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You are here: Home / Politics / Enemy of the State

Enemy of the State

by John Cole|  June 13, 20071:44 pm| 46 Comments

This post is in: Politics

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Schools, doctors and police often do not share information about potentially dangerous students because they can’t figure out complicated and overlapping privacy laws, according to a report released Wednesday on the Virginia Tech shooting.

“This confusion and differing interpretations about state and federal privacy laws and regulations impede appropriate information sharing,” the study’s authors wrote.

As a result, information that could be used to get troubled students counseling or prevent them from buying handguns never makes it to the appropriate agency, the report by three Cabinet agencies said.

The message we will get over the next few weeks/months is that all those messy privacy laws to protect you killed those kids. When you demand your privacy, you are endangering your fellow citizens.

Some of you might think I am being hysterical about this, but after the creep we have seen with the War On Drugs and the absolute abuses we have seen during this administration ostensibly to support the War on Terror, I think a little hysterics are in order. The result of this report will not be that they work to coordinate information sharing in a sensible manner. It will be a move to simply rewrite privacy laws, centralize them, and remove the part where they actually protect your privacy.

Want to bet?

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Reader Interactions

46Comments

  1. 1.

    Dreggas

    June 13, 2007 at 1:53 pm

    “This confusion and differing interpretations about state and federal privacy laws and regulations impede appropriate information sharing,” the study’s authors wrote.

    That’s the give away part right there. It’s exactly similar to what they said about the need for DHS. That whole bit about intel agencies not working together and blah, blah, blah. Of course we know where that went WRT the Patriot act etc.

  2. 2.

    Otto Man

    June 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm

    ifyou’renotdoinganythingwrongthenwhatareyouafraidof?

  3. 3.

    Jay B.

    June 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm

    Schools, doctors and police often do not share information about potentially dangerous students because they can’t figure out complicated and overlapping privacy laws, according to a report released Wednesday on the Virginia Tech shooting.

    Sure, because when something affects .00001 percent of the population, it requires a Total Awareness Solution.

    I agree with you John. Never give them the opening.

  4. 4.

    Tax Analyst

    June 13, 2007 at 2:11 pm

    That’s why I’m changing my name to “DougJ”…

  5. 5.

    Jake

    June 13, 2007 at 2:11 pm

    When you demand your privacy, you are endangering your fellow citizens.

    No, no, John. Crazy people endanger our fellow citizens. If we can just keep a close eye on them, perhaps through some sort of tracking devices, everything will be just fine.

    Some of you might think I am being hysterical about this,

    I yield to no one my title as most hysterical about rare events (Sept. 11th, VA Tech shooting) and non-threats (The WoD) being used as an excuse to crap on the Bill of Rights.

    Particularly when you consider frightened people (or people who have something to gain from frightened people) tend to over-compensate when designing their plan to keep everyone safe 4-EVA. I suspect what comes out of this latest tragedy won’t be a calm measured approach that carefully weighs the rights of the individual, the likelihood of a similar incident and safety concerns. I suspect life will become a bit more hellish for people who already have mental illnesses. And people who had an episodic bout with a mental illness. And people who just don’t act like everyone else. Doctor’s won’t be too thrilled either. Will they also be required to tell the patient that the info might be passed on to a third party? Yeah. More paper work and regs. Doctors love that shit.

    I suppose we can trust schools to take a rational approach to this and not freak out when a student acts a little strange. Wouldn’t that be fun for the student? Fall asleep in class and find yourself in front of a panel of mental health experts! Wheee!

    And what about later in life? If you are diagnosed as severely depressed in your freshman year of college, will that go in a file somewhere so that when you’re 30 and trying to get a job in law enforcement … Ah, what am I saying? As long as the normal people are safe, who cares?

  6. 6.

    Dave

    June 13, 2007 at 2:32 pm

    Want to bet?

    Not in this day and age.

  7. 7.

    Tax Analyst

    June 13, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    To get serious for just a fragmentary moment, no, I do not believe John is being the least bit hysterical here. I might have thought so if he had said the same thing, oh say, 7 years ago, but not today. Oops…got some real work to do…well, anyway…I agree.

  8. 8.

    Paul L.

    June 13, 2007 at 2:45 pm

    ifyou’renotdoinganythingwrongthenwhatareyouafraidof?

