The Massachusetts highway propaganda machine

Massachusetts has decided that its electronic highway signs are a great way to deliver a steady stream of authoritarian threats to the population. Yesterday morning, the signs were threatening "Click it or ticket." This is a flatly illegal threat in Massachusetts; drivers cannot be ticketed for failing to use a seat belt, except in conjunction with some other violation for which they're first stopped. I've been unable to determine how many illegal tickets Massachusetts cops issue, how often they invent other offenses in order to issue seat belt citations, or how often judges break the law and fine people who have been illegally cited. Given the existence of the signs, I assume it happens.

In the evening the state's sign-makers suddenly expressed concern with legality, threatening everyone on Route 3 with jail if they have fireworks. Obedience to the law is obviously just for the masses, not for the government.

It doesn't much matter what they threaten people with. The goal is to make people feel controlled.

FCC seeks back door to Internet censorship

Scott Bradner, Harvard's security guru, reports on an FCC proposal for a "free," wireless, censored Internet.

Government intrusion into the wireless Internet seemed to be fading as scheme after scheme for municipal Wi-Fi has collapsed. But now the FCC has come up with a big gun: making a chunk of the RF spectrum available to wireless Internet, on the condition that "pornographic" or "obscene" material be blocked.

We know from experience that any scheme ever devised to block obscene material has large numbers of false positives, and there is little agreement on people on what is obscene. If the FCC can push this plan through, it will be a serious blow to freedom of speech on the Internet.

DHS ignores hearing on privacy assaults

The Department of Homeland Security refused to send a representative to a Senate hearing on the government's claim to the power to search through unlimited private information at border crossings, and Michael Chertoff refused to answer written questions from Senator Feingold. Feingold declared, "Once again, this administration has demonstrated its perverse belief that it is entitled to keep anything and everything secret from the public it serves and their elected representatives, while Americans are not allowed to keep any secrets from their government. That’s exactly backwards."

If you take a laptop computer across the border, the US government claims the right to snoop through all your files without cause. The courts have upheld this, on the principle that you forfeit all your rights when crossing the border.

The Democrats in Congress have demonstrated that any opposition they claim to have to overreaching presidential power is strictly for political show. Senator Feingold, John McCain's co-conspirator in censoring political speech, is a pathetic spokesman for opposition to unconstitutional power grabs.

Conservatives have been replaced by neo-cons. Liberals have abandoned the last scraps of true liberal principles and become Wilsonian progressives. Our liberty goes down the drain, and the political game goes on at our expense.

Progressive race-baiting

Continuing the "no surprise" category, Ralph Nader sinks into playing race against race.

Telecoms buy off Democrats

It's no surprise that Congressional Democrats who switched to voting to shelter telecoms from legal liability were the ones who got the biggest contributions from telecom companies. Nor is it much of a surprise that Obama is making only token noises of opposition to shielding them from legal liability. He says he'll try to strip that provision from the latest FISA bill, but hasn't said that he'll vote against it if it stays in. The opposition of Democrats to abuses of presidential power lasts exactly as long as they don't have control of the White House, and the polls are showing Obama in the lead.

It's no surprise. But it still makes me want to scream.

Update: Here's a detailed list. Conspicuous among them is Nancy Pelosi, who sold out for $24,500.

Update 2: There are still some Democrats who haven't been bought off.

Warranty scam of the day

Here's the latest extended-warranty scam in the mail:

You purchased your 2004 Civic 8 months ago. The original in service date of the vehicle, which activates the factory warranty, was over 38 months ago. Your 36 month/36,000 mile factory warranty has expired.
 
This is your Final Notice to extend your new vehicle bumper to bumper coverage. This plan is valid for your 2004 Civic only. Please refer to your customer ID# [snipped] when you call.
 
Call immediately, 1-877-398-6291. It is important for you to take advantage of this direct purchase program to protect your investment. This program is designed to save you thousands of dollars in unnecessary repair bills that you may incur once you are out of factory coverage!

The return address is "Service Protection Program, 300 North Tucker, St. Louis, MO 63101." Warranty scams seem to be to St. Louis what fortune-laundering scams are to Nigeria.

There are two direct lies in the quotation above. The first is a shot-in-the-dark guess about when I bought my car, and it's far off. They're hoping that some of their guesses will be accurate, thus giving the impression that they are privy to manufacturer information. The second is the claim to be able to extend the factory warranty.

Such plans, even in the unlikely event they're otherwise honest, can't save you money on the average. The cost to them to pay your repair bills is just as great as the cost to you, and they intend to make money along the way.

See also:

• Auto warranty firms launch sleazy scam (MSNBC)
• Warning: Scam Alert (same outfit, same address)