Thread: Photo Gallery Chit Chat
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09-22-10 05:04 #487
"Your papers, pleez..."
good comments. i agree with you that the erosion of civil liberties in the us is a major concern for the future of the country. this started in the cold war and just keeps getting worse.
Originally Posted by sky ryder
i had hoped that the recent change in the administration would help to counter this trend, but unfortunately, us politics today is absurd on its best day.
basically, though, other than a driver's license and a social security card, with effort, one can still maintain some privacy in the us, but it takes a lot more work than it used to, especially with the requirement to register for just about everything (such as to get a discount at the grocery store!).
and, it is not just the government peeking into citizen's lives. private corporations data mine private information at an alarmingly increasing rate, as well.
ps: check your pm box.
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09-22-10 04:51 #486
Ping Pong Show
i have an accountant. never have a problem Originally Posted by daddy07
you convey a lot of unnecessary drama here. i've had my bags searched maybe 3 out of the last 20 times i returned to the country. it's best to just be calm and let them do their jobs. just like in thailand...jai yen. Originally Posted by daddy07
in the state where i am domiciled i can do this all on a computer in about one hour. it's very easy to do. i let the accountants take care of the tax part. Originally Posted by daddy07
in my town, i can paint my house any color i want. where do you live...sun city? Originally Posted by daddy07
more drama here. i look at this a lot differently than you. my best buddy is a retired navy seal, my grandfather was a firefighter, my mother was a teacher for 40 years, my uncle was a cop, and my brother is a cop. one of my friend's brother is a two star air force general in command of an an entire division. no "jack-boots" here, just people i respect who devote their careers to keeping the rest of us safe. Originally Posted by daddy07
i often travel around the us during my visits. most of the homeland security folks are just normal folks doing their $15/hr. jobs like everyone else (at least the lucky employed folks). i treat them politely and try to minimize the hassles related to bag searches (e.g., pack smart, remain patient). it is not an easy job dealing with the many assholes out there who think they deserve special privilege.
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09-21-10 12:32 #485
Try the Cactus bar in Soi Cowboy, maybe they can get naughty if you pay.
Originally Posted by Spider916
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09-21-10 08:39 #484really??? … not even with the irs??? don’t you have to report your private business to them every year just like the rest of us slaves? Originally Posted by fon tok
and let’s suppose you display a small bit of displeasure or annoyance when those ‘polite’ agents are rifling through your possessions … you know … freedom of speech? … do you think they will remain polite?… or will you be taken down and humiliated in front of the rest of the cattle, not to mention put on a no-fly list? maybe they’ll just confirep001e your computer if they happen to see you frowning.
have you tried to start a legitimate business in the usa lately? forget about it if you don’t have a high priced lawyer and a suitcase full of cash. and if you do find a way to manage it, just try to avoid all the government parasites and bloodsuckers that will seek you out and shake you down every chance they get.
hell … you can’t even paint your house white without a permit in the good old usa. soon they’ll be punishing us for not buying health insurance as ordered. god bless america, right? land of the free, right?
i’ll tell you what … it’s another vast police agency on top of all the rest of them … it’s another bureaucratic nightmare for peaceful honest americans to endure. i’m more afraid of the uniformed jack-booted thugs than i am of a few ragged bands of terrorists.dept. of homeland security...so what?...
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09-21-10 08:27 #483
Truly a fan!
fon tok, Originally Posted by fon tok
with noted respect to your opinion, i disagree. i spend a four to six weeks every year back in the us, and i definitely enjoy my freedom as an american citizen.
the only time i normally come in contact with government authority in the us is at immigration & customs (upon entering the country), and they usually are very polite. sometimes they look through my bags, but i don't mind, as i have nothing to hide. i thank them for doing their jobs. dept. of homeland security...so what?
i also know that if i have a big problem, i can go to the police, ask for help, and not have to pay a bribe. of course, whether they actually do anything is another issue. in these instances, i usually brink a box of donuts to the station.
in the us, regardless of its reputation for law & order, there is no internet censorship, no military junta installed government, and no "shoot to kill" orders to quell civil unrest. however, there is legal abortion, a right to bear arms, the right to free speech, and enforced traffic laws (at least where i stay).
granted, depending on what us state you are in, the local laws can be quite draconian, but that it what the people want in those places. and yes, people do honk if they love jesus...it is their right to do that. i have a right to not have to listen.
in thailand, imo, we as a foreigners enjoy very little, if any, rights. just run afoul of the law and this will become readily apparent.
let me start by telling you that i am truly a fan of your photos, i would enjoy spending a day with you while you are taking your pics, just to see "how it is done", i find the photos of "normal girls", wonderful and tastefully done. thank you for your contribution.
