Wed - December 28, 2005
Big Brother Is Alive And Well And Living In Kansas
You don't suppose some
police will arrest people ONLY to get a DNA sample, do
you?
Persons arrested in Kansas would have their DNA
taken by police, by force if necessary, under the provisions of a bill to be
filed in the Kansas legislature.
The bill is modeled after a Virginia law, In Virginia, however, if the person is not convicted of a crime, the sample is disposed of.
Brett Shirk, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri opposes the plan:
"Probably one of the more disturbing things is that taking and storing DNA from people only suspected of crimes undermines the constitutional guarantee of presumptive innocence," he said. "These people haven't been convicted in a court of law, they've only been charged. Unless the police never make mistakes, you're going to be taking DNA samples from some innocent people."
In addition, Shirk stated:
"This would allow the government to take a giant step toward altering the purpose of a DNA database from a criminal investigation to general, population-level surveillance."
Read the details in the Johnson County Sun.
The bill is modeled after a Virginia law, In Virginia, however, if the person is not convicted of a crime, the sample is disposed of.
Brett Shirk, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri opposes the plan:
"Probably one of the more disturbing things is that taking and storing DNA from people only suspected of crimes undermines the constitutional guarantee of presumptive innocence," he said. "These people haven't been convicted in a court of law, they've only been charged. Unless the police never make mistakes, you're going to be taking DNA samples from some innocent people."
In addition, Shirk stated:
"This would allow the government to take a giant step toward altering the purpose of a DNA database from a criminal investigation to general, population-level surveillance."
Read the details in the Johnson County Sun.
Posted at 02:06 PM
Wed - December 21, 2005
Have Yourself a Tacky Little Christmas #6
South
Springfield
OK, OK. I confess. The gnomes are Photoshopped. Everthing else, though, is real.
Posted at 01:22 PM
Fri - December 16, 2005
Have Yourself a Tacky LIttle Christmas #5
James River Town Center,
south Springfield
Posted at 08:42 AM
Wed - December 14, 2005
Have Yourself a Tacky Little Christmas #4
Kansas Expressway and
Battlefield Road, Springfield
Our Savior of Perpetual Clutter. Introducing
The Little Drummer
Boy.
Posted at 01:10 PM
Mon - December 12, 2005
Non-Fat, Vegetarian Dip
Great with
veggies
This is SO easy. And isn't it time we declared
Ranch Dressing DEAD?
I can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large carrot
splash of hot sauce, if you like
Toss everything into the food processor and blend until smooth.
Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
I can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large carrot
splash of hot sauce, if you like
Toss everything into the food processor and blend until smooth.
Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Posted at 08:00 AM
Fri - December 9, 2005
Have Yourself a Tacky Little Christmas #3
Sunshine Avenue, across from Bass
Pro
Diversity in Springfield. Here's a cheesy little
scene of "An Austrian View of the Nativity." Don't you love the
lederhosen?
Posted at 08:07 AM
Wed - December 7, 2005
Tear these signs down
Do your civic
duty
It's against the law in Springfield to post signs
on utility poles. They're a hazard to utility workers.
In addition, they're UGLY. Companies frequently come into Springfield with pickup trucks and post hundreds of signs in a single day. We don't need this clutter!
1-800-GOT-JUNK is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Granny called the company and asked if they posted these signs in downtown Vancouver. "No" was the answer.
Well, if they're not good enough for Vancouver, they're not good enough for Springfield.
If you have any of these beauties in YOUR neighborhood, tear them down!
In addition, they're UGLY. Companies frequently come into Springfield with pickup trucks and post hundreds of signs in a single day. We don't need this clutter!
1-800-GOT-JUNK is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Granny called the company and asked if they posted these signs in downtown Vancouver. "No" was the answer.
Well, if they're not good enough for Vancouver, they're not good enough for Springfield.
If you have any of these beauties in YOUR neighborhood, tear them down!
Posted at 07:48 AM
Mon - December 5, 2005
The Eyes Of Missouri Are Upon You
The State will monitor the
signal from your cell phone
Missouri has contracted with a private company, the
National Engineering Technology Corporation, to monitor thousands of cell
phones, starting in Kansas City and St. Louis, to track traffic conditions and
report them to the public.
