outlaws warrant canaries

#116

Post by mcovey » Sun, Mar 29, 2015, 10:50 AM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #60

steven2012 wrote: post #9

What happened in the last few years to allow our civil rights in the most forward thinking countries to unravel so easily? And why do citizens not care? How is it possible that all countries have elected such a group of corrupt, nearsighted politicians to the point where freedom is an inconvenience over them consolidating practically dictatorial power? And again, why does no one care?

It is happening at a pace that doesn't force people to think about it. If something big and bad happens suddenly, then people are forced to notice. But if the same big and bad thing happens slowly, one step at a time, most people don't notice. And those who notice are aren't able to do much as they are in a minority. Also, many people are more idealistic in their youth - before they have families, careers etc and bef…

>Also, many people are more idealistic in their youth - before they have families, careers etc and before putting food on the table becomes a bigger priority. That is why it is easier to protest as a college student, than as a 40 year old with a mortgage and two kids. But that is also getting harder these days - student loans, getting a record etc

Unfortunately many people feel like these are things that they must do. People who lead interesting and fulfilling lives without "settling down" are just to gawk at on TV and wonder what it must be like. Pursuit of the typical "American dream" causes people to neuter themselves in order to fit in.