Fourth Amendment Doesn't Count

[mwfanelli2]

The Bush administration is now looking to spy on ALL Americans via their emails. Basically, emails don't count.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11...email_privacy/

This is the latest and broadest attack on the 4th amendment yet. Yeah, we could put email encryption into full gear but how long will it be before encryption by Americans is outlawed? Bush is determined to dismantle as many rights as he can before leaving office.

The one clear message that should be put to all candidates for president is "Will you immediately restore the freedoms taken away by Bush and his Republican sycophants that once made America the envy of the world?"

[Xia_Ke]

No one makes a big deal out of this and yet they jump all over a Maine teacher who said to burn the flag and a copy of the Constitution in the name of free speech. Thanks to the Bush admin, the flag and Constitution are worthless at this point anyway... :sigh:... So what's the housing and job market like in Canada anyway

[walterick]

One more year

[Tel]

Yes, the United States Government is currently way overstepping the constitution. I would love to rise up and fight it (protest) if I could, but damn me being 14 and having no ability to drive.

[Frog]

I hear this stuff from regular Americans like us all the time but I've yet to hear someone come up with something we can actually DO about it.
You mentioned the flag thing and I've always said I had no interest in burning a flag or flag burners but the day they make it unconstitutional to burn one I'll be out their with my matches.

[another view]

Here's the Fourth Amendment (at least as listed on Wikipedia):

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.

I don't know if there's really much we can do about it - most people won't care until it causes a noticable difference in their day-to-day life. Then it'll be too late.

[Skyman]

I am sure that this applies to nobody who posted in this thread so far with the possible exception of tel, but the apathy of your average american irritates me sometimes. people who don't exercise there democratic right to vote give up their right to whinge. I get frustrated when i see Americans going to war to promote "freedom and democracy" when most Americans don't actually participate in their democracy.

reading between the lines on that article though it is the stored email that they are after not one that is in the process of being transmitted and they would still need a subpeona to get them. that being the case if you want your emails to be secure delete them after they are sent! oh and remember about that reasonable expectation of privacy thing at the moment your isp and whoever manages your email client can read your emails (not that they have time to) but what they are saying is if "anyone" can already do it then we are not infringing on existing rights. With the volume of email going around today it is highly unlickely that the government would "snoop" all emails, so we are back to the why do they have cause to look and they still need to subpeona the records.

[mwfanelli2]

From the article...

"What is important in this case is not the ultimate resolution of that narrow issue, but the position that the United States government is taking on the entire issue of electronic privacy. That position, if accepted, may mean that the government can read anybody's email at any time without a warrant."