    It is interesting that law enforcement officials that say that get really defensive when a private citizen tries to take video or pictures of them.
    Another arrest for videotaping police officers on the job
    or the end of this clip:
    Video of Alterman’s arrest

  9. 9.

    Fwiffo

    June 13, 2007 at 2:46 pm

    Lightning kills more people every year than school shootings. Therefore we should take the simple and obvious solution of building a roof over the entire country.

  10. 10.

    Zifnab

    June 13, 2007 at 2:50 pm

    I suspect what comes out of this latest tragedy won’t be a calm measured approach that carefully weighs the rights of the individual, the likelihood of a similar incident and safety concerns. I suspect life will become a bit more hellish for people who already have mental illnesses. And people who had an episodic bout with a mental illness. And people who just don’t act like everyone else.

    I don’t doubt it. I’m sure people who play violent video games will be singled out… again… like they were at my old high school when someone made a Counter-Strike Map out of the main building and sent the media into a terets bout.

    I’m sure companies will find new ways to fire or disenfranchise their employees. Can’t keep these crazies on the payroll, because it impacts our bottom line our employees’ safety.

    People caught visiting the wrong website in a public library or looking ethnic on the wrong side of town will catch all sorts of hell from police who are just trying to keep us safe.

    Yeah, there will be a crackdown alright. Unless you’re a gun owner or a gun seller. Cause the only Amendment we care about in America is the 2nd. Sit down, shut up, and let us think you’ve gone away. If you want to make a point, do it with the end of a military grade anti-tank assault rifle. Because guns don’t kill people. Tree-hugging peace-loving dope-smoking hippies kill people.

  11. 11.

    Punchy

    June 13, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    Another arrest for videotaping police officers on the job

    Uh….Rodney King, anyone?

    I had no idea you couldn’t video the Fuzz. Hell, Ice Cube has an entire song about it.

  12. 12.

    Smitty

    June 13, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    Therefore we should take the simple and obvious solution of building a roof over the entire country

    Why not? We are, afterall, starting to build a wall around it…

  13. 13.

    RSA

    June 13, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    Yeah, there will be a crackdown alright. Unless you’re a gun owner or a gun seller.

    Exactly what I was going to say. I think that attempts to relax privacy laws to prevent nutters from getting guns will shot down by the NRA. (Overlapping constituencies, perhaps?)

  14. 14.

    Zifnab

    June 13, 2007 at 3:09 pm

    Therefore we should take the simple and obvious solution of building a roof over the entire country

    Why not? We are, afterall, starting to build a wall around it…

    This’ll be awesome. It’ll be like we’re building the world’s largest house. Making us the world’s biggest family.

    **LOVE** **LOVE** **LOVE** **LOVE** **LOVE** **LOVE**

  15. 15.

    Dreggas

    June 13, 2007 at 3:13 pm

    I’m sure companies will find new ways to fire or disenfranchise their employees. Can’t keep these crazies on the payroll, because it impacts our bottom line our employees’ safety.

    They’d have to fire the majority of IT workers LOL.

  16. 16.

    Ugh

    June 13, 2007 at 3:21 pm

    Another arrest for videotaping police officers on the job.

    This is why security cameras in private businesses only record video and no sound – the wiretapping laws only cover sound recordings, not vide.

  17. 17.

    Zifnab

    June 13, 2007 at 3:21 pm

    They’d have to fire the majority of IT workers LOL.

    Christ. Tell me about it. I’d say the job makes you crazy, but you have to be pretty unhinged to take it in the first place.

  18. 18.

    Dreggas

    June 13, 2007 at 3:53 pm

    Zifnab Says:

    Christ. Tell me about it. I’d say the job makes you crazy, but you have to be pretty unhinged to take it in the first place.

    I took the job because I like solitude and working in solitude where I do not have to deal with people. Yes the majority of us are probably pretty unhinged.

  19. 19.

    srv

    June 13, 2007 at 3:59 pm

    It is interesting that law enforcement officials that say that get really defensive when a private citizen tries to take video or pictures of them

    Always amazes me when Authoritarians act all anti-authoritarian.

    Like this , if he’d had long hair, the republicans would be laughing about the beating. But he was a soldier, so it’s different.

