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Barack Obama  |
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Rob Kailey is a working schmuck with no ties or affiliations to any governmental or political organizations, save those of sympathy.
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privacy
Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 22:13:06 PM MST
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Good news from the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday, which defeated two bad amendments by Utah's Orrin Hatch (R) that could have left women with worse health care coverage than they had before health care reform.
Hatch wanted an amendment to eliminate a major compromise that let private insurance companies continue to cover abortion care but not fund coverage for this care under any government or public option. He also proposed an amendment to prohibit all private companies participating in health insurance exchanges from providing coverage for abortion care.
Thanks Max for standing by women is this fight to retain our current benefits and for your help keeping these private decisions in the hands of women, families, and doctors.
For now, women can continue to make these tough decisions based on our own moral beliefs and medical needs--not Orrin Hatch's.
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Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 10:48:21 AM MST
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As expected, yesterday the Bozeman City Commission voted to overturn its hiring policy that required applicants for city jobs to disclose their email and social networking user names and passwords. Not surprising once the story went national, and a little bit of a black eye for the city.
Which is too bad, because I was thinking maybe Bozeman city officials should share the usernames and passwords of the blogs and social networking sites they frequent...
It would probably make for some interesting reading, eh?
Is it time to start talking again about a federal amendment protecting US citizens' right to privacy? Of course it'll never happen. Too many people make too much money off of your private information...
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Thu Jun 18, 2009 at 09:37:23 AM MST
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I think Bozeman needs to seriously rethink their hiring practices to have more respect for privacy:"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. Um, Google and Yahoo (and to a lesser extent Facebook and MySpace) means giving access to potentially years of personal email correspondence.
That's obviously the biggest red flag, but the idea that any employer -- public or private sector -- should be able to not just witness your personal online accounts (which include information like religion, sexual orientation, etc., that could trigger discrimination) but access them as a user -- completely messed up.
And I'm no lawyer, but this strikes me as violating the Montana Constitution's privacy protections big time.
In short: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Tue Dec 09, 2008 at 19:49:39 PM MST
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(An excellent analysis of Justice McCarter's recent decision on physician-assisted suicide. - promoted by Jay Stevens)
Last Friday Judge Dorothy McCarter (Montana First Judicial District Court, Helena) granted summary judgment to Robert Baxter and a group of Montana physicians in the case of Baxter et al. v. State of Montana, no. ADV-2007-787. Mr. Baxter is terminally ill and challenged the constitutionality of Montana's criminal prohibition on physician-assisted suicide. Montana law, 45-5-105 MCA, provides punishment of up to 10 years in jail and $50,000.00 fine for aiding or soliciting help in a suicide.
The question before the Court was whether a mentally competent and terminally ill person has the right, under the Montana Constitution, to decide the time and manner of their death without government intrusion.
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There's More...
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 10:06:08 AM MST
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Now that we're paying attention to national databases of private information - thanks to the Good Guv's fight against Real ID - maybe we should consider the dangers of building such a system. Two recent BoingBoing posts illustrate the need for concern.
Arthur Miller, 1967:
The very existence of a National Data Center may encourage certain federal officials to engage in questionable surveillance tactics. For example, optical scanners - devices with the capacity to read a variety of type fonts or handwriting at fantastic rates of speed - could be used to monitor our mail. By linking scanners with a computer system, the information drawn in by the scanner would be converted into machine-readable form and transferred into the subject's file in the National Data Center....
These tactics, as well as the possibility of coupling wiretapping and computer processing, undoubtedly will be extremely attractive to overzealous law-enforcement officers. Similarly, the ability to transfer into the National Data Center quantities of information maintained in nonfederal files - credit ratings, educational information from schools and universities, local and state tax information, and medical records - will enable governmental snoopers to obtain data that they have no authority to secure on their own.
Miller also noted that information cataloged thusly is subject to malicious or accidental alteration, that the information could be stolen by commercial interests, or others.
Nineteen-f*cking-sixty-seven.
Maybe it's time to start advocating for a privacy amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 12:39:11 PM MST
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Traveling internationally? The government is investigating you.
In other important news, someone took out An Ad. In a newspaper.
Hopefully the U.S. Senate can get to the bottom of one of these two important issues.
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Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 10:22:43 AM MST
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MSU is introducing biometric hand readers as an optional replacement for student ID cards for things like dining service.Clarinda Marcoff, interim manager of the Cat Card Office, said the new hand scan program is voluntary, but every new student who has gone through orientation so far this summer wanted to participate. She thought some students or parents might object, but no one did. I'm actually a bit surprised that no one objected (or even opted out). At the same time, this is a cool use of technology and it does make people's lives easier.
But there are still some interesting privacy questions here, including ones that are raised specifically because MSU is a state institution.
Thoughts?
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Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 17:06:03 PM MST
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Two bills went forward to pick a fight with the federal government. Between those two bills, they got 199 votes on the House floor and 1 vote against.
Hahahaha. Take that REAL ID Act -- this state hates ya.
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