as far as the usa is concerned, i am really glad that you have not experienced any real problem and the dhs folks have been kind to you. most of what you say about the usa is correct, but being from there and growing up in a different era, i feel qualified to say that compared to what the usa was 30 yrs ago, our "rights" have been trampled and most likely will never be restored. just a few highlights, "they" now have the right, (and are doing so) to listen and intercept phone conversations, emails, internet traffick, library rentals, etc, etc,etc. all of this in the name of "security". what this amounts to is domestic spying by quasi gov't agencies. many times the people doing this are "contractors", because the actual agency cannot legally perform these tasks, but the information is the same.
we send young people to fight in "wars"(age 18), and won't even let them have a beer legally(age 21)....."you can take a bullet for us, but god forbid your drink a beer".
my current favorite is being able to ask anyone, regardless of who they are to produce "proof" of being in the country illegally. to me this a really slippery slope, and could lead to a whole lot of things happening that are against the right we americans are supposed to enjoy of "illegal search and seizure".
i understand the need for security, in fact i was "one of them" for a while and know a little about the operation from the inside, i guess for me, at the end of the day, i am not sure i want to be that secure. i am sure if i lost a loved one at the hand of terrorism, maybe i would feel differently, but i remember saying in the latter part of 2001, i don't want to live in a country where what happened on the fateful day in september couldn't happen. yes, freedom does have a price, sometimes it is a heavy one, but one i am willing to pay to maintain my rights and privacy. it is interesting to note that the largest act of terrorism ever in the usa was conducted by us citizens, from the "heartland"......
the thing that disappoints me the most is the utter lack of tolerance for opposing ideas these days in the usa. i have never seen such a polarization.
ok, off my soap box now, i agree with you that as foreigners we don't have many rights in a lot of places, i guess that is why i guard those i do have at home with such vigor. she is still my home.......
once again thanks for your contributions to this forum, and please don't take any of this as a "flame" in any way. you just gave me an opening to "vent" a little....
sky
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09-21-10 07:10 #482
Love it, or leave it -- or both!
with noted respect to your opinion, i disagree. i spend a four to six weeks every year back in the us, and i definitely enjoy my freedom as an american citizen. Originally Posted by daddy07
the only time i normally come in contact with government authority in the us is at immigration & customs (upon entering the country), and they usually are very polite. sometimes they look through my bags, but i don't mind, as i have nothing to hide. i thank them for doing their jobs. dept. of homeland security...so what?
i also know that if i have a big problem, i can go to the police, ask for help, and not have to pay a bribe. of course, whether they actually do anything is another issue. in these instances, i usually brink a box of donuts to the station.
in the us, regardless of its reputation for law & order, there is no internet censorship, no military junta installed government, and no "shoot to kill" orders to quell civil unrest. however, there is legal abortion, a right to bear arms, the right to free speech, and enforced traffic laws (at least where i stay).
granted, depending on what us state you are in, the local laws can be quite draconian, but that it what the people want in those places. and yes, people do honk if they love jesus...it is their right to do that. i have a right to not have to listen.
in thailand, imo, we as a foreigners enjoy very little, if any, rights. just run afoul of the law and this will become readily apparent.
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09-21-10 06:31 #481Beleive me, Fon Tok, there is no longer any real freedom in America. I should know because I'm ashamed to say I'm an American too. The USA is fast becoming a police state and the Deptartment of Homeland Security is hurrying it right along on the path. Originally Posted by Fon Tok
I enjoy far more freedoms right here in Thailand. I'd much rather live here in the Land of Smiles than there in the irrational Nation of Jeeezhus.
I love my country, but if it weren't for family, I'd never go back.
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09-21-10 02:28 #480Madrid Bar in Patpong has Belgian beer. There's a few girls in there that will happily get naughty... Originally Posted by Spider916
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09-21-10 02:27 #479
Talkin' about Freedom...
IMO, if US Immigration and Customs can stop one terrorist from harming one person, from anywhere in the world, then they can search anyone they feel like, myself included. I just wish they would do a better job! Originally Posted by Spider916
I respect the US government for having the cajones to do this, and the American people for allowing most anyone who can travel there to do so.
Spider916, by the tone of your comment, it sounds like you are not an American, so you possibly have no idea what real freedom is. I do.
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09-20-10 19:54 #478
Do you know any naughty bar in BKK that sells any Belgian beers at a reasonable price?
Originally Posted by Brastrav
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09-20-10 19:52 #477
Please stay where you are in the land of the unfree and do your patriotic duty by spending your Dollars exclusively at home, maybe by buying a few giant sized American flags each week, but let the rest of us enjoy the real free world.