The program charts drivers' relative speed by measuring the time between the intermittent signals that cell phones send to towers along a stretch of road. The info is overlaid with highway maps to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving. Supposedly, the information is is stripped of personal ID and serial numbers.
This is a leap forward in our nation," said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn, minutes before the Highways and Transportation Commission's unanimous vote to authorize the contract. "No other department of transportation will be able to keep the users of their system as well informed."
The pesky folks at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) say that we consumers should have the right to opt into this public service. Lillie Coney, the Associate Director said, "Missouri may be creating a base for a new industry on the shoulders of the taxpayers."
Granny especially likes this provision in the contract:
"Under the terms of the $6.2 million, two-year contract, NET will wholly own the information and is free to sell it to outside vendors that could profit from offering just-in-time travel updates. The government has no authority to monitor where the information ends up, but Hillis said that after two years, the state may enter a revenue-sharing agreement with NET."
Oh, well, I guess we just have to trust them when they say that the information will be gathered and stored without any tracking information. After all, if you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't be at all concerned that your movements are being monitored . Isn't that right?
The program charts drivers' relative speed by measuring the time between the intermittent signals that cell phones send to towers along a stretch of road. The info is overlaid with highway maps to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving. Supposedly, the information is is stripped of personal ID and serial numbers.
This is a leap forward in our nation," said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn, minutes before the Highways and Transportation Commission's unanimous vote to authorize the contract. "No other department of transportation will be able to keep the users of their system as well informed."
The pesky folks at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) say that we consumers should have the right to opt into this public service. Lillie Coney, the Associate Director said, "Missouri may be creating a base for a new industry on the shoulders of the taxpayers."
Granny especially likes this provision in the contract:
"Under the terms of the $6.2 million, two-year contract, NET will wholly own the information and is free to sell it to outside vendors that could profit from offering just-in-time travel updates. The government has no authority to monitor where the information ends up, but Hillis said that after two years, the state may enter a revenue-sharing agreement with NET."
Oh, well, I guess we just have to trust them when they say that the information will be gathered and stored without any tracking information. After all, if you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't be at all concerned that your movements are being monitored . Isn't that right?
Posted at 08:26 AM
Thu - December 1, 2005
Have Yourself A Tacky Little Christmas #3
Republic Road In
Springfield
Springfield has a motley assortment of cheesy,
poorly painted nativity figures, scattered all over town.
This beauty is sporting a new look this year.
LAST YEAR, WHEN JESUS WAS A BLOND, AMERICAN KID:
THIS YEAR:
This beauty is sporting a new look this year.
LAST YEAR, WHEN JESUS WAS A BLOND, AMERICAN KID:
THIS YEAR:
Posted at 02:49 PM
Don't pick your nose in public!
Tips on suspicious behavior
from the US Air Force
Well, it's finally happened. The military has come
up with a list of suspicious activities. As a result,
ALL OF US ARE
GUILTY.
Here's part of of the list:
*People recording or monitoring activities. This may include the use of cameras (either still or video), note taking, drawing diagrams, annotating on maps, or using binoculars or other vision-enhancing devices.
*People purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, detonators, timers, etc.
*People moving around from place to place without any apparent purpose and doing it, perhaps, many times.
*People who don’t seem to belong in the workplace, neighborhood, business establishment, or anywhere else.
*People who seem out of place standing by at a certain location as if waiting for something to happen.
Read more at the Air Force's "EAGLE EYES" web site.
Here's part of of the list:
*People recording or monitoring activities. This may include the use of cameras (either still or video), note taking, drawing diagrams, annotating on maps, or using binoculars or other vision-enhancing devices.
*People purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, detonators, timers, etc.
*People moving around from place to place without any apparent purpose and doing it, perhaps, many times.
*People who don’t seem to belong in the workplace, neighborhood, business establishment, or anywhere else.
*People who seem out of place standing by at a certain location as if waiting for something to happen.
Read more at the Air Force's "EAGLE EYES" web site.
Posted at 09:50 AM
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Published On: Dec 31, 2005 02:24 PM
Published On: Dec 31, 2005 02:24 PM