The Liberator Online


Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 17:48:02 -0800
From: "Daniel J. Bronk" DanielJohn@worldnet.att.net

Hi Ya'll:

Interesting reading below. It is a newletter published by the Libertarians. It has a couple of articles that need our immediate attention, if we wish to maintain our Liberties. It may also provide you an image of Libertarians you didn't get from the press. Enjoy.

Daniel



THE LIBERATOR ONLINE
February 18, 1999
Vol. 4, No. 4
Circulation: 24,810 in 79 countries

Mailing list of the Advocates for Self-Government.
Created and edited by Paul Schmidt, paul@self-gov.org
Co-edited by James W. Harris, james@self-gov.org

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GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS

compiled by James W. Harris

Feds Plan Bank Privacy Nightmare


A new government regulation -- scheduled to go into effect on April 1 -- will require banks to spy on customers, compile dossiers on them, and report vaguely-defined "unusual activity" to federal police.

It's called the "Know Your Customer" rule. It was announced in December, and, according to civil liberties writer James Bovard in the Washington Post: " The effect will be to treat law-abiding citizens like drug kingpins... this could be a landmark in the history of the subversion of American privacy and property rights."

The measure is downright Orwellian. Every bank and credit union will be required, Bovard says, to "determine its customers' sources of funds, determine, understand and monitor the normal and expected transactions of its customers, and report... any transactions of its customers that are determined to be unusual or inconsistent."

Furthermore, "The new rules vastly expand the number and types of private activities that bankers must report to federal overseers."

According to Libertarian Party national director Steve Dasbach, under the rule: "...bank tellers can quiz you about where you got your money and how you plan to spend it. And if your answers sound suspicious, they can report you to federal law enforcement agencies. This law would turn every bank teller into a government informer and everyone with a bank account into a criminal suspect."

The government says it wants the information in order to be able to track down money-laundering efforts by drug dealers and other persons engaged in "illicit activities."

However, says Bovard: "the standards for violations are so vague that anyone who has a one-time surge in income --- such as selling a car or receiving a bonus at work --- could be reported as a suspected drug dealer."

Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union warns that "every time little Billy gets a large gift from his grandmother, there's going to be a suspicious-activity report. It turns banks into cops, into police spies for the government."

Banks will be required to let federal agents see your private financial records within 48 hours -- no search warrant needed. Furthermore, mere suspicion of "illegal activity" -- which could simply be a sudden increase in deposits -- could lead to the government's seizing your entire bank account, leaving you penniless while you try to prove in court that you're not guilty of a crime.

The law is a shredding of basic Constitutional liberties, including the right to be free from warrantless searches, the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and fundamental privacy rights.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), the only libertarian in Congress, is leading the battle in Congress against the proposed regulations. He has introduced HR 516, the "Know Your Customer Sunset Act," to kill the idea.

"These rules are more like 'Spy On Your Neighbor,' and I have not yet met anyone who likes them," Rep. Paul said. "I've heard from literally thousands of people, and not one of them wants the government to require banks to implement these massive new programs which turn every customer into a presumed-guilty suspect."

The ACLU, the Libertarian Party, the Eagle Forum, the Free Congress Foundation, the Christian Alert Network. the Texas Bankers Association, the California Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association and other prominent and diverse groups are fighting it.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has set March 8 as the deadline for public comment about this devastating attack on liberty. As we go to press, the FDIC has received over 15,000 complaints, almost all in opposition.

The Libertarian Party has set up a Web site filled with information and commentary about the bill: http://www.defendyourprivacy.com

(Sources: Washington Times, January 28 / Congressman Ron Paul / Libertarian Party / Future of Freedom Foundation / John Hinkamp)

Government Sells Drivers License Photos


Here's another privacy nightmare...

Three state governments -- Florida, South Carolina, and Colorado -- have contracted to sell a combined total of 22.5 million drivers license photographs to Image Data LLD, a private anti-fraud company in New Hampshire. This despite the fact that citizens were required by law to submit to the picture-taking to be able to drive.

Image Data LLD will use the photos to build a nationwide photographic database, which retail establishments can use to confirm the identity of customers who cash checks or use credit cards.

Outraged citizens immediately protested the sale, raising such agitation that some state officials tried to back out of the deal. However, last week a state judge in South Carolina ruled that the right of privacy doesn't extend to the photos, and the state is obligated to fulfill the sale.

Libertarian Party National Director Steve Dasbach notes that photographs are just a small part of the flood of personal data that the government collects about its citizens -- ranging from mandated fingerprints on drivers licenses, to omnipresent Social Security numbers, to roving wiretaps, to cameras mounted on traffic lights, to the "Deadbeat Dad" federal employment database, and more.

Other privacy advocates note that even more invasive measures -- such as retina-encoded identity cards, mandated work permits, and border X-ray machines -- are on the federal government's agenda.

(Sources: Associated Press / Libertarian Party media release)

Man's Best Public Relations Tool


Apparently politics rules everything in the Clinton household. Here's the scoop on how President Clinton chose his dog, Buddy, from a "USA Weekend" article on pet ownership by animal expert Stanley Coren:

"Image... seems to have been the main reason behind the choice of President Clinton's dog, Buddy. Clinton's personality is actually more compatible with cats. But in the pre-Monica era, his advisors feared he would lose his 'family image' when his daughter, Chelsea, went away to college. They reasoned that the impression of a family man could be maintained by having Hillary and a happy dog meet the president when his helicopter landed on the White House lawn. The Labrador Retriever, America's most popular dog, was the obvious choice. But it couldn't be a black Lab; they don't photograph well. It couldn't be a yellow Lab; they photograph _too_ well, possibly upstaging the president.

"So that's why the 'first dog' is a chocolate-colored Lab."


(USA Weekend, Feb. 6-7)

Identity Documents

"I will not be filed, stamped, briefed, debriefed, or numbered... My life is my own."


-- from the television show "The Prisoner"


ON THE WEB


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PRODUCT REVIEW:


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This will take you to a special site on our catalog where this Liberator-Online-readers-only offer is featured. You can order via credit card from there if you wish. Our site is credit card secure -- you can order with the same confidence you'd feel at your local department store. While there, you can browse our other libertarian products and order any you wish.

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Thank you!


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