Originally Posted by Sammon
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09-14-10 05:03 #476
RE: Any Nation's Customs Searches
If you have nude pictures in your camera, try removing the memory chip from your camera and store it almost anywhere else in your carry-on or luggage. Unless the government has already flagged you for suspicious activity it's unlikely they'll undertake a search extensive to find a common memory chip in a random location. If you are somehow already flagged because of associations with terrorist sympathizers, there's nothing that can help you anyway and nude pictures will probably be the least of your worries.
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09-13-10 19:46 #475Freedom led to 9-11; what a stretched use of logic that is. Originally Posted by Sammon
The US government has so effectively brainwashed so many Americans into believing terror exists everywhere and only they can protect you. I can only imagine where it will lead. And the phrase Homeland Security, does that not have the ring of Hitler's use of the terms Motherland/Fatherland?
I fear the terror of this kind of intrusive, paranoid government far more than any renegade terrorists, as it erodes our freedoms more and more in the name of security.
You feel more secure? I sure as hell don't.
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09-13-10 16:59 #474
Searches
After 9/11 it is very important to take any threat seriously whether the terrorists are home grown or others. I do not find any fault in the government invading our privacy to protect our country.
All Americans including visitors, students, illegals had lots of freedom to do whatever they want before 9/11. Look what it led to.
As for us mongers I do not think they will detain you and put you in a blacklist just because they found some porn photos in there. Ofcourse kiddy porn is a different matter.
ACLU is a good organization but they cannot fight for everything when it comes to national security matter.
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09-13-10 16:19 #473
U.S. Customs Searches of laptops and cell phones.
the following is from mcclatchy newsletter.....
commentary: suspicion-less laptop searches at u.s. border are over the borderline
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more on this story
on the web | the american civil liberties union web site
on the web | more commentary from mcclatchy
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by catherine crump | the american civil liberties union
like most americans, when pascal abidor crossed the border to return home to the united states this spring he didn't anticipate that border agents would use the opportunity to search through the contents of his laptop. and he certainly didn't anticipate that the agents would confirep001e the computer and continue to search through his most private files — including vacation photos, financial records and chats with his girlfriend — long after he was allowed to cross into the u.s.
mr. abidor seems to have drawn agents' attention solely because he is an islamic studies doctoral candidate who has traveled occasionally to the middle east.
that wrongheaded and discriminatory basis was apparently reason enough under a department of homeland security policy that permits border agents to search the contents of an international traveler's electronic devices, including laptops, cell phones and smart phones, even when they have no reason whatsoever to believe the traveler has done anything wrong or that the search will turn up evidence of wrongdoing.
this policy should alarm everyone.
today, our laptops and cell phones function as extensions of our home offices and, in some sense, extensions of ourselves — repositories of our most personal photographs, financial and medical records, correspondence and even diaries.
when such information is kept inside the home, the government generally cannot look through it without first going to a judge and obtaining a warrant based on probable cause. but at the border, the government claims the power to rifle through this deeply personal and intimate information for any reason or no reason at all.
this is especially troubling for those of us whose professions require us to keep information in confidence. from clergy to journalists to lawyers to doctors, many who must travel internationally for work have records of deeply personal information, and fear that their sources will dry up, or that they will violate their professional obligations, if they are selected for a suspicion-less search.
the department of homeland security's invasive policy reveals a growing pattern of the government using the border to evade the normal constitutional constraints on searches.
according to media reports, the government claims its border search authority extends 100 miles into the country – an area in which nearly two thirds of the u.s. population lives — and that it has even been using this authority to conduct suspicion-less and warrant-less "border" searches on trains that never cross the border.
everyone has an interest in a secure border. but purely suspicion-less searches do nothing to make us safer — on the contrary, they waste limited national security resources. the government has never produced any data to prove that searches of people who are not suspected of any wrongdoing actually make us safer.
merely studying about islam and traveling to the middle east is far from a sign of wrongdoing. in an era in which we recognize that it is more important than ever before for us to understand the middle east, we should not be ostracizing those who choose to do so. yet policies such as the governments suspicion-less laptop search policy leave all of us susceptible to invasive searches of our private and expressive material based on whatever criteria individual border agents may choose to deploy.
earlier this month, the american civil liberties union, the new york civil liberties union, the national press photographers association and the national association of criminal defense lawyers joined together to challenge the government's suspicion-less search policy. we hope the resulting lawsuit will establish the rule that the government cannot search through travelers' laptops and cell phones without a reasonable belief that the search will turn up evidence of wrongdoing.
about the writer
catherine crump is a staff attorney with the aclu speech, privacy and technology project.
mcclatchy newspapers did not subsidize the writing
read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/1...#ixzz0zqhwaddy
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