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[IP] more on Scheiber - Polling Too Fairly?





Begin forwarded message:

From: "Strata R. Chalup" <strata@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 12, 2006 5:32:10 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] Scheiber - Polling Too Fairly?

David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: David Bolduc <bolduc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ...
> http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=17176
> ...
> *I think a reasonably revealing poll question would be something like:
> We've learned that the NSA monitors the phone records of  ordinary
> Americans in order to help hunt down terrorists. Do you  support that
> program?


I think even that question, while correct, is still misleading. Saying 'ordinary Americans' still doesn't convey that it's you, it's me, it's my house phone and DSL with SBC/ATT, my cellphone with Verizon, etc. That when Joe or Jane or Huy or Izvana called up his or her best friend from highschool and finally told *someone* about that drinking problem, or the affair, or the fears about their child's medical problem, that is what's being monitored, scanned, analyzed.

That's what some stranger gets to hear bits and pieces of if you've named your dog 'Osama', or if you talk about the 'President' of your 'gun' club, or whatever combination of keywords that might generate a false positive that someone has to screen. Or, if no one hears it, maybe you just picked up a silent blacklist point, and you'll find out that you have some critical mass of same when you try to fly to your kid's college graduation, or your grandma's funeral, and they don't let you on the airplane because your name is on a list somewhere.

"Is Qwest your phone company? If not, then the NSA is monitoring your phone records to try to hunt down terrorists. Is that okay with you?"

If the voter on the street ever really chooses that, well, it's not the same country I grew up in these last 43 years, and it's time to find someplace sane.

best regards,
SRC


--
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Strata Rose Chalup [KF6NBZ]                      strata "@" virtual.net
VirtualNet Consulting                            http://www.virtual.net/
             ** Strategic IT for the Growing Enterprise **
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