National Security Letter

Everybody go read this, right?


And also this (warning: PDF document).

If you've got room for more upset after those, try this one for desert:

U.S.: FBI Sought Info Without Court OK

Friday April 28, 2006 11:31 PM
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday.

Read the rest of the story

Bye-bye, Free Press

I shoulda gone to the ocean today, gas prices be damned.

From the Sunday New York Times:

In Leak Cases, New Pressure on Journalists
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: April 30, 2006

Earlier administrations have fired and prosecuted government officials who provided classified information to the press. They have also tried to force reporters to identify their sources.

But the Bush administration is exploring a more radical measure to protect information it says is vital to national security: the criminal prosecution of reporters under the espionage laws.

Here's the rest of the story.




And another thing...

Well, two other things.

More snippet books were made in SL. This is a Good Thing.

I can't figure out how to give the tree-and-dragon flag to people, though I know I must've done so in the past. Duh. If anyone in SL wants a flag, IM me in-world and I'll place the thing where directed. The most annoying part of this being that, once the flag is placed, anyone can move it. Gah.

Writing has happened. Took a bit to find the right starting point for the next chapter, and then I followed a brief, wrong, path a litle way into an argument. Realized that the point here was that there can be no argument, merely a bow to overwhelming force. Things speeded up once we got down to straightforward threats.

Progress on the Book Without a Name

54,963 / 98,000 (56.1%)