  20. 20.

    ThymeZone

    June 13, 2007 at 4:23 pm

    In our system, only the government should have privacy.

    Surely all good citizens can see the common sense need for that.

  21. 21.

    Mr. Heat Miser

    June 13, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    pretext, pretext, pretext. You’re already a meaningless automoton – celebrate it – don’t reject it. Let go of your fears… the government will protect you. The government will solve everything.

  22. 22.

    Justin

    June 13, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    Well put, John

  23. 23.

    Jake

    June 13, 2007 at 4:44 pm

    Unless you’re a gun owner or a gun seller. Cause the only Amendment we care about in America is the 2nd.

    Heh. I was wondering earlier about this earlier. If we held a national vote on the Bill of Rights which to keep, which to revoke; which ones would win?

    I’m sure people who play violent video games will be singled out… again…

    But is that enough? What about Dungeons & Dragons? What about music and other forms of entertainment? The 1812 Overture is full of things going ka-boom. Ooo, yikes. [change pants].

    I took the job because I like solitude and working in solitude where I do not have to deal with people.

    OMG A LONER!! LOOK OUT!! ARE U SMART? THE UNI-BOMBER WAS SMART AND A LONER!! RUN HIDE THEY WNAT TO KILL US!!! [change pants]

  24. 24.

    srv

    June 13, 2007 at 4:49 pm

    … [change pants]

    The genes made him do it.

  25. 25.

    Dreggas

    June 13, 2007 at 4:54 pm

    Jake Says:

    OMG A LONER!! LOOK OUT!! ARE U SMART? THE UNI-BOMBER WAS SMART AND A LONER!! RUN HIDE THEY WNAT TO KILL US [change pants]

    I do fit the profile, but am not a luddite.

  26. 26.

    Paul L.

    June 13, 2007 at 5:08 pm

    Always amazes me when Authoritarians act all anti-authoritarian.

    Wow, the left’s favorite mode of debate.
    Label someone with a preferred lefty buzzword (Authoritarian, Bigot, Chickenhawk, Sexist) and dismiss/ignore all arguments from them.

    So speaks someone who use tries to prevent debate on Global Warming Climate Change by saying the debate is over because of scientific consent.
    But that is not a appeal to authority.

    Question if all Republicans are Authoritarians that automatically obey anything their leader (in this case George W. Bush) tells them to do then why so much disagreement with the Republican base with his immigration bill?
    Let me guess you will say that their racism overrides their desire to unquestioningly obey their leader.

  27. 27.

    ThymeZone

    June 13, 2007 at 5:29 pm

    Let me guess you will say that their racism overrides their desire to unquestioningly obey their leader.

    ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

  28. 28.

    Pooh

    June 13, 2007 at 5:35 pm

    Want to bet?

    Interesting formulation, considering that the War on Gambling is the bleeding edge of the assault on privacy.

  29. 29.

    jg

    June 13, 2007 at 5:37 pm

    In a democracy the people know everything the government is doing and the government doesn’t know what the people are doing.

    In an authoritarian system of government the government knows what the people are doing and the people don’t know what the government is doing.

    In the US?

    Privacy is for people with something to hide. And good luck getting a straight answer out of this White House. They ignore subpoenas from congress.

  30. 30.

    jg

    June 13, 2007 at 5:40 pm

    Paul, no one said all republicans are authoritarians nor that all authority is bad. OK?

  31. 31.

    Pooh

    June 13, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    The fact that an argument is self-negating has never once stopped the [insert label for 28%] from advancing it on these here pages.

  32. 32.

    demimondian

    June 13, 2007 at 6:09 pm

    Let me guess you will say that their racism overrides their desire to unquestioningly obey their leader.

    No — I’d say that the rampant bigotry of a large part of the Republican base forces them to choose a different authority to follow as a leader. That’s why we’re seeing so many right-wing bigots spouting the “Bush is no conservative” meme, so that they can disavow him without looking like traitors.

  33. 33.

    StoneLukeWarm

    June 13, 2007 at 8:08 pm

    Ahem… Excuse me, “Right” to Privacy?

    I think a careful and unbiased read-through will show that there is no explicit “Right to Privacy” to be found, anywhere in the Bible.

  34. 34.

