Acta

just a little political rant. --- "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -Benjamin Franklin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement This is terrifying. Look, we all know downloading files, games, music and movies without paying is illegal. We also all know that everyone has at least a couple of illegally downloaded tunes on their iPod. That isn't the point of this at all; this could be concerning the possession and consumption of heroin or child pornography. However mundane or despicable, the circumstances of the crime do not matter. The fair and legal enforcement of the laws does. Last time I checked, there's this little thing called the Bill of Rights, which includes 10 Amendments that we have come to take for granted here in this great country. Unfortunately, those who drafted and are considering the ACTA don't seem to have ever even read the Constitution. ----- Observe: "Newspaper reports indicate that the proposed agreement would empower security officials at airports and other international borders to conduct random ex officio searches of laptops, MP3 players, and cellular phones for illegally downloaded or "ripped" music and movies. Travelers with infringing content would be subject to a fine and may have their devices confiscated or destroyed." --ACTA wiki "No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." --Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution ----- "The leaked document includes a provision to force internet service providers to provide information about suspected copyright infringers without a warrant, making it easier for the record industry to sue music file sharers and for officials to shut down non-commercial BitTorrent websites such as The Pirate Bay." --ACTA wiki "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." --Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution ----- If you're scared, if you're pissed, if you care at all about your basic rights as a US citizen, pass this information on to anyone who will listen. This violates the US constitution. If you don't care about the absurdities of the U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act or the gruesome realities of the detainment camps in Guantanamo bay, surely this will at least hit a little bit closer to home. Violations of our basic constitutional rights don't just happen to some Afghani "terrorists" down in Cuba; they're happening right here, in colleges, in airports, in basements and in libraries. If we don't put a stop to this now, soon it will be everywhere, all the time.