Neither have they:
"Surveillance sets off civil liberty alarms; Police in Maine city praise new system" by Associated Press | January 19, 2010
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - Privacy advocates are criticizing a new surveillance system used by South Portland police that reads license plates, a system police defend as a tool to help solve crimes, find wanted individuals, and locate missing people.
Yeah, and start CHARGING PEOPLE for driving violations via MAIL!
See: Tools of Tyranny: Ticketing Terrorists
Yeah, ever notice they ALWAYS EXPAND the ORIGINAL REASON for having the stuff to eventually include everything?
South Portland is apparently Maine’s first community to use a system that can read license numbers and run them through national crime databases, the Portland Press Herald reported....
When does the FEDERAL FASCISM STOP, 'eh, local and state authorities?
Never because you also benefit via the control?
Then who needs you, especially if the "terrorists sneak through" again?
But state Senator Dennis Damon, a Trenton Democrat, said he is concerned that the system could be used to gather information about residents and that police could drive through a lot and record all the vehicles parked there.
“All of a sudden they would have reason to believe that I’m in this location . . . let’s say it’s a political rally,’’ said Damon. “Another sweep through a parking area might reveal I am there. Now, all of a sudden there is a track on me. To me, it’s too much of a concern that I might lose my privacy and freedoms that are afforded to me as a citizen.’’
Damon has introduced legislation, presented to him by the Maine Civil Liberties Union, to ban technology that’s used to gather broad information about private citizens.
Similar systems are used in about 25 states. South Portland police bought the system last fall with help from a federal grant.
Un-flipping-real!
YOUR TAX DOLLARS at work against you, Americans!
“Surveillance is generally defined as the act of observing or monitoring individual groups,’’ South Portland Police Lieutenant Frank Clark said in a statement. The system “does not do this. . . . It does what many good police officers have done by hand for many years, but does it much more efficiently and effectively.’’
Why do you have to lie about, copper?
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And look who they ARE leaving in the DARK:
"US shutting down old navigation system used by planes, boats" by Clarke Canfield, Associated Press | January 18, 2010
PORTLAND, Maine - The plug is being pulled on a radio navigational system that for decades was the preferred choice of mariners in waters off the United States.
Is there ANYTHING this government does that SERVES YOU, America!
As the low-cost global positioning system has emerged in recent years, the LORAN-C system has become obsolete and is no longer needed for navigation or safety, the Department of Homeland Security says....
And what happens if the GPS goes down?
Get out the star charts and astrolabe?
Short for “long-range navigation,’’ LORAN was developed during World War II for military ships and aircraft. It then was developed for civilian use in 1957 and uses radio signals from 24 land-based towers operated by the Coast Guard across the United States to determine positions at sea or in the air.
Just like the Internet and everything else handed over to private industry in AmeriKa. Taxpayer dollars fund research and development, then it is handed over to favored interests and clients when it may be profitable.
For decades, it was the standard-issue navigation system for commercial fishing boats, recreational craft, and other vessels, as well as a supplemental navigation aid on many small aircraft.
You know, maybe a lot of REGULAR PEOPLE like you and me.
Better get that GP$ upgrade, huh?
At its peak, an estimated 1.2 million to 1.5 million receivers were in use. But mariners and pilots began turning to global positioning systems, which use signals from satellites, in the mid-1990s.
The time has now come to shut down the entire LORAN system, the government says. The Department of Homeland Security says eliminating LORAN could save $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years. It would result in the elimination of 256 jobs, according to the Coast Guard.
You know, they WASTE TRILLIONS around here, but let's shut down something a broad majority of regular people might actually use and what is a back-up plan in cse those satellites go zzzzzt.
Would it be easy to turn back on or take forever like most government help?
Relatively small numbers of fishermen, primarily old-timers, and some general aviation pilots use LORAN receivers on their boats and planes. Major manufacturers stopped making them years ago.
Yeah, f*** 'em! Either pay up or go Gilligan.
Still, the decision to pull the plug has drawn protests, including objections from Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan M. Collins of Maine, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and Governor John Baldacci of Maine. They say they are troubled by the decision to do away with LORAN without identifying a backup system to GPS.
I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with Lieberman!
Erik Johannessen, president of Megapulse Inc. in Billerica, Mass., which manufactures integrated GPS/LORAN equipment, said it makes sense to develop an enhanced LORAN system by building on the existing LORAN network.
It’s vital to maintain a viable backup should GPS be disrupted or compromised, potentially negatively affecting maritime navigation, air traffic, and even cellphone and power grid networks, he said....
Related: Hackers target power plants, other infrastructure
Yeah, we are getting those warnings all the time!
In the Federal Register notice announcing the end of LORAN-C, the government says LORAN was never intended to be a backup to GPS and that other alternatives are available.
Like what?
In the meantime, the Department of Homeland Security said it plans to continue evaluating whether a single national system to back up GPS is necessary.
How much is that u$ele$$ $tudy by that u$ele$$ department going to co$t when we have a perfectly good $y$tem up and running?
So there IS NO alternative (sigh), 'eh, government? Just another lie to be told?
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Maine may seize cottages to cover Medicaid
But as Maine Public Radio reports, the state would get the power to seize those properties in some cases. Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda Harvey says the change would allow the state to be reimbursed for its costs if one of the property owners uses Medicaid funding to pay for long-term care.