    Pb

    June 13, 2007 at 9:43 pm

    Paul L.,

    Authoritarianism isn’t just a label, it’s a set of rather quantifiable personality traits; in fact, there are tests you can take to see where you rank on, say, the RWA scale or the SDO scale. Also, Bush is not the only right wing authority figure out there.

  35. 35.

    srv

    June 13, 2007 at 9:57 pm

    So speaks someone who use tries to prevent debate on Global Warming Climate Change by saying the debate is over because of scientific consent. But that is not a appeal to authority.

    Shit man, did you have an aneurysm over the immigration bill? Perhaps you need proof read for that migrant typist you hired.

    Let me guess you will say that their racism overrides their desire to unquestioningly obey their leader.

    No, I would have said xenophobic, but whatever you say.

    Someday you people are going to figure out just who has to wipe your ass in that nursing home. Hint: it isn’t going to be a white kid from generation X, Y or XL.

    And just because you FINALLY disagree with Bush on ONE thing, doesn’t mean you’ve shed your Authoritarian bent.

  36. 36.

    ThymeZone

    June 13, 2007 at 10:24 pm

    there is no explicit “Right to Privacy” to be found, anywhere in the Bible.

    It is there in the Constitution, right next to where it says that zygotes are citizens.

  37. 37.

    Paul L.

    June 14, 2007 at 5:33 am

    Pb From your link:

    1: Faulty reasoning — RWAs are more likely to:
    * Make many incorrect inferences from evidence.

    You mean like in the Duke Lacrosse hoax the inference that the white rich guys are guilty?

    2: Hostility Toward Outgroups — RWAs are more likely to:

    * Weaken constitutional guarantees of liberty such as the Bill of Rights.

    Another Scholar Says, “Repeal the 2nd Amendment” or Hate Speech?

  38. 38.

    jake

    June 14, 2007 at 7:48 am

    [Paulell sings]:

    Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin’!

  39. 39.

    grumpy realist

    June 14, 2007 at 8:54 am

    Gee, a whole herd of jackalopes just were released from captivity by Paul L.

    Guess we don’t have to worry about extinction for THAT species any time soon….

  40. 40.

    Andrew

    June 14, 2007 at 9:59 am

    Mike NiFong DA 4 Lyfe!!!!!

    Then he can bring charges against Paul L. and we can skip the trial and just lock him in a room with a bunch of angry blak feminazis!!!1 Woot!

  41. 41.

    Zifnab

    June 14, 2007 at 10:00 am

    Hey Paul, that’s all well and good, but how do you feel about pie? Do you like pie?

  42. 42.

    demimondian

    June 14, 2007 at 10:33 am

    Hey, Paul. Whatever happened to those totipotent adult stem cells?

  43. 43.

    jg

    June 14, 2007 at 11:01 am

    I’m stealing someone’s line here but since I don’t know whose line it is I’ll have to issue a blanket apology for stealing it.

    Paulel, you’re the type of person who would use the obituary page as proof that the worlds population isn’t increasing.

    Do you actually support right wing politics or do you just hate the left? All I’ve ever read from you is reasons to dismiss left wing policies. And not exactly substantive reasons. Just noise. Were you assaulted by a band of hippies? Or did you just grow up in a house where dad spend a lot of time saying ‘those people’ are what’s wrong with this country?

  44. 44.

    yet another jeff

    June 15, 2007 at 12:10 pm

    Tree-hugging peace-loving dope-smoking hippies

    Todd Snider reference, Zifnab?

    Want to bet?

    Not on the internet…

    And…Paul L…y’all are just mad at W for not wanting to throw all the Mexicans in jail…it’s not anti-authoritarian if the reason you disagree with your authority figure is because he’s not cracking down hard enough for you.

  45. 45.

    ChristieS

    June 15, 2007 at 1:25 pm

    Want to bet?

    I never take a sucker bet.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. University Update - Virginia Tech - Enemy of the State says:
    June 13, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    […] Wake Forest University Link to Article Enemy of the State » Posted at Balloon Juice on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 You: Schools, doctors and police often do not share information about potentially dangerous students because they can’t figure out complicated and overlapping privacy laws, according to a report released Wednesday on the Virginia Tech shooting. “This confusion and differing interpretations about state and federal privacy laws and regulations View Entire Article » […]

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