(no subject)

[oselle]

Um, what the hell is up with those new "inappropriate content" warnings on LJ posts? Do I have to apply those warnings to my profanity-laced posts or else risk getting bounced from LJ? Or does it just apply to le porn?

In other news, a secret pilot program is being tested in the New York City Fire Department to sniff out "suspicious material or behavior" in people's homes. And I don't mean suspicious arsonist behavior or something like that. I mean, potential terrorist material or behavior. See, the NYFD doesn't need a warrant to come into your home and start digging around. And you know, your house doesn't need to be on fire for them to come in either. How easy would it be for them to be sent into someone's home under pretense of, say, "a smell of smoke," and then...oh, I don't know. Going through your reading material? Or the contents of your computer? And what, exactly, is considered "suspicious?" Schematic plans for the local nuclear power plant? A Koran on the bookshelf? A subscription to The Nation?

I have tremendous respect for the NYFD, and for all firefighters, and I can't believe they would allow themselves to be deputized as some sort of secret police. But this? Is still scary as hell.

Naomi Wolf has written a book, The End of America, about the "fascist shift" that she sees happening in America. This is the sort of thing that right-wingers like to roll their eyes over and call alarmist, "lunatic-fringe" stuff. But it's really not sounding so far-fetched, is it?

Comments

[hiyacynth.livejournal.com]

Go here http://killabeez.livejournal.com/255162.html for instructions on how to make them all go away when viewing your flist. You can decide whether to apply an overall rating to your journal, but other people apparently can flag your entries as containing adult content so that LJ/Big Brother can make sure you aren't raping babies in your spare time.

Me, I chose not to apply a rating to my journal. I figure, I clearly label any stories that contain adult content, and the rest of my ramblings just have occasionally guttery language. Whatever, LJ.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. Lord, what a frigging hassle. Makes me want to write hardcore porn out of pure spite. How filthy do I feel today?

Sigh. Not very.

[plaidpjs.livejournal.com]

I was wondering the same thing myself. Not because of any content in my LJ (it's too boring), but because warnings are an annoying pain in the ass when I read my f-list. What's next, "NC 17" ratings popping when I answer a freakin phone call?

[plaidpjs.livejournal.com]

Thanks for responding and clarifying this, I was wondering too.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

America is going to heck. There, I said it. But we're slowly losing our freedom. Very slowly losing it.

Have you seen this?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/17/police_to_search_for_guns_in_homes/