So Dick Cheney and George Orwell have had a freakish love child, and his name is Tory MP Vic Toews. He’s a man who thinks that warrantless domestic spying by law enforcement is a grand idea that’s good for Canadians. He’s put forward a bill that will require all internet service providers to record what we do on the internet so as to give police access to all our logs without a court order. It was called The Lawful Access Act, but since a lot of people were opposed to it for high falutin’ reasons (like…er…freedom), he’s just gone all Republican on their weak lefty asses by changing the name to The Protecting Children From Internet Predators Act. How does one fight against that? From Sarah Scmidt:
The warrantless access does not just apply to cases of child pornography or child predators. It can apply to something that’s not even a criminal activity. It’s ridiculous to go to these lengths. And why are they doing it? They’re doing it because they want to instill fear on the part of the public and say, ‘Well, if you don’t give us this bill, then all child pornographers, those predators, that’s going to be on your head.’ And that’s what they want the public to fear. That’s why they’re accusing privacy commissioners of being on the side of child predators.”
You may have seen Toews all over the news yesterday when objections were raised in the House of Commons. Toews said – in true Dubya tradition – that his opponents “can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.” Shudder. The prescient Rick Mercer got it right back in October, as you can see above.
Bonus moral: this is what happens when you don’t vote.
Bonus irony: Vic Toews has just had his privacy invaded.
TAKE ANOTHER BREAK
There are 5 comments
Popular
From Road Trip Wisdom to Laugh-Love-Language, with Bailey Hayward and Mathew Bishop
Get to Know the Gastown Izakaya Giving Vancouver’s After-Hours Scene Exactly What it Wants
Basta BBQ is Breaking the Barbecue Seal on Sunday, April 21st
Long Table Dinner Series Announced by Wild Blue Restaurant in Whistler
Ten Places to Steam, Soak and Sauna In and Around Vancouver, Mapped
First, his name is Toews, not Toew as stated in the opening sentence.
Second, you were okay with the status quo before but this Lawful Access Act is going too far? Law enforcement already gets court approval for 95% of the warrants they seek and can easily gather this info without a warrant if they so choose (which is done all the time.) This act proposes a future no more “Orwellian” than the Canada we live in at present. If unrestricted access to our personal information, including our whereabouts, activities and thoughts, is Orwellian then you’re already there. Is there any doubt we live in a surveillance society, one of incessant direct mind control and blatant public attempts at it, in which we all work for the “Ministry of Love” — monitoring, recording, and turning in fellow party members in an endless war against ourselves.
Third, if information is being gathered and stored it isn’t secure – period. The only way to secure data is to prevent it from being collected in the first place. Doing so at present means forfeiting your membership to civilization and so instead you offer it up willingly and for free as though it’s your obligation.
Fourth, this government was elected TWICE. The problem here is clearly not a lock of voting but the voting system itself. If you pretend that we live in a democracy with a first-past-the-post system you are only perpetuating an obvious myth. You would never used this method in any other area of your life so why use it when it matters? Moreover, voting for the sake of it, just so you can say you did, makes no sense at all. Having the right to vote but not the right to have someone to vote for — someone who can represent you and your values (which is the whole point as I understand) — is definitely undemocratic…
…bla bla bla
“So Dick Cheney and George Orwell have had a freakish love child, and his name is Tory MP Vic Toew. He’s a man who thinks that warrantless domestic spying by law enforcement is a grand idea that’s good for Canadians. He’s put forward a bill that will require all internet service providers to record what we do on the internet so as to give police access to all our logs without a court order. It was called The Lawful Access Act, but since a lot of people were opposed to it for high falutin’ reasons (like…er…freedom), he’s just gone all Republican on their weak lefty asses by changing the name to The Protecting Children From Internet Predators Act.”
Thank you, Andrew, for breaking this issue down for us. Prior to this portentous gem we weren’t sure what was going on here. Your nuggets of wisdom are cherished.
^ Giggle. Thanks TV. Your remarks are always appreciated. Stay the course.
wait – what?
his name is TOEWS??? does that mean if you’re with him you’re also with the Chicago Black Hawks??
Cheers, Andrew.